My Friend Flicka

Ken, Howard, McLaughlin, Tim, and Gus gather with Dr. Hicks in the Six-Foot Pasture, so named because of its large, barbed wire fence. McLaughlin sends Ken to get a bucket of oats. He stands by the gate with the bucket, preparing to let each colt through after it is castrated. With Tim and Gus’s help, Dr. Hicks ties each colt, one by one, and operates on them. When they are untied, McLaughlin lures them to the gate with oats, comforting each one.

Ken watches everything unfold. He is overwhelmed by the blood and the sight of the colts after they are castrated. They are downtrodden and quiet, often isolating themselves from the others, with blood running down their legs. The entire time, he thinks of his colt undergoing the process a year from now.

After the last colt, which is a struggle for Dr. Hicks, Ken flees the gate and runs up into the pines. He sobs, lying on the ground. After a while, he hears his father approach. He calls to Ken and reaches out, hugging him as Ken sobs against him.