WAR HORSE
CHAPT 1
Summary Analysis
When Joey, a horse, is six months old, he loses his mother at an auction. Someone quickly buys her,
because she is a valuable draft horse, but people express less interest in Joey, a wild-eyed Thoroughbred-
draft horse mix. After the farmer, Joey’s new master, successfully bids on him, he climbs into the ring
with four friends to tie up the colt. They violently subdue him. The farmer ties Joey to the back of his
farm cart and hauls him home, but Joey fights all the way, arriving soaked in blood and sweat.
The farmer puts Joey into the stable with his kindly draft horse, Zoey. But when she tries to comfort Joey,
the farmer strikes her and tells her to keep away from the colt. Then he stumbles into his house, leaving
Joey and Zoey without food or water. But soon, Albert, the farmer’s son, comes to the stable with
Albert’s mother. Albert looks at Joey with admiration, especially for his fine coat and the white cross on
his nose. From Albert’s conversation with his mother, Joey learns that the farmer has a habit of drinking
too much, especially on auction days. He should have bought a calf on the night he came back with Joey
—whom he purchased out of spite after a perceived rival, Farmer Easton, made the opening bid.
Declaring that his father never made a better decision than buying Joey, even if he made it in
drunkenness, Albert climbs into the stall and approaches the horse. He talks softly and continuously,
calming the colt enough to rub the sweat and dirt from his coat, clean the sore spots on his face where
the halter rubbed it, and bring him fresh sweet hay and water. Finally, he gives the colt his name and
promises to return in the morning. His mother criticizes him for talking to horses, “obstinate and stupid”
creatures that can’t understand language. But Joey gratefully realizes he’s found a lifelong friend.
Analysis
Joey introduces himself to readers with a story of loss as buyers at the livestock auction separate him
from his mother. This foreshadows the many losses he will suffer in the early years of his life—and his
ability to survive this first separation suggests the hope that will see him through the rest. The farmer’s
violence and cruelty offer an early warning to Joey that humans all too often fail to see the value and
dignity in one another and in all creatures.
At first, Joey’s experience with the farmer seems to suggest that animals are kind (like Joey’s mother and
Zoey) while humans are cruel. But Albert immediately recognizes Joey’s value as a living creature, in
contrast to his father. And it turns out that the farmer has compromised his own humanity by drinking,
turning himself into a mean, ugly creature instead of a dignified one. If he can only learn to see clearly
(by staying sober) he might come to have a better appreciation of the lives of others, even horses.
CHAPT 2
SummaryAnalysis
Joey and Albert grow up alongside each other on the farm. Whenever Albert has time free of school or
farm chores, he trains Joey. The horse comes whenever Albert gives his low, owl-like whistle because he
loves the kind and gentle boy. Zoey spends most of her time helping the farmer. Joey never loses his fear
of the man, even though he’s far less cruel when he’s not drunk. And Albert makes sure to protect the
horse—just in case—on Tuesdays, when his father visits the local pub.
One Tuesday evening when Joey is two years old and Albert is 15, Albert goes to the village in the
evening to help ring the church bells. He puts Joey and Zoey in the stable first, reasoning that the farmer
won’t bother them in there if they’re together. But while the music of the church bells still rings across
the hills, the farmer returns from the market very drunk. He stumbles into the barn with a whip in his
hand. He tells Joey, his “proud little devil,” that he’s made a bet with Farmer Easton that he can train the
horse to pull the plow by the end of the week.
Determined to make good on his purchase of Joey and his bet with Farmer Easton, the farmer plans to fit
Joey for a collar that night and begin his training in the morning. Waving the whip in the air, he promises
Joey that he will be whipped until he bleeds if he fails to cooperate. Terrified by the whip, Joey turns
around and bucks, kicking the farmer to the ground. The farmer pulls himself out of the barn, cursing
and muttering.
In the morning, the farmer returns to the barn with a sad and fearful Albert. Both carry draft collars. The
farmer tells Albert that he would have shot Joey the night before if Mother hadn’t begged him not to. He
threatens to get rid of Joey if Albert cannot tame and train him within the week. Albert says he can and
makes his father promise to never raise a whip to Joey again. The farmer assures Albert he won’t—he’d
rather shoot Joey than go near him ever again.
Analysis
The love between Joey and Albert allows both to be happy during these years, even though the farmer’s
drunken potential for violence hangs like a threatening cloud over their lives. They share a bond despite
the fact that Albert can’t understand Joey the way Joey understands Albert. And the fact that the
farmer’s demeanor improves when he’s sober suggests that, if he can overcome his vices, he can live the
full expression of his humanity.
