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  Read all the Saddle Club books!

  Horse Crazy

  Horse Shy

  Horse Sense

  Horse Power

  Trail Mates

  Dude Ranch

  Horse Play

  Horse Show

  Hoof Beat

  Riding Camp

  Horse Wise

  Rodeo Rider

  Special thanks to Laura Roper of Sir “B” Farms

  Copyright © 1988 by Bonnie Bryant Hiller

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

  “The Saddle Club” is a registered trademark of Bonnie Bryant Hiller.

  “USPC” and “Pony Club” are registered trademarks of The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. at The Kentucky Horse Park, 4071 Iron Works Pike, Lexington KY 40511-8462.

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  eISBN: 978-0-307-82492-9

  Originally published by Bantam Skylark in 1988

  First Delacorte eBook Edition 2012

  v3.1

  For my mother, Mary S. Bryant

  Contents

  Cover

  Other Books by This Author

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  About the Author

  “DUCK!” STEVIE LAKE yelled.

  Lisa Atwood leaned forward in the saddle and tucked her head low, near Pepper’s shiny black mane. She could feel tree branches brushing the back of her neck. When the brushing stopped, she sat upright and drew Pepper to a halt next to Stevie and her horse, Comanche. In a minute their friend, Carole Hanson, caught up with them, breathless and smiling, riding on Delilah.

  “Oh, I love this trail!” Carole exclaimed. “But I do wish somebody would trim those branches! Sometimes when you’re trotting, you come up on them so fast that you can ram right into them.”

  “Why don’t the horses know to go around them?” Lisa asked her friends. Stevie and Carole were experienced riders. Lisa had begun riding just a few weeks earlier, but already she knew she loved the sport as much as anything she’d ever done.

  “Horses don’t go around the hanging branches because they can tell that they’ll fit under them. They just forget about their riders on top,” Carole explained.

  “That’s just the kind of thing you’ve got to know before we go on the overnight trail ride,” Stevie said. “Riding outdoors is really different from riding indoors.”

  Lisa could already tell that was true. She’d been riding Pepper since her second lesson and she’d never known the horse to be so frisky.

  “Okay, now we can trot here for a while before the trail gets rocky,” Stevie said. “I’ll start, you wait until I’m up to that azalea bush, and then you can follow.” Stevie nudged Comanche into motion. As soon as Stevie passed the bright pink-flowered bush, Lisa signaled Pepper to trot. He obeyed immediately, following Comanche.

  Lisa liked to trot. It was fast enough, but not too fast—sort of like jogging. A horse’s next-fastest gait, the canter, was more like running, and Lisa found that scary sometimes; it was hard to keep her balance. While Pepper trotted, Lisa looked straight ahead, watching Stevie in front of her.

  Stevie’s untidy dark blond hair trailed out of her riding hat. The sun was shining on her hair and on Comanche’s chestnut coat, making them both gleam richly. Their personalities, stubborn but playful, were alike. Somebody who didn’t know Stevie well might think that the advantages she’d been born with—a comfortably wealthy family, big house, private schools—might have made her think she was better than other people. That wasn’t Stevie at all. Stevie just liked to have fun, and she usually managed to do it, too—even when fun looked a lot like hot water!

  Lisa glanced back at Carole. Carole was a wonderful rider. She’d been riding horses since she was a very little girl on the Marine Corps bases where her father had been stationed. Carole was riding Delilah, a beautiful, spirited palomino. Carole used her legs and reins to signal Delilah so subtly that Lisa could never even see what she’d done. But Delilah knew. The two worked in nearly perfect unison.

  Lisa suddenly felt Pepper’s trot quicken. She shortened her reins and slowed the horse a bit. They were approaching Stevie and Comanche. Stevie had slowed her horse to a walk to cool him down. Since the trail was wide, Lisa drew up next to Stevie and they walked together.

  “How come Pepper started going faster when we got closer to you?”

  “You’ve seen that happen in class, haven’t you?” Lisa nodded. “Well,” Stevie continued, “it happens more outdoors because there’s more room. See, horses are naturally competitive animals. They really love to race and show off to each other. As soon as Pepper got close to Comanche, he wanted to be ahead of Comanche. It’s not as important to him when we’re walking as when we’re trotting—and wait until you see what happens when we canter!”

  “You know, Stevie, I’ve been wondering,” Carole said as she drew her horse up to Comanche and Pepper. “Why was Max so eager to have us come out on the trail today?”

  Max—whose full name was Maxmillian Regnery III and who was the owner of Pine Hollow Stables—was usually reluctant to let young riders onto the trails around the stable without a chaperon or instructor.

  “Oh, he didn’t know we were going on the trails,” Stevie said airily. “I told him we were going to check the cross-country course for him.”

  “The cross-country course? You’re crazy!” Carole told her.

  “Oh, no, I’m not,” Stevie countered. “There’s going to be a horse show on that course this summer, so Max was really glad I wanted us to go over it. And, you’ll remember that I’m supposed to be Lisa’s partner on the Mountain Trail Overnight in three days, and if she doesn’t have any trail experience before we leave, it’ll be hard for her, and for me,” Stevie finished breathlessly. “Now, I’m in the lead, so let’s get going.”

