The Horse That Lost his Spots

Spotty was an unusual looking horse. He was completely white apart from hundreds of black spots that patterned his coat. Admiring himself in his stable mirror, he would say “what a handsome beast I am.” One day, whilst out in the paddock, Spotty had an itch on his back, an itch he just couldn’t quite reach with his mouth, or his leg or his tail for that matter. Spotty decided to bend down to the ground and roll over onto his back into the dust and dirt to get rid of his itch. ‘That should do it thought Spotty’, and promptly stood up and shook himself off in relief of getting rid of that awful itch.“Gasp!” he heard from his pony friend Monty. Spotty looked over to Monty who was staring at Spotty with his square mouth gaped open. “What is it?” said Spotty. Monty replied “Well Spotty, I don’t know how to put this but, you’re just not spotty anymore”. “What! That cannot be. My spots were there this morning, I saw them in my grooming mirror” said Spotty. Spotty very upset with this news was lost in wonder as to what could have happened. “I have lost my spots Monty, so I must go and find them.” His friend Monty replied “perhaps try Dotty the dog, she may have seen your spots.”

Spotty started on his travels to recover his missing spots and his first stop was to ask Dotty the Dalmatian dog. “Oh Dotty, Dotty dog, are you there?” “Yes Spotty, I am here a panting voice called”. Dotty darted across the stable yard in response to Spotty’s call. “Dotty dog, I wonder if you can help me. I seem to be missing my spots, I think I have lost them, have you seen them on the stable yard or in the fields?” “No sorry Spotty, I haven’t; seen your spots today, how very sad they are lost, perhaps try Mr Peppard the Leopard, he may know where your spots are”. “Okay thank you Dotty” Spotty replied and continued on his way to see Mr Peppard the leopard.

Stretched out laying upside down on the branch of a sturdy tree, Mr Peppard was enjoying the morning sun. “Good day Mr Peppard” Spotty called up. Unhappy about being disturbed, Mr Peppard, merely twitched his whiskers in response. “Mr Peppard, I am trying to find my spots, have you seen them?” Mr Peppard responded in a grumpy fashion “what a careless thing to do pony, losing your spots. I have not seen your spots and I have none to share, now please go away and bother somebody else”. “Do you know who that someone else may be Mr Peppard?” Spotty called in desperation. “If it means you will be on your way quickly, I will point you in the direction of Jack the jaguar. “Thank you Mr Peppard” said Spotty and he trotted on his way to find Jack the jaguar.

Spotty arrived at Jack the jaguar’s address on Amazon Lane where he was greeted by a splendid looking cat with lovely thick round spots on his coat. “Jack the jaguar, I have come to ask if you have seen my spots?” “No sorry pony, I have only seen my lovely jaguar spots today, I’m afraid I cannot help you”. Feeling very glum, Spotty turned for home and on his walk he felt a drip drop on his ears. “Oh dear it’s starting to rain” said Spotty, and rain it did. There was so much rainfall the puddles grew very deep, but Spotty continued to splosh his way home.

Upon his return, Monty greeted him at the stable gate and called out, “what a relief Spotty, you have found your spots”. Spotty immediately looked down to his legs and behind his shoulder to see, sure enough, his lovely beauty spots had returned. ‘How is this possible’ he thought? Then Spotty remembered rolling in the dust earlier that day, “ Monty, I must have covered my spots with dust when I rolled around on the ground earlier, and with the heavy rain it has washed the dust away and my spots have returned”. Monty replied “You are funny Spotty, let’s go and have some tea now” and with that the two happy ponies headed off to the paddock to enjoy their grass dinners.