Crown Prince Challenged (2 page)

“I've gotta check on Prince,” Sarah said,” as she ducked under one of Quarry's cross-ties.

When she rounded the corner leading to the two new stalls in the back of the barn, Prince was looking out through the bars of his stall door. His head came up and his ears pricked forward when he saw Sarah. Hurrying to her horse, her heart warmed when she heard his low welcoming nicker. She slid the door open enough to slip through.

“You're glad to see me, aren't you, boy,” she murmured. He lowered his head so she could hug his face close to her chest. She stepped back to pull the carrot he had come to expect from her pocket, and he eagerly bit off a big section.

Sarah's eyes ran over her horse. She never tired of looking at the beautiful dark bay with the white star in the center of his broad forehead. His finely chiseled head had large intelligent eyes and a delicate muzzle, and it blended into a long arched neck and well-angled shoulder. A lovely topline continued to powerful hindquarters on the tall Thoroughbred, and his sleek coat gleamed like China silk. Crown Prince was one handsome dude!

So much had happened over the summer, and so fast that memories raced through Sarah's mind like a movie on fast-forward. That Saturday in June when Jack and her dad had taken her to the racetrack to pick out a horse of her own seemed like yesterday. Before Brookmeade's owners, Chandler and Dorothy DeWitt, came up with their generous plan that enabled her to get Crown Prince, acquiring a horse had always seemed an impossible dream. Her mother's car accident and a mountain of medical debt had long ago squelched any possibility her parents could buy her a horse, so Sarah had settled for lessons on school horses at Brookmeade Farm.

From the minute she saw the big dark bay, Sarah knew the horse was the one she'd been waiting for, despite his reputation as a racetrack rogue. The two of them had bonded immediately. After Crown Prince came to the farm, the road had been filled with challenges. Sarah had fought to keep him when his rich owner tried to rescind his offer and take him back. Then, in a thirty-day trial period, she had to convince her parents that Crown Prince was safe to ride, despite his earlier bad behavior at the racetrack. With Jack's help, Sarah and her horse had triumphed over every obstacle in their path.

Now here she was getting ready to ride her very own wonderful horse. It seemed that whether she was on the ground or on his back, she and Prince shared a special connection. Under saddle, he responded to her lightest tweak of the reins and the slightest pressure of her legs against his sides. When she spoke softly to him, his ears flicked in her direction, and whenever she walked away, his gaze followed her until she was out of sight.

Leaving the stall, Sarah hurried to the boarders' tack room to get her things. By putting on her helmet and half chaps and looping her bridle over her shoulder, she had one arm free for her saddle and one to pick up her grooming caddy. Making just one trip saved time. After she got back to his stall, she led Prince into the aisle and put him on cross-ties. She had just started to brush him when she heard the sound of quick boots clicking rhythmically on cement.

They had to belong to Jack, her riding instructor. A cleanshaven man with black hair tinged with gray, Jack's square jaw, snapping dark eyes, and no-nonsense demeanor announced a man who took his job seriously. In his younger days, Jack had ridden for the Irish Olympic Team, and as he strode toward her, his slightly bowed legs spoke to the many hours he had spent in the saddle.

“I'm glad you're here this afternoon, Sarah,” Jack said. “'Tis a surprise I have for you. Your horse is doing well enough in his flatwork that I think he's ready to leave the stable area and go for a hack on the trails. 'Twill be good for him.”

Sarah hadn't expected this so soon. Up until now, she'd been limited to riding Prince in the indoor arena or the enclosed outside ring, all the while looking forward to the day she could ride him on the miles of trails around the farm. For weeks she'd longed to see how he would react to a trail ride through the woods and fields. She smiled broadly. “Awesome!” was all she could say.

“But you shouldn't go out alone,” Jack continued. “For the first hack he should be in company. When their class is over, Tim and Paige usually ride up to the old orchard on the ridge to cool out their horses. And perhaps Kayla and Rita will go along. I'd be thinking 'tis time you joined them.”

Sarah felt her excitement rising. “Should we stay at a walk?” she asked.

