National Adult Literacy Database

April 30, 2012

This week, we have a story that was written by Shane McIntosh, from New Waterford, Nova Scotia. Shane is enrolled in literacy classes with the Adult Learning Association of Cape Breton County.

Horses

by Shane McIntosh

It's fun to work with horses. You can learn a lot from being around them. It's fun to jog them. Painting their feet isn't hard but sometimes shoeing them is. Some horses will put their weight on you and some will try to kick you. Some are good at racing, and some are good at working around. I like to work around the barn. It looks easy to jog two horses at once, but it isn't. Some are hard to hold, and some have bad legs, you need to put stuff on their legs to try to make them better. It is fun to watch them roll and it's easy to clean their feet. When some horses are in heat you need to be extra careful because they might kick you. Sometimes you need to put stuff on their feet to make them grow. Some pull when you jog them. Some will try to get away when you take their halter off and you need to catch them. Some will rub their head on you when they are done jogging. And some will roll when they are done. Sometimes you need to give them medicine. You need to have licenses to drive them, to own them, and to train them but not to be around them. Around race time you can win money and coolers and blankets. Not all horses are the same, some are different colors, sizes and breeds.

[This story was taken with permission, from Our Side of the Mountain – 2011, p.6.  This is a collection of stories, poems and ideas written down by adult learners of the Adult Learning Association of Cape Breton County.]