Crown Prince Challenged (33 page)

“Your mare will stand on the outside,” Jack said, as he motioned for Kayla to bring Fanny on. Fanny pulled back only slightly before following Kayla up the ramp. The big gooseneck was far different from her Quarter Horse trailer. Before the ramp was closed, Sarah could see that Prince and the other three horses were relaxed in the familiar company and pulling hay from the nets hung in each compartment.

Jack motioned for the team members to come closer. “Rita and Kelly are going to ride with Judson,” he said. “Kayla, Tim, and Sarah—you'll come with me in the pickup. I think everything's been loaded, so we'll be on our way. I'll follow Judson, just in case there's a problem on the road.”

While everyone was getting into the vehicles, Mrs. DeWitt came hurrying out of the barn carrying two picnic hampers. “We don't want our team to get hungry on the road, so I've packed some chicken salad sandwiches, chips, and water bottles for all of you.” She brought one of the hampers to Judson's truck and one to the riders in the Brookmeade truck. Mrs. DeWitt shushed the chorus of thank yous. “I want everyone to have a wonderful time,” she said. “Chandler and I will be there cheering for you!” Sarah saw Spin making a beeline toward her and shut the truck door quickly.
He'd love to jump right in with us!
she thought.

Soon the Pyramid truck with its powerful diesel engine was effortlessly pulling the large trailer up the hill away from the barn, with Jack's pickup following behind. When they reached the interstate, Judson began picking up speed until his rig was moving with the flow of traffic. Sarah wished she could see her horse inside, but the back doors completely obstructed her view.
He has horses he knows on either side,
she reassured herself.
He'll be okay.

The three riders and Jack soon became engrossed in conversation, and the time flew by. They exited the interstate a few hours later, and after a short drive, approached the estate in Belmont. A large gilded sign by an entrance road welcomed them to Wexford Hall. “I wonder where the mansion is,” Kayla said, looking out her window. A turn-off arrow on the stabling sign directed them down a gravel road toward an enormous blue and white striped tent packed with portable stalls.

A man in overalls waved them to a place where the horses could be unloaded. Jack slowed to inquire about the Brookmeade Farm stabling assignment. “Brookmeade Farm,” the man said, looking down his list. “Let's see, your stalls are on the back side, numbers 21 through 25. They're already bedded with shavings, so your horses can go right into the stalls. Any additional bedding you must provide yourselves, and the stalls must be stripped before you leave, or you forfeit the stabling deposit. Don't forget that horses must wear a halter or a bridle at all times, and make sure your riders don't tie a horse to the stall partitions—they're not that sturdy.”

Kelly and Judson already had the ramp down on the trailer, and one by one they unloaded the horses and led them to their stalls. A number of horses were just arriving, and with all the activity in and outside the tent, it was noisy as riders got their stalls organized and talked excitedly. “This stall is pretty rickety,” Rita said, after she'd brought her horse into stall 22. “I hope it will hold Chancellor.” Sarah led Prince into stall 25, an end stall, which put him next to Fanny in stall 24.

Sarah was happy with Prince. He hadn't sweated up on the trip, and he seemed relaxed.
This probably seems a lot like the racetrack to him,
she thought. Fanny seemed a little nervous, moving around in her stall and watching the activity around her closely. Kayla went into the stall to stroke Fanny and talk to her softly.

Jack approached them pushing a Brookmeade wheelbarrow which, after the riders' trunks had been loaded in the Synders' truck, they'd barely managed to squeeze in. He lifted out two plastic barrels holding the grain bags and motioned to Kelly. “These will go in our tack stall for you to organize.” The group made several more trips to unload their supplies, and Tim and Judson carried in the riders' tack trunks to place in front of their stalls. Finally the trailer and truck were completely unloaded, and Judson left to park the gooseneck trailer in a nearby field.

“We need to be efficient with our space,” Jack called out. “The watering hose is outside the tent, and you can fill your water buckets and put them in the stalls.” He gave each rider a horse information form to fill out and tack on the stall door. “If anything goes wrong, the attendants will know who to contact and how to reach you by cell.”

