Trevor And Cinnamon| A Great Horse story

This horse story depicts the emotional bonding between a troubled boy and a horse named Cinnamon. Read about the tremendous transformation in this boy, after he met Cinnamon…

Trevor And Cinnamon| A Great Horse story

By: Vicki Kitchner

Fourteen-year-old Trevor was transferred to my classroom of disabled students. He was belligerent, disruptive and defiant. He had no interest in learning, could barely read, and was abusive to his classmates.

Trevor spent most of his time on the streets with a group of kids who had a history of violent behavior. He ran away from home for days at a time, slept in abandoned cars and terrorized anyone unlucky enough to cross his path.

Our School Resource Officer convinced me to include Trevor in our community-based job-training program. Every Monday I took my class to a local ranch to learn valuable job skills. In addition to yard work, we swept stalls and helped care for the horses that were housed there.

Upon arrival the first day, Mr. Garrison, the stable owner, introduced Trevor to Cinnamon and confided that the sweet, old horse had been beaten and starved at the hands of his previous owner. He showed Trevor scars that had occurred from years of cruelty. After demonstrating the proper technique for grooming a horse, Mr. Garrison placed the brush in Trevor’s hands and left him to the task. I kept a careful watch, alert for any abusive behavior toward the defenseless animal.
To my surprise, Trevor was very loving toward the horse. With something akin to awe, he ran his fingertips over the soft muzzle of the sweet animal, as he talked to her in soft whispers. When he dropped his head against her forehead and closed his eyes, I saw the injured little boy inside the angry teenager.

An amazing transformation occurred in Trevor over the next few weeks. He began to attend school regularly, didn’t disrupt class as often, and even voiced an interest in learning to read. He looked forward to going to the stables and worked very hard once he arrived. I began to hear the sound of his laughter as he joked good-naturedly with the other kids as they did their chores. And he always brought an apple, carrot or sugar cube for Cinnamon.

On a Monday in April, the morning paper told the tale of a weekend rampage by a group of boys from Trevor’s neighborhood. They had stolen a car, damaged property and severely beaten a homeless man. Only the names of the older boys had been published, but I knew that this was Trevor’s group of friends. The seven boys that had been arrested would not be returning to school for a very long time. I felt sick with the certainty that Trevor had been among them.

The bell rang to hale the beginning of the day and the students filed into the room. To my surprise, Trevor was among them. How, I had asked, had he come to be here?
Trevor smiled, something that still filled my heart with lightness and said, “I had to do that book report or you wouldn’t let me go to Mr. Garrison’s today. So when they came by my house to get me, I wouldn’t go. I told them I had to finish my book.” He pulled a carrot out of his pocket, “Besides, I promised Cinnamon a carrot!”

That was many years ago. Trevor has since graduated from high school with a full time job waiting for him with Mr. Garrison. He works hard and stays out of trouble. If you were to ask him how he overcame a broken home, a crime-ridden neighborhood and an unhealthy peer group, his answer is always the same. It was a promise he made to a horse named Cinnamon.

Vicki Kitchner

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