Jennifer straightened her back, drew in her elbows, and pointed her toes forward. Almost like a ballet dancer, she thought as Dusty gathered himself for the jump. Then they were flying, up, over, and down to a smooth collected landing. She sighed as she patted Dusty's neck. Her riding time was over for this week. Although her dad brought her by to feed and clean every day after school, Saturday was her only riding day. She always felt so free and happy on Dusty's back. She sighed again as they trotted back to the stall. It was large, clean, and airy, tucked away in an older building near the back gate of the stable.

Jennifer had chosen the stall herself because she liked being away from the bustle of the main barn. Back here she could talk to Dusty all she pleased without anyone thinking her silly for carrying on conversations with a horse. And talk she did, often sitting down in the clean bedding straw sharing her snack of apples and carrots with Dusty, while she discussed anything and everything that came into her head.

She was talking away as she stood in the stall brushing Dusty's back, taking care to pay special attention to the itchy places that had been under the saddle. She could always tell when she found a particularly itchy place because his upper lip stuck out and he wiggled it furiously it in time with her scratching. Suddenly, she heard a sound in the next stall, one she thought was empty, and she hurried around to the front half door to look.

It was a horse all right, the saddest, sorriest looking horse she had ever seen. It was so thin its ribs stood out, and everything about it drooped...the neck, the tail, the ears, and even the lower lip drooped. She had never seen a horse so old, nor one so miserable and woebegone. There was no food or water to be seen. Jennifer's eyes filled with tears as she stared at the unhappy horse. It turned its head and looked at her a moment, then turned away. It expected nothing from her. Indeed, it seemed to have given up on the world.

Returning to Dusty's stall, Jennifer hurriedly gathered up some of Dusty's hay and carried it to the old horse. It was very hungry, and greedily snatched mouthfuls and chewed and swallowed as though it was afraid she would change her mind and take the hay away again. Jennifer was carrying a bucket of water into the stall when her dad came to pick her up. He looked at the old horse and he looked at Jennifer. Her eyes were red and traces of tears still shone on her flushed cheeks.

"Dad", she asked angrily. "How could anyone do that to a horse?" Her voice broke as she continued. "There was no food or water, and just look at the poor thing!" The horse was still eating as though it expected the food to be snatched away at any moment, and as they watched, it greedily drank nearly the whole bucket of water.

"Take it easy, Jen," he replied. "She- -and it is a she- -will be all right for now. We'll just go down to the stable manager's office and find out what is going on here."

A few minutes later they had the whole story about the horse, and it wasn't a very happy one. Her name was Sally, and she was over thirty years old. She had belonged to a circus clown, and they had spent many years on the road together with a circus. When he retired, she retired with him and he had kept her here at the stable. Everything had been fine until he died. No one wanted an old horse like her, and no one had paid her board bill.

The stable manager wasn't a cruel man; he liked horses. First he had put her with several young horses in a corral because he needed to rent her stall. She could not compete with them for food, and slowly got thinner and weaker. The man felt embarrassed to have such a horse around where people could see, so today they had put her in the stall next to Dusty. Tomorrow, she was being taken to the slaughterhouse.

By the end of the story, tears were running down Jennifer's cheeks, and her dad's face was getting red. "Why," he asked, "didn't you have the decency to give her some food and water?" His voice was quiet, but his anger was very evident.

"Why waste the food?" was the matter of fact reply.

"Dad," Jennifer asked beseechingly. "Please?"

Within moments the fee for the stall was paid, and the stable manager wrote out a bill-of-sale. Sally was now Jennifer's horse. "You're just being sentimental about a worthless old horse," was his parting remark as they walked away.

***

Two months later Jennifer hummed happily as she decorated Dusty's saddle with flowers. It was nearly time for the beginning of the Horse Parade, an annual event the stable held for its riders. They would form up, parade through the park, and go into town and around several blocks there. Then they would come back to the park for a picnic. It was a family affair, and a small traveling carnival was set up as an added attraction. It was Jennifer's first Horse Parade and she was exited.

Dusty pranced and snorted, as though showing off for Sally who was leaning out of her half-door watching with interest. Sally had put on weight, and her ribs were nicely covered. Her ears and tail were up and her lower lip did not droop at all. Her coat was bright and shiny, and although she was an old horse, she still carried herself with spirit. She had blossomed into a beautiful animal under Jennifer's loving care.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Jennifer exclaimed. "I brought you a present to celebrate, too!" She reached in a paper bag and pulled out the ugliest, most bedraggled, lop-sided old sun hat that anyone could imagine. She discovered it in her attic and it made her giggle when she imagined it perched on Sally's head. Standing on tiptoe, she put it on Sally's head and tied the ribbons under her chin. The floppy brim drooped over Sally's eyes, and two horrible orange flowers hung down by her ear. Jennifer burst into laughter, but Sally didn't seem to mind at all. She nodded her head up and down, making the orange flowers bounce, and seemed quite pleased with the hat.

Just then the sound of a calliope could be heard from the carnival in the park. It was time for the parade, and Jennifer and Dusty joined the line of riders going down the hill. The group formed up and paraded twice around the park, then around several blocks in town. People applauded and cheered them on, and it was a happy group who rode back to the park, dismounted, and tied their horses to a long picket line stretched between some trees. Now they were ready for some fun and good food!

The calliope was still playing and there was a large group of people standing in a circle around a cleared space near it. They were all laughing at something. At first Jennifer could not see what was causing the merriment, but when she got closer she gasped. It was Sally!

For most of her life, Sally had been a circus horse. She knew about crowds, calliope music, and costumes. The hat was her costume, the calliope was playing music she recognized, and her audience was waiting. She didn't have to be told, she knew what she was supposed to do. She must have pushed the half-door open, Jennifer thought. There was a huge lump in her throat as she watched the old horse.

Sally's neck was arched so proudly her chin nearly touched her chest. Her hooves kept time with the music as she pranced in a circle. The orange flowers bobbed and bounced as she rose gracefully on her hind feet and walked a few steps, her front feet pawing the air gracefully. The crowd applauded and cheered her on.

Sally bowed, one foreleg extended, her nose nearly touching the ground. She sat down like a dog, nodding her head comically, making the flowers bounce. Then she stretched out on her side and played dead. The people laughed and shouted encouragement.

Finally, Sally began to dance. The crowd became very quiet. First one foreleg tapped the ground...one, two, three. Then the other did the same. Then all four feet made small steps in time with the music, as she danced in a circle. Legs crossing, she trotted smartly crossways for a few steps in each direction. Then she galloped in place, almost in slow motion, each movement controlled and graceful in perfect time with the music.

Sally ended her performance with another bow, staying in that position for several moments. As she rose to her feet, the awful hat slipped around and hung beneath her chin, but no one seemed to mind. The crowd cheered then, and applauded as though they would never stop. Although they didn't know the story, they knew they had witnesses something very special...a once in a lifetime performance given by a horse entirely on her own.

Sally saw Jennifer in the crowd then, and walked up to her, nickering softly and pushing her with her nose. It was time to go home. She had given a good performance, and she was tired. Her old friend the clown hadn't been there, but she had done her very best. Now her small new friend would take her home and give her a drink of cool water and some sweet hay. Maybe she would pat her and tell her how well she had done. And maybe her small friend would stay a while and talk to her. She would like that very much.

And that is exactly what Jennifer did.

The End