  “But why didn’t you just tell him the truth?” Carole asked. Stevie just shrugged and then began trotting again—as if that were an answer.

  Lisa followed her, laughing a little bit to herself. Stevie wasn’t usually a bossy person the way she sounded now. What Stevie usually was was in trouble. Lisa had a sneaking suspicion that she’d be in it as well if she followed Stevie’s orders. But how could she resist?

  Carole watched the riders in front of her. She and Stevie had been riding together for two years, as long as her father had been stationed at the Marine Corps base at Quantico. Colonel Hanson had bought a house in nearby Willow Creek, Virginia—the first time they had ever lived off a base—and Carole had started riding at Pine Hollow. Until that time, most of her friends had been “milit
ary brats” like herself. Now, her best friends, Stevie and Lisa, were riders. The three of them had formed The Saddle Club. The only requirement for membership in it was to be horse crazy. So far, they hadn’t met anybody as horse crazy as they were, so there were just the three members.

  Even though Lisa was a year older than twelve-year-old Carole and Stevie, she’d just started riding. But Carole could tell that Lisa had a natural feel for horses. She’d known it the first time she’d watched Lisa ride in the ring at Pine Hollow. When Lisa and her mother had shown up at the stable, Carole was sure Lisa was just another spoiled rich kid, dressed in fancy riding clothes. Then Max had put her on a gentle pinto named Patch to see if she knew anything about horses. Before she’d walked around the ring twice, Veronica diAngelo (who really was a spoiled rich kid) had let a door slam loudly enough to frighten Lisa’s horse. Patch had bolted into a gallop. Carole had been sure Lisa was going to fly off Patch’s back and break an arm, or worse. Somehow, though, Lisa had managed to stay on the horse, eventually controlling him. Carole had never seen another rider show such skill the first time out. But no matter how great Lisa’s natural talents were, there was plenty she didn’t know. That’s why this practice at riding outdoors was so important before the three girls went on the overnight ride.

  Suddenly, Carole was alert. Delilah shied, nearly rearing, as a rabbit scooted across the trail. Carole leaned forward for balance, tightening the reins automatically. As soon as Delilah felt Carole’s sure grip, she seemed to relax. The rabbit was safely in the underbrush by the time Delilah was calmed down.

  Just then, a second rabbit dashed out onto the trail just in front of Pepper and Lisa. To Carole’s horror, Pepper practically jumped backwards. Lisa grabbed the front of the saddle for balance, dropping Pepper’s reins. Pepper reared a moment later, but without the reins, there was no way Lisa could control him or calm him. The rabbit darted back and forth under the horse’s feet, completely terrorized. Pepper reared a second time, and when he landed, he took off—without Lisa. She flew into the air and landed on her right side.

  Carole knew that Lisa needed help, but Pepper had to be stopped. She called ahead to Stevie to help Lisa. When Stevie turned around and saw what had happened, she rushed to Lisa’s aid.

  Carole urged Delilah into action. Pepper had sprinted into the woods, but Carole knew there was a hilly field just beyond the stand of trees that bordered the trail. When she broke through the trees, she could see Pepper galloping up a hill. She had to cut him off before he could gallop down the hill—that could be really dangerous!

  Skillfully, Carole directed Delilah. They took a shortcut across the pasture to meet Pepper at the hill’s crest. Carole could almost feel Delilah shifting gears, thrilled with the race. They arrived at the hilltop just seconds before Pepper. Carole was afraid he might dart down the other side of the hill when he saw them in front of him, but he’d had enough of his run. Almost as if he knew he’d been naughty, he hung his head and coyly began nibbling at the sweet young grass in the pasture.

  Carole clucked to him soothingly. He lifted his head and looked at her with his liquid brown eyes.

  “It’s okay, boy,” she said. “Nobody’s angry with you. We’d better see how Lisa feels, though. Come on.”

  He wouldn’t come to her, but he stood patiently while she reached down from Delilah and took his reins. He followed obediently as they returned to the trail.

  * * *

  “YOU OKAY?” STEVIE asked. Lisa was still lying awkwardly on the ground.

  “Well, I’m alive, if that’s what you mean,” Lisa said.

  “No, I mean is anything broken or permanently damaged?”

  “Yeah,” Lisa said.

  Stevie’s heart fell. “What?” she asked.

  “My dignity,” Lisa told her grumpily.

  Stevie laughed. “Boy, you had me scared! Come on, get up. Carole went after Pepper. There’s a place by a brook about a half hour’s ride ahead where we can stop and have our lunch. You’ll feel better after you eat something.”

  “You ride; I’ll walk,” Lisa said.

  “You are hurt!” Stevie said, offering Lisa a hand to stand up.

  “No, I’m okay, but that’s it for me for riding. I obviously can’t do it. I’m quitting.”

  “Of course you can do it,” Stevie said. “I mean, you could do it ten minutes ago—two minutes ago, actually.”