“The other riders will be cooling out their horses after working hard in the lesson, so walking will be the order of the day. Just use your aids as you would if you were riding him in the ring. When you're climbing up the steep part of the ridge, be sure to let him stretch his head and neck down, so he can best use his hindquarters. Under saddle, the hill might be strange to him, so on the way down, keep him straight and support him in front with your hands. Let me know how it goes.” Jack turned abruptly and strode off toward the indoor, in a hurry to set up some jump combinations for his Young Riders class.

This threw a wrinkle into her game plan. Glancing at her watch, Sarah did some quick math. She decided she'd have time to clean the stall now, and Prince could go into one of the paddocks while she worked. With this delay before she rode, Sarah removed her half-chaps and helmet and set them down near the stall. She ran the chain from her lead shank over Prince's nose, clipped it onto his halter, and led him toward the side door, his shoes ringing evenly on the cement.

Sarah waved to Tim, who was saddling Rhodes Scholar, his handsome blood-bay gelding. Rhodes had come from Canada, where he'd been fox hunted before Tim got him. In addition to being athletic and exceptionally sound, Rhodes also had an amazing temperament. He never got rattled, regardless of what was going on around him. Rhodes' good qualities had helped them do well when they'd competed in several events over the summer.

Once outside, Sarah looked over to the gravel parking lot where Rita Snyder's van with the green Pyramid Farm lettering was parked. The Snyders' hired groom, Judson, was helping Rita get her horse ready for the lesson, and Sarah could hear Rita's commands to the balding, ruddy-faced man as they worked. Rita was being Rita, at least to Judson. So much for her pledge to change her ways after the tragic accident at the beginning of the summer. You'd almost think she'd forgotten she'd been responsible for the death of one of Mrs. DeWitt's dogs. But in all fairness, she didn't brag about her horse quite so much, and she'd even found a few good things to say about the other horses in her class.

Riding Chancellor, her black Dutch Warmblood, Rita had mopped up at a number of shows over the summer, winning four championships and two reserves. To celebrate, the Snyders had hosted an end-of-summer pool party for the Brookmeade riders at their estate, Pyramid Farm. The instructors and Brookmeade's owners, the DeWitts, had also been invited. Sarah had been to the Snyders' mega-mansion with pillars like a Southern plantation house before, but she still couldn't believe a teenager lived there. Equally impressive was the large barn with a chandelier hanging in the foyer, many white-fenced paddocks, and a trout pond. The crowning touch was a spectacular view of the ocean beyond the sweeping lawns on the property. An indoor riding arena was being constructed on a level area behind the barn—Rita was truly going to have it all.

The pool party had been a hit. Rita's father wasn't away on a business trip, for a change, and with help from their housekeeper, he had cooked burgers and steaks on the grill. Sarah and her friends from the barn had a blast swimming in the large pool and making do-it-yourself ice cream sundaes. Rita had even arranged to have some classmates in a band liven up the party with a few sets.

The Romanos' pickup and horse trailer were parked near Rita's rig, and Kayla and her mother were getting Fanny ready for the lesson.
I'll wait to talk to Kayla when she isn't so busy,
Sarah thought. She led Prince to the only vacant paddock, turned him out in it, and then said a silent prayer that he wouldn't roll in the muddy area at the far end.

Hurrying back to his stall, Sarah grabbed a manure fork and an empty wheelbarrow on the way. While she cleaned out the dirty bedding and manure, she could think of nothing but the trail ride to the old orchard with Paige and Tim. She could live without Rita's presence, but it would be great if Kayla could ride with them. After emptying the loaded wheelbarrow into the manure bin, she filled it with fresh shavings and spread them in her horse's stall.

On the way back to get Prince, Sarah stopped to watch the lesson going on in the indoor. The class was working at canter, crossing the diagonal and briefly coming back to trot before changing leads in the center of the arena. Sarah's gaze was immediately drawn to Chancellor, Rita's Dutch Warmblood. What a magnificent horse! His black coat gleamed, and his long tail swung from side to side as his powerful strides propelled him forward as if on springs. Despite his large muscular body, he was light on his feet and moved with the grace of a ballet dancer. Rita, as always, was impeccably dressed, wearing new custom black boots, buff full-seat breeches, and a polo shirt with the Pyramid Farm logo.

