1. Horse Whisperer
Andrew Forster

2. Learning Objectives (AQA)
AO1:respond to texts critically and imaginatively, select and evaluate textual detail to illustrate and support interpretations.
AO2:explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and settings.

3. What is a Horse Whisperer?

4. Horse Whisperer They shouted for me
Who are ‘they’ and ‘me’?
They shouted for me
when their horses snorted, when restless
hooves traced circles in the earth
and shimmering muscles refused the plough.
My secret was a spongy tissue, pulled bloody
from the mouth of a just-born foal,
scented with rosemary, cinnamon,
a charm to draw the tender giants
to my hands.
Encourage the students to notice the similarities between stanzas 1 & 2 – the identical opening lines, the split into 2 halves (first half about the problem the farmers are having, second half about what the horse whisperer does), contrast of violent behaviour of horses before they see the horse whisperer and their docile behaviour after the horse whisperer has seen them. Also point out the use of the senses in the poem – used to add immediacy to the poem and to give the reader something ‘concrete’ to focus on.
Senses

5. When their horses reared at the burning straw
Horse whisperer is called for
They shouted for me
When their horses reared at the burning straw
And eyes revolved in stately heads.
I would pull a frog’s wishbone,
Tainted by meat, from a pouch,
A new fear to fight the fear of fires,
So I could lead the horses,
Like helpless children, to safety.
Contrast
Again, point out the contrast between before and after the horse whisperer sees the horses. Effect of alliteration and simile – alliteration to emphasise the fear (also the word ‘fear’ is repeated); simile used to emphasise the change in the horses by giving the reader something familiar to use as a comparison.
Alliteration
Simile

6. this legacy of whispers but the tractor came over the fields
Change of pronoun from
previous stanzas
I swore I would protect
this legacy of whispers
but the tractor came over the fields
like a warning. I was the life-blood
no longer. From pulpits
I was scorned as demon and witch.
Pitchforks drove me from villages and farms.
Something that
is vital.
Change from ‘they’ to ‘I’ at start of stanza – the focus has moved from the work the horse whisperer does to the horse whisperer himself. The introduction of technology in the shape of the tractor spells the end of the old country ways and the horse whisperer is now regarded as old fashioned, bad magic and sorcery. The reference to ‘demon and witch’ is foreshadowed in the previous stanzas – ‘charm’ and ‘frog’s wishbone’. Fear of that which people don’t understand. Reference to Frankenstein films in final line.
Find clues in previous
stanzas to show this

7. My gifts were the tools of revenge. A foul hex above a stable door
so a trusted stallion could be ridden
no more. Then I joined the stampede,
with others of my kind,
to countries far from our trade.
Move from personal
to collective
The revenge of the horse whisperer reinforces the link to witchcraft and magic – use of the word ‘hex’, usually associated with black magic, whereas ‘charm’ in stanza 1 is good magic. The move from singular ‘I’ to collective ‘others’ and ‘our’ shows that many people associated with old country crafts were affected by new technology. Students could link the word ‘stampede’ with the horses in the poem.

8. Still I miss them. Shire, Clydesdale, Suffolk.
More thoughtful opening
Still I miss them. Shire, Clydesdale, Suffolk.
The searing breath, glistening veins,
steady tread and the pride,
most of all the pride.
Final stanza about the horses
rather than the man
Shortest stanza in poem. Opens with a short sentence which shows regret for no longer working with the horses. There follows a list of 3 breeds of working horse, used to show the personal nature of the horse whisperer's work. List of physical attributes of these heavy horses also shows the personal nature of the work. The ‘pride’ mentioned in the final stanza could be the pride of the man in his work or the pride of the horses, often referred to as noble creatures.

9. Language What tense is used in stanzas 1 to 4?
Is it the same in the last stanza? If not, why has the poet chosen to change?
How does the poet show the change in the horses after treatment?
First 4 stanzas in past tense – shows things as they were. Final stanza in present tense – shows poet’s continued longing to work with horses. Contrast the violent words when the horse whisperer is called – ‘snorted’, ‘shimmering muscles’, refused’, ‘reared', 'burning’, ‘revolved’ – with the peaceful words used when the horse whisperer has seen them – ‘tender giants’, ‘helpless children’.

10. Form & Structure From whose point of view is the poem written?
What do you notice about the punctuation in the poem?
There are several examples of enjambment in the poem. Why does the poet use this?
POV is the horse whisperer. Students may speculate how the poem would be different if written from another POV – the farmer or the horse. The poem is punctuated in a formal standard fashion. If the poem is written out as if it is a piece of prose the punctuation is accurate. Capital letters are only used when the sentence has ended rather than at the start of each line as some poets do. The use of enjambment gives a distinct shape to the poem. If each line was a distinct sentence or clause then the flow of the poem would be disrupted.