Albert and Joey already have an unshakable bond, and Albert proves his loyalty to the horse by his
ongoing efforts to shield Joey from the farmer’s occasional violence and unpredictability. But he can’t
always be there, and the farmer’s bet shows that he continues to think of Joey as a thing for his use
rather than recognizing his dignity and value as a living being. Thus, he resents Joey’s free spirit and
refusal to be bullied.
Chap 3
SummaryAnalysis
So slowly and gently that Joey barely notices, Albert trains him to accept a saddle and rider, and soon the
two wander around the countryside together daily. Albert does most of the field work, far away from the
farmer, who works in the farmyard. But Joey notices father and son arguing frequently, with Albert’s
mother trying to smooth things over. He overhears mother urging her son to be kinder to the farmer,
whose drinking and temper come from his worries about the future and his ability to pay off the
expensive mortgage on the farm. Albert points out that his mother has worries, too, but she doesn’t
drink, and she isn’t mean. Mostly, Albert worries about how much the farmer—who bought the horse
out of spite and has always regretted it—complains about Joey.
One Wednesday morning soon after the declaration of war, the farmer forces a reluctant Albert to go to
a nearby town to return a boar to another farm. After Albert leaves, the farmer lures Joey out of the
stables with sweet talk and sweeter oats. With uncharacteristic gentleness, the farmer slips a halter over
Joey’s head, whispering that he needs the money “real bad” and promising that “they” will look after the
horse.
Analysis
The contrast between the farmer’s domineering treatment of his animals and Albert's respectful one
becomes clear as Albert continues to train Joey. The strength of their relationship—not the threat of the
whip—proves the stronger motivation for the horse. Joey also learns more about what has compromised
the farmer’s own dignity—financial dependence makes him scared and drives him to drink. This again
suggests that he can redeem his character by standing up for himself and making better choices. But
until he does, his financial fears and complaints about Joey suggest he’s thinking of selling the horse.
Chap 4
SummaryAnalysis
In the farmyard, the farmer mounts Zoey and begins to ride her into the village, leading Joey behind on a
rope. Joey’s too curious and interested to be afraid, and furthermore, he trusts Zoey. He’s been to the
village before—he even encountered his first motorcar there recently—but he’s never seen it bustling
with such activity. The farmer takes him to the village green, where he finds Captain Nicholls, an infantry
officer in the British Army. As the kind and gentle Nichols looks at Joey approvingly, they discuss their
verbal agreement the night before for the farmer to sell Joey to the Army for £40.
Captain Nicholls likes the look of Joey. But he tells the farmer that the Army veterinarian must inspect
him before they can finalize their deal. The farmer behaves anxiously, afraid of getting caught selling
Albert’s beloved friend, but he allows Nicolls to lead the horse away. Joey trusts the Captain enough to
follow him without hesitation. The vet quickly gives Joey his seal of approval. When Nicholls returns to
the farmer to hand over the money, the farmer strokes Joey’s neck with tears in his eyes and whispers an
apology for his poor treatment of the horse.
Suddenly realizing that he’s being “abandoned” again, Joey begins to shriek. As the farmer and Zoey ride
away, kind hands stroke the inconsolable horse. Then, through the crowd, Joey sees Albert running
toward him. Realizing that his father sold Joey to the Army, Albert begs Captain Nicholls for the
opportunity to join the Army so that he won’t be separated from Joey. But he’s only 15, and recruits
must be at least 17. Captain Nicholls approves of Albert’s feisty spirit, and he fears that the war will be
longer than most people expect. He tells Albert to join up as soon as he turns 17 and to ask to join
Nicholl’s cavalry regiment. In the meantime, he promises to take excellent care of Joey. Trying to hold
back tears and force a smile, Albert strokes Joey’s nose and promises to find him again someday.
Analysis
Joey’s walk to the village demonstrates key elements of his character: he has a natural curiosity and trust
in others (despite the farmer’s sometimes alarming and sometimes cruel treatment) that makes him
adaptable in a variety of circumstances. Together, his curiosity and trust give him hope—the feeling that
life will continue to be valuable to him. And as the farmer plans to sell him, Joey will need this hope to
see him through the despair he will suffer through losing Albert.
Joey trusts Nicholls for the same reason he trusted Albert instantly: both humans seem able to recognize
Albert’s inherent dignity and value as a living being, and both instantly treat him with appreciation and
the kindness of friendship. The farmer, for all his faults, shows some human decency in this moment
with his apologies and his tears. Belatedly, he's realizing that Joey’s life has its own value, so he comes to
regret mistreating the horse.
Chap 5
SummaryAnalysis
Joey finds cavalry horse training far harder than learning to plow; he hates the “endless, tedious” hours
of training, the harsh bit in his mouth, and the mean spirit of his trainer, Corporal Samuel Perkins.
