Amy and Amber (4 page)

After the clearing up was done, we were all hanging out, sunbathing and reading the mags that we’d brought and passing them round. Shanika had us all in stitches reading out the “Readers’ Fess Ups” from
Pony
mag.

Later on, Johnny set up a net and we had a game of beach volleyball. I’ve never played it before but it was really good, especially because you can just throw yourself on to the sand to reach the ball and it doesn’t hurt at all! I got some great film of us playing, too!

When it was time to pack up, none of us wanted to come back. But then Jody said if we got a move on there’d be time for us to give the beach ride ponies a brush and turn them out before tea (she said the others had been turned out already so they could spend the day playing in the field). So, of course, everyone hurried up into the minibus then.
Even that was really fun because we sang songs all the way back. Shanika and Sarah have got really good voices – they were doing harmonies and everything!

Hey, guess what? Now Jody’s making us some chocolate brownies to go with our hot choc! Double choc – yummy!

She didn't sit with me at lunch just now and I'm not going over to
her
. After all, she's the one who shouted at me in the barn and who's in a strop for no reason. I'm just going to get on with my diary and ignore her!

This morning we had a talk about grooming and then we had to do a head to toe groom on our own ponies, as Lydia had shown us. It was really fun, like a pony spa, and I got Genevieve and Sarah on film pretending to be beauty therapists!

Genevieve was saying things to Shine like, “So, madam, are you going anywhere nice on your holidays?”
and Sarah was asking Charm if he'd thought of having some auburn lowlights in his mane to bring out the colour of his eyes. Everyone was in stitches and I was laughing so much there was a lot of shake on the camera, but never mind! It'll be great to have some bits in the film which show how much fun it is just hanging out with our ponies.

I gave Amber a really good groom with the rubber curry comb, making circles as Lydia had shown us. It got the oils in her coat to the surface so she looked really, really shiny. Then I finished off with some nice long strokes from the body brush. I could tell she was really enjoying it – it must be like having a massage!

Kayla didn't seem her normal self, though. I mean, I started off chatting a few times and she didn't say anything back so I gave up. At first I
thought she was just concentrating really hard on getting all the bits of dried mud off Cracker's legs, but then when I asked her to film a bit of me grooming Amber she
snapped
at me!

“Oh, it's all about the film, isn't it?” she said stroppily. “You're so wrapped up in it. And so much for having our midnight feast last night!”

“It's not my fault I fell asleep again,” I said. “I was really tired after the beach ride.”

“It's not just that – it's everything! It's you, Amy!” she shouted, then stormed off.

I mean – WHAT?!

Where did that come from?

Lydia was across in the far pen so she hadn't heard, but some of the girls had. “Are you OK?” Shanika asked, ducking under
Jewel's lead rope and coming to put her arm round me.

I nodded, but I felt a bit shocked, to be honest.

Lexy frowned. “What's up with her? That was a bit over the top.”

“Shall I go and see where she's got to?” asked Jas. “We're supposed to stick together.”

I shrugged. I thought maybe
I
should go after Kayla, but I didn't feel like it. Not after she'd shouted at me for no reason.

Anyway, no one went to find her in the end because Sally came in to say it was lesson time and Kayla crept in behind her and slipped back into our pen. I tried to catch her eye, but she wouldn't even look at me. Well, fine if she wants to be like that.

Luckily, our lesson was so good, and Amber
was so brilliant and such a star, that I managed to forget about what had happened with Kayla. Afterwards, us Group A girls quickly led our ponies back into the barn and untacked. Then we came out to the manège again. The plan was for me to film the Group B girls jumping, and the rest of my group came along to watch. We all sat up on the viewing gallery where I could get some really good shots.

Sally had set up a mini jumping course, with a double up the long side, then a single on the diagonal and a change of rein and canter lead to get them round to a bounce up the other long side. I tried not to let falling out with Kayla affect me, and kept smiling and telling the girls what a great job they were doing and how fab it looked. And it really did – especially when Genevieve got Shine to do a flying change
instead of bringing her back into trot to change canter lead! Sarah flew round on Charm, and Millie and Magic were fantastic as well – they're such a great team it's hard to believe it's only their second week together.

When Shanika forgot to steer Jewel round to the fence on the diagonal and ended up popping the bounce from the wrong direction, we all burst out laughing, including her! Then, last of all, it was Kayla's turn. She jumped the double well, but didn't get into the corner enough before the diagonal. She approached it at a funny angle and Cracker had the pole down with a back leg, then stumbled a bit to keep his balance. This unseated Kayla and she came flying off.

She got up straight away, but – YUCK – she'd landed in a pile of poo that Charm had just done and there was a long smear of it down her jodhs!

We all did this kind of cheering and clapping thing, like you do when someone drops a plate in the dining hall at school, and I thought Kayla would grin and take a bow or something. But instead she went bright red and shouted, “There's no way you're using that bit in the film, Amy!”

“Oh, come on! Don't be a spoilsport,” Lexy cried. “It's hilarious!”

“Yeah, that was classic!” added Jas. “You should write into ‘Readers' Fess Ups'! That was easily as funny as the ones they print in the mag!”