The poem is told from the perspective of a horse whisperer. It describes their gift for calming horses in three aggressive stanzas, using imagery and references to folk magic. However, the introduction of machinery made their skills obsolete. They were driven away and scorned as demons. In the final stanza, the horse whisperer expresses sadness over the loss of the horses and their pride.

1. Poetry Across Time: Character and Voice
Key
Language: connotation, imagery, metaphor, simile
Structure and Form: stanzas, type, patterns, contrast, juxtaposition
Poetic methods: alliteration, caesura, assonance, rhythm, rhyme
Character and Voice: Who is speaking and to whom? Tone of voice
Links: Comparisons to other speakers, methods and themes
Horse Whisperer Forster describes experience
Instantly introduced with an of a horse whisperer who is at
aggressive tone towards the They shouted for me first sought out and then
narrator when their horses snorted, when restless hounded for his gifts.
hooves traced circles in the earth
and shimmering muscles refused the plough.
Visual qualities My secret was a spongy tissue, pulled
bloody Knows of way in which
from the mouth of a just-born foal, to calm the horse
The first stanzas have
scented with rosemary, cinnamon,
longer line lengths and
a charm to draw the tender giants
this shortens towards
to my hands. Aggressive tone
the end as a reflection of
Horse Whisperer’s way
They shouted for me
of life drawing to a
when their horses reared at the burning straw
close.
and eyes revolved in stately heads. They think of him as some sort
I would pull a frog's wishbone, of witch-doctor
Use of a simile to
tainted by meat, from a pouch,
compare the horses
a new fear to fight the fear of fire,
so I could lead the horses, This line could be seen as
The poem is written in like helpless children, to safety. symbolic for the mighty horses
free verse reflecting the rearing up in fear at the fire
different aspects of the
I swore I would protect
narrative
this legacy of whispers Symbolises change that
but the tractor came over the fields mechanised agricultural
like a warning. I was the life-blood machinery had on rural areas
no longer. From pulpits
I was scorned as a demon and witch.
Links back to how they Pitchforks drove me from villages and farms. simile ‘as demon and
The
feel about him. Hex: Cast witch’ shows the
a spell on; bewitch My gifts were the tools of revenge. population’s distrust of his
A foul hex above a stable door skills with horses.
so a trusted stallion could be ridden
Forced to move no more. Then I joined the stampede,
away as there was with others of my kind, Final short stanza -
no more work to countries far from our trade. caesura between each
named breed of horse
Visual qualities Still I miss them. Shire, Clydesdale, Suffolk. adds gravity to the
The searing breath, glistening veins, loss and sadness that
bring the
steady tread and the pride, the Horse Whisperer
horses to life
most of all the pride. feels
Interpretations of the poem:
• After stumbling across a book on ‘strange phenomena’ while visiting a friend, Forster became fascinated
by the techniques employed by whisperers and by the changing public perception of their skills.
• The voice in the poem is an individual voice but represents the experience of all horse whisperers.