Perkins, who used to be a jockey, seems to take pleasure in dominating and controlling horses, and he
uses his whip and spurs liberally. Although he never treats Joey with kindness, he isn’t cruel. And Joey
grows to respect him—but out of fear, not love.
Captain Nicholls visits Joey every evening. He sits and talks quietly to the horse about the foolhardy
arrogance of the other cavalrymen, the difficult war ahead, and about his own concerns. And he
sketches Joey. He’s planning to paint a portrait of Joey to send to Albert as proof that he will follow
through on his promise to take care of the horse. He feels a sense of affinity with Joey; neither has been
to war, and both would prefer to be somewhere else. Nicholls even admits his fear to Joey.
One night, Corporal Samuel Perkins comes into the stables to find Captain Nicholls sketching Joey.
Nicholls praises Joey to Perkins, who agrees that Joey looks nice. But he worries that the horse has a
mind of his own, and he believes that cavalry horses need to obey without hesitation. Nicholls icily
replies that he wanted Perkins to train Joey because he’s the best man for the job—and because Nicholls
himself must focus on training his men to shoot. Nicholls wants Perkins to treat his special horse gently.
He also asks Perkins to give Joey a bit more food so that he’ll be in perfect, shining condition for the
upcoming final maneuvers.
In the last week of his military education, Joey settles into his new role. After his conversation with
Captain Nicholls, Perkins becomes gentler and more attentive with Joey. On the day of final maneuvers,
Joey proudly bears Captain Nicholls, heavy in his dress uniform, onto the field under the hot sun. Finally,
near sunset, the regiment lines up for their final maneuver, a charge. Captain Nicholls and his friend
Captain Jamie Stewart draw their swords, and when the bugle sounds, they urge their horses into a
gallop. Joey refuses to let Stewart and his glossy black stallion (who’s called Topthorn), take the lead, but
he can’t outpace Topthorn either. Nicholls and Stewart have a hard time reigning in the horses after the
charge.
Analysis
Joey’s reaction to his training reminds readers that he is an individual with his own likes and dislikes. Just
like humans, each horse has its own unique temperament, and Joey refuses Perkins’ attempts to enforce
obedience and make him conform to the arbitrary standards of the cavalry unit. Still, there’s an
important difference between strictness and unkindness; Joey grudgingly respects Perkins, who at least
appreciates Joey’s capabilities (unlike the farmer).
Nicholls treats Joey like the sentient being he is—and as a friend—rather than like an object or tool for
humans’ use. In this book, the way a person treats animals shows how fully they embrace their own
humanity; in Joey’s experience thus far, Albert and Captain Nicholls occupy a realm of full humanity
while Perkins and the farmer still have much to learn about their treatment of animals.
Chap 6
SummaryAnalysis
On the journey to France, the cavalrymen feel buoyant and excited, but the pitching and rolling of the
boat terrifies the horses. Corporal Samuel Perkins sometimes comes to hold Joey’s head, but he provides
cold comfort to the frightened animal, who draws more strength from the calm support of Topthorn.
Then, when they disembark, the horses’ spirits improve, but the soldiers’ spirits decline as they see the
masses of wretched, injured soldiers waiting to return to England. On their march to the front line, the
men regain their spirits somewhat, even as the incessant sound of artillery fire grows louder. Joey starts
to have nightmares, although Topthorn stays close and comforts him.
The more he gets to know Captain Nicholls, the more Joey likes him. He is a gentle and considerate rider,
quick to offer kindness and encouragement at the end of a day’s march and prone to talking to Joey.
From Nicholls, Joey learns that the British and troops are retreating from the Germans, trying
desperately to avoid being outflanked and cut off from their access to the sea. No one quite knows
where the Germans lie in wait.
The day of Joey’s first battle, the cavalry regiment “blunders” into the enemy line without much warning.
As they quickly gather into formation, Captain Nicholls promises Joey that they’ll come through
unharmed. Joey inches closer to Topthorn just as the bugle sounds and the whole regiment bursts into
their charge. Joey sees the grey-clad German soldiers ahead, hears the “death rattle” of their machine
gun, and feels Captain Nicholls fall from his back. Driven by blind terror, he keeps running, scattering
German soldiers before him. He runs until Topthorn catches up to him and Captain Stewart takes his
reigns.
Joey hears the British troops declaring their victory, but he can only see the dead and dying horses on
the battlefield. More than a quarter of the squadron died in that one charge. Joey never sees Captain
Nicholls again, and he mourns the loss of the kind and gentle man. Captain Stewart tells Joey that
Nicholls would have been proud of him for ending the charge that they began together. Topthorn stands
watch over Joey as evening falls. As the gunfire falls silent for the night, they both sink into a deep,
exhausted sleep.
