Next to my Grannies garden was a lovely orchard and at the end of it were lots of fields, with ditches in between each of them, and simple low fences with wooden gates that were always shut. It was my birthday and I was so happy because my Mum had bought me this really pretty light blue with white poka dots, chiffon dress with loads of petticoats to make it stick out. I had my lace short white socks on and black patent shoes and my hair was still quite white with ringlets and I looked as though I didn't have any eyebrows (saw a photo of me at about that age). The snow was still patchy on the grass here and there, and everything looked very picture book ( through my eyes).


I noticed that a great huge, horse appeared out of no where and stood looking right at me ( I thought) so I ran into the farm house, grabbed all the bread I could find in the kitchen and hurried outside to see this beautiful animal, there was no doubt in my mind that he wanted to have my food. I thought this was a great idea to make friends with him. I didn't know he was a plough horse or anything about horses except that they like to be ridden.

At first I just fed him and spoke to him and stroked his soft velvet nose as he lowered his big head to eat my bread and I looked for a very long time it seamed at his beautiful big brown gentle eyes. There was nothing to suggest (in my innocent mind) that this giant
was anything but kind and perfect, I had fallen in love with him and it was up to me to feed and care for him ( I was only little and five) .

So now it was time to find a way to climb up onto his back .....I climbed up on the fence slowly and reached up to grab his long black main and puled and tugged bit by bit to get him to come closer and stand alongside the fence I was balancing on. For some reason he did exactly what I wanted him to do ( I now shudder at the thought) and somehow like a wee monkey I scrambles up and onto his very very broad back. My spindly little legs just stuck out as they were just not long enough for me to be able to hold on with them so I grabbed as much main as would fit into my hands.

At first he did absolutely nothing , no movement , no sound , he didn't look around at me and wasn't upset at all that this small creature was sitting on him. Then all of a sudden he lifted his head up a bit more and started to walk. It was only then did I start to feel a little worried but only because I quickly realised that I was very high up and that the movement was moving me around a bit too.

He walked right over to the other side of the field where there was another wooden gate and as if he knew what he was doing, he moved his body along the side of it .......I , by that time thought it was time for me to get off and I did, sliding down , hanging like a monkey untill I found a foot hold on the gate and plopt into some mudd.... I said by by to him and called him Sessi ( I don't know why, I had heard a French song on the radio and that was one of the words in the song. I was only little). and hurried home only to find that my Mum and the Farmer who owned the horse, were there waiting for me by the fence. They didn't say much but I knew something wasn't right .

For starters my dress, shoes and socks were covered in mudd and horse hair, horse smell and my Mum asked me where the bread had gone. I think I just stared at her and the Farmer with my wide eyed and no brows look..... I don't remember anything else, she didn't smack me....she didn't put me in my room....nothing!!

Later on in my adult life She told me that I had completely freaked out the Farmer as he told her that He had watched the whole thing but was worried that the horse might suddenly gallop if he had come any closer.The horse was not to be trusted at all He told my Mum and that it had given him a lot of hastle biting and it hated pulling the plow. Well, ovcourse I know different don't I. I remember you Sessie and will always love you. You should of been my horse for ever.