1
By refusing to cross a bridge, which was in fact
broken, Black Beauty had probably saved the lives of
Mr Gordon and his groom. Mr Gordon showed his
understanding of and love for horses, when he talked
about an animal’s instinctive feeling for a situation,
and awareness of danger.
2
Black Beauty was hot and sweating after the ride to
and from the doctor’s, and should have been given a
warm drink and had a cloth put over him. Joe had
failed to do those things and John, who cared very
deeply about horses, was angry with him.
3
Joe Green was offering to help the cart-driver
lighten the load on the cart, to make it easier for the
horses to pull it. This showed how much Joe cared
for horses, and wanted to make their lives more
comfortable.
4
Lady Gray was telling York to use a tighter bearing
rein, as it was fashionable at the time for carriage
horses to have their heads held high. This showed
her complete lack of feeling for horses; she was
only interested in fashion and the way she and her
carriage horses looked.
5
The gentleman farmer was warning Mr Barry, his
neighbour, that somebody must be stealing the oats
he had provided for his horse, as Black Beauty was
in surprisingly poor condition. This showed what a
good judge of horses he was; he understood them
much better than Mr Barry did.
6
The woman passer-by was telling the baker’s driver,
Jakes, that Black Beauty couldn’t use all his strength
when wearing a bearing rein. She was trying to
persuade the driver that the bearing rein was going
out of fashion because it was a cruel and harmful
practice.
7
Nicholas Skinner wasn’t prepared to keep or look
after a horse that couldn’t work. To him, horses
were just part of his business, a means of making
money.