AN HEROIC HORSE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 24, 27 July 1929, Page 18

AN HEROIC HORSE

This is the story of Medallita, a horse who lived in Spain. One day the stable master at the bull ring inMadrid was told that there was someone waiting outside to see him. He went out, and there he saw a strange little group of people—a band of gipsies, their leader holding the bridle of a pathetic-looking old horse with only one eye. This was Medallita, whom the gipsies had brought to sell to the stable master. For the horses which are used in the bull fights in Spain are always miserable-looking creatures which the stable master has bought very cheaply, for since he knows that the poor horse will probably be killed by the bull almost as soon as it enters—or rather is driven into—the ring, he cannot afford to pay a high price for a good horse. It is very terrible, isn't it? Fortunately a law has been passed in Spain that all horses used in this cruel sport must wear thickly padded coats which protect them a little bit from the bull's horns, but even if it is not actually hurt very much, the poor horse is always so terrified when once he lias taken part in a fight, that no amount of thrashing from the cruellest and most determined of stable masters can force him into the ring more than two or three times. But poor Medallita looked so old and miserable that the stable master at first flatly refused to buy him. But the gipsies were very persistent* and they declared that Medallita had plenty of spirit and was very brave, and^ since they only asked fifty shillings for him the stable master at last decided to buy him.

Soon it came to Medallita's turn. A picador jumped on his back; and rode him into the ring, where the bull had been teased and goaded till it was in' a blind fury, and'as soon as the man and horse appeared he charged wildly at them. Medallita was thrown heavily to the ground. Immediately the attendants ran up, ready to flog him till he staggered to his feet—for this is what they usually have to do to the poor horses—■ but even before they reached him Medallita had scrambled up, and once again was pluckily facing the maddened bull!

Next day the same thing happened, and by the end of the season Medallita had been quite famous, for he had stood up against no fewer than thirty-eight bulls! He had had many falls, of course, and he had been wounded, too, very severly, but it made no difference; each time he would face the bull without a sign of fear. Then one day a great Spanish nobleman happened to be amongst the crowd at the bull fight, and he determined that he would do all lie possibly could to rescue the brave Medallila from this cruel life. So he went to the stable master and asked him would he sell the horse, and he offered him a very high price. But the stable master refused. "No," he said, "I cannot sell such a brave animal. I will give him to you!" So you see he wasn't really so cruel after all; or at least his heart was touched by Medallita's courage. Now Medallita is very, very happy, for he is living on the Spanish nobleman's estate, where everyone is very kind to him and very proud of him, too. And he certainly deserved his holiday, didn't he?