  “No, I couldn’t,” Lisa protested. “Look at what just happened.”

  “Just because your horse shies and you fall off, you think you can’t ride?” Stevie asked her.

  “You didn’t fall off, did you?” Lisa answered her.

  “Not then, maybe, but I have, plenty of times before. And I will again, too, believe me!”

  Standing now, Lisa just glared at Stevie. Stevie returned the glare, looking carefully at Lisa. For one thing, she wanted to make sure she was okay, but for another, she was looking to see how scared she was. Lisa had taken a bad tumble and she was afraid she’d do it again. It was a feeling Stevie knew well; everybody who rode felt that way sometimes. But Stevie knew you couldn’t let that get you down, and she certainly couldn’t let it get one of her best friends down.

  “Here’s Pepper,” Carole said cheerfully, leading him back through the stand of trees. “And I think he’s ready to ride now.”

  “Well, his rider isn’t,” Lisa said.

  Carole brought the horses to an abrupt halt.

  “Lisa figures she’s no good at riding,” Stevie explained. “She’s giving it up. Here and now.” Stevie winked at Carole, certain she could rely on Carole to say just the right thing.

  “I know how you feel, Lisa,” Carole said. “It’s rough when you decide to quit. But look at your poor horse.” She pointed to Pepper. The horse’s head still hung low. He glanced at Lisa quickly and then looked at the ground again. “He feels even worse than you do. Why don’t you get back on him so he’ll have the confidence to take riders again? If you abandon him now, who knows what will happen to him as a stable horse?”

  Lisa looked Carole straight in the eye until she saw a twinkle there. “You’re telling me to get right back up on the horse to make him feel better?” she asked. When Carole shrugged in answer, Lisa giggled. “Maybe I’m being silly,” she said, “but I can’t help being scared.”

  “Don’t worry,” Carole said. “We understand. We’ve both felt the same way before. Now, forget how scary that fall was and climb up on this poor animal!”

  Lisa brushed the dirt off her pants and removed some dry leaves from Pepper’s saddle. She straightened out his bridle, which had gone askew, and she patted him on the neck.

  “We’re some pair, huh?” she said. “Come on now, boy, how can you be afraid of a little rabbit when I’m not allowed to be afraid of a great big horse?” She slid her left foot into the stirrup and lifted herself up into the saddle. “Oooh,” she said. “Nothing’s broken, but something’s sure bruised. I may have to stand up to eat! How far is this picnic area?” she asked Stevie.

  “Oh, not far,” Stevie said vaguely as she urged Comanche on.

  AN HOUR LATER, the three girls were finished with their picnic, and the horses were rested and refreshed from the cool brook water.

  “We’d better get back to Pine Hollow,” Stevie said. “Max isn’t going to believe we spent three hours just looking at the cross-country course.”

  “Personally, I don’t think Max is going to believe we even went to the cross-country course,” Carole said. “He’s smarter than that, you know.”

  Stevie already suspected Max knew what they were up to and approved. He trusted her as a rider, and he trusted Carole even more; he knew they’d take good care of Lisa.

  “Listen, I’ve got a different way to go back,” Stevie said. “It’s through pastures. The horses will love it, too, because they can canter a lot. And when horses canter together outside, they usually end up galloping. Wait’ll you try that, Lisa!”

  “I think I’ve
tried enough for today,” Lisa said.

  “Trust me,” Stevie said with a grin. Somehow, the way she said it, Lisa trusted her, even though at the very same time, she suspected it was a mistake.

  The girls took off on their horses through a series of pastures to return to Pine Hollow. Stevie seemed to know her way, and she was right about the horses enjoying the freedom of the pastures. They alternately walked, trotted, and cantered across the rolling hills. The only problem was that they had to stop all the time to open and close gates.

  “It’s an unbreakable rule of horseback riding that you leave gates exactly as you found them,” Carole explained to Lisa.

  “Hey, we can take a shortcut!” Stevie shouted.

  “What shortcut?” Carole asked dubiously.

  “Look over to the left.” Stevie pointed downhill. “I’m sure that red building at the foot of the hill is next to Pine Hollow. If we go straight, we’ll avoid about ten gates!”

  “But we don’t know whose farm that is!” Carole said. Another firm rule of riding was that riders only went where they had permission.

  “Oh, who’s going to care about three girls on horseback?” Stevie asked.

  “A lot of people,” Carole began to tell her, but it was too late. Stevie was already racing across the strange field, Lisa right behind. Carole sighed and followed them.

  Lisa was enjoying the countryside, glad of her decision to ride Pepper again, and glad for the friends who made her do it.

  The girls were about three quarters of the way across the field when they heard a strange sound.

  At first, Lisa didn’t know what it was. It sounded a little bit like a cow. But there weren’t any cows in this small pasture. Herds of cows usually grazed together.

  When she saw it, she knew it wasn’t a cow, but she wished it were! A very large bull emerged from behind a stand of aspens. He snorted and bellowed, stomping at the ground with one front foot. His nostrils flared in anger. Lisa drew in her reins. All three girls began walking their horses slowly, hoping the bull would let them pass.