New Rider Read online

The girls peeked into Sunset’s stall. To their surprise, instead of her usual incessant pacing, the mare was standing in a corner, shifting her weight from side to side.

  The girls entered the stall and approached her.

  “Is she okay?” Lisa asked.

  “Looks all right to me,” Stevie offered.

  Carole was frowning. “Why is she doing that?”

  “You tell us,” Lisa said. “You’re the expert around here.”

  Carole shook her head. “There’s so much I don’t know.”

  “She doesn’t seem to be distressed,” Lisa observed. “I bet she’s fine.”

  “Maybe her feet are hurting from the extra weight she’s carrying,” Stevie said. “I know mine would be.”

  “I’m going to phone Judy,” Carole declared, leaving the stall.

  “She’s okay, Carole,” Stevie called after her. “You’re overreacting.”

  Carole didn’t stop. “It’ll only take a minute.”

  Stevie sighed and found a place to sit down. “She’s got that worrywart thing down pretty good,” she said to Lisa.

  “She might be right, though,” Lisa said, plunking down next to her. “I mean, better safe than sorry, right?”

  “I guess,” Stevie replied. She yawned and stretched. It had been a busy and emotional day, and she was starting to feel the effects of it.

  Carole was back a few minutes later.

  Stevie got up. “What did she say?”

  “She says she doesn’t think there’s anything to worry about.” Carole reentered Sunset’s stall. “She’s going to stop by in the morning to make sure.”

  “Great. Now can we head to my house?” Lisa asked.

  “I second that idea,” Stevie said enthusiastically.

  “Let me take one last look,” Carole begged, moving around the horse.

  Stevie was getting impatient. “Come on, Carole, Judy said Sunset is fine. Give it a rest!”

  “All right, all right,” Carole conceded, reluctantly leaving the stall. “I guess I’m being a worrywart.”

  Stevie slipped an arm around her and pointed her toward the exit. “You? A worrywart? Never!”

  CAROLE ROLLED OVER, buried her face in her pillow, and snuggled deeper into the warmth of her covers. She wasn’t exactly sure what had awakened her, but she was determined to go back to sleep. The sky was only just starting to lighten with the first hint of dawn, and there were still hours of wonderful horsey dreams to dream.

  Two minutes later she was still tossing and turning. Something felt wrong. There was a reason she had woken up. A dream. No, more than a dream. A premonition. Her mind was still fuzzy with sleep and she couldn’t quite recall the fleeting images, but she sensed that it was important. It had something to do with horses … and stables … and …

  All at once it came to her in a rush, causing her to sit straight up. Sunset’s stall door. She couldn’t remember bolting it when she left last night!

  Surely I must have, she reasoned. After all these years of riding, it would be a habit by now. Wouldn’t it? Suddenly she felt a wave of doubt. Trying to stay calm, she went over what she remembered of last night’s events. Checking Sunset one last time. Stevie and Lisa urging her to hurry up. Leaving the stall. Leaving Pine Hollow on their way to Lisa’s for the sleepover. All of those things were crystal clear in her head, but nowhere was there a memory of actually latching the mare’s door.

  Carole’s imagination was suddenly flooded with visions of all the trouble Sunset could get into. She knew from having watched the mare over the last few weeks how feisty and curious she was. Carole’s stomach clenched. What if she got into the feed room and started eating the molasses that was kept there for mixing with the oats? She might not have the good sense to stop before she made herself sick. She might get colic. What would that do to her foal at this late stage of her pregnancy? Carole’s heart started thumping with anxiety. Worse yet, Sunset might wander outside into the yard. With no one watching out for her, there were hundreds of ways for her to get hurt. She might even be able to get out of the main gate and into the street!

  Carole looked over at Lisa and Stevie. They were both sound asleep. She considered waking them but then remembered how they had all been so wiped out the night before. In fact, they had been so exhausted from the day’s activities that they had even skipped the hours of horse chat that were a Saddle Club tradition at sleepovers and had gone straight to bed. No, this was her problem and she was going to take care of it herself.