“May I have an extra bag of shavings?” Rita asked. Somehow her question had the tone of a command. “This stall isn't bedded anywhere near enough for Chancellor. As I've said before, he's used to straw bedding, not these cheap shavings.”

Jack was frowning when he responded. “We've brought two extra bags for each horse, one to add tomorrow and one to add Saturday. If you use one of yours now, you'll have only one left. I'll let you make that choice.”

Rita and Kelly immediately went into the tack room to get a shavings bag for Chancellor's stall. No one else made a move to get more shavings, and Sarah caught Kayla's raised eyebrow.

After the horses had hay and water in their stalls, Jack gathered the riders around him. He had picked up the team's packets from a woman seated at a table near the tent, and now he handed them out. “I may not have mentioned an event rule that insists you wear a helmet anytime you are on a horse. Be sure you're not eliminated for that infraction.” He stepped back out of the way of a horse being led by them. “If you want, you can hand-graze your horses, perhaps near where the trailers are parked. When you use the wheelbarrow in the tack stall, empty it in the manure bin after each use. Kelly will be topping off the water buckets occasionally, and she'll be feeding the horses their hay and grain.”

Jack looked at his watch. “It's almost time to feed. Then we'll head for the Belmont School. We'll come back later this evening to check on the horses. We can pick out stalls, top off water buckets, and feed hay for the night. There should be a shuttle bus running by then.”

Soon, along with their suitcases, show coats, and boot bags, the team was back in the two vehicles heading for the Belmont School. “Where are you staying, Jack?” Tim asked.

“The DeWitts have been kind enough to reserve a room at the Juniper B-and-B Inn for Kathleen and me. After her last lesson tomorrow, she's coming up with Kayla's mother. Judson is needed to care for the Snyders' horses, so he'll be leaving soon to drive the truck back to Yardley. But he'll be back here on Sunday to truck the horses back to the farm.”

Passing by The Belmont School sign and up the tree-lined driveway, they admired the Georgian-style brick buildings and the sweeping lawns on the campus. The dorm was easy to find, and after getting room assignments, they carried their suitcases and event packets to their rooms. Sarah was glad she could room with Kayla. Kelly and Rita were continuing the friendship they had struck up the summer before and seemed happy to room together. Tim was assigned to a room on the second floor with a boy from another team.

Sarah and Kayla opened their event packets as soon as they got to their room. The first thing that fell out of Sarah's was the paper pinny she'd wear on cross-country. “I'm Number 21,” Sarah said. “I guess Prince and I will go after 20 other riders. What's your number?”

Kayla unfolded her pinny. “I'm Number 14,” she said, “so Fanny will go before Prince. I wonder where Tim and Rita will be in the order. There are 32 horses on the eight teams.”

The packets also contained corresponding bridle numbers, a map of the competition grounds and one of the cross-country course, and a beautiful full-color program, which listed the riders and horses on the teams. Kayla sat cross-legged on her bed looking through the program. “I see the DeWitts put an ad for Brookmeade Farm in here.” She turned a few pages. “Holy cow, there's one team that came all the way from Riverton.”

After she'd unpacked her suitcase, Sarah turned to face Kayla. “What do you think so far?”

“This is a great experience for Fanny. She hasn't spent a night away from home since I got her.” Kayla paused in thought. “I just hope everyone stays friendly once the competition starts tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but I won't be surprised by anything Rita does,” Sarah said. “I know her too well. I just hope putting Rita and Kelly together in one room doesn't add up to trouble with a capital T.”

“You're usually their favorite target, but if Fanny is Supermare in the competition, I'll have to watch my back, too.”

Later, as the competitors were eating dinner in the cafeteria, the event organizer, Matthew Campbell, welcomed the riders. “We're happy to have eight teams competing for the Wexford Cup, with several driving a long distance to get here. I want to remind you to read the material in your event packets carefully. For things to run smoothly, every competitor needs to observe the rules, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and show up on time.”

