One day, the Lady came down to the carriage. She was very angry. She told Mr. York to raise our heads immediately. She did not want any more excuses. Mr. York came to me first. He pulled my head back very far. The rein was very tight and painful.
Then Mr. York went to Ginger. Ginger was already moving her head up and down. She knew what was coming. When Mr. York took the rein, Ginger jumped up on her back legs. She hit Mr. York’s nose. She knocked off his hat. The other worker almost fell down.
Ginger began to kick and jump in a wild way. She was very strong. She kicked the pole of the carriage. Then she fell down. She hit my leg very hard. Mr. York sat on Ginger's head so she could not move. He told the men to cut the ropes and free me.
A worker led me back to my box. I was very excited and angry. My leg hurt, and my head was still pulled up high. I was very miserable. Soon, two men led Ginger into the stable. She was covered in bruises. Mr. York was angry. He said the Lady’s husband should control her.
Mr. York looked at my leg. It was swollen and painful. He used hot water and medicine on it. The Earl was also angry when he heard the news. He blamed Mr. York. But things did not change. The Lady still wanted her horses to look stylish.
Ginger never pulled the carriage again. When she was better, the Earl’s son took her. He wanted to use her for a hunter (a horse for fast riding and jumping). I had to stay with the carriage. I had a new partner named Max. Max was used to the tight rein.
Max said he bore the pain because he had no choice. He said the tight rein was shortening his life. He said the men who sell horses like the tight rein. It makes the horses look good, so people buy them. But it makes the horses get sick or tired very quickly.
I suffered with that rein for four months. It was terrible. I began to foam at the mouth. This happened because the metal bit hurt my tongue and jaw. Some people think the foam looks good. They think the horse is excited. But it is a sign of pain.
The rein also made it hard to breathe. When I finished work, my neck and chest always hurt. My mouth was very sore. I felt very sad. In my old home, I had friends. At Earlshall, I was treated well in some ways, but I had no friends.