High Hurdles Collection Two (58 page)

DJ enjoyed pointing out landmarks to Amy, especially those high-water marks left from the flood the winter before.

“I told Stormy you were coming, and she said she was glad—it's been too long since she saw you.”

DJ and Amy shook their heads and gave each other
the look
. Stormy was a little filly that DJ helped keep alive when she was born during the flood. The river had taken over the barns, and the horses they couldn't get hauled to higher grounds earlier were kept up by the house since it was on a knoll higher than the rest of the farm. After the flood receded, Brad gave Stormy to DJ as a gift. Stormy now starred in the line of cards through DJ's drawings.

“You think I'm kidding, right?”

“Yep. But that's all right. If you understand horse language that well, we could make a fortune off you.”

“You could go on TV,” Amy continued with a sober face that twitched with the need to giggle.

“Better'n our cards, huh?”

“All right, you two, rule number one of this week: no picking on the male member of this household.”

“Sure, I'll just ask Jackie to make sure this rule is really in effect.”

Still laughing, the three of them drove up to the long, white main barn. Herndon walked out of the trailer and stood looking around as if he were glad to be home. He whinnied once and whinnied again when several horses answered him.

“Okay, what did he say that time?”

“Hey, guys, I'm home, so you better watch out.”

“Right.” DJ led her horse into the barn. “What stall do you want him in?”

“His stall, where else?”

Herndon knew it was home. He walked in as if he owned the place and all the others were his subjects waiting to greet him. Nickers, whinnies, and scuffling feet made DJ and Amy laugh again.

“Where's Stormy?” DJ asked as soon as they had Herndon fed and settled in.

“In the other barn. Come on.”

Stormy's mother came right up to get her treats, but Stormy hung back, too big now to hide behind her mother but not taking any chances with the strangers.

“I thought she was excited for me to get here?” DJ nudged Brad with her elbow.

“She said she was. I guess you can't trust the word of a filly.” Brad held a horse cookie out for the youngster, but she would have none of it.

“She is so pretty. Look at her, all legs still.” Amy rubbed the mare's nose and watched the baby.

“But can she run.” Brad held out her treat, and she finally reached forward to snatch it out of his hands. “She's a real show-off. I can't wait for you to take her into the ring. I'm hoping you can show her at the Arab show in Prescott in July. That would be an ideal show for her, and Jackie's been teaching her manners and to lead like she should. Of course you can't tell that now.”

DJ knew she would sit in the corner again and wait for Stormy to come to her. It shouldn't take as long as last time. If only she could come up here more, but life was so busy.

As they reached the house, Brad told them a joke, so the three of them entered the house chuckling.

“Sounds like some happy people who are just in time for dinner.” Jackie gave both DJ and Amy a hug. “You know where to put your things. I'm sure glad you are finally here.

“John will be here first thing in the morning to work with you and Herndon,” she went on. “I told him you are having trouble jumping, so he's been thinking on it.”

“I know it's my fault. I'm just not doing something the way he is used to.”

“Not necessarily.” Working with a new horse always takes time.

After dinner and cleanup, the four of them ambled back to the barns to check that all was okay. Herndon greeted Jackie with a nicker and toss of the head.

One day, horse
, DJ promised herself,
you'll greet me like that
.

But all through the videos and shows and events they watched, DJ fought to ignore the bite of jealousy. After all, Herndon had been Jackie's horse for years.

John Talbot arrived promptly at 9:00 Monday morning. After listening to DJ's tale, he nodded his head. “Let me show you what I think you are doing and how we can make it work.” He checked the stirrup length and mounted Herndon. “Riding is a feeling thing,” he said with a smile down at the girls. “I call it strength under control. Now, I know you know this, but let me review. Your seat and legs are always driving him forward. Some of the most common problems are uneven reins, being left behind …” DJ nodded at that one. “And I can't seem to change that.” “Or you're dropping him. When you get left behind on one jump, then many times one of your reins gets uneven when you try to get back together. You have to make sure you look where you are going, too, always to the next jump. He will go the way you look.”

DJ nodded again. She'd heard all this before with Bridget, but she didn't care. If this man could help her, she'd cheer forever.

“Now, watch carefully. I have a video camera here, so you can see the same thing over and over this afternoon. The moves are hard to see at regular speed.” He took Herndon over the three jumps they had set up. “Did you notice how he rounds over the jump? You must, too. Now watch again.”

DJ concentrated on watching his hands one time, legs the next, and seat the third.

“Okay, your turn.” He dismounted, adjusted the stirrup leathers, and stepped back.

After an hour of working with him, DJ felt like she had cooked spaghetti for legs. Her timing had improved, but she still didn't feel like she had it.

“It will come,” Talbot promised. “The two of you are going to be hard to beat one of these days. Just concentrate on the basics. You have to
ride
this horse to get the best out of him, but it's there.”

