Tiny Goat in Trouble Page 6

  Goats are able to rear up on their back legs to reach food growing above them.

  Goats don’t like to get wet and prefer to seek shelter during bad weather.

  Pygmy goats are naturally tiny goats. They usually grow to around 40-56 cm.

  Goat’s milk is used for drinking, cooking and baking. It is whiter than whole cow’s milk.

  As they arrived at the centre, Mia breathed in the smell of hay and horses and gave a huge grin. Today was the day she was going to meet Polly! Mum opened the gate, and they walked inside. Mia looked round at the familiar surroundings. There were four stable blocks around a big yard and a long wooden shed where Mum and the rest of the RSPCA grooms had their offices. Next to that was a picnic area with a little hut that they used as a shop, selling horse posters, second-hand books and ice creams to the visitors.

  It was already open for the day, and Mia could see two ladies inside having a cup of tea and a chat. Two of the RSPCA grooms, Helen and Lynn, were sweeping the yard, and Ali was feeding the donkeys. Past the stables were the paddocks, and in each one, there were three or four horses, chomping the grass happily. Over in one of the training fields, Mia could see Amanda cantering Beans.

  Mia grinned as she saw the little bay horse. Beans had only just arrived and still needed lots of work. He was terrified of loud noises, and couldn’t go anywhere near traffic without getting really scared. But he loved his groom, Amanda, and he was getting better every day.

  “I’ve got to call the vet, then I’m going straight up to check on Polly.” Mum nodded her head over to the isolation stables. “Give me ten minutes or so to make sure she’s all right, then come and join us. Polly’s in the last stable.”

  “OK!” Mia grinned. That gave her just enough time to say hello to all her friends! She went over to the nearest paddock and drummed her hands on the wooden fence. The three young mares, Honey, Star and Dapple, all looked up at the noise. “Hello, girls!” Mia called.

  The largest mare started cantering over. “Hi, Honey!” Mia called. The gorgeous golden palomino horse had come over to the side of the paddock to see her. Mia reached up to stroke her on the neck. Honey huffed happily, and swung her great head down so that Mia could stroke her in her favourite spot behind her ears.

  Mia laughed as Honey sniffed her hands. Honey had been at the centre for six weeks, since her owner couldn’t afford to keep her. She was rather greedy, and would do anything for a treat or a pat. It meant that she’d been really good and easy to train – but sometimes it made her a bit naughty, too. Once Mia and Mum had tied her up outside while they were mucking out her stable and she’d nibbled at the quick-release knot to untie herself and gone into Star’s stall to eat all her feed. It had taken ages to drag her away!

  “Hold on, I’ll find you something,” Mia said, racing back over to the stables. She went into the feed room where the sacks of chaff, coarse mix, nuts and hay were kept, and found a couple of carrots. Sticking one in her pocket, she carefully broke the other one in half and put it in a bucket, before going back over to the greedy pony.

  “Now, don’t eat this all at once,” she said, holding out the bucket. She giggled as the pony rushed to put her head inside and munched it eagerly.

  “Good girl,” Mia said, stroking Honey’s cheek while she chewed happily, then planting a kiss on her velvety-soft nose.

  At that moment, Dapple cantered over to see what Honey was getting. Mia giggled and held out the bucket to give her a piece of carrot, too. Dapple was a beautiful grey pony, twelve hands high, with dark grey speckles all over her back. She had been at the centre for eight months. When she’d arrived she was so wild that she’d bite and kick at anyone that went near her, but now she was a happy and friendly horse. Her previous owner had ridden her in badly fitting tack that had left sores on her back and made her scared of saddles, so Mum had been determined to find her a home where she wouldn’t have to be ridden.

  “Mum told me about your new home, Dapple,” she said, stroking the grey pony. She would be so sad when Dapple left the centre, but she was pleased that they’d found the perfect place for her. Last night Mum had told her that Dapple was going to a loving home to be a companion pony to a retired racehorse. Mia knew that horses hated being on their own, so it would be great for the racehorse to have a friend, and it was a big family, so there were lots of children to give Dapple plenty of attention. And best of all, nobody would ride her – Dapple was going to love it.

  Giving Dapple and Honey one more pat, Mia went to find Mum and Polly. Since Polly was a new arrival, she’d have to stay up in the isolation stables for a while to make sure that she didn’t have any germs that she could give the other horses. There were six isolation stalls in total, each with their own small turn-out paddock, so the horses could still go outside even when they weren’t allowed to be with the others.

  Mia’s wellie boots crunched on the gravel as she raced over to the isolation stalls at the very edge of the centre. “Mum? Polly?” Mia called gently as she went towards the stall right at the end of the row. But there was no reply.

  At first Mia thought the stables were empty. Usually when she went to see the horses, they put their heads over the stable doors curiously to see who was coming. I’m sure Mum said she was in the last stall, Mia thought to herself.

  Mia almost walked right up to the stable door before she spotted her. There, cowering in the back corner, was Polly. Her ears were so far back on her head that they were almost invisible and her tail swished from side to side anxiously. She had a brown head with a white snip on her nose. Her mane was light blonde and her eyes were a gorgeous deep chocolatey brown, but they were huge and she was breathing quickly with her nostrils flared. Mia didn’t need to know anything about horses to see that Polly was a scared, lonely pony.

  “Hi Polly,” Mia whispered. “It’s OK, you’re safe now,” she promised.

  But Polly just cowered in the corner, looking like the saddest pony in the world.

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  />   Mary Kelly, Tiny Goat in Trouble