The Wild Stallion

It was the early morning hours, and the sun had barely risen over the horizon when the loud shouting of my father coming through the open window had woken me from a sound sleep. I rubbed my eyes as I crawled out of bed and strolled to my open window to scan the corral below. I stopped, and my eyes grew wide as they landed on the most beautiful solid black stallion I had ever seen. A few days prior, my father had told my brothers and I that he had purchased a new stallion for the ranch and that he would need my brothers' help in training him, but he never told us how magnificent the stallion was. His black coat glistened in the rays of the rising sun, showing off his well-defined body. His muscular legs strode out in perfection as he stomped and kicked his hooves against the ground kicking up dirt and dust into the air. His tangled black mane was long, stretching down just past his shoulder, and was in some serious need of a good brushing from the looks of it.

I instantly fell in love and was eager to meet him. Quickly getting dressed, throwing on my jeans and riding boots before running downstairs, I stopped at the kitchen door when I heard my grandmother call my name. "Good Lord, sweet child, where are you off to in such a hurry?" "To see the new stallion, Mema, did you see him? He's beautiful, absolutely beautiful". My grandmother smiled at me, "You have to eat first, now sit"! I nodded to my grandmother, sitting down at the kitchen table as she sat a plate of food in front of me, "Mema, did daddy eat" I asked her with worry in my voice, "Yes, my dear, and so did your brothers." I smiled at her words as I dug into my scrambled eggs. My grandmother always knew what I liked; I quickly ate as I was eager to get outside. Sensing my excitement and eagerness, my grandmother told me to "just go" as she took my plate away, laughing.

I kissed her cheek and ran out to the corral. I climbed up the side of the fence as I watched my father and brothers with the horse as they attempted to tame him, "Travis, bare down, good now pull at the bit, show him who's in charge," my father yelled to my oldest brother. I watched in amazement as the beautiful creature bucked and kicked, trying to throw my brother from his back. My father yelled more instructions toward my brother as the horse kicked more, throwing Travis to the ground with a thud. My other two brothers, Jackson and Wesley, ran to his aid as my father distracted the stallion. For the next two hours, my brothers and father tried to tame the beast but failed miserably. Before long, it was lunchtime, and my grandmother called us inside to eat.

I helped set the table as my father and brothers washed up for lunch. After grace was said and everyone started to eat, my grandmother spoke up. "Stan, my boy, you sure got your hands full with that one" "Sure do Ma, rebellious bugger he is, but I reckon I can't blame him. He was wild and free." At those words, I realized my father had been able to get one of Savannah's wild mustangs. Every so often, the wild horses in the area became overpopulated, and food became scarce, so the city held an auction to help domestic a few of them. All the money raised from the auctions went toward improving the community. It helped pay for new computers and books for the school district and town library, help the poor, and maintain the roads.

My grandmother's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "He reminds of that rebel gladiator from the Roman times, now what was his name again." I smiled, knowing who she was referring to right away as it happened to be one of her favorite movies from the sixties. "Oh yes, Spartacus, that should be his name." My father smiled at his mother and agreed with her as we continued to eat. My grandmother had served up some leftover buttermilk fried chicken from the night before. It was one of my father's favorite meals, and it always seemed to put him in a good mood which was always a good thing when you wanted something from him. So I decided to speak up and ask my father what I was thinking, "Daddy, do you think I could get a chance to ride Spartacus?"

My father looked up from his plate, my brothers did the same, "Absolutely not, baby girl, that stallion is way too dangerous for you right now, maybe in a few months, but for right now, he's off-limits to you." "But Daddy." "No buts, young lady, that horse is off-limits. Do I make myself clear?" I nodded, pushing back away from the table; I excused myself as I got up and left the kitchen to head back outside toward the barn. I could feel my eyes start to fill with tears. My father and brothers still only saw me as this fragile little girl, always in need of protection. I thought that as I grew older, things would change, but I was wrong. Taking a deep breath, I wiped my tears away and continued toward the barn.

Stopping at the corral, I watched Spartacus trot around, kicking dirt and dust into the air as he did. He didn't look dangerous to me at all, just scared. I'd be nervous, too, if I were brought to a strange place and surrounded by people I didn't know. I knew deep down my dad meant well, but I knew I could ride him if only he would give me the chance to prove myself to him and my brothers, to prove that I wasn't a little girl anymore. Shaking my head, I continued on my way to the barn, but as I reached the end of the corral, a loud whiny grabbed my attention, and I turned toward it.

