Black Beauty

This is probably the first children's classic that I ever read. When I was little, I was two things: a bookworm and a horse nut. Black Beauty was a perfect marriage of the two. I loved experiencing the world through a horse's eyes. So without further ado, I give you Anna Sewell's timeless Black Beauty.

     A Brief Synopsis

Black Beauty was born on a small farm in 19th century England. His mother was a favourite of the farmer's, so both were treated very kindly. Beauty had a gentle upbringing with little excitement. The farmer was wise in his ways and broke Beauty in a manner that kept him gentle and trusting. When he was two years old, Beauty was sold to Squire Gordon and sent to live at Birtwick Park. These were the happiest times in Beauty's life, as the Squire, his family, and his staff were all very kind. One such staff member is the stable boy, Joe Green, who nearly kills poor Beauty with a foolish mistake. It is here that Beauty meats Ginger, a chestnut mare that has not had the same sort of upbringing as himself. She was very harshly broken and taught only that man is cruel. However, Birtwick Park and its abundant kindness begins to heal her until she is just as sweet tempered as any other horse. Yes, those were happy days, but they were not to last. Lady Gordon takes very ill and the whole family must move to the south where she may get well. This means the estate and all the horses must be sold. Fortunately for Beauty, he and Ginger are sold as a pair, and a new adventure begins.

The Earl of W, the pair's new owner, is an alright sort of man. His wife however, is a slave to fashion. She wishes for the horses to be driven with a bearing rein, the pinnacle of fashion at the time. This rein is a horrible thing that forces horses to hold their head high when pulling a coach. It is very painful on their necks and makes it very difficult to pull uphill. Ginger, familiar with the rein, lashes out and refuses to wear it, injuring a groom. She is treated very differently from then on, eventually being sold alone.

One night, a new stable master took Black Beauty out on an errand. It was very late that he came out of the tavern that served as his "errand". As they began riding, Beauty could tell that Smith was not quite himself. When a nail came loose on Beauty's foot, they didn't stop. When the shoe came off completely, they didn't stop. Beauty's foot was being so painfully cut by the rough road that he fell, injuring his knees and tossing Smith over his back. Smith never moved again and Beauty's scarred knees lost him his home, for Lady W would not have a scarred horse.

Beauty is then sold to a man who rents out horses and then a man who knows nothing about horses before he ends up in the care of Jerry Barker. Jerry is a jovial cab driver with a lovely family. While not wealthy by any means, the family is happy and Beauty serves dutifully as a cab horse. This is a hard but good life for Beauty but again, it is not to last. One night, Jerry and Beauty are left waiting in the bitter cold after a party for patrons who had promised to be finished hours before. Jerry takes very ill and is forced to abandon the cab business. His friend promises to find a good place for Beauty.

Beauty's new life is hard. Not only is he made to pull very heavy loads, he is reacquainted with the bearing rein. Poor lighting in the stable cause Beauty to nearly lose his sight, and he eventually collapses from overwork. He is then sent to a horse fair in hopes that someone will buy him. Three kind ladies and their coachman see Beauty and take a liking to him. The coachman recognizes the horse, for he is Joe Green, the stable boy from Birtwick Park! Beauty is taken to his final home, treated at last as a horse should: with kindness and love.

     My Thoughts

While it doesn't look it, this has been my most brief synopsis. There is sooooo much that I wasn't able to include for the sake of space. Beauty has so many incredible experiences that are so unique because of the point of view in which they are told. I think Anna Sewell must have been part horse, because the way she captured a horse's view of life seemed so real, so true. That's what I love about this book; it gives you a whole new outlook on life. You see through the eyes of this horse as he's treated gently, harshly, and apathetically. 

The book is so delightful. You don't really need to read it from beginning to end, because it's almost like an autobiography. Actually, it's exactly like an autobiography. The book is several different experiences and stories put together by the one who experienced them. Cool, I never realized that until now :)

Here's an interesting side note: Because of the horrible and painful depiction of the bearing rein from a horse's perspective, there was a huge outcry among the people of Britain and the US. This led to the eventual abolishment of the use of this rein in the UK and influenced people in the States to demand humane treatment for horses.

As a horse-lover, this book is everything I ever wanted as a kid. As a lover of classic children's lit, I love the amazing art of Sewell's only book. This book is a masterpiece that should be read by everyone, horse-lovers and non horse-lovers alike.