It was a very hot day in London. In a particular house, there was a girl called Lily, who was a 10-year-old girl. She lay on the sofa, fanning herself. Her air conditioning was on, but it was so hot that it seemed as if the air conditioning was non-existent.

She suddenly heard a sound from outside. She lazily got up from the sofa and looked out of the window.

“Why, that’s a black horse!” she gasped.

Lily loved horses and had quite a lot of knowledge about them. She rushed through the front door and, sure enough, there was a carriage being drawn by a black Friesian horse.

It was a pretty sight, but Lily instantly noticed that something was wrong. The horse’s head was uncomfortably high in the air. Then she remembered. This was the check rein or bearing rein as people used to call it back in the olden days. The check rein that kept her head in the air would look fashionable to onlookers, but it was agony for the horse and Lily knew it. Since the check rein was pulling back the horse’s head with great force, the bit in her mouth was making her tongue bleed. The tight bit also impaired her breathing. Her legs were also scraped, so she couldn’t walk properly.

All these problems kept the horse from moving properly and she slowed her pace to a walk. It was a hot day, and she hadn’t gotten water for hours. The coachman was about to whip her to go faster, but Lily lunged at the man and snatched the whip from him.

“What do you think you are doing?” He growled.

“You are hurting this horse, and I will not allow it,” said Lily angrily.

The man chuckled nastily. He pulled back the check reins so that the Friesian’s head was in the air again. He flicked the reins and the Friesian moved. Before Lily could catch up to him, he was gone.

Lily went home and called the police. They tracked down the carriage man who was treating the Friesian with disrespect. The police captured him and sent him to prison.

The Friesian was put up for sale and Lily was the first to offer to buy her. Lily took great care of the horse and provided her with all her needs. Lily named the horse Diana. With time, Diana’s health and energy were restored, and she was happy once again. So was Lily. Always treat animals with love and care, and never let anyone hurt them, ever!

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 11TH, 2023