Black Beauty, Part 10 summary

What happens

1. The narrator describes enjoyable riding parties and explains how gentle handling protects a horse’s sensitive mouth.
2. Sir Oliver explains that people cut his tail for fashion, leaving him unable to brush flies away.
3. Sir Oliver recalls the painful cutting of Skye’s puppies’ tails and ears, provoking anger toward people.
4. Merrylegs reminds the others that their own handlers and other people treat horses kindly.
5. Justice questions blinkers, and Sir Oliver describes accidents he believes unrestricted sight could prevent.
6. Merrylegs reports John’s support for training colts without blinkers, then draws the horses away to eat fallen apples.

In this part

What to notice

Sir Oliver’s question challenges human authority to injure animals for appearance. It brings together his own lasting loss and the puppies’ suffering.

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