Dawn's Story

Bright Summer Dawn

The very first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was my mama, standing over me, giving me big, wet kisses.  All around us was brown wood that closed us in.  I was lying on bright, soft, but itchy stuff that made me want to try and stand up.  I splayed my forelegs all the way out, and tried to push up.  I got halfway up before I fell back down.  My mama nickered with delight watching me trying to stand up.  I tried a few more times before I finally got it right.  I splayed my forelegs not quite so far, pushed my back legs under me and up.  I boosted up, I was so proud that my chest swelled out with pride, and I fell right back over again.

My mama chucked, "You're doing great, keep trying."

She walked over to a corner of our box and pulled hay out of a big, black bucket.  I sighed and glanced around again and my eyes landed on my coat.  I gasped; my coat was the most amazing yellow gold with the light coming through and glinting off of it.  My tail was just as amazing, it was the color of snow that I would discover later, and just as soft.  My mother told me later that I was a palomino, a very special color.

Once I finally was able to stand without falling over, I walked over to the gap in our box and I stretched my neck as far as it would go, and I could barely peek over the bottom.  I first and only thing I noticed was a strange creature on two legs walking towards us.  It had no hair on its body, just strange, bright colors that hurt my new, weak eyes.

"Mommy!" I screeched, and turned around and toppled right over.

                My mom whirled around, her teeth bared, but when she saw no danger, she put her head down and helped me straighten out.

"Mama, what is that thing?" I whimpered, gesturing with my muzzle outside the box to the strange thing approaching us.

She glanced out where I was pointing, and nickered at me, "That is just a human, they don't hurt us, they take care of us."

"Hello there Just A Dream," said the human, as he walked up to us.  "I see you have given us a nice palomino filly."  He looked at with a sort of kindness that I will never forget.  "Look at you, Early Summer Dawn, I have a feeling you will be very important to us."

"Dawn," my mama whispered. "That is your name."  I swelled with pride again; I wobbled, but didn't fall over.

The human watched us for a little longer, and then walked away again.  I spent the rest of my first day drinking the rich, delicious milk that my mama gave me and sleeping in the small amount of sunlight that filtered through the gap in our box.  When I was resting, my mom told me about the man who came by.  I learned his name was Mr. Norman and he was the best trainer ever.  He trained my mama to race herself.  I asked what racing was then.  My mama said racing was the greatest future a horse could have, besides being a mother, of course.  We race against our friends, enemies, and strangers for our entire lives, which I thought sounded amazing.
I had so many more questions, and my mama answered all of them until bright moonlight was spreading across my coat instead of sun light.

My mama sank down next to me and whispered, "Hush now my child, go to sleep, there will be lots of time for learning tomorrow."

The next day my mama and I were let out into a grass filled pasture with lots of other foals.  It was so far away from our safe wooden box, that I couldn't see it any more.  The only things I could see were the white crisscross bars that fenced us in, other pastures with older horses, and a big, black strip next to us where giant metal boxes roared past.  Every time that happened, all the foals ran to the far side of the pasture.  By this time, I could gallop so well, that it looked like I had been doing it forever.

I also made my first and best friend that day, a filly named Above The Clouds, but Maddie for short.  She was chestnut, but with small white hairs around her eyes hinting that she would be grey like her father.  She had plenty of energy; she had been born a few days before so she was a lot faster than me.  Maddie would race around the corral with me in pursuit, then I would flop down from exhaustion.