Horse Feathers Read online

  It wasn’t that Stevie didn’t get obsessed about things—it would be un-Stevie-like not to get obsessed. But one thing that Carole knew for sure was that nothing—nothing—distracted Stevie for long from thinking about horses. Certainly not a bunch of eggs in a box. And certainly not when there was a mystery horse arriving at Pine Hollow in less than ten hours.

  Stevie clicked off the lamp beside her bed, leaving the room in darkness except for the light shining in the incubator. There was a moment of silence, followed by Stevie’s anxious question: “Do you think there’s any chance they might hatch early?”

  Lisa pulled her sleeping bag over her head and gave a muffled “Brrumpf!” in response.

  THE ALARM WENT off at exactly 6:00 the next morning. Carole’s hand slipped out from under her sleeping bag to shut it off. Four hours since the last time it went off, Carole thought groggily, although it felt more like only four minutes. She rolled onto her side to go back to sleep when she suddenly remembered what day it was—Sunday! Max’s mystery horse was arriving that morning! Carole bolted upright, intending to wake Lisa and Stevie, only to find that Stevie’s bed was already empty.

  “Tell me it’s not morning already,” Lisa mumbled.

  Stevie was sitting cross-legged on the floor by the incubator, staring at the eggs. She glanced over. “It’s about time you two sleepyheads woke up.”

  Lisa peeked out from her sleeping bag at the sound of Stevie’s perky voice. Stevie was usually the last of the girls to wake up. “Who are you and what have you done with the real Stevie Lake?” Lisa asked.

  Carole rubbed her eyes to make sure she was really seeing what she was seeing. “Stevie, what are you doing?”

  Stevie grinned. “Watching.”

  “Why? Have they changed shape?” Lisa teased as she sat up and stretched.

  “I thought they weren’t supposed to hatch for nearly another week,” said Carole.

  “Well, what if they decide to come early and I’m not watching?” Stevie asked in a logical tone that almost sounded like Lisa—except that it was Stevie and it wasn’t logical at all that she should sound like Lisa. “The instructions said I could expect some hatching within the next week, so I’ll just sit here until it does.”

  Lisa sighed and climbed out of her sleeping bag. Now that sounded like the Stevie she knew and loved. She padded across the soft carpet to peek at the eggs. They definitely didn’t look like they were going to hatch anytime soon. “I think you can relax for a few days, Stevie.”

  “Besides,” said Carole as she tried to run a brush through her tangled curls, “have you forgotten that Max’s new mystery horse is arriving today? We can’t miss that!”

  Stevie hesitated, torn between curiosity about the new schooling horse and leaving her little charges alone for a few hours.

  “They’ll be fine,” said Lisa, reading Stevie’s thoughts.

  “Plus, if Max has gotten one of those magnificent jousting horses and you aren’t there to see it …” sighed Carole.

  That did it. “I guess I could leave them for a little while,” Stevie replied quickly. She checked the thermostat. It still read 99.5 degrees, as it had the last five times she’d checked it that morning.

  Stevie affectionately patted the top of the incubator. “I’ll just be gone a little while,” she whispered to the eggs. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She caught Lisa’s and Carole’s questioning looks. “On second thought, don’t do anything at all. Just sit there and be … eggy.”

  The girls got dressed in their riding clothes and went downstairs to eat breakfast. An hour later they were out the door.

  THE SADDLE CLUB arrived at Pine Hollow Stables just in time to see a large horse trailer being pulled up the long drive ahead of them. They could barely contain their excitement and broke into a run, reaching the truck just as the driver was releasing the bolt on the rear door of the trailer. Max and Red were already there, waiting to unload the new arrival.

  “Good morning, girls,” said Max. “I was starting to think you weren’t going to make it in time to see Clara arrive.”

  “Are you kidding?” said Carole. “I barely slept a wink last night!”

  “Neither did I,” Lisa grumbled good-naturedly, “but I think it had more to do with Stevie’s alarm clock going off every four hours than it did the mystery horse.”

