Hank lifted his nose to the side of the trailer where an open slat was letting the cold winter air flow in. The air smelled of gasoline exhaust, hay and other horses. The latter scent – the scent of other horses – peaked his curiosity the most.

     He shifted his weight from side to side. “I dunno. I can’t see anything but I smell other horses and we’re slowing down. What do you think?”  

     His older brother, Hickory, stood beside him in the trailer, but further to the front where there was no open slat at which to raise his own nostrils. This was a new experience for them... They rode in the trailer only once before, when Big Dale had purchased them and brought them home from the Amish farm on which they had been raised.

     Hickory, too, shifted his weight from side to side as the trailer slowed and turned, sped up, slowed and turned again. “Hmm...” he sighed. “What else do you smell?”

     “Hay... Dust... And the smell that comes out of Dale’s truck when it’s rumbling.” He paused as the truck and trailer came to a stop. “And horses. Lots of horses!” The smell was making his heart beat faster.

     Now Hickory could also detect the strong smell of other horses nearby and he raised and turned his head toward the back of the trailer to try to catch a glimpse of what was going on outside.

     “This is exciting! I’m nervous. I’m scared. I’m... I’m intrigued,” said Hank. He began to nicker softly and dance around with his hooves, causing the trailer to sway from side to side.

     “Settle down,” snorted Hickory. “You’ll be o.k. You just stick with me.”

     Hank nickered again, more loudly this time. “Do you see that mare over there?” Hickory couldn’t. “I’ve never seen her before. She’s new. I’ve never seen her before! Have you seen her before? I wonder if she’s friendly... Maybe Big Dale will let us out and we can go meet her. Do you think he’s going to let us out of the trailer? Where do you think we are? Why are there horses here that we’ve never seen before?” Hank’s breath filled the crisp winter air inside the trailer as he hurriedly talked and asked questions of his older brother. His large black hooves continued to dance around and go THUMP, THUMP, THUMP on the thick wooden planks of the trailer floor.

     “I don’t know, Hank,” Hickory replied. “I can’t see anything. We will just have to wait and see.” Hickory, being the older of the two, was quieter and more thoughtful than his spirited younger brother. He waited quietly while Hank continued to babble and stomp his feet.

     Hickory let out a long sigh. It had been a long trailer ride, much longer than the ride from the Amish farm to Big Dale’s ranch. Even though he didn’t know what lie outside their trailer, he hoped Big Dale would let them out to at least stretch their legs. Just as Hank began to calm down, they heard Big Dale’s familiar voice outside, and then the trailer door swung open.

 

 

     A shaft of light shone through the opening at the back of the trailer, making it too difficult to see what lie beyond. Big Dale stepped into the trailer and blocked some of the light, looking like a big black shadow to Hickory and Hank. The two horses turned their heads to him and nodded them up and down against the pull of their lead ropes.

     “Easy boys,” Big Dale said in his gruff, winded voice as he reached up to pat Hank on the rump. “Easy now.”

     Once again, Hank’s heart began to beat faster and he breathed harder as he thought about what was in store for them outside, but he held his composure as best he could as Big Dale untied his rope. Big Dale turned and Hank followed him to the back of the trailer where he handed his rope to someone standing just outside the trailer door. Big Dale turned back and untied Hickory as well.

     The two brothers emerged from the trailer, and as their eyes adjusted to the bright winter daylight they saw many other trucks and trailers, many people mulling about, and other horses being led, rode and driven all around them. There stood nearby a large building with weathered wooden siding, surrounded by small pens filled with even more horses on three sides. On the front of the building was a sign that read ‘Miller County Livestock Auction’. As they approached the building a new smell wafted through the air, like the smell that came out of Big Dale’s house... The rich smells of the food the folks liked to eat.

     All the sights, sounds and smells were overwhelming. Hank walked with his head held high, breathing in deeply his surroundings, while Hickory kept his head low, following closely to Big Dale and surveying the scene with curious eyes. This was an entirely new experience, to be sure!