  She slipped out from under the covers, found her clothes, and put them on as quietly as possible. Then she scribbled a quick note telling her friends where she was going. After all, they would think it strange if they woke up and found her gone; she certainly didn’t want to alarm anyone unnecessarily.

  Carrying her boots, Carole let herself out of the room and tiptoed downstairs. A glance at her watch told her it was five o’clock. Good. Even if the Atwoods were early risers, they still wouldn’t be up at this time of the morning. Maybe if she were quick she could make it to Pine Hollow and back before anyone missed her. That way no one would even have to know about this embarrassing lapse of responsibility.

  Once outside the house she stopped only long enough to pull on her boots, then she hurried toward the stables. Luckily it wasn’t far and she would be there soon. Soon, however didn’t seem soon enough to her. All the way there, her mind was filled with visions of the different kinds of catastrophes Sunset might have gotten into because of her carelessness.

  Sweating and out of breath, Carole ran to the barn, looking around the area anxiously. Everything appeared normal—peaceful and serene in the early-morning light. She hurriedly slipped inside, shutting the big door tightly her behind.

  As her eyes adjusted to the dim light she sighed with relief. There was no sign of trouble. She gave a little laugh. She’d been terrified that she would find Sunset wreaking havoc in Mrs. Reg’s office: desk turned over, papers scattered everywhere, the phone off its hook beep-beep-beeping.… But all was calm and quiet, as usual. So far, so good.

  The heads of a few sleepy horses poked over their half doors as Carole hurried toward the foaling stall. I’m probably just being a worrywart like Stevie says, Carole told herself, but this will only take a couple of minutes and then I’ll be back at Lisa’s and tucked in bed, snug and warm.

  It was dark in the corner where Sunset’s stall was located, and although she couldn’t make out anything of the interior, a huge rush of relief swept over her when she saw that the bottom half of the door was closed.

  She went to peek in on the mare when, to her utter horror, she saw the latch wasn’t locked at all. Carole yanked open the stall and she felt her heart drop all the way into her boots. It was empty! Sunset was gone!

  In a panic, Carole rushed outside to check the paddock. There was no sign of the horse—she had obviously nudged the door open and taken off, and the door had swung closed behind her.

  Carole forced herself to calm down. Sunset had to be somewhere. She obviously hadn’t gotten out through the front door, so maybe she had wandered out the back and into the schooling ring. With any luck she would still be there.

  Carole hurried to the ring. No horse. She raced through the first ring into a second, where it opened into a large field behind the stable.

  With her heart pounding in her ears, Carole checked the final gate. It was unlatched! It was possible the mare could have figured out how to open it herself, but Carole suspected that one of the many inexperienced riders who had been roaming around the day before was the real culprit. She ran back to the stable. Who it was didn’t matter. That field was big and Sunset could be anywhere.

  Carole quickly grabbed Starlight’s tack and rushed to saddle him up. “Sorry, boy, no time for a grooming this morning,” she told him as she worked.

  Horse and rider were ready to go in record time and she leaped into the saddle, urging Starlight into action. They had to find Sunset!

  CAROLE PU
SHED STARLIGHT into a canter as soon as she got to the field. Since she had no idea which way Sunset might have gone, she intended to cover as much territory as quickly as possible.

  Every minute that passed without a sign of the mare seemed like twenty. She kept Starlight at a steady pace, scanning all around her as she rode. Frequently she rose high in her stirrups so that she could see even farther. The beautiful trees and bushes that she had always loved to ride through now seemed like the enemy, blocking her view and possibly hiding Sunset from her.

  Finally Carole pulled to a halt. “I never knew this field was so big,” she said to her horse. “Where could she be?”

  Suddenly Starlight pricked his ears and let out a whinny. Carole’s heart leaped. Maybe Starlight was reacting to the smell of the mare. If I give him his head he might take me right to her, she thought.

