Ginger told me more about her first home. A man bought her and took her to London. She had to wear a check-rein (a strap used to pull a horse’s head up very high). The master wanted the horses to look stylish.
The check-rein was terrible. Ginger had to hold her head very high for hours. Her neck ached and she could not move it. She also had two bits in her mouth. One was very sharp and it made her mouth bleed.
If Ginger moved because of the pain, the coachman hit her with a whip. It was enough to make a horse go mad. Her master did not care about her. He only wanted to look important in the park.
Ginger began to snap and kick because she was in pain. The groom beat her for this. One day, Ginger kicked the carriage and broke the harness. She was sent away to be sold again.
Another man bought her. He was very rough. He hit Ginger with a broom if she did not move quickly. Ginger began to hate all men. One day, she bit the man. He was very angry and hit her on the head.
Finally, Ginger came to Birtwick Park. She thought all men were her enemies. But John Manly and James were different. They were kind to her. One day, Ginger bit James. But James did not punish her.
Instead, James came to her with a bandage on his arm. He brought her a bran mash and patted her. Ginger never bit him again. She began to feel happy and gentle. She lost her angry look.
One day, the master patted Ginger’s neck. “You are much happier now,” he said. Ginger put her nose against him in a friendly way. John Manly laughed and said it was because of “the Birtwick balls.”
This was John Manly’s joke. He said these balls were a special medicine for horses. But they were not real medicine. John Manly said the balls were made of patience, gentleness, and common sense. Giving these to a horse every day would cure any problem.