Monday, May 24, 2010

Famous Horse and Pony

Bill the Pony is a minor character...well he's not really a character at all. He's the one who hauled all the luggage and food for the Fellowship from Bree all the way to the Mines of Moria. When the four hobbits and Strider meet up at Bree, the Nazgul follow them there and scared all the horses and ponies out of the Prancing Pony's stables. As a result Bob was sent to go buy a horse. Bob found Bill Ferny...a mean old man who lived in a dank house in Bree. Bill was a traitor on both fronts, and he was only concerned with money. So when he heard that Sam needed a pony, and he had the only pony in town, he charged three times the amount for a skinny, weather-beaten pony. Even though they were cheated Sam decided to name the pony Bill, in honor of his former master. Even though Bill was a sickly thing, he grew stronger with the all the exercise he had, so the Fellowship brought him all the way to Moria. 
 

Another Beast, which is even more famous than Bill, is Shadowfax. He is the mighty horse of Rohan, the king of all horses, and no saddle nor bridle will hold him. He must be ridden bear-back or not ridden at all. Yet even ridding him was almost impossible. Only a few people have been given the treat of a ride from Shadowfax. For Gandalf, when he was in need of a horse, found Shadowfax in Rohan, and he tamed him as well as he could be tamed. Since then, Shadowfax has been essential to the story starting with Gandalf's escape from Orthanc, through the "The Two Towers" and in "The Return of the King." He was one of the most loved and honored horses in all of Middle Earth.