  Sure enough, as soon as she released contact with his mouth, Starlight headed off at a brisk walk. His ears were pricked far forward and every now and then he let out another whinny. As they cleared the last of a small knot of trees, Carole heard grunting. Seconds later she spotted Sunset.

  Her mouth went dry with terror. The mare was lying down groaning. She had gone into labor!

  She quickly dismounted and tied Starlight to a tree to keep him out of the way. This was one time Sunset was going to have to accept her company whether she wanted to or not.

  As Carole quietly approached, she could feel her heart thumping. There was a tang in the air she recognized as amniotic fluid. Obviously Sunset’s water had broken, but how long ago she had no way of knowing. All she knew was that once strong contractions had started, and they obviously had, the foal should arrive in the next ten to twenty minutes.

  If only I knew when they began!

  She watched anxiously as Sunset struggled to give birth, fervently hoping the mare could finish the job without help.

  The animal was sweating with effort, but Carole wasn’t sure there was any progress being made. She squatted by Sunset’s head, talking soothingly, but as the minutes ticked by she grew worried. She shifted her position to the rear so that she could look for the first signs of the foal’s arrival.

  She kept an eye on her watch. By her calculation the baby should be making its way into the world by now. Finally she spotted a cloudy white membrane emerging. She sighed with relief. Maybe everything was going to be all right after all.

  Another contraction shook the mare and Carole could make out one tiny hoof and a little muzzle inside the birth sac. Her heart lurched. That wasn’t right. Carole knew the foal should have both legs out in front, not just one.

  Sunset was going to need help!

  Abruptly the mare scrambled to her feet. This didn’t alarm Carole because she knew it was common behavior at this stage of the birth. If there was a problem with the position of the foal inside the mother, standing up and lying down seemed to be nature’s way of fixing things.

  Unfortunately in this case there was no way for the horse to shift her foal enough to make a difference.

  Carole felt panicky. Sunset was in pain, and if Carole didn’t act fast both the baby and the mare could die! She knew what she needed to do, but without another person it looked almost impossible.

  “Hey, C, what’s going on?”

  Carole whirled around, startled. Zach Simpson was standing behind her.

  “Zach! What are you doing here? He started to answer but she cut him off. “Never mind, I’m just so glad you are I could hug you! We have to help Sunset! She’s having her foal!”

  Zach’s eyes grew wide as he took in the situation. “Is that her baby coming out?”

  “Yes, but something’s wrong.”

  “Shouldn’t she be lying down?”

  “Yes and no,” Carole told him impatiently. There was little time for explanations. If she was going to do this, she was going to have to do it soon or it would be too late. “I think one of the baby’s legs is folded under. That means it will never fit through the birth canal.”

  Zach looked stricken. “Is it going to die?

  “Not if I have anything to say about it,” she told him determinedly.

  “Do you want me to run to Pine Hollow and get help?”

  Carole shook her head. “There’s not enough time.”

  Zach looked as scared as Carole felt. “What can we do?”

  “I’m going to try to pull its leg out from under it. But to do that I first have to push it back in.”

  Carole wouldn’t have thought it possible but somehow Zach’s eyes got even bigger and rounder. “No way! Are you telling me you’re going to put your hands inside her?”

  Carole nodded grimly. “At least one and most of my arm. The foal is still getting oxygen from the placenta, so it won’t suffocate,” she explained. “Now, I need you to keep Sunset as still as you can, okay?”

  Zach nodded. “I’ll try,” he told her, taking the halter in his hands.

  In spite of the mare’s best efforts, the foal was still in the same position it had been a few minutes before.

  Carole took a deep breath and, standing directly behind the horse, steeled herself for what she had to do. She waited only long enough for the last contraction to pass before placing her hands on the foal’s foreleg and head. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. She was terrified of doing something wrong and injuring the little creature, but she knew that if she didn’t try to help there’d be a dreadful price to pay. Slowly she began pushing it back inside its mother.

