"That foal should've been beautiful." said the elderly farmer. "Instead
I've got this long legged, big eared, long necked, thing that looks as
though it's part mule. What the 'ell happened too the breeding you set
up for me, huh?"
"Well Mr. Huan the foals dam was the most beautiful and gentle mare our
stable had, and well the foals sire, is the best jumper, in Canada, and
perhaps the whole world, is considered one of the most beautiful horses
of the century, and is by far the best-"
"The highest studding fee you mean."
"The stud fee is very fair."
"It would've been fair if I'd gotten something worthwhile, Ms. Harrier,
but obviously I didn't. I don't want that ugly foal, you can give it too
a slaughter house for all I care." and with that Mr. Huan was gone,
leaving his foal in a pasture with his mother.
Ms. Harrier sold the foal as soon as she could. For once she agreed
with the farmer, the foal was ugly. She had expected the foal to get
prettier; it's black, brown, and chestnut coat with a flaxen mane and
tail to turn black due to the black circle around his eyes but the coat
didn't change.
The first person who came to look at the foal, a young lady hoping to
open up a small riding stable bought the foal, due too it's low price,
of only $100.00, which really was a bargain for a foal with such good
breeding.
The young lady, Ms. Uorse gave the foal what it needed, nothing more
nothing less, so she didn't really care for the foal. That winter, the
foals coat started to change, but everyone was too busy with the stable
and getting customers that they didn't notice. The multicolored coat
slowly changed bright, shinning chestnut, with tiny bits of flaxen on the
mane and tail. The foal got a tiny stripe down his forehead, and four
white socks. The foal was indeed very beautiful, but no one noticed,
because quite often the foal wasn't even groomed.
When the foal became a yearling, people began to work the foal. The
people that worked the foal were tough, but fair. They trained the foal
well but didn't mind leaving the yearling with a few bloody cuts, and
sores.
Eventually the foal became a gelding. It was then when riders were
plopped on and off his back not really caring about the welfare of the
gelding as long as he'd allow them to ride, and do whatever the students
said. The gelding should've gotten a hard mouth, and a broken spirit but luckily
for some reason the people but on the gelding where sympathetic
and kind riders.
One day when the gelding was about four a mean spiteful rider was
assigned too the gelding. He rode with a crop, and spurs. His legs where
very strong due too his many years of construction work. He gave the
gelding no rein, which gave the gelding a bloody mouth. The teacher was
going to protest but the man was a very high payer. In the end he bought
the gelding.
The gelding spent one year of pure torcher before he was rescued, when
he through the man off his back, giving the man a concussion. The man
sold the gelding for a very cheap price, too a very good rider.
In was there when the geldings life became good. The rider loved the
gelding, and trained the gelding very nicely, to jump over jumps. The
rider cared for the gelding and saw his beauty.
One day the rider checked over the geldings papers. She learned that he
had excellent breeding. And that he was indeed as he suspected a
Hanoverian purebred. His father a famous jumper, his mother a well known
dressage, gold medal winner. The rider was very impressed that is until she learned his true name. "Nag."
She tried to change it, not wanting to show the gelding until he got a
worthwhile name. She only learned that she could add letters to the
geldings name.
She changed it.
Over the years the rider and the gelding won many things. Once they
mastered jumping they moved on too dressage, and, mastered that too.
After a while of rest, the rider and the gelding, won a 5,00 mile
endurance race, one day ahead of all the other riders. The rider then
went on to three day eventing, which they also finished first, in one of
the largest competitions. The rider went on to the Olympics, all the
equestrian events, and won pure golds.
The name became one of the best known names ever. Many considered the
name very spirit lifting. On the geldings retirement tour the rider was
very proud of the horses name.
In fact she read a whole speech, which began, "When I learned the
horse's previous name, I was shocked. But then I realized that at one
time people considered this wonderful horse a nag. So I changed the name
from "Nag" to a name that I felt would suit him most, and so he is now
known as, "Once A Nag."
The End
Gallop Back to The Horse Lover's Corral
