As the riders approached, the dog lifted its head, looking at them with eyes so full of pain that the girl’s heart skipped a beat and tears welled up in her eyes…
Emily slipped a halter over the horse’s head and led her out of the stall. After tying the lead rope to a quick-release knot in the stable aisle, the girl admired the mare.
Black as coal, with neat white socks on all four slender legs, Midnight was the envy of many riders.
Picking up a brush, she began grooming the horse, praising her all the while. Midnight shifted nervously from foot to foot, tossing her head and listening intently.
Emily gently stroked the horse’s neck, puzzled by her behaviour:
“What’s wrong, Midge? What’s bothering you?”
“Talking to your horse?” asked the stable hand, walking over.
“Uncle Ben, she’s acting strange today,” Emily continued stroking the glossy neck. “She arrived a month ago, and she’s never behaved like this…”
“There’s something troubling her,” the older man noted, eyeing the mare with experience. “A beauty, isn’t she?”
“And her temperament’s wonderful,” Emily agreed. “She’s so well-trained. I still don’t understand how her previous owner could part with such a horse.”
“Then there must be a hidden flaw,” Benjamin mused.
“She has no flaw!” Emily instantly sprang to her favourite’s defence.
Midnight shook her head, as if confirming her owner’s words.
“Look at that, she took offence,” Benjamin smiled, heading off to his duties.
After saddling Midnight, Emily led her out of the stable. The mare listened intently to the sounds around her, casting wary glances toward the road that led to the woods.
“That’s exactly where we’re heading,” Emily said, noticing where the horse was looking. “You’re perfect in the arena. Time to explore our countryside.”
Emily swung gracefully into the saddle, gathered the reins, and guided the horse toward the forest…
That June morning wasn’t yet oppressively hot, and it was pleasant to ride in the cool air. Midnight obediently went where her rider directed. Occasionally she stopped and listened carefully to the forest sounds.
Letting the horse trot, Emily steered Midnight along a path she used to love riding with her old horse, Grey.
Emily remembered how, two months ago, her previous gelding had received a grim diagnosis, and she had to part with her faithful friend. He was sent to a farm in the countryside, where the air was cleaner and his coughing fits became much rarer.
She needed a horse for competitions, so she and her trainer began searching for a suitable match. Their search ended the day Emily saw Midnight at a top riding club in the county, and after riding her, she knew this was the one.
The horse was beautifully trained and had a gentle nature. The club provided the funds, and Midnight changed homes.
Now, recalling the purchase, Emily remembered how oddly the previous owner had behaved. She had rushed the deal, as if she wanted to get rid of Midnight as quickly as possible.
What had happened? Why would anyone sell such a wonderful horse?
Midnight stopped abruptly. Emily barely managed to stay in the saddle, so lost in thought was she. The mare stood frozen, and no matter how much the rider urged her on, she wouldn’t budge.
“Why won’t you go forward?”
Midnight snorted softly, still standing still. She turned her head slightly and looked to the right.
Emily also looked, but saw nothing but grass and trees. What had caught the horse’s attention?
“You want to go that way?” Emily loosened the reins, giving Midnight freedom to choose. “Have it your way…”
Midnight left the path and walked toward a faint squeaking sound, which Emily soon heard too.
The horse stopped near a birch tree. On the grass was a box, weighed down with thick branches. The squeaking came from inside.
Emily quickly dismounted. Pushing the branches aside, she opened the box. Inside were three kittens, their eyes barely open. They cried pitifully, calling for the mother cat from whom they’d been so cruelly taken.
A wave of anger rose inside Emily:
“How can anyone be so cruel?” She lifted the box and walked to the horse. “Midge, hurry home!”
*****
“Incredible!” exclaimed Sarah, Emily’s trainer.
“Midge led me straight to that box,” Emily finished her story.
She had rushed the kittens back to the club’s vet. They were healthy, and two already had new homes lined up. Emily herself took the third.
A black kitten with white paws charmed her because it resembled Midnight. Once the kittens were old enough, they’d go to their new families.
“Midnight is a noble horse!” Sarah said admiringly. “People walk right past, but a horse doesn’t.”
Meanwhile, Emily and Midnight immersed themselves in preparing for upcoming competitions. The club expected high results from the pair.
Training took up much of their time, and they always practised in the arena. In July, they performed well at local events, taking second place in a medium-level dressage test.
In August, they competed in the county championships in a neighbouring region, returning victorious. Ahead lay a start in the county capital, for which they began intensive preparation.
“Emily, I need you in the arena in forty minutes,” Sarah said, popping her head into the stable.
Midnight stood in the aisle, shifting nervously from foot to foot. She trembled all over, and her loud whinnies echoed around.
“Easy! Easy!” Emily tried to calm the mare.
“What’s wrong with her?” the trainer asked with concern, having never seen Midnight like this.
“She acted the same way the day we found those kittens in the woods,” Emily replied.
“Take her outside the club grounds. Maybe something’s happened,” Sarah looked around. “Take Ben with you.”
Twenty minutes later, two riders left the club. Emily let Midnight be the navigator.
They passed the neat row of houses on the town’s edge, took the road, and headed toward the forest.
Suddenly, Midnight wheeled round and galloped along the roadside. Cars sped past; some honked, afraid the riders might veer onto the highway.
“What nonsense, letting the mare lead!” grumbled Benjamin, not understanding what or whom they were searching for.
“Better to check what’s troubling Midge than to regret it later…” Emily didn’t finish.
On the grass verge lay a German Shepherd, hit by a car. As the riders approached, the dog lifted its head, looking at them with eyes so full of pain that Emily’s heart skipped a beat and tears welled up.
They had found the cause of Midnight’s distress…
Emily jumped off Midnight, still praising her. They had just finished a regional competition in medium-level dressage, and she was pleased with the result.
“Brilliant performance!” Sarah ran up to them.
“Midge feels the music perfectly!” Emily said, adjusting the stirrups in delight. “She’s the most wonderful horse in the universe!”
“She’s a horse with a big flaw!” a sharp female voice sounded behind them.
Emily turned. A woman in a tailcoat sat on a chestnut horse, readying for her own test. Her face seemed vaguely familiar…
“Why do you say that?” Emily replied in a far from friendly tone. “You don’t know Midge at all! She’s a noble horse…”
“With a flaw!” the woman cut her off. “I know this mare very well!”
“The former owner,” Sarah recognised the woman.
“How can you speak about her like that?” Emily disagreed vehemently.
“In the year I owned her, she brought me several stray dogs and cats,” the woman spat out the words. “Her two previous owners gave her up for the same reason, as it turned out…”
“You simply failed to understand how noble this horse is!” Sarah countered. “That’s not a flaw—it’s nobility!”
A German Shepherd came running to Emily, tail wagging, and looked at her with loyal eyes.
Oscar was the very dog Midnight had led them to a year ago. Searches for his owner had failed, so Emily kept him.
At home, a grown black cat with white paws waited, whom Emily had named Cosmo.
Benjamin had become proud owner of a puppy Emily and Midnight had found last autumn.
Sarah now had a calico cat brought back from previous competitions.
And three more dogs and four cats rescued by Midnight had found homes. And all that was called a “flaw”?
“Perhaps the flaw is in you…” Emily gave the woman a cold look and led Midnight away from her former owner.
That day, Emily and Midnight took first place. Returning home after the competition, Sarah and Emily heard the horse stamping her hoof inside the trailer, clearly trying to get their attention.
They stopped the car and quickly opened the trailer door. Midnight greeted them with a loud whinny. Someone urgently needed help.
Sometimes what others call a flaw is simply a heart too big to ignore suffering—and that is the truest nobility.
