Jasmine and the Jumping Pony (Pony Tails Book 16) Page 2

  Not only a day, but a night thinking about ponies. What could be better?

  Best of all, thought Jasmine happily, my parents will be there, too.

  3 Jasmine Makes a Decision

  May stuffed a handful of buttery popcorn into her mouth. “That was great,” she announced with her mouth full.

  Corey, sitting next to May, agreed. “That was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen,” she said.

  National Velvet was over. After a dinner of salad and pizza, the three Pony Tails had settled themselves on the couch in the Jameses’ den and watched the whole movie. None of them had seen it before.

  They were thrilled by the story. The plot involved a young girl who disguised herself as a boy so that she could ride her horse in the National, one of the biggest horse races in England. The National looked like a really tough race. It was a steeplechase, which meant that the horses not only had to run, but also had to go over huge jumps.

  “Imagine,” said May dreamily. “Dressing up as a boy and getting to ride in that race.”

  “Don’t get any ideas, May,” warned Mr. James. Everyone laughed.

  Mr. James had watched the movie with them. After putting Sophie down to sleep, Mrs. James had watched the movie, too. She had also contributed some of her famous cookies, along with a bowl of popcorn and glasses of juice. The Pony Tails were in heaven. Next to riding, this was the best kind of fun in the world.

  “It gets better every time I see it,” commented Mrs. James. She smiled at Jasmine. “That young girl, flying over those jumps in the race! It reminded me of you, the way you took those jumps today.”

  “Flying Jazzie!” put in Mr. James.

  Jasmine blushed, but she was pleased.

  May said, “Those jumps were really tiny. I think we can do better than that.”

  “Samurai was definitely ready for more,” said Corey.

  Mr. James yawned. “Well, there’s only one thing I’m ready for, and that’s sleep,” he declared. “Upstairs, young ladies. Don’t forget to brush your teeth.”

  Jasmine’s room had two beds in it, and Jasmine’s mother brought in the guest cot. Jasmine volunteered to sleep on the cot, since May and Corey were her guests. They all brushed their teeth and climbed into bed.

  After the light was turned out, Jasmine spoke. “Are you asleep yet?”

  “Mmm,” mumbled May.

  “What’s up, Jazz?” asked Corey.

  “It’s about ponies,” teased Jasmine.

  “I’m awake,” said May. They all giggled—softly, so that they wouldn’t wake up Jasmine’s parents or Sophie.

  “I’ve been thinking,” continued Jasmine. “I’ve decided to sign up for a jumping class at Pine Hollow.”

  “That’s a great idea, Jazz,” May said sleepily.

  “It’s always good to add new skills,” Corey told Jasmine.

  “Don’t you want to join, too?” asked Jasmine.

  “Not this year,” said Corey. “I love riding, but I also love helping my mom out with her veterinary work. An extra riding lesson would give me less time to do that.”

  Jasmine understood. She and May both knew that Corey was thinking of becoming a veterinarian someday, just like her mom.

  “May?” asked Jasmine. But all she heard was a muffled “Mmmph, too busy, maybe later.” So Jasmine and Corey knew that May was well on her way to sleep.

  “We’ll cheer you on,” promised Corey.

  “Thanks,” said Jasmine. “I guess we really should get to sleep, since we have a mounted meeting tomorrow.”

  Corey said good night. Soon after, Jasmine heard her breathing evenly.

  Jasmine couldn’t sleep for a while. She was happy that May and Corey liked her idea. They always encouraged her to try new things. That was why she loved being friends with them.

  She was especially excited about telling her parents tomorrow. Judging from their reaction today, they would be even prouder when they heard about the jumping class. They’ll definitely want to see me perform in shows, thought Jasmine.

  Thinking of high jumps and blue ribbons, she fell asleep.

  The next morning Jasmine woke up very early. She looked at Corey, who was still fast asleep. Then she looked at May. Her face was still buried in her pillow. She was also fast asleep!

  Jasmine couldn’t sleep another wink. She was too excited about jumping. She got out of bed and went to see if her parents were awake.

  First she peered into her parents’ bedroom. She could see her father, still fast asleep. What a bunch of sleepyheads! Jasmine thought.