     “I’d just like to run around a little and sniff noses with some of these horses!” said Hank excitedly. “What do you think?”

     “No, Hank!” said Hickory sternly. “We have to go where Big Dale takes us or we’ll be in trouble. You stay here next to me.” Hank lowered his head a bit and leaned into his brother. He knew Hickory was right. Big Dale would take care of them if they followed him where they needed to go.

     They were led into a large doorway in the back of the sale barn. After being in the bright sunshine of the snowy world outside, the inside of the building seemed very dark. Both horses lowered their heads a bit and snorted, dust and bits of hay spreading on the concrete floor under their breath. Big Dale stopped there and wrote on some pieces of paper, then turned and walked around to the rear of each horse and placed a numbered sticker on their rump, just at the start of their tail.

     Hank startled a bit when the sticker was placed on him. “What is that for?” he asked, looking back towards his rear.

     Big Dale led the horses down an alleyway and then to the right, once again emerging into the outdoors through a different door. Now they were in an alleyway between rows and rows of pens filled with horses. Some of these strange horses raised their heads and nickered softly at this large team of dapple grey Percherons walking by, while others stood quietly and munched on hay. At the end of the alleyway there was an empty pen with an open gate. Hickory and Hank followed Big Dale inside the pen, where he tied them up to the weathered fence rail.

     “Be good boys,” said Big Dale. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

 

 

     Big Dale returned shortly, giving the horses just enough time to survey their surroundings a bit. Over his shoulders he carried their harnesses and a bucket filled with grooming brushes and other supplies.

     “Oh, we’re going for a drive!” whispered Hank. “We’ve never gone for a drive away from home before. What if I get too nervous?”

     Hickory nudged his anxious brother. “You won’t,” he said firmly. “Just remember to stick with me and listen to Big Dale’s cues and you’ll be fine.” Hickory was anxious as well, but he had learned to keep a level head and look to Big Dale when he didn’t know what to do.

     Before putting on their harnesses, Big Dale ran a brush over each of the horses’ thick winter coats, then combed through their manes and tails. He painted black polish on their hooves and ran a red ribbon through each of their manes. Once the harnesses were in place, Big Dale led them outside where he proceeded to drive them on foot around the open area next to the parking lot, among many other horses and people.

     As he was told, Hank followed Hickory’s lead and obeyed the cues given to him by Big Dale. He was just thinking how proud he was of himself for remaining calm and collected when a little white tuft of flopping hair flittered between his hooves. He danced and jumped, trying to get a look at this foreign object that was now bouncing on the ground underneath their bellies.

     “Easy now!” Big Dale said in a firm and even tone.

     “Take it easy, Hank,” said Hickory.

     “Hey, don’t step on me ya big lug!” shouted the little white tuft. “Watch where you’re going!”

     “Why don’t you watch where you’re going!” snapped Hank. “You scared me half to death!”

     The little white tuft walked out in front of the horses, revealing herself to be a little white dog. “Me? Scared you half to death?” she said.

     Hank felt silly. He could have squashed her with one of his big black hooves as easily as an ant.

     “We’re sorry,” said Hickory. “We just didn’t see you coming.” He paused. “What... I mean, who... are you?”

     “The name’s Stella,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m a Westie... A West Highland White Terrier. Who are you?”

     “I’m Hickory, and this is my brother, Hank. We’re horses.”

     “Yeah, big ones.” Stella laughed a little to herself. “I like the red ribbons in your hair.”

     “What are you doing here?” asked Hank.

     “We’re here for the sale, just like you,” Stella replied. “My owner is talking to your owner.” Stella looked back behind the horses where Big Dale was talking to another man.

     Both horses turned their heads around to look back at the men. “Wait... What?” asked Hickory, looking back to Stella. “What’s a sale?”

     “It’s a place where people go to buy and sell their horses,” said Stella.

     “Oh,” said Hank. Hickory was quiet. Now he knew what was going on.

     Stella’s owner started to walk away. “Gotta go!” she yipped. “Nice to meet you!” she said as she scampered off.

