🐴 Not Yet, Roxy

🐴 Not Yet, Roxy

A Magic Valley Short Story
Lesson: Respecting Boundaries

Roxy was curious.
That wasn’t unusual—she was always curious. About puddles. About butterflies. And especially… about Ember.

Ember was still small, still wobbly, and still always at her mama’s side.
And that mama was Butter—Roxy’s mama too.

They were one little family, all turned out together in the morning sunshine. The breeze was warm. The grass was sweet. And Ember looked like a bundle of fun.

Roxy wanted to play.
She took a few steps closer. Just a few. Her ears perked. Her tail swished.

Butter saw.
She didn’t pin her ears or stomp. Not yet.
She just gave Roxy a look.
A deep, still, serious look.

Roxy stopped.
She pawed the ground. Looked at a fly. Pretended not to care.
But Ember looked so bouncy. So fun.
Roxy couldn’t help herself.

She took one more step. And another.

Suddenly—
WHAM.
Butter charged. Her ears were flat. Her teeth bared. Her hooves thundered on the ground.
Roxy spun and galloped away, her heart pounding.
She wasn’t hurt. But she got the message.

Loud and clear.

Charcoal image of a mare chasing a horse off from her foal establishing boudaries

She watched from a distance as Butter nuzzled Ember, then lowered her head to graze. Calm again. Just like that.

Later that afternoon, Butter let Roxy walk beside them—for just a little while.
Not to play. Not to bounce. Just to walk.
Side by side. Quiet and respectful.

And Roxy understood.
Some things take time.
Some closeness must be earned.

And when someone says “not yet”…
You listen.

Enjoyed the Story?

Download “Not Yet, Roxy” as a beautiful printable PDF to read again and again, share with a friend, or reflect on during quiet moments. Inside the PDF, you’ll also find a guided journal page with simple questions to help kids think about the story and what it means to respect boundaries.

📥 Download the PDF


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