  Then she heard a sound from the bathroom down the hallway. She found her mother giving Sophie a bath. A delicious smell was wafting its way upstairs.

  Mrs. James smiled when she saw Jasmine. “Good morning, honey,” she said. “You’re up early for a Saturday.”

  “Mom, I’ve decided to take a jumping class at Pine Hollow,” Jasmine blurted out. “I really want to learn as much about jumping as I can, if that’s okay with you and Dad.”

  Mrs. James didn’t answer for a second. She was busy turning Sophie over so that she could carefully wash her back. Jasmine knew, from helping her mother with this task, how slippery Sophie could get in the water. It was like trying to wash a jumping bean!

  “Ooopsy-daisy,” said Mrs. James. Then she looked up at Jasmine. “Okay,” she said. “We’ll see what can be worked out.”

  Jasmine took that as a yes. She ran back to her room.

  “Wake up, wake up!” she said. She sat down on May’s bed, and on May’s foot by accident.

  “Ouch,” grumbled May sleepily. Then she looked at Jasmine. “What’s up, Jazz? You’re acting more like me this morning.”

  Jasmine giggled. It was true. Normally May was the one who crashed and bumped into things. Jasmine usually took her time.

  Corey yawned and stretched. “I was having the most wonderful dream, about winning the National on Samurai,” she said. Then she, too, looked at Jasmine. “What’s up? You look like you’re about to burst.”

  “Mom said okay to an extra jumping class,” Jasmine told them happily. “I can hardly wait to tell Max.”

  “That’s great,” said May. She sat up and stretched. “Speaking of Max, it’s a good thing you woke us up. It’s Saturday—you know what that means!”

  Corey and Jasmine nodded. Saturday, of course, meant a Horse Wise meeting at Pine Hollow.

  “I have to go help my father get the trailer ready,” said May, jumping out of bed. For mounted meetings, Mr. Grover brought their own ponies from home.

  “I wanted to give Samurai an extra-special grooming this morning,” said Corey, also climbing out of bed.

  “Blueberry muffins, girls!” called Mrs. James from downstairs. That explained the delicious smell.

  The three girls looked at each other.

  “Well, maybe we can eat first,” suggested Jasmine.

  May and Corey agreed. They quickly finished dressing and followed their noses downstairs.

  4 Jasmine Signs Up

  The morning was beautiful. Jasmine had tacked up Outlaw in record time. She wanted a chance to speak to Max before class.

  As she waited by the door that led to the schooling ring, she reached up and touched the good-luck horseshoe. The horseshoe was a tradition at Pine Hollow and was supposed to prevent riders from getting hurt.

  She saw Max walking toward the schooling ring. “Max!” she called out.

  He turned and saw her. “Hi, Jasmine. You’re early today.” Jasmine knew Max liked it when students arrived promptly for riding class and club meetings.

  “What’s on your mind, Jasmine?” Max asked.

  “I want to take a jumping class,” Jasmine told him. “We practiced riding the other day, and we did a few jumps. I think Outlaw really liked it.”

  Max smiled. He was a tough but fair teacher, and his compliments were rare. Whenever one of the Pony Tails received praise from Max, it made her day.

  “That’s a really good id
ea,” Max told Jasmine. “Even though I always stress learning the basics, I think it’s equally important to stretch yourself and take on new challenges. This afternoon, we’ll give you and Outlaw a test to see what jumping class you should take.”

  Jasmine nodded. “I’ll be ready.”

  Max nodded cheerfully and walked into the schooling ring. Corey and May joined Jasmine at the horseshoe. Then Max asked everyone to warm up their ponies.

  Normally Jasmine loved riding with Horse Wise, but today she could barely concentrate. She trotted when she should have walked. When they began cantering, she lost a stirrup because she wasn’t keeping her heels down. Max had to remind her several times to sit up straight.

  Jasmine got more and more nervous about the jump test. Suppose Outlaw didn’t behave? Suppose she and Outlaw ended up in a baby jumping class?

  Even though Jasmine had barely any jumping experience, she didn’t think she belonged in a baby jumping class. “I’ve got to do well on the test,” she told herself.

  “Jasmine!” Max called out, exasperated. “Why are you holding the reins so tightly? You know better than that.”

