But one day, everything changed. The mare suddenly became restless and aggressive. She pushed her muzzle against my belly, not hard, but unpleasantly. Frightened, I stepped back and cried out:

— “Ouch! What are you doing?”

But she didn’t stop. Again and again, her muzzle and teeth reached toward my belly, as if she were desperately trying to tell me something. Finally, she bit me — gently, but enough to make me gasp in fear.

I trembled. My first thought was dreadful: “Something has happened to the baby… The mare has hurt him.”