"Girl Who Loved Her Horses": A One-Act Play for Young Audiences

Abstract

There are two things I wish to share with you about my play Girl Who Loved Her Horses, seminal things that by themselves have no relation to each other. But somehow the two came together, and Danielle, better known as the Girl Who Loved Her Horses, was born. When I was about eight years old, my grandfather took me to a fair in Campbelford, a small town in central Ontario, Canada. Since Campbelford is primarily an agrarian community, it was just a farm fair. But to a small kid rarely off the even smaller Reserve I grew up on, it was an exciting trip into the unknown-an experience I wanted to milk for all it was worth. To top it off, I had a dollar in my hand and free run of the place. Kid Heaven. Back then a dollar could and did buy a lot of junk food. Broke within an hour, stuffed, and with lots of time left to kill, I found myself wandering about the fair, looking at all the farm animals and equipment, trying to keep myself amused until my grandfather told me it was time to leave. It wasn't long before I came upon a line of adults and kids, patiently waiting outside a small circular fence. Looking between the iron bars, I caught a glimpse at what all the excitement was about. In the center of the circle were four small ponies lashed to a revolving wheel. The adults were putting their children on these little ponies after paying some man for the privilege. I remember feeling a little envious, remembering my empty pockets and wishing for the never before experienced thrill of riding atop one of these animals. Contrary to popular belief, only a small percentage of Native communities have horses. Mine wasn't one of them.