[00:00.49] Chapter two, Breaking me in.
[00:04.69] As I got older, I became handsome with a soft black coat, one white foot and a pretty white star on my forehead.
[00:14.31] At four years old, my owner decided it was time to break me in.
[00:19.95] My carefree days as a young Colt were over.
[00:24.32] My life would be very different now.
[00:30.03] Breaking a horse in means that he is taught to wear a saddle and bridal.
[00:36.63] So a person can ride on his back.
[00:40.97] The horse must do as the rider says, even if he is tired, hungry, or not feeling well.
[00:50.94] At first, I hated the bridal and its hard metal bit.
[00:57.29] It went between my teeth and over my tongue, and was held in by straps that fastened around my head.
[01:05.75] It was a bad thing and I didn't want to wear it.
[01:10.47] Luckily, my owner was a patient man, and with his kindness, I learned to put up with it.
[01:19.15] Then, when I could carry a man, I was taught how to wear a harness and pull a carriage.
[01:27.02] During my training, I also learned to go in a double harness with my mother.
[01:35.78] Always do your best, she told me.
[01:43.15] Even if your owner is ignorant or cruel, and remember that I am very proud of you.
[01:56.01] Being broken in had come as a great shock to me, but I was lucky.
[02:02.32] I had a kind and gentle owner, and he taught me well.
[02:08.66] He even took me to see a steam train so that I wouldn't be scared by the terrible noise it made.
[02:17.85] It was something I was often thankful for in my working life.
[02:23.54] If only all horses could be treated like this.
[02:29.90] Shortly after this, I was in for another shock.
[02:34.66] I was sold to Squire Gordon.
[02:41.36] This was the beginning of my working life, and I never saw my mother again.
[02:51.16] The squire was my owner's friend, and he lived in a very large house in the village of Birtwick.
[02:59.68] I was to be called Black Beauty.
[03:05.96] The squire's wife chose my name because she said it was just right for me.
[03:15.05] At Birtwick Park, I quickly made two new friends.
[03:20.81] A sweet gray pony called Marylegs, and Ginger, a chestnut mare with a white flash on her forehead.
[03:29.77] Ginger was tall and pretty, but with a bad habit of biting.
[03:40.65] Life was very different at Birtwick Park.
[03:45.53] I was a working horse, and I had to stand in a stable until I was needed.
[03:52.60] The coachman in charge of the horses was called John Manley, and the stable boy's name was James.
[04:02.28] I decided I was very lucky, for both John and James were kind and thoughtful and treated all of us horses well.
[04:13.61] The only thing I missed terribly was my freedom.
[04:19.31] How I longed to run and play in the meadow, or stand dozing in the shade of the trees.
[04:28.40] Now, I was only free on a Sunday.
[04:33.46] If the weather was nice, all the horses were turned loose in the field.
[04:39.76] We had great fun rolling, galloping, or standing together under the apple trees and talking.
[04:51.59] Ginger and I worked well together, so we were often paired up to pull the carriage.
[04:59.89] During this time, Ginger told me about her life.
[05:08.75] I didn't have a good start like you, she said.
[05:14.45] I've been overworked and cruelly treated.
[05:20.61] I don't trust people, and that's why I bite.
[05:30.98] I felt sorry for Ginger, but John was an excellent coachman, and he tried hard to cure her of her habit.
[05:40.56] He and James both treated her kindly, and soon, Ginger stopped biting and learned to trust them.