Snowflake by Suzanne Weyn Read Free Book Online

Snowflake
    Suzanne Weyn
    Thanks to Diana Gonzalez for her help in writing this story.
    For Albert, the brave and gentle horse who was rescued by Diana Gonzalez and Christine Newman.
    And for Kelli Wynne of Cimmaron Ranch, who gave
    him a home and made his great new life possible.
    -S.W.
    For Kaleigh and Francis
    -J.R.
    Table of Contents
    Chapter 1 At Fox Creek Farm 1
    Chapter 2 First Snow 9
    Chapter 3 A Surprise in the Barn 17
    Chapter 4 A Great Idea-Maybe! 23
    Chapter 5 The Winter Festival 27
    About the Horse 34
    About Breyer 35
    Chapter 1
    At Fox Creek Farm
    Emily, Anna, and Mandy lived very close to Fox Creek Farm. After school, the three friends liked to help with the horses and the other animals that lived on the farm.
    6
    Kelly and Chris were sisters who owned the farm. They kept horses and gave riding lessons. They also took in animals that had no home.
    7
    One day, Emily, Anna, and Mandy saw a new horse at the farm. He was very big. He looked dirty and thin. And his mane was messy. He seemed sad.
    8
    Mandy, Anna, and Emily petted the horse.
    "He's so skinny, I can feel his bones," said Mandy. "Where did he come from?"
    "His owners left him behind when they moved to the city," said Kelly. "So the animal
    9
    officer brought him here just for a little while. We'll have to find him a new home."
    "Why can't we keep him?" Emily asked.
    "I'm afraid we have no more stalls in the stable," Chris told the girls. "He's so big, he might even need two stall spaces."
    10
    [Image: Emily, Mandy and Anna with the horse]
    11
    "You could put him in the open paddock," Emily said. "In nature, horses live outside."
    "And we would feed him and groom him," Anna said.
    "I don't know," said Chris. Kelly and Chris spoke to each other quietly.
    12
    "Emily, Anna, Mandy, and Chris, take him to the wash stall for a bath. He's ours!" Kelly said.
    "Yay!" the girls cheered.
    As they washed the new horse, the girls were sure they could make him healthy and strong once again.
    13
    Chapter 2
    First Snow
    Weeks passed. The first snow flurries fell. The girls named the new horse Snowflake. They groomed him, watered him, and fed him. They brought him apples and carrots. Soon his ribs no longer showed.
    Snowflake was happy. He liked his new friends. He whinnied to the girls whenever they came to see him.
    14
    One day, when Snowflake was strong enough, Kelly started to hand-walk him for exercise. Sometimes she let the girls ride him bareback while she walked him.
    "Snowflake is a Percheron," Kelly told the girls. "Percherons are draft horses, often used for farmwork and driving," she said. "And someone did a good job of training Snowflake. He obeys voice commands so well."
    15
    [Image: Chris and Kelly riding the horse]
    16
    It was getting cold. Many owners put warm blankets on their horses at night. "Let's go ask Chris and Kelly if they have an extra blanket," Emily said.
    17
    Kelly could find only a thin, worn horse blanket. When Anna tried to put the blanket on Snowflake, it was too small. The straps didn't reach under him. The blanket slid off every time he moved.
    18
    The next day, the girls looked at a catalog of horse gear. A warm blanket big enough for Snowflake would cost a lot of money. The girls put all their money together. They didn't have enough.
    19
    [Image: The girls looking at the catalog]
    20
    "We have to find a way to get him a bigger and warmer blanket," Emily said. "I don't want him to freeze on these cold nights."
    21
    Chapter 3
    A Surprise in the Barn
    En December, the farm became an even busier place. Many friends came to help Chris and Kelly decorate for their yearly winter festival. The sisters used the money they made at the festival to help feed their animals.
    22
    Anna, Emily, and Mandy helped to set up, too. Chris asked them to go to the old barn and find a box of horseshoes in there. "We need them for the horseshoe toss game," she said.
    23
    The girls had never been to the old barn. They were eager to look inside. As they ran, big