  Max frowned curiously and seemed ready to ask Lisa what she meant by that when the back door of the trailer opened. The driver slowly backed a large, rather unpromising-looking horse down the ramp. All the girls could see at first was a wide black-and-white rump.

  Red and Max moved in to help with the unloading. A few moments later the large horse stood on the driveway in front of them, sniffing gently at Max’s front pocket for a treat. Max handed the lead line over to Red, then followed the driver to his truck to sign the release papers.

  “I don’t think it’s a jousting horse,” Stevie said slowly. “Or if it is, it isn’t what I imagined.”

  “It looks like a workhorse,” Carole said, her brow wrinkling slightly. “I wonder what Max thinks we could learn from this horse. It doesn’t even appear to be a riding horse!”

  “I got up early for this?” Veronica snorted disdainfully. The Saddle Club turned to see Veronica standing behind them, completely unimpressed. “It’s just an old nag—hardly a decent piece of horseflesh.”

  “Just because it’s not a Thoroughbred doesn’t mean it’s not a decent horse,” retorted Stevie, furious at Veronica’s rude remarks.

  Stevie could already see that the mare had a kind and inquisitive look in her eye as she glanced at her new surroundings. The longer Stevie stared at the horse, the more impressed she was. The mare was large and heavy-set, but she walked beside Red with an easy grace, matching his stride, even though his was probably much shorter than her own. As Red approached the girls the mare whinnied a greeting to Starlight, who had run up to the paddock fence. Starlight whinnied back.

  “Looks like she’s already made a new friend,” observed Lisa.

  Stevie and Carole smiled.

  Max finished signing the papers, then hurried over to take the lead line from Red. He was positively beaming. “Girls, I would like you to meet Clara.” Without waiting for a response, he led the large mare across the driveway toward the barn. “Come on, let’s give her a proper Pine Hollow welcome,” he called out over his shoulder.

  “Well, I personally have better things to do than brush down a lawn ornament,” said Veronica. She spun on her heel and made her way toward the grass paddocks, where Danny, her sleek dapple-gray Thoroughbred, awaited her.

  As Max and Red disappeared inside the barn with Clara, the girls exchanged confused looks.

  “I hate to say this,” Lisa started slowly, “but Veronica almost has a point.”

  “That big old mare is hardly what Max needs for young riders. She’s so wide, they’d barely be able to fit on her, much less ride her,” said Carole.

  “Maybe the pressures of running the stable have finally gone to Max’s head and he’s flipped out,” suggested Stevie. It was the only thing that made sense. “Students would be better off walking on Clara than riding her.”

  Carole’s face suddenly broke into a grin. “That’s it, of course!” she exclaimed excitedly. “That’s Max’s surprise!”

  Stevie and Lisa exchanged bewildered looks—perhaps Carole had gone over the edge along with Max. “Do you think I should order two straitjackets instead of just one?” Stevie asked Lisa.

  “Don’t you get it? That’s exactly what this horse has been trained for. To be walked on, stood on, jumped on, and cartwheeled over,” Carole told them eagerly. “We’re going to do some vaulting!”

  “Vaulting?” Lisa said curiously.

  Carole turned toward the barn. Stevie and Lisa followed.

  “Well, I’ve never actually done it,” began Carole, “but I’ve read about it. It’s like gymnastics on horseback. And actually, it goes back to the times of the early Ro
mans, who used vaulting techniques to jump over charging bulls. And during the Middle Ages, the knights did various forms of vaulting in order to increase their agility and balance on horseback while in armor. They also invented different vaulting moves to quickly mount and dismount their horses in battle.”

  “That’s very good, Carole,” Max said as the girls walked down the aisle to where Clara was settling into her new stall. “In fact, in Germany new riders are often required to do a year of vaulting before moving on to other forms of riding, such as dressage or jumping.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier to learn how to ride, and then learn how to perform gymnastics on a moving horse?” questioned Lisa. She remembered her first experience on horseback—the simple act of sitting on a horse in motion, which Carole and Stevie had made look easy, had been difficult enough. She couldn’t imagine trying to add gymnastics to the mix. As a beginner she thought she’d spent more time in the dirt than in the saddle!

