Show Horse Read online

  WILL PRANCER BE READY FOR

  THE HORSE SHOW?

  Without any signal from Lisa, Prancer flew into the air, soaring over the low jump. Lisa had to grab on to Prancer’s mane just to keep from falling off. While Lisa was startled at first, the feeling of flight was simply exhilarating. The fact that her horse wasn’t doing just what she ought to be doing seemed insignificant compared to Prancer’s incredible strength. Lisa sighed happily after the first jump and couldn’t wait until the second.

  “Lisa!” Max cried out.

  “Isn’t she something?” Lisa asked, grinning proudly.

  “Well, I think she needs a little bit more work,” Max stammered.

  Carole and Stevie exchanged glances. They couldn’t believe how oblivious Lisa was.…

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  I would like to express my special thanks to Duffy Bump for her horse-show expertise and to Mark Kirschner for his common sense.

  —B.B.H.

  RL 5, 009-012

  SHOW HORSE

  A Bantam Skylark Book / December 1992

  Skylark Books is a registered trademark of Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere.

  “The Saddle Club” is a trademark of Bonnie Bryant Hiller. The Saddle Club design/logo, which consists of an inverted U-shapted design, a riding crop, and a riding hat is a trademark of Bantam Books.

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 1992 by Bonnie Bryant Hiller.

  Cover art copyright © 1992 by George Tsui.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  For information address: Bantam Books.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-82506-3

  Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada

  Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10103.

  v3.1

  Contents

  Cover

  Other Bantam Skylark Books

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Copyright

  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

  About the Author

  CAROLE HANSON MOVED the cursor down the computer screen, flipping through the pages of bulletin-board notes before she got to the one she’d been waiting for. It read:

  With a pedal-bone fracture, it’s probably a good idea to have the bone x-rayed again after seven months to make sure it’s completely healed before the horse is ridden.

  Cam Nelson

  Carole frowned at the computer screen, once again a little irritated that this Cam person seemed to have an answer for everything. Carole didn’t think Cam knew what she was talking about this time, though. Nobody had said anything about an X ray. Cam had to be wrong and Carole couldn’t wait to tell her so. Carole didn’t have time to answer that note now, though. Her riding class began in less than an hour, and she had to meet Pine Hollow Stables’ vet, Judy Barker, for Prancer’s final checkup before class. She exited from the program and turned off her computer.

  Prancer was a Thoroughbred mare who had broken her pedal bone in the middle of a race. Although it was a fracture that would heal—in fact, it had already healed—the fracture had meant the end of Prancer’s racing career. The horse had then been bought by Judy and Max Regnery, who owned the stable where Carole rode and where her own horse, Starlight, was boarded. Carole had helped take care of Prancer ever since the mare had arrived at Pine Hollow. Now Prancer was healed. It was time to get her back under saddle.

  As Carole hurried to get ready to go to the stable, she thought about the computer and the modem her father had recently bought and what a change it had made in her life. It allowed her to access an interactive network with a BBS. She smiled to herself, realizing that a month ago she hadn’t even known what any of those terms meant! Now she not only knew that an interactive network meant that she could share information with other members of the network, but she also corresponded with some of them regularly via the BBS—or Bulletin Board Service. Her first bulletin-board note had read:

  I love horses. Anybody else do, too?

  She’d gotten only a few responses, but it had been enough to get some interesting notes going back and forth. The person who wrote the most was a girl named Cam who seemed to know a lot. She sometimes seemed to know more than Carole did and Carole didn’t always like that.

  Carole knew a lot, too. She was crazy about horses. She was so crazy about them that she and her best friends from Pine Hollow, Stevie Lake and Lisa Atwood, had formed a group they called The Saddle Club. They had just two rules. All the members had to be horse crazy, and they all had to be willing to pitch in and help each other whenever help was needed. A lot of girls loved horses, but Carole thought she loved them the most. She wasn’t certain what she was going to be when she grew up, but she was certain it was going to have something to do with horses.

  She thought about them all the time. She thought about them as she left the house, as she climbed onto the bus, and as she walked from the bus stop to Pine Hollow. The only time she stopped thinking about them was when she was thinking about Cam Nelson, and that was actually thinking about horses, too. Carole wasn’t sure how she felt about Cam. Carole was accustomed to being the girl who knew the most about horses. Cam apparently knew a lot, too, and Carole found herself wondering which one of them knew more. She never felt competitive with Lisa and Stevie. She wondered what it was about Cam that made her feel competitive.

  “Something’s up, Carole,” Stevie said, greeting her as soon as she arrived at Pine Hollow. “I just know it. I saw Max walking past the locker area a few minutes ago, and he had this big grin on his face.” Her eyes were sparkling with excitement. “Come on, get dressed quickly. We’ve just got to find out what it is!” Stevie took Carole’s arm, hurrying her into the locker area.