Fanny was going well for Kayla. The red chestnut with a white diamond on her forehead and four tall stockings was balanced and forward. Fanny's coat color and Kayla's hair were almost identical—they were the “twins” all right, as Paige had dubbed them. Sarah watched Kayla bring Fanny off the track and follow a straight line across the diagonal. She brought Fanny to trot in the center for a simple change of lead, and after only a few trot steps, made a balanced transition back to canter. As they rode by, Sarah shot Kayla a thumbs-up and called softly, “You go, girl!”

Quarry was being a little quick, as usual, and Jack directed his comments to Paige. “Sit tall in the saddle, Paige, and steady your horse with occasional half-halts. If need be, ride a small circle.” He watched the horse and rider intently. “'Tis important you be relaxed—take deep breaths.” Paige's brow furrowed as she concentrated, her lithe, willowy body moving gracefully with her horse.

Jack made the exercise more difficult. “Now I want you to turn down the centerline of the arena at C,” he called out in his Irish brogue, “and again do a simple change of lead at X in the middle of the arena. At A, you'll continue in the opposite direction on the new lead.”

Jack turned to watch Tim and Rhodes Scholar attempt the new challenge. Rhodes certainly was handsome, with more substance and bone than the full Thoroughbreds in the barn, probably from the influence of his Cleveland Bay grandsire. While moving with good impulsion on the bit, he executed a simple change of lead at just the right spot. Jack clapped his hands as he called out, “Brilliant, Tim! That was very good indeed.”

Sarah thought of the many great lessons she'd had with her friends. Would she ever be able to ride Prince in the Young Riders class? Right now everyone here was so far ahead of her and her “greenie!” She wished she could stay longer and watch more of the class, but she needed to retrieve her horse and get him ready for their first hack.

When she got to his paddock, Prince was grazing along the fence line, reaching under the lower fence board to crop the thicker grass on the other side. She was relieved that he apparently had been too busy grazing to roll. He brought his head up as she approached, watching her with large intelligent eyes as he chewed a mouthful of grass. He stood quietly as she attached the lead shank to his halter and pressed her face against the side of his muzzle, loving the strong aroma of horse and newly clipped grass. “Come on, boy. We've got an exciting ride ahead!”

SARAH GROOMED HER HORSE
quickly and efficiently, beginning with picking out his feet and ending with combing his mane and tail. She put on her half chaps and helmet, and after tacking up, led him down the barn aisle and outside. His highly polished dark bay coat shimmered in the late summer sun as they walked to the enclosed sand ring near the main entrance to the barn. Once inside, she closed the gate and brought Prince to the mounting block. She was thankful it was there—her horse was over a full hand taller than any of the school horses she'd ever ridden, and mounting him from the ground wasn't easy.

The minute Sarah swung her leg over and sat in the saddle, Prince tried to walk forward, but she made him halt. “No, Prince, don't move out until you're asked,” she said, as she slid her right paddock boot into the stirrup. “You've got to wait.” After walking around the ring once, inviting Prince to stretch his head and neck forward and down, Sarah checked her watch. She would have at least ten minutes before Jack's class ended, enough time to do a little schooling before the trail ride. It would be good to work off some of Prince's pent-up energy.

Sarah pressed her horse into trot. She was always pleased with the steady feel she had in the reins when he went forward from her leg aids into the bridle. Thank goodness his mouth had never become hard from heavy-handed riding, like some of the school horses she'd ridden. He energetically moved forward, seeming to enjoy his work as they walked, trotted, and cantered in both directions in the ring.

They were practicing bending on circles when Sarah saw Jack's wife, Kathleen, come out of the barn followed by two beginner riders leading the farm's two ponies. As they got closer, Sarah could see the straw-colored braids of Grace, the DeWitts' five-year-old granddaughter—she was leading her chestnut pony, Pretty Penny. A boy slightly older than Grace was following right behind them with Snippet, a larger black pony.

Jack's lesson must be over,
Sarah thought.
Time to head over to the indoor.
She brought Prince back to walk and was standing by the gate when Kathleen reached the ring.