STORIES FROM THE BARN - Something New

Written by Leona Nielsen
Published on February 2013

As the sun rose over the mountain, a gentle breeze was passing through the barn giving Baby a tickle on his nose.
“That feels so good.â€
“Baby, are you dreaming…..Hello!!!!
Baby jumped up shaking the sleep from his body.
“Oh, Annie, I was just letting the breeze know how much I appreciated it dropping by.â€
“Oh, I didn’t see Mr. Breeze. Where is he?
“Annie, I mean the wind and you know the wind can only be felt and not seen.â€
“Of course I knew. I just wanted to see if you were awake before I told you our owners are putting stuff in the truck. Joseph is going to a show.â€
“Well, let’s just say he got a bath last night.â€
“That must have gone over big, seeing where he doesn’t like water. Where was I when all this was happening?†asked Annie.
“Asleep.â€
“Right. I was tired. Let’s get Joseph up so he can get ready.â€
“Annie, you know as well as I do that that is not the wisest thing to do.â€
“But Baby, it’s Showtime!!!!â€
“And that it is…..aren’t I handsome? So shiny and softâ€
“JOSEPH! Are you alright? Did you hit your head?†Annie asked as she looked at Baby trying to figure out what happened to Joseph .
“Miracles happen once in a while. Didn’t you know that? I thought it would be nice to switch things up and keep life interesting.â€
Before they could answer he was heading into the trailer when……….
“Joseph, this is too early for it to be the EX. Where are you going? We need to know!â€
Joseph put the brakes on.
“WHAT!! Baby, you are right. I guess I am going on an adventure. Wish you and Annie were coming with me.†Joseph answered with a sad look in his eyes.
Baby caught the same look and yelled back. “We will be with you in spirit. Good luck wherever you’re going.â€
“Don’t forget us Joseph.â€
TC and Havier realized the Little Ones were upset with Joseph going. Just then the trailer pulled away. As it rolled down the road all that could be seen was Joseph’s big ears high in the air.
“There goes Radar.†Baby shouted.
“Gather around Little Ones. I seem to sense a little sadness and I think it is because you have no idea where they are going. I can assure you that our owners would not take Joseph anywhere that wasn’t a good place to be. Now, how about we spend some time under the big tree?â€
The Little Ones knew that TC wouldn’t tell them something that wasn’t true. The thought of spending some time under the big tree was exciting.
A few days had passed and life at the barn was back to normal when the sound of the truck could be heard in the distance. Annie came running into the barn to spread the word.
“Hurry! Hurry everyone! I hear the truck coming. Joseph is coming home.â€
Even Murphy was there to greet Joseph as he emerged from the trailer.
“Joseph! Joseph! We missed you so much.â€
“I missed you all too, Annie. Have I ever got a story to tell you!â€
Baby and Annie were so excited to hear where he had been that they were bouncing off the ground.
“TC can you and Havier take us to the Big Tree again and have story time?â€
“Little Ones, we think that would be a great idea.â€
It seemed like forever when they finally reached the big tree.
“Let’s form a circle Little Ones. Joseph, you have the floor.â€
“Would you believe, Baby, it was on familiar grounds… the EX. As I was walking towards the green barn I thought this was nice. At least I know where I am. Even the smells weren’t that different either. I walked into the barn singing my song, as I always do, to let them know I had arrived. No one yelled back. “What’s up with that?†I thought. Then I started thinking, well, I might be the first one here. Just then they started coming to the stall doors. The closer I got they took a look and went back in their stalls. They acted almost as if they hadn’t seen someone like me. There was no one that I knew. I asked myself, “Who were these horses?†I was beginning to wonder why we came.â€
TC could tell that both the Little Ones wanted to ask something but decided to let Joseph tell a bit more of his story first.
“I had just reached my home away from home when I heard one of the horses say, What is that?†I thought to myself, “What do you mean? Can’t you see I am a donkey?†Suddenly, I saw a dog coming in so I decided to say hi to him. He would know what I was….NOT! When I opened my mouth and brayed he froze and looked at me as if I had two heads. I was starting to feel like somehow we had bypassed earth and ended up in the restaurant at the end of the universe. I was starting to feel a little worried as to what the rest of the time was going to be like here when I hear……..“It’s alright. They are Morgans..â€
“Are you one of those Morgans?â€
“Yes I am. My name is Melbrook Marquis. Call me Melbrook.â€
“Before I could answer, from the other side of me came,