  Carole let herself be led. The fact that Max, who was very serious around horses, was grinning, was a strong sign of some good news.

  “I think it’s just that he knows Prancer is ready for her first ride,” Lisa said, tugging at her boot. Her feet had grown, and it was getting harder to get her boots on. “Oomph, there!” she declared triumphantly and then stood up. “We all know Prancer is this really valuable horse,” Lisa began expanding on her theory. “Max is probably thrilled that he can now claim to have another Thoroughbred in h
is stable, right? I’m sure that’s what he’s happy about.”

  Lisa was a very logical person. She had the ability to analyze anything carefully. It was also an ability that consistently earned her straight A’s on her report card, but it was also an ability that sometimes got her into trouble. She’d been known to get so carried away with her own analysis that she lost track of what was important. Her friends were always there to help her, though—just the way she helped them. That was one of the nicest things about The Saddle Club.

  “Maybe Max is just happy about Prancer,” Stevie said. “But that doesn’t explain the fact that the grin was big enough to show his dimples. Something’s got to be bigger than just Prancer for Max to let his dimples loose!”

  Lisa and Carole giggled. Only Stevie would classify Max’s happiness on a scale of whether his smile showed his dimples!

  “Laugh if you want, but I’m right,” Stevie assured them, tucking in her shirttail. “You’ll see.”

  Lisa and Carole had spent enough time with Stevie to have a great deal of confidence in her hunches. They hoped she was right this time. It sounded like a nice hunch.

  JUDY WAS ALREADY giving Prancer a final check when the girls arrived at the box stall. Lisa carried a saddle. Stevie had the bridle. Prancer greeted them warmly. The girls had learned long ago that horses’ personalities were as different as people’s. The Saddle Club had discovered that, like many racehorses, Prancer hadn’t been bred for kindness and gentleness. She’d been bred for competitiveness and speed, and she had both those qualities. She tended to be abrupt and almost testy with adults, including Max and Judy. However, when it came to young people, she was as gentle and loving as could be.

  The girls had speculated about what might have caused that, but they knew they’d never know the real reason. Maybe it had to do with the fact that they were smaller than adults; maybe a young person had done her a kindness when Prancer was a filly; maybe an adult had done something cruel to her; or maybe it was none of those things. Whatever the reason was, it was true: One look at Carole, Lisa, and Stevie, and the mare seemed to relax and smile. She nuzzled Carole’s neck. She sniffed at Lisa’s hand—and wasn’t disappointed, because Lisa did have a carrot for her. She nodded cheerfully when Stevie waved at her. Prancer was definitely in a good mood, too, just like Max.

  “How does it look?” Carole asked Judy, who was already examining the mare’s foot.

  “Looks just fine, and I’d say she’s as ready as can be for her test drive. Who’s going to get the honors?” Judy asked.

  “Lisa,” Stevie said, and then explained. “She’s the only one of us who hasn’t had a chance to ride a Thoroughbred before.” That was true. Carole had ridden several—including Prancer—and Stevie regularly rode a Thoroughbred named Topside.

  “I agree,” Carole said.

  Lisa was thrilled. She didn’t argue at all. She just began tacking up the mare.

  As Carole watched Lisa prepare the horse, she was reminded of the note she’d gotten from Cam. It was still irking her. She asked Judy, “How do you know when the pedal bone is all healed?”

  “Well, after this many months you can be fairly certain that it’s healed, but there are some other signs. First of all, she’s not showing any indication of lameness. All the swelling is gone and has been for a while. There’s no tenderness anywhere—I mean she doesn’t flinch or pull back when I hold and examine her foot. That’s enough to know it’s healed.”

  That made Carole feel pretty good. What did that Cam know?

  “And one more thing,” Judy continued. “I x-rayed it yesterday, just to be sure. It’s fine.”

  “Oh,” Carole said. It was all she could muster. Cam had been right!

  Lisa made a final adjustment on the stirrups and announced she was ready. Stevie opened the stall door, and Carole handed her the reins. Lisa proudly led Prancer to the door of the stable and stood on the mounting block to get into the saddle of the very tall horse. Then, following one of Pine Hollow’s oldest traditions, she touched the good-luck horseshoe. No rider who had touched that before going out on a horse had ever been seriously hurt. Lisa didn’t think she was going to need any more good luck than she already had, though. What could be better luck than just to have the chance to ride this beautiful bay Thoroughbred? She took a deep breath, sighed contentedly, and signaled Prancer to begin.

  Prancer seemed eager. She had spent most of the last few months in a box stall or being walked sedately around a paddock. Now she had a rider on board, and everything seemed back to normal. Prancer almost sighed herself with contentment as they entered the schooling ring. She picked up an easy walk and within a few steps was trotting.