  Jasmine flushed. She loosened her grip on the reins. She knew she was communicating her nervousness to Outlaw.

  After the class, Max asked Jasmine to wait in the ring. He talked to a few of the Horse Wise members and their parents. In the meantime, Corey and May unsaddled their ponies and came back to watch.

  Corey turned to May. “I touched the horseshoe on my way back in, for Jasmine,” she said.

  May nodded. “Good idea. Jazz is really nervous, I can tell. I hope she does well.”

  They leaned against the fence to watch. Max quickly lined up some cavalletti on the ground. Then he asked Jasmine to walk Outlaw over the cavalletti. Jasmine did it perfectly. Max asked her to do the same thing several more times. Then he asked her to trot over the cavalletti. Again Jasmine did it perfectly.

  “This is just like our practice,” said May to Corey.

  “Shhh,” said Corey. “I think he’s going to raise the jumps now.”

  Sure enough, Max raised three jumps six inches off the ground. They were set at intervals in the center of the ring. “Try these, Jasmine,” he called out.

  Jasmine trotted Outlaw back to face the jumps. Her expression was calm, and she cantered Outlaw easily toward the jumps. May and Corey were impressed with how poised Jasmine looked.

  Jasmine wasn’t feeling poised on the inside, though. She felt really nervous, but she tried not to show it in front of Max, May, and Corey.

  She sailed over the first jump, then the second, then the third. She leaned forward at just the right moment, and she and Outlaw landed together perfectly.

  “Good job, Jasmine!” Max said approvingly. He motioned for her to follow him to the edge of the ring.

  When Jasmine and Outlaw got to the edge of the ring, Max started talking. “Outlaw seems to be a natural jumper,” he said. “Also, Jasmine, I’m pleased with how much you’ve worked on your balance and hand position. If you work hard, you could be good at jumping. I have a jumping lesson for beginners to intermediates that meets on Wednesdays, right after your regular riding class. But you’ll need to learn with your own pony—it’s hard to learn by jumping on a different pony every week.”

  Jasmine turned and looked at May in dismay. For their weekday lessons, the Pony Tails usually left their ponies at home. On those days, they rode Pine Hollow ponies. It was too much to ask Mr. Grover to bring their ponies to Pine Hollow on weekdays and weekends.

  May nodded. “Don’t worry, Jazz,” she said. “I’ll talk to my dad about it. He’ll say yes, especially since it’s only one pony.”

  Jasmine felt reassured. When May looked that determined, she usually got what she wanted. “Thanks, May,” Jasmine said.

  Jasmine couldn’t stop smiling. She and Outlaw had really impressed Max! She was a little disappointed that the class was for beginners as well as intermediates. Surely with intermediate-level jumpers in the class, Max would let them try some higher jumps.

  When Mr. Grover came to pick up the ponies and the girls, May asked him immediately about the Wednesday class. He looked at Jasmine with a grin. “Bitten by the jumping bug, eh?” he asked. “I remember feeling exactly the same way about jumping, so how can I say no?”

  “Did I ever tell you that you’re my favorite dad, Dad?” May said.

  He waved a hand. “Flattery will get you everywhere, daughter dear.” Jasmine thanked Mr. Grover again and again, until he told her she was hurting his ears.

  “C’mon, everyone, let’s go home!” he said.

  When Jasmine got to her house, she led Outlaw into his stable and fed and watered him. Most days, Jasmine liked to take as long as possible with this task. Today, however, she raced through it.

  Outlaw looked hurt. “Sorry, Outlaw,” said Jasmine, kissing his nose. “I’ve got to tell Mom and Dad the news.”

  She ran inside and found her parents at the table. Her dad took one look at her and started to laugh. “I know you love riding, Jazzie,” he said, “but you look like you’ve just won the biggest prize in the world!”

  “Mom, Dad, I’m taking a jumping class on Wednesdays,” Jasmine told them. “I tried out for Max today, and he said I did really well. He said Outlaw was a natural jumper.”

  Mrs. James looked surprised. “I didn’t think this would happen so quickly!” she exclaimed. “I thought we were going to talk more after this morning!”

  “Talk more about what?” asked Mr. James. He looked thoroughly confused. “What did you talk about this morning?”

