The Dawn Horse, otherwise known as Hyracotherium – not that Jack has any truck with fancy names, and though Hyracotherium might look OK on some fancy breeder’s certificate, the way he sees it there’s just one question to ask about any horse that will tell you all you need to know about it** but no, wait... he’s diverting me again... where was I?
The Dawn Horse, the Hyracotherium was around in the Paleogene Period, only that’s like saying Stonehenge is in Europe, which it is but that’s no good for directions. And the Paleogene Period lasted for 43 million years, which the Dawn Horse sadly did not. It was plodding the planet 55 million years ago, and it was pretty small; could have looked a young miniature Shetland in the eye, but a modern racehorse only in the shin, so certainly couldn’t have got up to the sort of capers Jack gets up to. Jack notes at this point that he himself would not get up to that sort of stuff without the severest of provocation from that more-energy-than-sense duo, Megan and Amy.
Jack and I share a narrow-eyed glance. We both know we’ve not heard the last of the Dawn Horse, but that’s enough for today.
**will it attempt to claim gustatory rights over my hay?