  Lisa loved every step. She could barely believe the smooth and rapid gait. She hadn’t even told Prancer to trot, and now the horse was doing it, exactly as she wanted her to. Maybe Prancer just knew!

  Lisa posted to Prancer’s trot, rising slightly with every other beat of the gait. She could feel the wind brush her hair, and she was only vaguely aware of the posts and rail of the fencing as she and her mount sailed by them. Even her friends, who stood and watched, faded into the blur that was the world beyond herself and Prancer. It was wonderful.

  “Try a canter now,” Judy said.

  Lisa began to slide her outside foot back to ask Prancer for a canter, but the horse had heard the word and knew what it meant. Prancer’s canter was, if possible, even better than her trot! Lisa sat easily in the saddle and rode with the gentle rocking motion, feeling completely at one with her horse.

  “Now walk again,” Judy said.

  Lisa tightened up on her reins and sat more deeply in the saddle. It should have been enough to bring Prancer back to a trot and then a walk, but Prancer was having too much fun cantering.

  She gripped more tightly with her legs and pulled gently on the reins. The canter slowed, but it didn’t stop.

  “A walk,” Judy reminded her.

  Quickly Lisa wrapped the reins around her hands to draw on them some more. She fairly pulled herself into the saddle by gripping more tightly with her legs, and then she yanked at the reins. Prancer got it. She slowed to a trot and then a walk. Lisa completed her circle of the ring and brought the horse to a stop where Judy and her friends were standing.

  “That was wonderful!” she declared.

  “We could tell already—by the gigantic grin on your face,” Stevie joked.

  “Doesn’t she have marvelous gaits?” Carole asked.

  “Absolutely,” Lisa said.

  “She was a little hard to control, though, wasn’t she?” Judy asked.

  Lisa shrugged. “Not really,” she said. “Poor old Prancer’s been cooped up for so long, she just wanted a chance to let it all out. I can understand that, can’t you?”

  “Oh, sure,” Judy said. “I can understand it, but you can’t let her get away with it.”

  “I know, I know,” Lisa said. One of the things she both loved and hated about horseback riding was that everybody always seemed to notice everything she did wrong. She knew that almost all riding mistakes were mistakes made by riders, not horses. Prancer hadn’t made the mistakes, she had. She hadn’t tugged hard enough or fast enough to get Prancer to stop. It wouldn’t happen again, though. And the next time she rode Prancer, it would be a perfect ride, because there was absolutely no doubt in Lisa’s mind that Prancer was a perfect horse!

  “So how’s the patient doing?” Max asked Judy as he joined the group. He hadn’t been there to watch Lisa’s ride, but he could tell it had been a success in Lisa’s mind.

  “The patient appears totally fit,” Judy assured him. “Everything is clear and clean, and she’s showing no signs of any lingering problems. I declare Prancer ready for a full load of work—riding and a lot more training.”

  “Well, that’s just wonderful news,” Max said. “And that means this is a day just full of good news.…”

  Stevie glanced at her friends, and the look on her face was a clear I-told-yo
u-so. She’d earned it.

  “Yes?” Carole asked expectantly.

  “I’ve just heard from the Briarwood Horse Show. They’ve invited me to send some of my students to compete the week after next.”

  “Young students?” Carole asked.

  Max smiled. “Yes, young students. All the Junior riders are there by invitation, and they said I could pick four riders.”

  There was a moment of quiet while the information sank in. On the surface it sounded awfully good, but four was an ominous number. Would Max send all three of them? If not, then who? And who else?

  Sitting in the saddle of a Thoroughbred horse, Lisa felt bold. “Any idea who you’ll send?” she asked, speaking for them all.

  “Well, I’ve had to think about it for a long time,” Max said. “There are a lot of considerations. First of all, I need to send riders who have something to offer a competition. Then, I also want riders who will learn something from it. I told the man at Briarwood that I have this obstreperous threesome who think they know everything and who are always coming up with wild schemes and who get themselves into trouble and that they also talk a lot in class …”

  “Max!” Stevie said. She just couldn’t stand the suspense.

  “But he said to send them along anyway. He promised to teach them a thing or two.”

  “You mean us, don’t you?” Carole asked.

  “Of course he means us!” Stevie snapped. “Who else is obstreperous and talks a lot in class?”

  Max laughed and shook his head. “I told the man. He’s been warned! So, right after class, come into my office and let’s talk. But don’t be late for class. It starts in ten minutes!”

  Carole snapped a salute. “Aye, aye, sir,” she said. Max clicked the heels of his boots together and left the girls to get ready.

  There wasn’t time to talk while they hurried to tack up their horses. They didn’t want to be late for class. And they didn’t want to talk in class because, although Max had joked about it a little bit, he really didn’t like it, and this was no time to make him angry. Each of them found this frustrating because there was so much to say.