  As the girls helped Max settle Clara into her new surroundings, bringing her fresh hay and water, Max confirmed their suspicion that Clara was going to teach them vaulting and answered Lisa’s question.

  “Vaulting is a wonderful training foundation for every other kind of riding because balance is such a critical issue for every rider. When done correctly, it not only inspires confidence, but also teaches you to understand and gain a feel for the natural motion of the horse.”

  “I can’t wait to try it,” said Carole.

  Lisa and Stevie nodded in agreement. Stevie had to admit that a vaulting horse was starting to sound almost as exciting as a jousting horse.

  Max smiled. “Well, why don’t you girls give Clara a quick grooming, then we’ll start with our first vaulting lesson.”

  As Max left to ready the arena for their lesson, the girls entered Clara’s stall, equipped with brushes, currycombs, and a hoof pick.

  Lisa laughed as Clara very softly nuzzled her hair. “There, now, girl,” she said, stroking Clara’s velvety nose. For such a big horse, she was incredibly gentle.

  Carole moved to Clara’s far side and stood next to her high wither, which was well out of Carole’s short reach. “I’d better get a stool,” she said.

  As Carole left the stall, Stevie pointed toward Clara’s hooves. “Remind me not to get stomped by one of those,” she chuckled.

  Lisa poked her head around Clara’s wide shoulder and looked down. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice Clara’s hooves before—they’re the size of dinner plates! How am I going to pick them up to clean them?” she asked incredulously. But to her surprise, when she leaned against Clara’s shoulder to ask her to raise her foot, the mare did so willingly. Lisa cupped the large front hoof in one hand, resting the weight of it on her knee, and began picking out the frog to make sure no stones had gotten wedged into the sole on the trip over.

  Once the girls got accustomed to Clara’s size, they realized she was just like any other horse in the barn. Her gentle manner soon won the girls over completely. They finished grooming her, and, with a gentle pat on her big black nose and a couple of treats, they ran off to report to Max for their first vaulting lesson.

  “I THINK MY legs are going to fall off,” protested Lisa, trying to keep her balance on Prancer while she sat in the saddle and pedaled her legs in the air while holding her arms out at shoulder level.

  “I don’t understand the point of having a perfectly good vaulting horse in the barn if we’re going to spend the whole lesson riding our own horses,” added Stevie. It wasn’t that she was complaining exactly. She loved riding Belle. It was just that their lesson was nearly over and the girls hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Clara.

  “I’m actually having fun,” Carole said brightly, concentrating on executing the same pedaling movements as Lisa and Stevie, only somehow managing to do them better.

  Stevie shook her head in amazement. Carole was the only person she knew who could have fun doing torturous balancing exercises on horseback.

  “Good boy,” Carole murmured to Starlight as he maintained an even walk around the edge of the arena.

  “Let’s see those knees nice and high,” shouted Max from the middle of the arena, turning to keep his eye on each student as they passed.

  “I mean, why would he bring her here if he’s not going to let us ride her?” whispered Lisa, struggling to lift her aching legs higher in the pedaling motion.

  “This is ridiculous,” snorted Veronica. Like most of the students, she was having trouble maintaining her balance. The pedaling motion caused her to tip forward, which Danny mistook for a cue to trot. Veronica’s hands instinctively flew to the reins, jerking the muscular gray Thoroughbred back to a walk.

  “Veronica,” scolded Max. “You know better than to pull on his mouth like that. Danny’s increased speed was a direct response to your body position. Balance is the key to all forms of riding,” he reminded the students. “An unbalanced rider begets an unbalanced horse.”

  “Not to mention the increased likelihood of a face-plant in the dirt,” joked Stevie.

  Max smiled. “Not exactly the way I would have described it, but yes. Okay, that’s enough pedaling.”

  There was a chorus of relieved sighs as the students lowered their legs and replaced their feet in the stirrups.

  “For our next exercise,” explained Max, “we’re going to perform an around-the-world in the saddle. Everyone tie up your reins.”

