War Horse

The next morning, Captain Stewart leads a young, pink-faced, nervous trooper to Joey. Stewart strokes Topthorn as he introduces Joey and Trooper Charlie Warren. Warren can’t ride well, but he proves to be incredibly gentle and conscientious in taking care of Joey. During the rest of the fall and into the winter, spends most of its time marching and very little in battle. More and more, the Army uses the horses for transporting foot soldiers, meaning the horses rarely must charge onto battlefields.

During the long days of marching, Trooper Warren begins to talk to Joey. Warren was learning the blacksmith’s trade from his father when the war broke out. The local landowner from whom Warren’s father rented his shop and his home pressed the family until they felt they had no option but to contribute to the war effort by forcing Warren to enlist. Because of his familiarity with horses, he joined the cavalry. After the Germans shot his horse under him on that first charge, he didn’t think he’d ever have the courage to ride again, but Joey fills him with confidence.

Eventually, Joey learns from Warren that cavalry will be withdrawn to winter camps behind their own line until the spring, when everyone anticipates they will be used to break the front line, where the opposing armies have come to a deadlock of trench warfare. There they wait, the monotony broken occasionally for Warren by letters from home. Winter, with its continual rain and muddy conditions, takes a toll on the men and horses. Many horses go off to the vet and never return. Warren’s careful attentions see Joey through the worst of it; Topthorn comes close to dying of a respiratory infection, but Captain Stewart nurses him through it.

Finally, one icy-cold spring night, the troopers come to the horses in full battle gear. As they saddle up and ride out of camp, the troopers sing and regain their spirits after weeks of enforced idleness. But the mood shifts when they reach the battlefield. Previous battles have utterly destroyed the countryside; not a building or even a single blade of grass remains intact. Men huddle in the trenches, cheering as the horses cross over into the wilderness of no-man’s-land and line up for their charge. Trooper Warren draws his sword and asks Joey to make him proud.