“I am Paris. My name is too long. Paris is good. I am not a Morgan but Canadian. This is my first time here.â€
I told them who I was and what I was all about being a donkey.â€
“You are different to us as we have never seen a donkey.â€
“I asked if that is why no one said hello when I came in. They told me yes. By this time everyone had come to say hi. I was about to ask if any of the minis had come when I looked up and saw four of them coming through the door.
“Hello there Twist, Dancer, Comanche Man and Miss Daisy. Oh! Here comes Dawn and Rocket girl. They are ponies. If you didn’t know, we are guests at the Morgan Show. They aren’t being unfriendly. Some of them haven’t seen anything as small as us and especially me, a donkey. This is Melbrook who is a Morgan and Paris - she is a Canadian. These are my friends and now they are yours as well. After everyone got settled and our owners left for the night we all got to know each other. There was Tapdancer, Baystar, New Beginning, Capt Morgan and oh oh all I remember is Blanc. There were many others as well. All their names were long but we just used a short version.
The next day was very different. As we went into the show ring we all wished each other well and the owners did the same. We weren’t strangers anymore. The owners were laughing and talking together as well, especially when they had the pizza party.â€
“Does anyone want to ask a question?â€
“Oh! Do I ever, TC!â€
“OK Annie. Go ahead.â€
“I still don’t know what a Morgan is.â€
“TC, can you explain to us?†asked Joseph.
“Well, Morgan is a breed of horse. They come in a lot of different colours and have a very rich history. You know me as TC, but I am a Belgian / Newfoundland Pony mix. You and Annie are donkeys. Baby isn’t sure what he is as mini but I would say somewhere there is a bit of draft in him and Havier, as you know, is part horse and part donkey which makes him a mule.â€
“I could call myself a Heinz 57. I don’t know what my parents were except for being a horse and a donkey.â€
“So then we would say Havier 57 mix?†Annie added.
“See, TC, that is why I wanted you to explain.â€
“I’ll explain in detail to you later Annie. But now we have to get on with Joseph’s story.â€
“Well, I guess I better say something about the classes we were in. Let’s just say there were times when even the judge and time keeper were cheering me over the finish line.â€
“Oh Joseph, you went that fast!!!â€
“ No, he went that slow Annie.â€
“I may have gone at my speed, yes, but at the end of the day I stepped out of my box, put smiles on a lot of people’s faces and enriched their lives by just being a donkey. Last, but most importantly is that I tried. I heard one of our owners say this the other day, “ I can accept failure because everyone fails at something but I can’t accept not trying.†“
“For that, we are all very proud of you and you brought some ribbons home.â€
“Yes, TC, I did. I placed fifth. Where I placed would never come close to what I experienced and the new friends I made.â€
The sun started to lower in the sky which meant it was time to head home. After supper, when everyone had settled down for the night…….
“Those Morgans can move, let me tell you. Sometimes they look like they are walking on air. I only saw Melbrook under saddle and…… Oh! I remember now - Etincele L’Erable Blanc. I saw Blanc in cart and what a cart it was…WOW!â€
“What about their owners?†asked Baby.
“They were just as great. There was this time I had just finished my class and the girls stopped to ask our owner if they could have a picture with me, plus asked if they could Facebook it.â€
“What is Facebook?â€
“I am not sure Baby. I do know whatever it is I went there with the girls in the picture. I hope we get invited back.â€
“I think it is time to say “good night†Little Ones. It feels good having Joseph back home. We are a family once again.â€
“Good Night TC and Havierâ€
And from the darkness came………..
“Maybe my next adventure is getting on the cover of the Rolling Stone Magazine.â€
“What’s that?â€
“Annie, you should know that is Joseph being Joseph.â€
“All I have to do is close my eyes and I can be there on the cover.†Joseph smiled as he settled in for night.
“Then in that case, maybe one day I may get to Facebook too.â€
“We can go together Annie.†replied Baby.
“Wow! Wouldn’t that be fun!â€
“Good night Little Ones.â€

We would like to thank the NS Morgan Horse Show for inviting all the horses to share in their show.

Hi everyone! We hope you enjoyed our story.
We learned a lot of important lessons about life. Even as animals we are all different but can still enjoy each other’s company. Give everyone a chance. They may be shy like the Morgans were with Joseph.
Last but not least, never look at something and say you can’t do it until you have tried. You might be surprised.
Our story next time is “The Bell†See you then and in the meantime, stay safe.