I started my New Year with a trip from the Yerevan streets to the police station. I neither was drunk  nor violated any law or behaved like a hooligan. My only fault, it seems, is that I am  a horse and horses are forbidden to appear on Yerevan streets at New Year's.

Every year, during  the 13 days of the New Year holiday, I and our (Centaur hippotherapy center’s) pony Vasyok work in Yerevan's Republic Square, carrying children and adults. To be honest spending many cold hours in Republic Square is not our dream job; neither mine or the guys working with me – Borya’s and Andrey’s. But for the money we earn within those 13 days we make enough for the winter hay for us and 9 more horses living in our stable. So we can't complain. Every year on December 30 Vasyok and I travel to Yerevan: I travel on my own and Vasyok goes in a car – he is too small to take him to Yerevan saddled like me; besides the leg trauma he got when he was young does not let him travel big distances such as from Ushi to Yerevan. From January 1 along with other horses and horse carriages we start working in the Republic Square. The first days of the New Year a man from city hall comes and announces the sum the guys working with us have to pay for the city hall to stand us in the Republic Square for 13 days. The sum is pretty big but one cannot bargain: they work by principle “don’t like, don’t work”. And everybody has no choice but to like it.

 But this year was not like other years. In the end of the last year a mayor changed. There were rumors that a new mayor no way will allow horses, carriages, carousels, cars for children, games in the Republic Square because “they will disturb the concerts which are going to be held in the Republic Square”. Of course first no one took these rumors seriously – neither horse owners nor the carriage owners (one of the carriages feeds 4 families), nor the game owners and the toy sellers. These people wait for these 13 days the whole year to earn a little money. Last year they were threatening not to allow us on the Republic Square because “the world is in crisis, and people have no money to spend in the Republic Square”. But later they changed their minds. So the guys working with us and others decided to bring us to Yerevan. If the impossible happens and they do not let us in the Square we will lead gypsy way – walking from street to street, otherwise 11 horses will be left without winter hay.

Last year our contemporary shelter was in the circus. This year it became a former hydro plant under the Victory Bridge, on the Hrazdan river shore. From the “rooms” offered the guys selected the most comfortable ones, cleaned them off, blocked holes and got a quiet cozy and warm two rooms flat for me and Vasyok. The road to our contemporary “stable” is very picturesque, especially at night; a narrow path between tall trees and big stones full of mysterious sounds and the river noise. Here and there homeless are lying in light clothes and with carefree smiles on their faces as if it is not cold at all. The plant is guarded by a not less colorful guard with long johns. From time to time he wears pants and turns into a taxi driver.

The rest of the time he either drinks or sleeps. His whereabouts can be distinguished by innumerous spit traces on the ground: passing him, one needs to keep a decent distance for he never watches where he spits at. The guys laid shavings in our “rooms”, gave us hay and oats. Nobody was in a good mood, the situation still remained uncertain. And from the next day our New Year adventures began.

December 31: In the morning Boris who went to the Republic Square to find out what was going on came back and said that they set the stage for the concerts so that nothing else would be placed in the square. He also said that the square looked sad, empty and silent – closed for cars and full of policemen who guard the empty stage and Christmas tree God knows from whom. At night it became clear what they made a huge stage for. The city hall arranged disco party till dawn. People surrounded at the stage with two teenagers on it were asking each other with perplexity where were the horses and carousels. Learning that they would not be here this year people would leave the square, disappointed. Then rain mixed with snow started as if even the nature was against that nonsensical decision. The disco party began and ended with the teen DJs and 10-15 spectators.

January 1: In the morning when it became clear that the mayor would not change his decision Boris saddled me and we went out to the central streets. A surprise was waiting for us there; we came to know that the veto upon horses is spread on the city streets as well. People would approach us, want to sit on my back but policemen would appear immediately and ban it. In the beginning they were very rude, threatening of taking us to the police station if we would not obey. Then they were almost begging us to leave the place otherwise they would lose their job.

They seemed not to like and understand the situation themselves. The weather was not good either. People would get angry, would complain but nothing changed. Soon red berets joined policemen as if state of emergency was declared in the city. At the end of the day people were missing the former mayor (“but after all Gago was not that bad, at least he would let us celebrate New Year normally”).

