Sundancer by Shelley Peterson Read Free Book Online Page B

whip and yelling, “Get up!” She never once touched him, but it was plain that she meant business.
    Bird admired the way her aunt worked. Tough lady, Bird thought. Her instincts are right, and she knows what she’s doing. Sundancer needs this lesson. He is the most pigheaded horse I’ve ever met, and he feels superior. Maybe this will make him worse, but it’s worth a try. He’s not good for much as he is.
    Twenty minutes later, the horse was flagging but still obstinate. Hannah kept after him.
    Bird understood exactly what her aunt was doing. The whole idea was to have him submit. That was the only way he would respect Hannah enough to allow himself to be trained. Many horses hardly resist at all.
    In wild mustang herds, the matriarch, or dominant mare, chases a wayward youngster away from the herd and keeps him away until he begs to be included in the group. If she doesn’t let him back in, he will be alone and therefore vulnerable to predators. Young fillies and colts soon learn to behave themselves according to the rules of the herd, or die. Monty Roberts, John Lyons, and other respected trainers base their taming technique on this facet of equine behaviour. Bird had read their books, and she knew from her own experience that they were correct. This was what Hannah was doing now.
    Sundancer was breathing hard. His nostrils were flared and bright red. Sweat poured off him.
    Cliff interrupted again. “Hannah, he’s going to burst a lung.”
    â€œBetter dead than dangerous. He’s no good to anyone this way. He has to submit. He can’t be the boss.” Hannah let him slow to a trot but kept him moving forward.The horse stopped, sides heaving. He faced Hannah and stared at her with hard eyes and a stiff jaw.
    â€œMove on, you stubborn fool!” she cried.
    He reared up and lashed at her with his front hooves. Hannah snapped the whip at his feet. He jumped and spun.
    Bird had never seen a horse react like this. Usually it took no more than fifteen minutes before the head dropped and the jaws chewed. Then it was a nice, quiet time of saddling up and beginning the training process. But Sundancer did not want to be bettered by anyone. Already thirty minutes had passed and the horse looked like he’d never submit. Hannah was tiring but determined. Who, Bird wondered, would outlast whom?
    Sundancer kept moving, trotting now instead of cantering. His bucks and kicks were becoming minimal, and his energy was rapidly being depleted. Still he eyed Hannah with suspicion. How long could he go on like this? Or Hannah, for that matter?
    As Bird pondered, the unimaginable happened. The big chestnut gelding sat down on the ground. He simply dropped his rump onto the dirt and skidded to a stop. Then he fell down on his side, breathing hard.
    Bird involuntarily rose to her feet.
    Hannah ran and crouched beside him. A moment later, she stood, hand on her hip. “You should see his eyes, Cliff!” she shouted. “He knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s trying to rest without submitting.”
    She flicked the whip. “Get off the ground! Up! Up!”
    Hannah one, Sundancer zip, thought Bird with a smile.
    The horse was startled. He had not expected Hannah to persist. He staggered to his feet, then put his head down and rushed at her. She jumped out of his way. Crack went the whip. “Raaaaaa!” she hollered, sounding more like a lion than a human. “Raaaaaaa! Get up!”
    Bird could see that Hannah was mad. “Move on!” she cried again as she forced him into another round of circles.
    Finally, two long minutes later, the big chestnut dropped his head. Hannah watched closely as he trotted around with his nose almost touching the ground. When his ears began to flick towards her, indicating that he was paying attention to her, she softened her voice. “Good fella. Good boy.”
    His jaws started to chew. He was declaring defeat. His tongue