Chapter Seven
The day after her cousins' visit, Maggie went out to the pasture again. The horses were standing head-to-tail under a large oak tree. Polly was keeping the flies off Molly's nose, and Molly was returning the favor.
Maggie looked around the pasture for some way to get on Molly. The rock Dad had used was too short for Maggie. The barbed-wire fence around the field was high enough, but she couldn't crawl up on that. If only their farm had wooden fences.
Then Maggie remembered a wooden gate at the far end of the pasture. That might work, she decided. She went off to check it out.
Yes, there was the old gate nearly hidden by tall grass and low-hanging branches. Maggie stepped on the gate to see if it was strong enough to hold her, and it was.
Maggie hurried back to the horses and grabbed the halter Molly was wearing. At first Molly refused to move, but Maggie picked some clover from the other side of the fence. Then Molly was willing to follow.
Finally Molly was standing next to the gate. Maggie climbed up and prepared to slide on the horse. But just as Maggie was ready to jump, Molly swung her rump away. Maggie got down. She pushed and pulled until Molly's rump was again next to the gate. Maggie crawled up, and again she got ready to slide on. But Molly moved again.
After five or six tries, Maggie was finally able to leap on. But just as she did Molly stepped aside. Maggie grabbed at the mane and managed to stay on.
"Whew! I did it!" Maggie crowed. "I'm riding all by myself. Giddy up, Molly."
But Molly didn't move. She simply put her head down and started eating. Maggie kicked and kicked, but Molly ignored her.
Finally Maggie slid off and started home. Next time she would bring the bridle. She would get Dad to teach her how to put it on.
Dad laughed when Maggie said she wanted to bridle Molly. "You're too short," he said. "You can't even reach the top of her head."
"Then Molly will just have to put her head down," said Maggie.
"What if she won't?" asked Dad.
"I'll feed her oats while I put the bridle on," said Maggie.
And that's what she did. While Molly gobbled oats from her hand, Maggie pushed the bit into the horse's mouth. But that was the easy part. Molly spit out the bit before Maggie could get the rest of the bridle over the horse's ears. Dad had to hold the horse's head down until Maggie could get the bridle completely on.
"Good work," said Dad. "Molly's pretty stubborn, but so are you." Then he lifted Maggie onto the big horse, and she rode for awhile.
Mom came along just as Maggie put Molly back in the pasture. "Well," she said, "at least our horses are giving pony rides. I don't see them doing anything else that's useful."
Dad heard that, and he said, "I'll use them tomorrow when I haul in straw bales."
Mom made a face. "Let's hope you don't have another runaway."
Maggie knew Mom thought Dad's horses were a waste of money. But Maggie had learned to love Molly. Now she wanted to keep the team.
Later, when Mom went to town for groceries, Maggie begged to go along and visit Kelly. When the girls got to Kelly's room, Maggie said, "I can ride Molly any time I want now. I can bridle her, and I can get on her by myself."
"But how?" Kelly wondered. "Molly is so tall."
Maggie said, "Come out for a visit, and I'll show you."
Kelly shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I'll wait until you get a pony instead."