  Carole smiled, knotting her reins behind Starlight’s neck so that they wouldn’t slip down and possibly trip him when she released them. The around-the-world was one of her favorite exercises. It meant that the riders, without the use of their arms, had to execute a 360-degree turn while the horse was in motion, pausing halfway around to ride backward for five strides.

  On Max’s command, Carole dutifully pulled her feet from the stirrups, holding out her arms for balance. She carefully swung her right leg over Starlight’s withers, bringing it to a rest against his left side. Then she swung her left leg over his rump, sitting backward in the saddle. “Steady boy,” Carole whispered softly to Starlight. Familiar with the exercise, Starlight nickered in response and maintained an even forward gait, even though Carole was no longer holding the reins.

  Belle followed behind Starlight, watching Carole curiously. Carole giggled to herself, thinking that the whole class looked a little silly sitting backward while their horses continued to walk steadily around the ring.

  “Very good, everyone,” Max said as they completed the exercise. “Hang in there, we’re almost done. For the next exercise, I want you to touch your ankles together, front and back. No cheating,” Max teased, eliciting a synchronized groan from the class. He smiled at the response.

  “Well, as I for one have no intention of standing on a horse, these exercises are a waste of my time,” grumbled Veronica, who had been doing the exercises with minimal effort.

  “As a reward,” continued Max, “whoever does it first is excused from the rest of the class.”

  With a sudden about-face, Veronica gracefully swung her feet to the back above Danny’s rump, held the position for five seconds, and then swung them to the front above his withers, finishing the exercise while most of the class was still struggling to hold the first position.

  “Very good, Veronica,” Max congratulated her. “You’re excused. Take Danny for a walk to cool him out.”

  Veronica quickly hopped off Danny and loosened his girth. She glanced over her shoulder and smirked at The Saddle Club. “Enjoy the rest of the class.”

  Stevie turned to Carole. “Have I ever mentioned that she annoys me?”

  “This week, today, or in the last hour?” Carole responded sardonically.

  Stevie grinned. “Well, I for one do intend to stand on a horse,” she declared, perfectly imitating Veronica’s snobby tone. “And I also intend to do these exercises, even if they kill me.”

  “I agree,” said Carole. “Max wouldn’t be giving us these exercises unless they were important
.”

  Lisa nodded her agreement.

  With renewed energy, the girls threw themselves into all the exercises Max gave them and even surprised him by asking for more.

  “Okay, that’s enough for today,” Max said finally. “Put away your horses. And once you’re done, meet me outside in the grass ring for part two of the vaulting exercises.”

  “Part two?” Lisa groaned. “I think I just used up all my energy in part one.”

  “That’s where our second wind comes in,” joked Stevie. “At least I hope it does.”

  The girls quickly untacked and groomed their horses, making sure that they each had fresh water and plenty of hay before hurrying out to find Max.

  They were surprised to find that the grass ring had been transformed into an exercise area. Blue foam-padded gym mats were strewn about the ring. To one side of the mats was a four-inch-high balance beam. But even more surprising to the girls was the oil drum in the center of the ring. A set of handles were attached to the top of the barrel, and the barrel itself was padded with several layers of carpet and covered with heavy denim cloth.

  “Everyone gather around,” Max called out.

  The last of the riders appeared, including a not-so-enthusiastic Veronica, and circled around Max.

  “I’m sure you’re all wondering what that’s for,” said Max, pointing to the barrel. “Anyone want to take a guess?”

  “We’re going to practice bull riding?” Stevie offered humorously.

  The class laughed in response.

  Carole put up her hand. Max nodded and pointed to her.

  “It looks like a practice vaulting barrel,” said Carole. “I’ve read that they’re used by the vaulters to learn the moves before they get on the horse. It’s safer for both the rider and the mount.”

  Max nodded. “Very good, Carole. You’re exactly right.” Then he explained to the class, “Both the balance beam and the practice barrel are very important to help you establish balance. You need to learn how to do the exercises on a static object before trying it on a moving animal. The most familiar saying in vaulting is that if you can’t do it on the ground or on the barrel, then you’re not going to do it on my horse.”