The Red Pony, written by John Steinbeck, is a story about a boy named Jody that is divided into four sections; The Gift, The Great Mountains, The Promise, and The Leader of the People. Jody's father is Carl Tiflin, who owns a ranch with only one employee, Billy Buck. The ranch is the setting of each of the four stories, with cows, horses, and pigs. Jody's father is quite stern and doesn't show much outright affection, but Billy is more emotional and spends time teaching Jody about the caring of the farm.
The first story, The Gift, centers around the horse the Jody named Gabilan that was given to him by his father. Jody clearly loves the horse and spends most of his free time brushing it, washing it, and training it. Soon enough, Jody thinks that the horse is ready to be ridden - but disaster strikes. Gabilan caught a severe cold from being out in the rain, even though Billy had made the promise that Gabilan was too strong to get sick. Billy, overwhelmed with the dilemma, has to resort to drastic measures, resolving in the horse's throat being cut open to insert a breathing hold. However, the problems are not over yet. Gabilan escapes the ranch one night, and, to much dismay, Jody finds the horse's body being fed on by vultures the next morning.
The next story, The Great Mountains, is about a visitor to the ranch named Gitano. Gitano is an old Mexican man that came to the Tiflin family, claiming that he was born and raised on the farm. His last wish is to remain on the farm until he dies, but the stern Carl Tiflin refuses, leaving the man without his hopes. That same night, however, in defiance of his father, Jody sneaks off to meet Gitano. He sees him polishing a sword, and asks Gitano if he has ever been to the Great Mountains that Jody often gazes at. In response, Gitano claims that he has, but remembers little about his adventures. Something about this conversation must have inspired Gitano, since the next morning he is gone. A neighbor reports that he saw a man - someone carrying a sword, riding on horseback into the mountains. Jody, whose dream it is to explore them, is filled with longing and deep thoughts.
The Promise is the third section of the book, it being mainly about Billy and Carl deciding to let Jody raise a colt from birth. So, Jody is given the horse Nellie to breed. The breeding takes a lot of time and money - Jody has to step up his chores to pay for it. After the experience with Gabilan, he is worried that something might go wrong again, so he is wary of Billy. When the time for the birth comes, complications spring up. Nellie is ill. Something is wrong with the birth. Nellie has to be killed, and the colt is cut out of her stomach.
The last story, The Leader of the People, centers around Jody's grandfather (his mother's father). The family receives a letter from the grandfather stating that he is visiting. Carl is upset, giving his main reason of annoyance as the man tells the same stories over and over about crossing the Great Plains. The grandfather comes, and tells his usual stories. The next morning, he is late coming down to breakfast, and Carl starts complaining about him. The grandfather comes down, having heard everything. Jody sits out on the porch with his grandfather, having a conversation about how his grandfather really felt about crossing the Plains. The important thing wasn't crossing, but leading other people across it. Jody tells of his dreams to become a leader, but is told that the days of exploration are over.
The Red Pony is a unique story about a child with a very moving childhood. A read not for the light of heart, since some parts can be very emotional and meaningful.
