This September, Darcy is going into Year 3 at school. Her mum says she must have spent the summer in a grow bag, as she’s so tall now and her feet have grown so much that her shoes don’t fit her anymore!
Before school starts, Darcy’s mum takes her into town to go shoe shopping, and of course Dave tags along as well.
They head off in the morning to avoid the lunchtime rush. When they get to the shop, a lovely lady called Sarah comes over to ask if she can help. She’s a little surprised when Dave walks through the door, but Darcy’s mum explains that he’s very well behaved.
Darcy and her mum find a seat in the shop, while Dave looks at all the shoes on the shelves – he’s never seen so many different styles before! His have always been silver, but he likes the idea of having different coloured shoes. Maybe he could ask for some gold ones for Christmas!
Darcy tells the lady that last year she was a size 1, but her shoes feel too tight and uncomfortable now. Sarah goes into the back room to find the foot measuring chart.
She asks Darcy what style of shoe she would prefer. Darcy has always had Velcro shoes, but she’s been practicing tying her laces over the summer, so she asks if she can have lace-up shoes instead this year. Sarah goes off around the shop to find a few pairs for Darcy to try.
While they are waiting, Dave goes for a walk around. There’s a man looking for new smart shoes for work, and a little girl trying on a pair of football boots. A sweet old lady is asking for help to find a pair of heeled shoes for a family party, while a young man is trying to find some walking boots for a hike he’s doing this weekend.
“Wow,” Dave thinks. “It must be complicated being a human and having to wear so many different types of shoe. I just wear the same ones every day and I only have to change them every 8 weeks.”
He strolls back over to Darcy and her mum, just as Darcy has chosen her favourite shoes for school.
“They look great, Darcy,” he says.
“Thanks Dave! I wonder what size feet you have,” Darcy says. “Can we measure him too please?” she asks.
“I don’t see why not,” replies Sarah, “although we might need a bigger size chart, as his feet are huge!”
She goes into the back to find the adult shoe size chart. Dave puts his hoof on the chart but it’s too big and won’t fit!
“Don’t worry,” says Sarah. “We’ve got a special chart for people with really big feet. I’ll go and get it.”
When she returns, Dave manages to squeeze his hoof onto the chart and measures at a whopping size 15!
“Wow, Dave! You have the biggest feet we’ve seen all year!” laughs Sarah.
She wraps up Darcy’s new shoes in a special box and wishes her good luck for her new year of school.
“That was fun,” Darcy smiles. “Did you find any shoes that you liked, Dave?”
“I think I’m going to stick with my silver ones,” he replies. “But maybe I could get a special pair of gold shoes for Christmas?” he asks.
Darcy’s mum laughs. “We’ll see,” she says. “At least we found Darcy some new shoes for when she starts school next week.”
“Thanks mum, I can’t wait to go back to school and tell everyone about my summer with Dave!”
Fun fact
Did you know that horses need to have their hooves trimmed every 6-8 weeks by someone called a farrier? This is because horse hooves are like human fingernails and toenails and they keep growing every day. So, just like we cut and file our fingernails, a farrier has to file a horse’s hooves so they don’t grow too long.
Not all horses wear shoes and some, like Dave, only have them on their front hooves. This usually depends on the type of work they are doing. For example, if a horse walks on the road a lot, their hooves will naturally wear down more on the hard surface. If they are ridden in a school on a soft surface, they may need to see the farrier more often, as their hooves won’t naturally wear down as quickly.
It doesn’t hurt to have new shoes. The tough part of a horse’s hoof doesn’t have any nerve endings, which means they don’t feel the nails go in. This means a farrier can safely attach a horse’s new shoes and they can go back to being ridden or doing their job.
If you liked this story, you’ll love the Dave and Darcy series, which you can purchase here.
I’d love to see your drawings to go with this short story! Please either tag me on social media (@loiskingscottauthor on Facebook or Instagram) or send a photo to lois@loiskingscottauthor.com and I’ll share the best ones on social media and this web page!
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