I suppose Frey’s willingness to obey such a summons might also be due to the fact that I usually offered him carrots and apples when I called him. I had none that day, but I gave him a handful of the berries from my backpack. He’d lipped those quite happily.
The boys started begging for a ride. Since neither parent had yet arrived, I decided that sitting on my horse might be okay. I lifted up the older boy, then placed young Carlo in front of him. Both clung to Frey’s mane, gripping it so tightly I could tell that they were scared. But neither asked to be set back down on the ground.
Frey seemed to understand that he must be calm and well mannered. I think he realized that he couldn’t do his usual prancing about. With the two boys on his back, as I began to lead him forward, he moved ploddingly like an old, half-dead plug.
The boys’ faces had paled. Frances was shaking, still unsure about being up so high, but Carlo was grinning so widely, it was as if he’d been offered a miracle.
“Are you okay up there?” I asked, just to make sure.
Even though, before I’d placed them on his back, I’d gotten the boys’ promises to be quiet, but they were both too excited to keep their voices low. In a moment, after their fear ebbed, they were yelling to giddy-up and gallop. But even that didn’t disturb Frey. I walked them all around the yard before returning to the front door.
I was just about to put the children back on their own feet when I heard the clip-clop of a horse approaching.