“Herndon,” DJ muttered after the trainer left, “if we don't get our act together, we won't be showing next weekend, let alone going to USET.” The thought of either or both made her stomach do flips again.

Chapter • 14

“Here she comes.”

“I know.”

DJ and Amy lay in the grass in the pasture Saturday afternoon, watching the clouds tagging across the blue sky. They could hear Stormy coming, one foot swishing through the grass, then another. The filly and her two mates inched closer and closer, sniffing at DJ's outflung hand, then her arm.

DJ barely dared to breathe. The whiskers tickled her skin. A dished face with velvet nose and big brown eyes with eyelashes to die for blocked the sun. Stormy sniffed DJ's hair and her face. The filly's whiskers tickled her nose. DJ knew she was going to sneeze and scare them away.

“A—a—choo.” The three colts leaped back as if they'd been bit by horseflies.

“Fiddle.” DJ sat up and dug in her shorts pocket for a tissue. “Come on, sweetie. We didn't hurt you.”

“If only I could have a camera at the ground angle and get that picture. It would be priceless.” Amy sat crosslegged and held out her hand. “Come on, Jackson, you can come back now.” The near black colt that looked so much like his sire, Matadorian, sidled forward again.

DJ flopped back down. “I don't want to go home tomorrow. I haven't gotten half enough drawing time in, and I'm going to miss Stormy like crazy.” The filly came up and nuzzled DJ's hair again, then searched her pockets for goodies. “Sorry, baby, you ate them all. See?” DJ pulled out her pockets. “Not a crumb left.”

“I've taken five rolls of film. Can you believe that?”

“Easy. You've lived with the camera glued to your eye.” DJ scratched the filly's neck, pulling out the furry baby hair that flew away on the breeze. “Look at this undercoat. She's going to be fiery red.” DJ turned to Amy, who played with the other foals. “What am I going to do with her? She can't be a jumper, she won't be big enough.”

“Ah, but you'll show her in the Arabian shows, and she'll make a wonderful riding horse. Do you think you'll ever take Herndon up in Briones?”

“Probably not. He's too valuable and too high-strung.”

“I rest my case. Or up in the Sierra?”

“I get the point.”

“Besides, she'll make a wonderful brood mare someday. Then you can have babies like this to play with every year.” Amy tickled the nose of the gray foal with a long blade of grass. “This one is going to be on our cards, you watch.”

“I bet the one with them all sound asleep in the grass will be a keeper, too.” DJ got to her feet. “Come on, I'm hungry.” She checked her watch. “And I have another lesson in an hour.”

“I hate to take you home again,” Brad said Sunday as they neared Briones Academy.

“But I'll see you next weekend.”

“I know, but seeing you at the show and having you at our house are two entirely different ball games. At least it looks like John got you and Herndon straightened out.”

“I hope so. The show will tell.”

Even before they unloaded the horse, DJ ran around the barn and up to Major's stall. Her whistle halfway there brought an answering whinny. He had his forehead against the bars, waiting for her when she trotted up. He snuffled her hair and her face and licked her hand. “I missed you, too, you big hunk of horsemeat. How you feeling, anyway?”

Ranger came to the corner of his pen and nickered for his share of attention.

“I'll be back. Just wait.” DJ gave Major a last pat and ran back to unload Herndon and put him in his stall.

“Welcome back, you two,” Bunny called. “Was awful quiet around here with you gone.”

“Anything exciting happen?” Amy lifted DJ's saddle and bridle from the tack closet in the front of the trailer.

“Nope, not really. More kids riding since school is out. Bridget asked if I'd teach a beginner's jumping class, so that is new. For me, anyway.”

“Good for you.” Amy followed DJ and the horse into the barn.

DJ dumped Herndon's grain in the bucket and refilled his water. The hay manger was half full, so she left that. After petting him and checking to make sure the blanket was securely fashioned, they left him and headed up to Major's stall.

“See, he's putting weight on that foot.”

Brad entered the stall and palpitated Major's shoulder, then ran his hands down the stoic horse's leg. “I don't feel any more swelling. Maybe you'll be able to turn him out to pasture soon.”

“Robert said the pasture is all fenced now. He wants to run a water line out there so the horses always have water.”

“Horses. You can't call General a horse.” Amy rubbed Major's neck, too.

“Sure we can.” DJ let Major scratch his forehead against her shoulder, then scrubbed the place for him with her fingernails.

“I better get going,” Brad said. “Amy, you want a ride home or go to DJ's?”

“I need to get home before Mom starts to worry.”

A few minutes later they pulled up in front of Amy's house. “Thanks for the ride and the great time this week,” she said.

“Anytime. You ask your folks now if showing Western for me would be all right.”