The Littlest Black Stallion

Horses were my first love. I had one growing up, and I want one again. McIrish wants a sailboat, and my answer is, “Where’s my horse, huh? Hm? Huh?” I think I love owning a horse in theory more than in reality, to be honest. But whenever I get a chance to ride, I do, and that old magic comes back.

I blame Walter Farley, author of The Black Stallion. It’s a whole series of books, but the first one is pure, unadulterated magic. The movie is even better, because some things, you just gotta see. Quick summary: a boy and a horse are shipwrecked and wash up on a deserted island. Boy tames horse. Horse loves boy. They go back to America, where the Black seems to be the fastest horse in the world. A race is set up to find out. Did anyone see the Kentucky Derby this year? It was so Black Stallion.

My grandson, the Peeper, also loves horses. I asked his parents if he and I could watch the movie. He’s isn’t quite old enough to sit through a full-length film just yet, so we only watched until they get rescued from the island. One of the things that happens is that Alec is lying on the beach, napping, when he wakes up to a king cobra, inches from his face, ready to strike. Alec cannot move. He’s frozen with fear. And then, out of nowhere, the Black Stallion races in and stomps the snake to death, saving Alec.

This is the Peeper’s favorite scene. So much so that he asked to “play Black Stallion” so we could relive this part. The Peeper cast the roles—himself as the Black Stallion; me as Alec; McIrish as the snake. “Get on the floor, Nonnie,” he directed, “and fall asleep.” I obeyed. Gup, as McIrish is known to his grandchildren, also had to lie on the floor, but in a more menacing way. Gup hisses. Nonnie pops up, terrified. And while there is no dialogue at this part in Francis Ford Coppola’s version, there is dialogue in the Peeper’s version. “See the snake, Nonnie! It’s going to bite you!”

“Oh, no,” I whisper. “I’m frozen in terror. This is a hugely venomous snake, and if it bites me, I’ll be so sick!” (I try to avoid talk of death around the pre-K crowd.)

“Ssss,” hisses McIrish, laughing at the off-balance sizes of the snake, the boy, the horse. “Sssss!”

And then, from up above (from the coffee table, that is), the Black Stallion leaps onto the Gup-snake’s ribcage, knees first! He stomps it while screaming in rage and protectiveness! Over and over, the Gup-snake is crushed as the Black Stallion gets the job done! And done some more. And a little more, just in case. There is more screaming to indicate the Black’s anger that a snake would dare threaten Nonnie-Alec.

With sore ribs, McIrish hauls himself off the floor, defeated, in awe of the Black Stallion, tears of laughter streaming down his face. “Let’s play again!” says the Black. “Again!” And so we do.

I have added another exciting part of the movie for us to reenact. I was visiting, my daughter needed to get dinner together for the kids, so I offered up the race that will prove the Black is the fastest horse in the world. In the book and movie, the Black spars with another horse before getting into the gate and is injured. Blood pours down his leg, but the the gate opens, and he’s off. Alec, seeing the blood, tries to stop him, but there is no stopping the Black Stallion.

Obviously, the Peeper was still the Black Stallion in this scene. I was Sunraider, the horse with the sharp hooves. Sunraider-Nonnie had a jockey in this scene…my granddaughter, age 1.5. The Butterfly clung to my back as I reared up, whinnying and snorting, and hit the Black Stallion’s leg/arm. Then I made the sound of the gates opening, we raced around and around the downstairs. Through the kitchen and dining room! Through the living room and hall! Around again! And again! It’s a long race!

I also had to play the part of the announcer, so as I was hunched over, running through my daughter’s house with a child on my back, I was also saying, “There’s something wrong with the mystery horse! Sunraider and Cyclone are neck and neck.” All the while, the Butterfly was laughing maniacally, clinging to my neck in an excellent choke hold. No matter. “But what’s this?” I wheezed. “It’s the mystery horse, coming from behind! He’s catching up, closing the distance! He’s pulling ahead! He’s going to win this face! The mystery horse has done it! The Black Stallion has won!”

At that point, the Peeper, overcome with victory and the effort of his come-from-behind win, raced to his mother and threw himself against her. “You did it, Black Stallion!” she said, hugging her panting little boy. “You won. You’re the fastest horse in the world!”

Aw. Right? I mean, come on. It wasn’t that long ago, readers, when my daughter sat on her rocking horse and fiercely rode her own version of the Black Stallion to victory, me standing by as I called the race. Truly the best horse story ever. Ask anyone.