  Jasmine and Mrs. James filled him in on Jasmine’s new love of jumping. When he finally understood that Jasmine had already signed up for a jumping class, and that Mr. Grover was going to take Outlaw to Pine Hollow, he shook his head.

  “You certainly don’t let the grass grow under your feet, do you?” he said to Jasmine.

  “That means you acted very quickly,” clarified Mrs. James.

  “Yes, but I really want to do this!” said Jasmine. “I think I could be really good at it!”

  “Isn’t jumping much more dangerous than regular riding?” asked Mrs. James.

  Jasmine took a deep breath. “Some people do get hurt, but you know how careful I always am about riding, Mom,” she said.

  Mr. and Mrs. James had to agree. Jasmine observed every safety precaution when she rode. She checked her riding gear before every ride and wore a hard hat that was approved by the U.S. Pony Club. She never rode alone, and she always touched the good-luck horseshoe before she went riding.

  “Please, Mom, Dad, there’s nothing to worry about,” Jasmine pleaded. “Don’t you think I can do this?”

  This made her parents smile. “Of course we think you can do it,” said Mr. James. “Not only that, but I admire your courage and determination in wanting to do it. You have our permission, as long as Mr. Grover doesn’t mind taking Outlaw to class on Wednesdays.”

  Jasmine glowed. Her parents were proud of her now, but wait until they saw her really jump! She could hardly wait until the first show where she could jump in an event.

  Maybe I’ll compete in a race like the National someday! she thought.

  5 Pony Tail Art

  On Sunday afternoon, May and Jasmine headed to Corey’s house. Corey had called them up and simply said, “I need help—please come over.” So of course they rushed over right away.

  They found Corey in her room, surrounded by wrinkled pieces of oaktag. When she saw May and Jasmine, Corey sighed in relief. “Thank goodness you’re here!”

  May flopped down on the floor, accidentally sitting on several sheets of oaktag. It didn’t seem to matter—most of them were scribbled on and wrinkled anyway. She began pulling them out from under her and inspecting them. “What are you doing?” she asked.

  Corey made a face. “I volunteered to draw a poster for my mom’s office, showing all the different kinds of animals she works with. Only I can’t seem
to get it right!”

  Jasmine picked up a piece of oaktag from the bed. “This German shepherd looks fine,” she told Corey soothingly.

  “Yes, but look at the cat next to it,” wailed Corey. “Notice anything strange?”

  “We-e-ell, yes,” said Jasmine hesitantly. “It looks a lot … bigger than the dog.”

  “Here.” Corey handed Jasmine another piece of oaktag. “I started drawing a parakeet in the bottom right-hand corner. But after I drew its head, I didn’t know where to put the tail! If I put the tail in the right place, it would go right off the paper!”

  May couldn’t help giggling. Corey, who was usually so sensible and logical, looked like a mad scientist. Her neat black hair was messed up, and she had a wild look in her eyes.

  Jasmine, though, started briskly picking up pieces of oaktag. “Look, Corey, I can help you,” she said. “I just did a chart for school. There are things you can do that make drawing a whole lot easier. Just wait a sec and I’ll be right back.”

  She dashed out of the room. Corey looked hopefully at May, who shrugged in puzzlement.

  Jasmine reappeared two minutes later. She was carrying her marker set and her large sketchpad. “Look, here’s what I do,” she said. “First you make a draft on a large piece of paper. That way, you don’t waste too many pieces of good oaktag. I always use pencil, and I press really lightly, so I can erase if I want to change the design.

  “Also,” she continued, “I divide the design into different sections. If you work in smaller sections, it’s easier to keep everything in proportion.

  “Finally,” she concluded, “I copy the design onto the oaktag. Then I color in everything. That’s the final step.”

  May jumped up. “I have an idea!” she said. “Why don’t I borrow some veterinary magazines from your mom so we can copy from the pictures?” She ran out of the room.

  When May came back with an armful of magazines, the three girls set to work. Using the magazine pictures, Jasmine helped Corey sketch a draft of the poster onto the pad. Then Corey and Jasmine carefully copied the design onto a clean piece of oaktag. Finally May, Corey, and Jasmine colored in all the animals, using Jasmine’s markers.