A long time ago, a handsome colt, Darkie, was born on a quiet farm. His coat was a beautiful shiny black, except for one white furry star on his forehead. He enjoyed running through the meadows. But he was also very calm and well behaved. His mother nurtured him, raised him and gave him advice which he remembered for the rest of his life: do good and give your best effort always.
Years passed and the colt grew into a beautiful horse. It was time for him to begin to work. One day, a kind man named Squire Gordon came to the farm. He took one look at the black horse and decided to buy and take him to his estate. Before he left the farm, the horse was taught how to wear a saddle and how to carry a rider. It was then time for his very first pair of horseshoes. He was proud and excited!
The black horse was ready to leave the farm. He said goodbye to the meadows he had run in, to the people who had taken care of him and finally to his mother.
The black horse’s new home was a beautiful manor where he was taken care of by John Manly, the stable master. John took the horse to meet Mrs Gordon, who admired the horse’s lovely coat and decided to name him Black Beauty.
Black Beauty then met Merrylegs and Ginger, the other horses who lived at the manor. Squire Gordon was a kind master and the horses were very proud to work with him. Over time, Black Beauty became good friends with Ginger and Merrylegs.
A few years later, John Manly woke Black Beauty up in the middle of the night. Mrs Gordon was very sick. Black Beauty was Squire Gordon’s fastest horse, so he needed John to ride Black Beauty and get the doctor. Worried for his mistress Black Beauty galloped by the light of the moon as fast as he could. He had never galloped so hard and so fast in his life.
When they arrived at the doctor’s place, John told the doctor all about Mrs Gordon’s condition. It was quite serious and the doctor said that he needed to see Mrs Gordon right away. The doctor took Black Beauty and once again the horse galloped as fast as he could.
Black Beauty was proud to have helped his mistress, but the next day he was exhausted. Squire Gordon thanked Black Beauty for working so hard and the horse rested for a whole week. Joe, the stable-boy, took good care of him.
Sadly, Mrs Gordon was still sick and so Squire Gordon decided to move somewhere warmer. Black Beauty pulled their carriage to the station and was very sad to watch them leave. Black Beauty and Ginger were sold to an old woman. She did not trust her horses and so she made sure that their reins were as short as possible. It was hard to pull carriages with shorter reins but Black Beauty did his best.
Unfortunately, one day while pulling the carriage, Ginger stumbled and because the reins were short, she snapped one. The old woman was furious and decided to sell Ginger and Black Beauty once more.
Black Beauty found himself at a horse fair. Men came by and examined each horse. Soon, a businessman came by. He had some goods; he needed to move but he had no horse to do it. Black Beauty was proud of his strength, so he helped transfer the businessman’s goods. But it was only a short job and soon Black Beauty was to be sold again.
At the next horse-sale, Black Beauty caught the eye of a kind man named Jerry. Jerry drove a cab in the bustling city of London and was in need of a strong and sturdy horse to pull it. Over time, Black Beauty became one of the best cab horses of the city. He knew all the city streets by heart and his shiny black coat was admired by everyone he passed.
Jerry treated Black Beauty with love and kindness and his family too adored him. Jerry always made sure to rest between long journeys and never made black Beauty work too hard. Jerry’s children also helped take care of Black Beauty in befitting manner.
As a cab horse, Black Beauty often took lords and ladies to their magnificent homes. He loved to stand outside and admire them. One day, as he waited outside, he saw Ginger. She looked tired after working hard for years; Black Beauty wished her well and was all the more glad for Jerry’s kindness and generosity.
One day, Black Beauty and Jerry were asked to pick up a very inconsiderate gentleman. He made Jerry wait for him in the snow for hours. The next day Jerry was sick. He could no longer work as a cab driver. He was very sad to say goodbye to Black Beauty.
Black Beauty’s next owner made him work very hard. His owner loaded more than he could fit in the cart and whipped Black Beauty if he stumbled. Eventually even strong Black Beauty could not work so hard and he was again put up for sale.
Standing at the horse-sale, Black Beauty saw a familiar face. It was Joe, the young stable boy, who worked for Squire Gordon many years ago. He was all grown up with a family and a farm of his own. Remembering what a good horse Black Beauty had been, Joe took him back to his farm. After years of hard work, Black Beauty was finally free to spend the rest of his days running through the meadows, just as he had as a young colt.