     Big Dale directed the horses back toward the sale barn. “Well, she was nice,” Hank said. Hickory remained quiet for a bit, then he spoke.

     “Hank, this is a horse sale,” he said. “We’re here because Big Dale is going to sell us.”

     Hank stopped in his tracks. “WHAT?” he whinnied loudly.

     “Easy, boy,” said Big Dale. “Keep walking.”

     Hank began to walk forward again. “No, he wouldn’t... Big Dale likes us. We like Big Dale. No, he’s not going to... He can’t. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t !”

     “People sell horses sometimes, just like the Amish folks sold us to Big Dale. I just know that must be why he brought us here.”

     “But why? What if our new owners don’t take care of us?” said Hank.

     The horses’ eyes were filled with worry. They lowered their heads solemnly as Big Dale tied them back to the fence in their pen.  

 

     Hickory and Hank stood tied to the fence, still wearing their harnesses, for several hours. Big Dale stopped to check on them from time to time and offered them water, but neither of them felt inclined to drink any. People strolled by, and some of them walked into the pen with them and looked them over from head to hoof, mane to tail. Some patted them on the back and ran their hands down their legs. From somewhere far inside the building came the rumble of a man’s deep voice, speaking in words that were rhythmic and sharp.

     As the sun was just starting to lower in the late afternoon sky, Big Dale once again came to their pen. This time he combed through their manes and tails again and put on their bridles. He drove them on foot down the alleyway that they had come in on, but instead of turning to exit the building he turned them the other way, walking farther into the sale barn. As they walked on, the rhythmic, sharp, deep voice became louder and louder. The alleyway was dark, but there was a lighted doorway up ahead. The horses walked slowly, both feeling too nervous to speak.

     When they arrived just two horse lengths away from the lighted doorway, Big Dale pulled them to a stop. Now they could see through the doorway that the floor was covered with pine shavings in an area shaped like a half-moon, and it was surrounded by a fence. Outside the fence, people sat on benches and bleachers all around, talking and laughing, looking at papers and looking at a horse that was being led around. The deep, rhythmic voice continued, with other men shouting out a loud and quick, “Hep!” from time to time.

     Hank began to fidget a bit. “I don’t like this, Hickory,” he said. “I’m scared.”

     Hickory shifted his weight from hoof to hoof, then stood very still. He took a deep breath. “We’ll get through this together,” he said.

     Just then, Big Dale flipped the reins across the horses’ backs lightly, their cue to move forward. They approached the doorway and stepped onto the soft pine shavings, into the light. They were now surrounded on three sides by people sitting outside the fence, and on the fourth side sat the man with the deep, rhythmic voice. For a moment he was quiet, then he began to speak again, first in a normal tone, then once again with the rhythm that they had been hearing from a distance all day. It was louder now. The lights were bright. The horses blew out their nostrils and raised their heads as Big Dale drove them around the half-moon shaped pen. They turned back and forth, stopped and started, turned back and forth again, stopped and backed up.

     As they were making a sharp turn in the small pen, Hank caught a glimpse of the little white dog sitting on one of the benches with her owner. “Stella!” he whinnied. 

     Stella danced around and put her front paws on her owner’s leg. The man had a long and skinny white paper in his hand with a number written on it. Every once in awhile, he would raise his number in the air. Suddenly, the man with the deep, rhythmic voice yelled the word, “SOLD!”

     Stella looked at the horses, her tongue hanging and tail wagging. Her owner stood and walked out of the room, and she trotted off behind him.

     Big Dale drove the horses out of the pen and down another alleyway. “What was all of that about?” said Hank. “Did you see Stella? She was sitting with her owner and he was waving a piece of paper in the air. What do you think that meant?”

     Hickory let out a sigh of relief. “I don’t know,” he said, “but I’m glad we’re out of there. It was so loud and bright! I’m ready to go back to the quiet of our pen.”

     “Me, too,” said Hank.  

