Sophie watched the new girl make her way across the barn aisle. The trailer had pulled up not long before, and a beautiful black horse had been unloaded. Sophie didn’t know anything about the girl who was moving into their barn, only that she was around the same age, and her name was Freya.
Freya was dressed in boots and breeches like everyone else, but she carried a long, white sick out in front of her, which she rolled across the ground.
“Why is she carrying a stick?” asked Sophie’s friend Aimee.
“It means she’s blind,” replied their other friend Harriet.
“Don’t be stupid,” said Aimee, crossing her arms. “Blind people can’t ride horses.”
Meeting Freya
Freya stopped in front of the three girls and smiled.
“Hi, I’m Freya, nice to meet you.”
“You too,” said Sophie.
“Why are you carrying that stick?” said Aimee, as blunt as a hammer.
“I can’t see very well, so it stops me from bumping into things.”
“Told you it meant she was blind,” said Harriet with a triumphant smile.
Aimee scowled and wrinkled her nose. “How are you supposed to ride without being able to see?”
“Oh no,” said Freya, patiently, “I’m not blind, I …”
“You just said you were,” interrupted Aimee. “That’s why you have a stick.”
Sophie frowned at Aimee. She was being rude, but Sophie was too shy to say anything.
“Actually, it’s called a cane,” said Freya.
Aimee burst out laughing. “A cane?! Like my nanna uses.”
Harriet giggled, but Sophie’s scowl grew deeper. “Leave her alone,” she muttered.
“It’s fine,” said Freya, looking directly as Sophie with an expression that showed it wasn’t fine at all. “I’m used to it.”
Getting Ready to Hack
The next day was Sunday, and Sophie, Aimee and Harriet always went out for a hack on Sundays. The stables were surrounded by open fields, which were perfect for long gallops, as long as they didn’t trample any crops or go where grumpy farmer Ralph told them not to. That day, Sophie had invited Freya to come with them.
“Why did you do that?” moaned Aimee. “I want to canter; we won’t be able to get out of a walk with a girl who can’t see. She’ll probably get lost.”
Sophie left Aimee to her moaning and headed into the barn to get her horse, Monty, ready. Freya’s horse was in the next stall over, and Sophie was shocked to see Freya in there on her own.
“Let me help you!” said Sophie hurriedly, worried that Freya might get hurt. Opening the stall door, Sophie rushed in, snatching the bridle off the hook that Freya was just about to pick up. “You can’t do that on your own!”
“I’m fine, really, I’ve done this as many times as you have.”
“How? If you’re blind …”
“I’m not blind—blind means someone can’t see anything. I can see some things, just not as well as you can. Plus, I do a lot of things by touch.”
“But it’s not safe,” Sophie fretted.
“That’s my decision to make, not yours.” Freya paused and sighed. Reaching up, she patted her horse on the neck. “I’ve changed my mind; I don’t feel like hacking out today. Thanks for inviting me though.”
Change of Plans
Later, when the three girls had finished their ride and were walking back to the barn, Sophie spotted Freya riding her horse across the field away from them.
“I thought she didn’t want to go riding?” said Harriet.
“That’s rude of her,” said Aimee. Sophie felt her shoulders sag and the good feeling she had after riding quickly evaporated. Why wouldn’t Freya want to hack with them? Sophie had been friendly, offering to help and make sure she was OK. She didn’t understand why Freya would have lied.
A little while later, as the three girls were mucking out their stalls, Freya walked in, leading her horse behind her. Sophie waited till Freya was in the barn and untacking before walking over to the stall door.
“I thought you said you weren’t going riding today?” Sophie couldn’t hide the hurt in her voice, still confused over why Freya didn’t want to be their friend. Freya undid the girth and pulled the saddle off her horse’s back. She looked at Sophie and sighed.
“I’m sorry I said that, but you were treating me like I couldn’t do anything.”
Sophie frowned, not understanding what she meant. Freya put the saddle over the door and paused. Aimee and Harriet had stopped mucking and came to their stall doors to listen.
“Just because I can’t see as well as most people doesn’t mean I need help with everything. It was really nice that you offered to help, but you spoke to me like I was a child. Plus, I overheard Aimee saying you wouldn’t be able to go faster than a walk if I came with you, which isn’t true.”
Sophie looked over at Aimee, who hung her head and looked down at the ground, ashamed of how she’d treated Freya.
“I’m sorry,” said Sophie. “I shouldn’t have treated you differently because you’re not able to see as much.”
Freya smiled. “That’s OK, I’m sure we can still be friends.”
Galloping Pals
When the next Sunday rolled around, this time the four girls all went out for a hack together.
“You stay in front of me,” said Freya. “I can follow behind, and when you’re about to speed up or slow down, just call out to let me know.”
And at the end of the ride, the four of them galloped over the fields together as a group. Sophie couldn’t stop smiling, knowing the four of them were going to be good friends after all.
This short story appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!