We returned to our shelter. January 2: We again left Vasyok in our “flat” and went out on the streets. Policemen started literally chasing us. Getting furious, Boris took me to a living block yard to the great joy of the kids playing there. They were from socially poor families and I carried them for free in the yard. Police found us even here and ordered to disappear from streets, otherwise “you will go right to the station”. But fathers of the kids got them out from the yard. Nevertheless we could not stay in the yard all day. On the street another couple of policemen caught up with us. One of them swore, Boris replied to him. The policeman grabbed him on his winter jacket and started shaking him. And here even my iron nerves could no more bear it. I attacked the policeman (like a dog and not a horse, he said later), tore away his left shoulder strap and ran away, right to the Republic Square, at the place where I was working last year.

People being around received what I did with wild applause. In the square I waited for Boris; he was trying to calm down the policeman who, to put it mildly, was furious on my action. But the policeman shouted, shouted and calmed down and my deed remained unpunished. As it says next morning I woke up famous (“look, look, this is the horse that defending his owner attacked a policeman”).

In the evening we all of a sudden came across a young high ranking policeman who after a round on me just fell in love with me and allowed us to work on the cross of Abovyan and Pushkin streets but we had to stand “on a dark part so that the boss would not notice us ”. But on the dark street we were invisible also for the potential riders. Boris was totally frozen, I could not help yawning so bored I was when at 9 pm the mayor, obviously getting to know that the square is totally empty decided to let the horses in. We worked less than two hours. The people even did not have time to learn that we were there, policemen came and kicked us out saying that the mayor changed his mind but also promising that from next morning we would work. January 3: The mayor again got out of bed on the wrong side and changed his mind on letting the horses into the square. We spent all day in our contemporary “stable”.

This uncertain situation was getting not only on people’ nerves but was disturbing for us (horses) either. Boris again went out to talk to policemen. The latters were “improving” more and more. A couple of carriages were taken to the police station grasping few Dzmer Paps (Santa Clause) on the way. They were just passing the square on Abovyan Street. Among them was the eldest and the most “ancient” Dzmer Pap on the Square, with natural white beard. Policeman stopped him and required to take off the beard.

The old man tried to explain to them that his beard was natural. His words just made policemen angrier. Only after pulling it they assumed that the beard was natural and let the man go. Of course no one even thought of apologizing. In the evening a representative of the city hall came and said that the mayor organized a meeting with the staff to put an end to the “The horses in the Republic Square” issue. And gave a hope that “perhaps after January 6, when the concerts would be over the mayor would allow the horses”.

Concerts… A big stage with a couple of jumping teenagers and 10-15 spectators… January 4: Today policemen moved from threat to action and took us to the station. Boris who fully went out of temper started shouting that this horse, i.e. me along with other horses of ours work with handicapped children, and this government instead of supporting prevents us from earning money for the horses which help so many children. I heard his voice from outside. Here also they did not let me in. Moreover they immediately ran away from me “not to be bitten”.

Policemen unexpectedly got interested in our activity, started asking questions and came to the conclusion that it was indeed unfair to us and that “from next day this horse will work in the square”. But without the pony, they said. I got a feeling that in this country police decides everything, that it is almighty. January 5: The carriages and I were permitted to work in the square, the ponies were not. Policemen could not explain why. There were only few people in the square. That was not surprising; people got used to the empty square. January 6: It is Christmas. Every year the city hall organizes a big concert and great firework at night. This year nothing was done. But “kind policemen” allowed ponies either. Then in the evening they came and announced the price of their kindness. The sum beat even the one we gave last year.

But last year we started working since January 1. And again “if you don’t like it, don’t work”. Some left, then came back again. We had no other choice but to take a risk and to agree with that sum. We started to work, first to feed police and then ourselves. The sum was so big that our victory was rather moral. But I am an Armenian horse. And we, Armenians are used exactly to such victories… However for justice’s sake I have to add that we met really kind policeman also who with no money expectation (I can say in all modesty, he just liked me) started to “protect” us in the square. January 7: Besides the carriages and horses the owners of the cars and toy sellers also got a permission to work in the square. People started gathering in the square. Many remembered me from the last year and came especially for me.

The happy smiles of children and adults were a reward for my suffering for the last few days. And though I got extremely tired I would carry my riders cheerfully. The one climbing on my back must not feel either my mood or my self-feeling: it is New Year and they came here to enjoy.