The Clippity-Cloppity Carnival

Horsing Around

The next day, Camille comes running into the garden. She’s holding a box filled with five small plastic horses in it. She says they can each have a horse. Camille offers to let Ashlyn choose her horse first. She picks up an elegant white horse and fits comfortably in her hand. Kendall grabs the black one, Emerson the one with black and white patches, and Willa the spotted white one with black spots, leaving the brown horse for Camille.

The girls play with their hoses all the time, and there’s nothing they love more than horsing around with their hoses. The girls read books and watch movies about horses. They draw pictures and sing songs about horses. They each name their horse, too. Camille names her brown one Giant. Emerson calls her hose Power Pony. Kendall names her black one Tornado, and Willa names hers Cheetah. Ashlyn names hers Snowflake.

The girls wonder if Ashlyn should call her horse Blizzard instead, because Snowflake sounds like the name for a small kitty, instead of a big horse. But Ashlyn disagrees, saying Snowflake is perfect.

The girls make a stable for the horses, too. They divide the box into five stalls, and they add grass for the horses to eat. They fill it with tiny cups of water. Ashlyn puts a little pink pillow in her stall. The girls think this isn’t realistic, and Camille hands her a little rag to put in instead. Ashlyn pushes the rag away, saying Snowflake likes the pink silk pillow.

They pretend the horses are wild, and run around the paths clippity, cloppity. The girls stomp their feet and toss their heads. Snowflake dances and hums a pretty tune. Willa comments that Ashlyn is dancing like a ballerina instead of a wild pony. Ashlyn says Snowflake is quiet and graceful. The girls shrug their shoulders and watch as Ashlyn puts her pony to bed. The girls ask if Ashlyn wants to make her like a real horse, and Ashlyn says, “No. I like her the way she is.”