  Sunset snorted and tried to move away but Zach held her firmly in place. Carole could hear him talking soothingly to her. Good. She figured the horse had a right to be at least as scared as the humans were.

  Although there was resistance at first, once she had managed to push the baby out of the birth canal, it slid backward fairly easily.

  “How’s it going?” Zach called to her.

  “So far so good,” she told him. “This next part is the tricky bit. I have to find the leg and pull it free. That should put it back in the right position.”

  Carole pushed her arm into the birth canal as far as possible, feeling around the foal as best she could. Even though she knew approximately where the leg should be, it was still difficult to find without being able to see.

  Agonizing moments passed as she searched. Everything felt slimy and bizarre. Finally she found what she thought was a knee. She struggled to get a firm grip on it but it was just out of reach of her hand.

  Carole started to panic. She could barely reach the foal’s knee, let alone get to its foot. If she didn’t use her hand to cover the hoof, the baby could tear the uterine wall and that could kill Sunset!

  Carole tried again. Her arm simply wasn’t long enough! “Zach, I can’t do it!” she cried.

  “What are we going to do?” he asked anxiously.

  Carole removed her wet arm as Sunset began to struggle.

  “I think she wants to lie down again,” Zach said.

  Carole thought quickly. “Let her.”

  Zach did as he was told and the mare lowered herself back to the ground, grunting and groaning.

  This was terrible. Carole’s mind raced. She doubted the mare’s lying down had made much difference in the position of the baby. Then it hit her. Zach was taller than she was and his arm was a couple of inches longer. Maybe he could do it.

  “Zach, listen to me, you’re going to have to try.”

  Zach looked incredulous. “Me? Are you crazy?” He shook his head. “I don’t know anything about the insides of a horse. I barely know about the outsides.”

  “If you don’t try they’re going to die, both of them!” she told him urgently.

  Sunset groaned in agony. The strain on her was tremendous. That seemed to make up Zach’s mind.

  “Okay, C,” he said grimly. “You’ll have to talk me through it.”

  Carole moved quickly. They were running out of time. “The baby has to have both front legs extended in front of it, like a diver. Right now one
of them is bent under at the knee. You need to pull it straight.”

  Zach traded positions with her. “How do I do that? Just grab and pull?”

  Carole placed a hand on the horse’s head to comfort her. “Use your hand to cover the hoof. That will protect Sunset from internal injury. Then pull firmly and steadily.”

  Zach nodded and pushed his hand inside the mare. He looked terribly pale. Carole hoped he wasn’t going to faint—she needed him too desperately.

  Her position at the mare’s head made it difficult for her to see what was going on. “How’s it going?” she called anxiously.

  “I think I’ve found the leg,” he told her. “Just a little more … got it! I’ve got the foot!”

  Carole’s heart leaped. If he could only pull it straight, everything might be okay after all. She waited. And waited.

  “Yes!” Zach finally cried.

  “Yes?” she asked anxiously.

  “They’re both straight now.” He stepped back, breathing hard.

  Another spasm shook Sunset. Carole and Zach held their breath, waiting for the outcome, knowing they had done all they possibly could for the poor creature.

  Once again they watched as the baby struggled to find its way into the world. This time, however, it was different. Instead of getting stuck halfway, the foal slid smoothly and completely out of its mother.

  “Look, it’s a filly!” Carole said excitedly.

  “C, why isn’t it moving?” Zach asked.

  A wave of fear washed over Carole. Zach was right. The baby wasn’t stirring. She looked closer. There was no sign that it was even breathing. She felt tears coming to her eyes. “Oh, Zach, maybe we were too late,” she whispered.

  “C, we’ve got to do something!”

  Carole shook her head helplessly. “I don’t know what else to do.”

  The little foal showed no signs of life. It lay limply on the hard earth as if the struggle to be born had used up the tiny spark of life that had been in it.

  Zach sank to his knees, reaching out and almost touching the unmoving filly. “It’s not fair, he whispered. “She never even had a chance.” A sob escaped him as tears started to flow.