The next three years were hard for Summer, without her parents and her grandmother, Esperanza.
Summer had become good friends with the iron grey colt that she was stabled next to three years ago, and she had also made friends with a ten-year-old stallion called Strider.
One warm Spring day, Summer was being broken in in the corral. The kind, new colonel was riding her, and did not make any attempt to use crops and spurs, like the last colonel had used on Spirit four years before.
Summer acted really grown up and mature while she was being ridden, and by the time the hour was up, she had mastered the canter already!
"Well done Summer! That was great!" Her neighbour whinnied.
Summer tossed her mane and lowered her neck to drink from her water bucket, before lifting her head up again, with droplets of water dripping from her chin.
"Thanks, Lightning!" Summer replied.
She licked her chin, and the water droplets disappeared.
Lightning stared at her admiringly, wishing he could find the right moment…
"LIGHTNING!"
Lightning snapped back to his senses.
"what?" He asked, confused.
"Do you remember that dun mustang I was telling you about a couple of years ago? The one who could not be broken?" Strider quizzed.
"Oh yeah!" Lightning answered, remembering the long and interesting story he had been told as a yearling.
"Well, he's here. He says he's looking for his daughter!" Strider continued.
"Who is his daughter? Lucky mare, I wish my dad was as brave and strong, and famous as Spirit!" Lightning replied.
"I don't know who his daughter is, but I can't help thinking…I recognise those eyes…" Strider whispered back.
"You told me that you've seen him here before, when that nasty colonel ran the place." Lightning answered.
"Yeah, but I even recognised him then!" Strider said,
"I remember whose eyes they remind me of-Esperanza, my mare back in the Cimarron Herd!"
Lighting flashed a look at Strider.
"Summer told me that her grandmother's name is Esperanza. She's a palomino, and she lives in the Cimarron herd!"
Strider's eyes widened.
"You mean to say, that mustang-Spirit, is my son!"
Lightning nodded, as Spirit approached.
"I was wondering, have you seen my daughter?" He asked…