Analysis
The soldiers, unaware of the horrors that await them on the front lines of World War I, treat their outing
like an exciting adventure, at least at first. But long before they reach the front lines themselves, they
learn the true costs of this conflict. They will suffer acutely as cavalrymen, too: this war marks a
transition from old-fashioned warfare, where men with swords on horses were valuable contributors in
battle, to modern warfare, where men with swords on horses facing impersonal machine guns made
very large targets for the enemy. Joey, as an animal, remains unsullied by the dreams of glory that
animate the young soldiers, and thus he approaches the battle with a more appropriate emotion: fear.
Still, the loyal Topthorn gives him hope and courage despite the increasingly bad odds.
The growing relationship between Joey and Captain Nicholls highlights the importance of recognizing the
individuality and importance of one’s fellow creatures, whether they be human or animal. And, by
sharing his concerns about their mission with his horse, Nicholls also gives voice to the dangers and
terror of war as a human endeavor.
Chap 7
SummaryAnalysis
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.
Analysis
Joey overlooks Warren’s poor riding skills because he values a kind and caring soul more than proficiency
—in this way Warren provides another contrast to Corporal Perkins, who knew how to ride but not to
value Joey’s individuality. Pulling the cavalry back and reassigning them from front-line troops to
transport and support roles shows the British Army trying to catch up to the new—extremely deadly—
style of war as quickly as possible.
Like Albert and Nicholls, Warren shows how deeply he loves and values Joey by talking to him as he
would talk to another person. His story showcases another of modern war’s horrors: even peaceful men
like Warren who would rather stay home end up being forced to fight by government draft or by social
pressure. And his relationship with Joey helps him to find hope and courage to go on even in the face of
brutality and terror.
Chap 8
SummaryAnalysis
Joey, Trooper Warren, and the rest of the unit pick their way carefully across the shell holes and muck of
no-man’s-land at a trot. But as they approach the German trench line, they suddenly realize that it’s still
protected by a roll of vicious barbed wire. The British troops thought their artillery fire had cleared the
wire away, but they were wrong. And as the cavalry picks up speed, German artillery shells begin to fall
in their midst. Warren prays aloud as he rides, and his prayers turn to curses as they get closer to the line
of barbed wire. Only a few horses and riders make it that far, including Captain Stewart and Topthorn
and Joey and Trooper Warren. They pick their way through a few holes blasted in the wire by lucky
British artillery only to find the trenches empty.
The German forces have retreated—and are firing—from the woods farther up the hill, behind another
line of barbed wire hidden in the trees. Some unlucky horses fail to see it in time and end up tangled in
it. Joey can’t see a way through it; he and Trooper Warren jump over it behind Captain Stewart and
Topthorn. They’re the only ones to complete the charge. As German troops surround the horses and
riders, Joey looks behind him. Riderless horses gallop back toward the British line while wounded and
dying soldiers and horses lie scattered on the hill. Stewart and Warren drop their weapons. Stewart
expresses pride in Topthorn and Joey, who have just proved themselves to be the best horses in the
whole Army. And he reflects on the great, foolish waste of trying to use horses against machine guns and
barbed wire.
Trooper Warren wants to know what will happen to Topthorn and Joey; Captain Stewart explains that
the Germans will consider all four of them—men and horses—prisoners of war. German troops escort
them over the hill to the valley beyond, untouched by the fighting. Warren strokes Joey’s neck, promising
to remember him. When they reach the road, the Germans lead the men and their horses in opposite
directions.
Analysis
The way in which the view from the trenches remains limited metaphorically suggests the blindness of
both sides in the conflict. Most importantly, this blindness leads to incredible amounts of pain and
suffering, as horses string themselves up on the razor-sharp barbed wire. The old-fashioned technology
of men on horses can’t meet the demands of modern warfare with its industrial products (like barbed
wire) and sophisticated artillery and machine guns. Joey and Topthorn demonstrate their own courage
and strength of character by making it all the way across no-man’s-land, but the empty trench of the
other side suggests the pointlessness of their efforts.
Instead of advancing, the German troops have retreated, but they’re still able to effectively demolish the
charging cavalry battalion. The impersonality of modern warfare contributes to its horror—the German
soldiers kill the British soldiers from so far away they never have to look at the destruction they cause.
Joey doesn’t have the luxury of ignoring this destruction, though. Stewart recognizes the shift and
realizes that it makes cavalry officers and horses alike not just obsolete but particularly vulnerable in this
war. Still, despite the odds stacked against them, Topthorn and Joey continue to prove their loyalty and
courage.
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