PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
‘How much fodder do we have?’
Tess stared out across the field where Samson and the other horses were gathered round the hay, hardly visible in the speckled wall of falling snow. The Shire horse’s hips were bony angles, his head low, though he didn’t eat. The sight caused a sharp pain in the centre of her chest.
Sam rubbed his stubbled chin with his thumb. ‘A week. Maybe ten days.’ He gazed up at the dense grey sky. ‘If the thaw doesn’t start soon …’
She nodded, pulling her shawl tight about her, the snow feeling heavy on her shoulders.
Written for Rochelle Wisoff-Field’s Friday Fictioneers. See the photo and join the fun. See here to join in and to read the other stories.
That’s heavy and ominous, a number of dark directions that could go. For some reason, I imagine them thinking they’ll have to eat the horse, but maybe I’m just hungry now or delirious.
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I had the same thought, although maybe I’m also hungry and/or delirious. 😦
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Like minds think alike, I’m sorry for you Joy you share mine!
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🙂
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Fancy a horse burger? 🙂
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Haha! No, I thought the same. If things get that bad, there’s good eating on a horse 🙂 Thanks Bill
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I’m willing to try just about anything, but I’ve never heard good things about eating horse, so it’s not high on my list. 😉
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Always been fascinated by the French who eat horse, frogs, snails as standard – foods that many other cultures reject outright. Does it go back to the Revoutionary days, when there was little else and people made bread from grass and conkers? Insects are very popular in Asia – though I’ve heard bad reports about the taste of them too! 🙂
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With all this discussion, I ended up searching online, and apparently a lot of people say horse meat is delicious and that the main reason people don’t eat it is due to taboos because people treat horses like pets or friends (same as eating dog or cat). Maybe my perception that horse meat tastes bad is from stories about starving families eating old, scrawny work horses as a last resort in a famine. I suppose raising horses specifically for meat, you’d get better flavor.
I don’t even know what conkers are, but I’m guessing it’s not something you want to make bread from. 🙂
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I guess if you’re hungry, even stringy horse meat might taste good? As you say, surely better raised specifically for meat. And conkers – sorry for the English-ism – are brown and shiny seeds from the Horse Chestnut tree. We call them conkers, though I think they were first called ‘conquers’ because you play a game with them, threading the seed on a string and hitting your opponents threaded nut until one breaks and is ‘conquered’. You still see kids searching for them below the trees in the Autumn, though the game is dying out as pretty much all the UK trees sadly succumb to a baterium called Bleeding Canker. Sorry if I overloaded you there 🙂
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I loved the speckled wall of falling snow
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Thanks so much Neil 🙂
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That doesn’t sound good at all. Even once they get the thaw, it will take a while for anything the horses can eat to grow. A dark image of the reality of a long, hard winter.
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It’s sobering to think how close to destruction many people’s lives were (and still are of course). One bad harvest, one big flood, one extended period of cold, hard weather and you might be dead. We’re truly lucky to live in this connected world
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It’s true. And yet so many people around the world are living on the brink, or over it. So frustrating that we still haven’t solved the challenge of poverty.
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My husband always says ‘we live like kings’ and he’s so right. If the rulers of ancient times saw the homes many ‘ordinary’ people live in – hot running water, heating, plentiful food, comforts – they would hardly comprehend it. Have to be grateful for everything – especially when there are still so many who have nothing
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True – compared to ancient kings, we’re doing a lot better! But at the same time, the top 1% now live even better compared to the rest of us than the kings did compared to the average person back then.
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Ooh, yes, well, we could easily tip over into a rant about wealth being funnelled into the top few percent of society, how the rich are becoming richer while the poor are squeezed, facing ever growing cuts to basic services such as libraries, health and social care, how social mobility is at its lowest since the Second World War … But we’ll should try to keep the blood pressure down if possible. 🙂
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Dear Lynn,
Guess who’s coming to dinner? Samson? 😦 Good, but sad story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I think you may be right, Rochelle 🙂
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Painfully realistic.
Grim tale, expertly crafted.
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Thank you C. For your ever kind words 🙂
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Ah, the life of the farmer – agronomist. The decisions that have to be made under circumstances like this are difficult.
Five out of five Nutrena Horse Feed bags.
(“Feed your horse Nutrena
Nuuuu-trena,
The best feed that money can buy!”)
Nutrena is a regional, Kansas feed and grain company. Just so you know. 😉
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Ha! That’s great. Poor Samson could do with some Nutrena right about now … Thanks 🙂
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😉
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🙂
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I hope that wasn’t leading where I thought it might… Grim reality for some, I guess. Nicely done.
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Thank you Sandra. 🙂
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Melancholy atmosphere. I’m going to be optimistic and hope that the thaw comes in time… Nice writing Lynn.
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Thanks Iain! Yes, the thaw could come and perhaps a neighbouring farm has some feed thay could share. Horse off the menu for Christmas dinner 🙂
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There are tough decisions up ahead i guess, nicely written
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Very true. Thank you Michael 🙂
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Winter can be so hard… it used to take its toll in the past. Maybe we have changed a lot because of that
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I think you’re right. Most of us (at least in the UK) see wolves as noble creatures just doing what comes naturally, see the forest as a place of beauty in which to enjoy nature. But … if the wolf is eating th animals you rely on to survive a hard winter and the forest is filled with these wolves (and rampaging boars and thieves and outlaws and evil spirits) then your perception will be somewhat different. Thank you Bjorn
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A harsh life with hard decisions to be made. I can feel the despair. Great writing, Lynn.
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Thanks Gabi. Yep. Feel lucky I don’t have to make such life or death decisions
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I can picture the scene and feel their hardship. Beautifully written.
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Thank you Clare. Yes, unimaginably hard. Thanks for reading
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Sad story, I hope the thaw arrives in time or it could get a whole lot worse
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Very true Michael. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Thanks so much for reading
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Nicely written. After reading this I’m not going to complain about my hot and humid city.
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Haha! You are absolutely entitled to complain! Cold is not the only discomfort nature brings. Thanks so much for reading
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So true dear. We welcome cold here after 10 months of summer and humidity.
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I bet you do! Keep cool now 🙂
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🙂
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Very descriptive. I felt the cold.
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Thank you Dawn. Glad that came across 🙂
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All these horse eaters this week have me thinking dark thoughts! Oh my. I won’t be inviting some of you to the barn! 😉
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Haha! Grim times, eh?
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Aww. Nice job with the telling descriptions.
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