 

 

     The sun was setting as Big Dale tied them up, removed their harnesses, and brushed their coats. He seemed to move more slowly now than he had all day, rubbing their necks and talking to them as he went. “You’re good boys,” he said quietly. “You’re real good boys.” He gave them each two flakes of hay and a can of grain, then collected their harnesses and the bucket of grooming supplies and walked off into the evening.

     The horses stood and munched on their supper. As night fell the air became cold and still. The sound of the deep, rhythmic voice could still be heard in the background. People and horses continued to mull about, but the atmosphere was much more quiet and relaxed.

     When they had finished eating, Hickory spoke. “Do you think that we’ve been sold?” he asked Hank. Usually Hank was the one with the questions.

     Hank was quiet for a moment. “This has been such an overwhelming day, I don’t know what to think.” He paused. “I do know that I am tired, though.”

     “Yep, me too, Hank,” said Hickory. The two horses stepped a bit closer to one another, stood cheek to cheek, and closed their eyes as their breath made clouds in the cold night air.

  

     A scurry across the concrete startled them out of their rest. “Stella!” they both nickered. The little white dog was once again standing at their feet.

     “Hi, guys!” she yipped.

     “What are you doing here?” asked Hickory.

     “Don’t you know?” she asked.

     “Know what? We’re so confused, we don’t know what’s going on!” said Hank.

     Stella danced around, her little claws scratching against the concrete. “My owner, Farmer Dan, he’s the one who purchased you!” Stella spun around in a circle, then leapt into the air.

     “He did?” Hickory asked.

     “Really?” asked Hank.

     “Is that good?”

     “Is he nice?”

     Stella was trying to answer. “Wh... um... well... YES!”

     Both horses were silent. They took a deep breath, then let the air out slowly. Hank nudged Hickory’s muzzle. They were relieved.

     A man came walking down the dark alleyway. As he came closer they recognized him as Stella’s owner, the man they now knew was called ‘Farmer Dan’. He opened the gate to their pen and walked in. Stella ran to him and jumped against his leg.

     “Down, girl,” he said softly. He came closer. “Hello, boys,” he said in a kind voice. He rubbed their necks and foreheads. “I think you’ll do just fine,” he whispered, seeming to talk just as much to himself as to them.

     He untied them and led them down the alleyway, through the sale barn, and out the back door where they had come in at the beginning of what was now turning into a very long day. In the night they could see a truck and trailer parked just ahead. Once they got closer, the lights of the trailer gave enough light that they could just barely see as Farmer Dan loaded them inside. Stella peeked in before he closed the doors.

     “I’m going to ride in the truck with Farmer Dan,” she said. “It’s a long drive... Try to get some rest. I’ll see you when we get there!”

     After a few moments, they felt the truck and trailer begin to roll forward. A few turns, stops and more turns, and they were rolling smoothly down the highway. The horses braced their legs and lowered their heads, the sound of the deep and rhythmic voice still echoing in their minds.

 

 

     Both horses stirred as they lurched to a stop. The truck stopped rumbling, and all was quiet. Everything was dark. Then they heard the trailer doors being unlatched and saw Farmer Dan and Stella. As Farmer Dan unloaded them from the trailer, all new smells filled their nostrils. Again they smelled horses that they didn’t know, and the happy aroma of alfalfa and sweet feed.

     They turned the corner around the trailer and saw the barn ahead. It was a red barn with white trim. Over the big door hung a sign with a picture of an apple, and a light shining on it to illuminate it in the night. It read ‘Apple Blossom Acres’.

     As they entered the red barn they heard the soft nicker of, “Hello?” from other horses in the stalls.

     “Hello,” they nickered back quietly. Farmer Dan turned on the light. They saw rows of several stalls on either side of the concrete barn floor, trimmed in rough cut pine. Even in the winter night, the barn felt and smelled warm and cozy.

     “Welcome home, boys,” he said.

     “This is nice!” Hank said to Hickory.

     “Oh... Yes, it is,” said Hickory.

     Up ahead there were two stalls, side by side, with their doors open. Stella stood in the doorway of one of the stalls and yipped, “These are yours! These are where you’ll stay.”