Spartacus stood at the gate, staring at me. A part of his long mane was covering some of his right eyes, making him blink. He let out another whiny as if he was trying to say hello to me. Approaching him slowly, hoping not to spook him, I reached my hand out slowly, giving him time to get used to my presence. Spartacus moved closer to the gate and nuzzled my hand gently. I had been around horses long enough to know that I was given the green light to touch him more. I rubbed his forehead gently, brushing his long mane away from his eye as I spoke to him. "Hi, big fella. Welcome to Sugarland Ranch. You are going to love it here, I promise." He stepped closer toward me as I spoke. "We're going to take real good care of you and want to name you Spartacus; what do you think of that?" I laughed out loud when he snorted and nodded his head in approval.

I smiled sweetly at him as I started to wonder if he was letting me touch him with the corral gate between us, would he let me get closer? Without another thought, I climbed over the gate and hopped down. Spartacus was slightly surprised by the sound of my feet hitting the hard ground, making him move a few steps back away from me. "Whoa boy, it's okay, Spartacus, I didn't mean to frighten you," I said as I reached out to him again. Almost instantly, he walked closer to me, nudging my hand once more, giving me the okay. I rubbed his head again as I looked into his dark brown eyes. I could sense his calmness. He seemed more at ease with me than he did with my father and brothers. "I wonder," I thought to myself.

"Spartacus, can I ride you?" I asked as I slowly moved to his side, running my hand along his neck and over his back to let him know where I was before trying to hop up onto his back. I grabbed a handful of his mane and pulled myself upwards, swinging my right leg over his back, straddling him as I gripped tightly to his hair. Spartacus moved slightly, frightened by my sudden movement onto his back. I had ridden bareback before, but it was on fully tamed horses. This time it was different. However, Spartacus was a wild horse and very unpredictable. I prayed it wouldn't blow up in my face as I made a clicking sound to get Spartacus to move forward. Slowly he started to walk, and with each step he made, I praised him, patting his neck in good faith. I was getting braver and decided to see if I could get him to trot. Just as he started into the trot, I heard my father yelling from behind me, "Get off that horse, now, young lady."

The sound of my father's angry voice made Spartacus jump and set off into a gallop, racing straight toward the corral fence. I gripped his mane tighter, bracing myself to be thrown to the ground, but just as we reached the wall, Spartacus jumped over it. I held on firmer as we cleared the wall and landed with a hard thud. Spartacus continued to gallop and head toward the open fields of the ranch. Once we were a few yards away, and I could no longer hear my father yelling in my directions, my racing heart filled with joy. I felt free as a bird as Spartacus flew through the tall grass of the southern side of the fields. I closed my eyes for a moment, savoring the feel of the warm air flowing over my skin. My imagination took hold of me as I started to understand how Spartacus felt. Freedom and independence were what I wanted from my father and brothers. Spartacus and I were kindred spirits whose soul could never be tamed. It's what made us who we were.

After a few moments, I got Spartacus to heal by pulling back on his mane and then got him turned around so we could head back. In the distance, I could see my brothers heading in my direction on horseback. I ignored their comments as I rode past them. When we finally returned to the corral, my father was waiting for us, his face was red and full of anger, but he also looked relieved to have me back in one piece. Once I got Spartacus back into the corral, I jumped down and patted his neck, "Good Boy, Spartacus," I said as I fed him a sugar cube from my pocket. My father grabbed my arm tightly, turning me to face him, "Young lady, I told you that horse was off-limits, you deliberately disobeyed me, you could've gotten hurt." "But daddy, I didn't." "You could have. Why didn't you listen to me?" Tears formed in my eyes as I stared at my father. "I….daddy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, it's just that he didn't act like a wild horse with me, he was gentle, I knew, I just knew."

My father looked over at Spartacus, then back at me, I could see the hurt in his eyes, and it broke my heart. My father searched my face for a moment before clearing his throat to speak, "No more stunts like this again, do you hear me? If I tell you off-limits, then the horse is off-limits." I went to nod my response when Spartacus nudged me hard from behind, pushing me closer to my father. Without saying a word, I wrapped my arms around my father and hugged him tightly. "I love you, daddy." My father tightened his arms around me and kissed my forehead. We both laughed when Spartacus whinnied with his approval.

"Hey dad, looks like beauty tamed the beast," my brother Travis said with a hint of laughter in his voice. "I reckon she has," my father laughed as he pulled back slightly. Cupping my chin, he spoke to me softly, "What do you say, baby girl, want to help tame the beast a little more?" As the words left his mouth, I hugged my father even tighter, "I would love nothing more, Daddy."