As fall was drawing closer to an end, it was time to start harvesting. With so many workers on the Brown Farm, there was quite a lot of produce coming in. Of course, for the horses, one of the most anticipated harvests were the apples. Since their planting last year, the apple trees have been growing very well. Though they were still young and won't produce a lot of apples for a few years. But still, harvesting the apples was a big thing.
And it wasn't just the horses that were looking forward to apples. Part of the Fall Festival would largely feature apples and what could be made from them. There will be apple pies, apple dumplings, baked apples, apple salads, and many other delicious dishes. There would also be some recipes from other parts of the world that includes apples. For instance, most wouldn't think apples could go in curry, but it actually adds a good flavor.
Of course, the apples at the Brown Farm won't be enough to supply the Festival, but there were other farms that were happy to provide some fruit. In fact, there were some horse Animalians who happily plucking apples on other farms. It would give these other farms a little bit of notoriety for having Animalia getting produce from their farm.
"I can't wait until our trees are this big," said Samson as he plucked apples from the branches.
"Too bad the Animalian virus can't speed up plant growth," joked Abby. The two of them were able to carry bushels that would have had strong men struggling to keep up. Samson, in particular, could probably carry 300 pounds of apples, if there were a container large enough.
Just then, another pair of horses passed by, ones who were having a harder time than Abby and Samson. "Phew, and I thought potato farmin' was hard work," said Shamus, wiping the sweat of his brow.
"I would think apple picking would be easier," said Samson.
"Aye, but potato farmin' is more about reachin' down than reachin' up. Me arms feel like they're gonna drop off," said Shamus, flexing his sore shoulder.
"Ah, ye don't have to wear yerself out for me," said Shannon, rubbing her husband's shoulders.
"Now what kinda husband would allow his wife with child ta do more work than him?" retorted Shamus.
"How about we take a break for a while?" suggested Abby, "Samson, you can take our loads in."
"Aye, let yer gold-winnin' lasses rest a spell and you boys can bring us some o' that cider they're makin'," said Shannon. Shamus and Samson just shrugged a bit. Samson hefted their bushels and they walked off.
Once they were out of hearing range, Abby commented, "I wouldn't think Shamus would get tired that easily."
"Well, he thinks his limits stretch farther than they actually do," said Shannon, "We Irish Sport Horses were bred for racin', not farmin' like ye Quarter Horses. Though I have ta say, Samson is a very fine stallion."
"He is," said Abby, instinctively getting defensive.
Shannon laughed and said, "Don't ye worry none. Shamus is the only stallion fer me. It's only his foals I'll be bearin' now." She rubbed the swell of her belly some.
"Good for you," said Abby, "Sorry about that. Sometimes I feel that other mares are trying to get Samson for themselves."
"And I'm sure there's been stallions vyin' for ye," said Shannon.
"Not so much...at least when I'm around," said Abby.
"Well, don't sell yourself short. You're not just a strong mare, but a fast one as well. Takes a lotta speed to win a race like that, especially fer a horse not bred fer it," said Shannon.
"You're not a bad racer either," said Abby.
"Aye, I've been racin' longer than you have. But it took a while ta get into proper form. Racin' on two legs tain't so easy as it was on fours. And I didn't have to worry about these things bouncin' on me chest," said Shannon, hefting up her breasts. They had grown noticeably larger, doubtlessly because of her unborn foal.
"You still put up an impressive race," said Abby.
"Aye, that I did," said Shannon, thinking about to the IAC.
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There were plenty of foot races at the IAC, considering how many species were well-adapted to running. Though there were some different varieties of races. The hurdle race is a particularly taxing race. It wasn't enough to just be a fast runner. The racers would have to leap over many hurdles, often in quick succession, as they ran. Obviously some species were more suited to the hurdle than others. In the lightweight divisions, the rabbits excelled quite well at it. In the middleweight divisions, the cheetahs had the edge. But this was the heavyweight hurdle race.
Shannon wasn't the only former race horse there. In fact, most of the other competitors besides Shannon were also mares. The two exceptions were a donkey and a zebra. The zebra was competing mostly for the thrill of sport, but apparently the donkey was part of this group that was trying to reform the image of donkeys as stubborn beasts of burden that are inferior to horses. Unsurprisingly, they got a lot of backing from the Democratic Party.
The various equines got into position at the starting line. This won't be a simple win for any of them. Knocking over one hurdle could cost them the race, let alone failing to clear a hurdle. The starting gun went off and the racers bolted forward. It was very impressive the way they were leaping over the hurdles between dashes. Though there were probably a few spectators who were more interested in the way the racer's breasts were bouncing as they ran and jumped.
Despite the difficulty, no one stumbled or tripped up on the hurdles. However, a good many of them had to sacrifice speed for safe jumps. Only a few were able to keep up a good speed while not crashing into the hurdles. Shannon was one of those, her experience with such hurdling as a normal horse giving her an edge. As the race went on, certain racers started to gain much more distance. Shannon was among those and she was getting further out. Shannon was in the inner ring, and though it was shorter, it was also the most difficult as Shannon had less space between the hurdles. But Shannon was hopping over them with surprising ease. Before long, Shannon was crossing the finish line with a good lead on the other equines.
The crowd erupted with applause as Shannon finished. Shannon would have cheered herself, but she was a little out of breath form all the leaping. But she still had enough stamina to go to the winner's circle and accept a kiss from her husband.
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"Ye know, that donkey ran a lot better than people woulda thought," said Shannon thoughtfully, "Third place is no small feat, especially among racehorses."
"I guess the Animalian virus really puts everyone on equal footing, in certain ways that is," said Abby.
"Aye, but I was just glad it was over. I've been waitin' ta get on with our honeymoon and finally get ta makin' a foal," said Shannon.
"You'll have to tell me more about Ireland sometime," said Abby.
"Oh, I will, dear," said Shannon, "Probably after I've had some o' that cider."