     Farmer Dan led Hickory into the first stall and Hank into the next. The stalls were filled with freshly scattered straw. Farmer Dan removed their halters and rubbed their heads one at a time. It seemed to them that Farmer Dan was a nice man.

     “Try to get a little more rest,” said Stella. “It’s almost morning. We’ll be back to feed you then.”

     The horses, intrigued with their new surroundings, but exhausted from all the events of the day, bedded down in the fresh straw.

     “Good night, brother,” said Hickory sleepily.

     “Good night,” said Hank.

     The two brothers dozed off to sleep.

   

     Morning came quickly, and as light from the sunrise came streaming in the barn window, Hickory rose to his hooves. His vision was still fuzzy and his silvery white mane was sprinkled with pieces of straw. He stretched his hind legs out behind him one at a time and yawned. He turned around slowly to face the stall on the opposite side of him as Hank’s. There, staring at him quietly with lovely dark eyes, was a beautifully stocky and petite red roan mare.

     He straightened himself. “Oh, good morning! You startled me!” he said as he shook the straw off of himself.

     “I’m sorry,” she said. “I was trying to be quiet so as not to wake you. I know you must’ve had a long night.”

     “Yes, we did!” said Hank from his stall. Hickory turned to see his brother had just awoken as well.

     “My name is Hickory, and this is Hank,” Hickory said with a low nicker. He and the mare touched noses through the bars of their adjacent stalls.

     She huffed a bit and flicked her nose in the air. “Whew, you smell like a sale barn!” she said.

     “Yeah, that’s where we came from,” said Hank. “Hey, what’s your name?”

     “Sorry, my name is Cedar,” she said sweetly. Hickory admired her long, dark eyelashes and her red coat with flecks of white. He traced the shape of the white star on her forehead with his eyes.

     “Nice to meet ya’!” said Hank. “Our owner, er, I mean, our old owner, Big Dale, brought us to the sale barn yesterday and there were so many horses there and people and horses and there was so much going on, and then we met Stella and she told us that he was gonna sell us and we were so worried but...”

     The opening of the barn door stopped Hank from his rambling. Stella came scampering in, followed by Farmer Dan and a young boy. The young boy ran to Hickory and Hank’s stalls and peeked inside. “There they are!” said Farmer Dan happily. The boy’s face beamed.

     “Can I feed them, Dad?”

     “Sure, I think they’d like that. I’m sure they’re hungry. Come on...”

     They quickly returned with two wheelbarrows full of alfalfa and sweet feed. The boy brought the food into Hank’s stall first, then to Hickory. The large horses loomed over him gently as he put the food in their feed bunks. The boy reached up and scratched them each on the chest before he left.

     Stella trotted up to their stall doors. “Hurry up and eat!” she yipped. “As soon as you’re done you’ll get to go outside and see the farm!”

  

 

     Not long after Hickory, Hank, Cedar, and the other horses in the barn had finished their breakfast, Farmer Dan and the boy returned to the barn and opened the doors from their stalls to the runs just outside. The sunlight was bright, the sky was a hazy purple and blue, and the morning air was still and sparkling.

     Hickory and Hank stepped out to find that they shared their outside run. They raised their heads and walked the perimeter of the fence line of their large run. On the other side of the fence and to the right stretched a long and wide pasture, covered in white, powdery snow. Just beyond the pasture were rows and rows of trees, leafless for the winter. To the left sat the white farm house, the porch and railings trimmed in pine boughs and red bows. Hickory and Hank looked at the red ribbon, still in each other’s manes, and thought of Big Dale.

     Cedar pranced out from her stall and kicked up her heels in a white spray of snow. “It’s beautiful this morning!” she snorted.

     Hickory and Hank felt frisky too as they observed their beautiful new surroundings. They chased around their run, the morning light bouncing off the silvery white of their manes. When they tired of playing they strolled over to the water tank against the red barn. They simultaneously lowered their noses to drink.

     As they sucked in the cold, clear water they caught their breath. “I think we’re going to like it here,” said Hank.

     “So do I,” Hickory replied. “So do I.”