Trix Learns to Love Winter (A Central Acre Park Adventure)

Trix, the miniature horse, has big dreams. She wants to be the best scientist in the world. She wants to observe everything and know everything. There is just one problem. She has hooves and no hands. How will she record her amazing discoveries?! With the help of all of her animal friends, of course!

Welcome to Central Acre Park! It’s a farm in the middle of a big city surrounded by honking horns, concrete sidewalks, and skyscrapers. It’s full of curious animals who have a lot to learn about the scientific world. Each day is a new adventure. Today, a gaggle of loud, tiny humans have just arrived.

***

Trix hates the winter time. It’s cold. The ground is hard and slippery. She has to wear a scratchy blanket with holes in it that let the wind in. Most of her friends are in hibernation, which is a long, boring sleep they take during winter. Or they’ve migrated to warmer places until the cold weather passes.

But it’s not just the animals. Humans also begin to act differently in the winter. They light candles in the windows. They string colorful lights on the trees that blink all night. Then crowds of other humans come to the farm to look at the lights. They wear puffy coats and cup their hands around steaming mugs that smell bitter and sweet. But worst of all, the farm assistants make Trix pull a cart full of small humans.

Trix walked as slowly as possible out of her stall. It was time to get ready, and the farm assistants like to dress her up. She tried to wiggle out of the way of the brushes, combs, hoof picks, hoof polish, glitter, blankets, and ribbons. But it was no use! After braiding Trix’s mane, they hooked her up to a cart that looked like a giant sled.

This year was going to be different. Trix had a plan.

Beatrice, the energetic sparrow, landed on one of Trix’s driving reins and shivered. “Gosh, Trix, it’s so cold! Where are Garbanzo and Pendragon?”

“Trying to get warm,” Trix answered in a grumpy voice. Her raccoon and lizard friends didn’t take too kindly to the icy wind blowing in through the barn doors. “Garbanzo is napping with the barn cats. Pendragon is probably basking under the hen’s heat lamp.”

“I’ll keep you company!” Bea announced with a friendly giggle.

“Thanks, Bea,” Trix said gratefully.

The sparrow hid under Trix’s braided forelock as the farm assistant led Trix out into the chilly air.

A group of miniature humans tramped out onto the field. They looked like fluffy chickens in their puffy coats. Their sticky, grabby hands rubbed her fur the wrong way. They tugged at her braids and ribbons, and talked way too loudly. Fortunately, they also gave her handfuls of sugar cubes, apple slices, peanut butter horse biscuits, and carrots. The crunchy foods were so delicious that Trix almost didn’t notice when several miniature humans climbed into the sled.

“Gosh,” Bea whispered. “They must be heavy. Do you need help?”

“I’m strong enough to pull them,” Trix whispered back, “but I wouldn’t mind the help.”

The sparrow nodded and tried to tug Trix along by her braided forelock. She flapped her tiny wings and pulled. The tiny bird’s chest heaved as she huffed and puffed.

Trix did most of the work, but it felt nice to have company as she trudged through the snow. They made it past the barn and looped around the garden to drop off the children. The whole trip took about ten minutes. Another group of miniature humans stood waiting for their turn in the sled.

“Good job, Bea,” Trix chuckled.

“All this work is making me hungry,” Bea said. “I’ll be right back, Trix!” She flew to a nearby bird feeder where she snuck a mouthful of seeds.

When she returned, Trix was limping along the trail. Her head hung low, and she looked like she was in a lot of pain.

“Trix!” Bea squealed. “Are you okay?”

Bea wasn’t the only one who had noticed. One of the farm assistants stopped the sled. “Let’s take a look,” he said.

Trix winked at Bea to show that she was just pretending. Her plan was a success! The farm assistant checked her hooves, legs, knee joints, and even her mouth, but found nothing wrong. The human then led Trix back into the barn to rest. Trix was very pleased, even if a chorus of disappointed “awww”s followed her.

The miniature horse and sparrow bedded down in the soft barn straw. They dreamed of seeds and sugar cubes.

***

The next day, Trix cantered happily through the pasture. She kicked up light, fluffy snow. She whinnied out huge puffs of warm air that looked like smoke.

The farm assistants spotted Trix in the pasture and saw that she wasn’t hurt. They decided she was healthy enough to pull the sled.

“Drat,” thought Trix, as she was once again hooked up to the sled. “I guess I’ll just have to try again.”

This time, Trix tried her limping trick with the other leg. But none of the farm assistants stopped the sled! Maybe they couldn’t see her limping? Trix made her steps more uneven.

Unfortunately, she was trying so hard to make it look like she was limping that she wasn’t looking where her hooves were going. She slipped on a patch of ice and fell to her knees. One of her legs twisted. It hurt even more when she stood up.

“Uh-oh.” Bea fluttered near Trix. “What happened?”

“I got hurt for real,” Trix mumbled.

The farm assistant led Trix inside and called the veterinarian — a doctor for animals. The humans called the veterinarian the “vet” for short.

Soon, the vet was in the barn. She pulled out a stethoscope to listen to Trix’s breathing and heart rates. Both were higher than usual because of the pain she felt.

The miniature humans crowded at the door of the barn. They looked worried and sad. They didn’t like going to the doctor either.

“You can do it, Trix!” said one in a puffy red coat. “At the end, you get a lollipop and a sticker.”

Trix had no idea what the small human was talking about, but it made her feel a little better to have company. She didn’t like it when the vet visited. Usually, the vet poked and prodded her. Sometimes, she put weird stuff in her mouth to grind her teeth down.

“Her leg is swollen,” the vet said. “We’ll give her medicine to start. Then, we’ll apply ice to keep the swelling and pain down.”

“Is her leg broken?” a child in a sparkly pink tutu asked. She stuck out a leg covered in a plaster cast. “I broke mine in dance class.”

“Nope! It’s just a sprain, but we need to protect Trix’s legs,” the farm assistant explained.

“Will she be okay?” another child piped up.

“Trix’s blood is gathering in the area to heal itself,” the vet said. “Horses spend their entire lives on their feet, so their legs are very important to keep healthy. Unlike humans, she can’t use crutches, a cast, or a wheelchair until she gets better. Only rest will help.”

Trix fidgeted throughout the exam. The vet and farm assistant soaked her leg in ice, dried it off, and then wrapped it up. Once they were finished, Trix sighed and leaned against her stall wall. What a tiring day! That was the last time Trix was going to pretend to be hurt.

Three small pairs of hands reached in through the bars and gently patted Trix’s forehead. They had brought her a lollipop, a heavy blanket, and a shiny unicorn sticker.

“You were very brave,” one said. The small human gently stuck the sticker to Trix’s nose.

“Feel better soon, Trix,” the other one said and gave Trix the round candy on a stick.

All together, they wrapped her in a brand new soft blanket. It was much better than the old scratchy one with holes.

And the burst of sugary sweetness did help. The blanket gave her a cozy, fuzzy feeling. It reminded her of when she was small and would cuddle up to her mother. The sticker was a mystery. She had no idea what the sticker was supposed to do, but at least it didn’t hurt. She was starting to think that miniature humans and the winter time might not be so bad after all.