He took a few swallows from his water glass before continuing. “You're all aware that the prize going to the team with the highest cumulative score is the Wexford Cup, but there will also be ribbons through sixth place presented to the top-scoring individual riders. There will be a simple breakfast available here in the cafeteria from six to nine every morning, and the shuttle bus runs every half-hour from six in the morning to nine at night. Tomorrow night, after competition ends for the day, we're holding the Equus Quiz, with every question related to horses or equestrian activities. We have prizes donated by the Wellington Tack Shop for members of the winning team, so be sure to come. And don't forget that dinner on Saturday evening will be a barbeque on the South Lawn. There's a ticket for that in your packet. Now I wish all of you the best of luck, and may the best team win!”

Shortly after the Brookmeade team had finished eating, they met Jack at the entrance to the cafeteria. “We can get a ride on the shuttle bus that leaves in about ten minutes,” Jack said. “Your horses weren't walked after the ride here, so I suggest you take them out of their stalls for ten minutes or so. 'Twill give you a chance to see a little of the grounds. We're lucky to have the June days stay light so late.”

Sarah was glad they were going back to the stable. She was anxious about Prince in this different environment. The stalls weren't very substantial, and they were small for a horse his size. The riders hurried to their horses after the shuttle let them off near the big tent. Prince nickered softly when he saw Sarah approaching. She quickly unlocked her tack trunk and grabbed one of the carrots from the three-day supply she'd stashed there. Prince was quick to take it when she entered the stall and stroked him. He had eaten much of his hay, and his grain bucket was empty.

“Want to walk the horses?” she called to Kayla.

“Sure. Right after I finish picking out Fanny's feet.” In a few minutes Sarah and Kayla were leading their horses out of the tent and around the event grounds. Swatting at mosquitoes as they walked, they followed a gravel road beside a field where a few cross-country obstacles had been built. One was constructed of giant spools, and another appeared to be a facsimile of a dollhouse. “I hope Fanny will be bold and not look twice at these strange jumps,” Kayla said.

“I want to get through dressage tomorrow before I even start thinking about the cross-country,” Sarah replied. It was starting to get dark, so they decided to head back to the stable area. Once Prince was back in his stall, Sarah hurried to get the wheelbarrow so she could pick out any droppings before leaving. When it wasn't there, she looked in Chancellor's stall. Kelly was bent over, tossing soiled bedding into the wheelbarrow with a manure fork while she chatted with Rita, who held Chancellor. Sarah poked her head into the stall. “I'd be happy to empty that for you when you're finished,” she said. “I need to pick out Prince's stall.”

Rita stared at Sarah. “Since when are you so nicey-nice? We'll take care of the wheelbarrow, thank you.” Kelly looked down, not trying very hard to smother a laugh.

Sarah just walked away. Tim, whose horse was in the next stall to Rita's, had overheard the exchange and rolled his eyes at Sarah as she walked by. She went to Prince and stood stroking and talking to him until Kelly returned from the manure bin and let the wheelbarrow fall with a loud thud in front of Prince's stall. As Kelly walked away, Sarah thought,
Here we go again.
She shook her head as she picked up the manure fork and began to work on the stall.

When the horses had been taken care of for the night, Jack called a meeting of the team. He sat on Tim's trunk, holding open an event program while he went over their dressage rides the next day. “Tim, you're the early bird: your ride time is 8:56 tomorrow morning. I'll be at the warm-up ring twenty minutes before you ride your test to coach you. You can make the call as to how much time over and above that Rhodes needs to be ridden to be at his best.”

Jack looked around at the others. “The same goes for the rest of you. Your times are listed in the program. You'll have your horse tacked up appropriately for dressage, and you'll be dressed as I described on the sheet I gave you. Any questions?” Jack asked.

“Yes,” Rita said. “With cross-county on Saturday, can you walk the course with us sometime tomorrow?”

“Of course, Rita. Let's all meet here at the tent at half past three, after your dressage rides. If anyone brought rubber boots, you might want to wear them. We may have to cross water the old-fashioned way, before bridges were invented. You'll probably have time to walk it a second time later on. Depending on when you ride on Saturday, you may be able to walk the cross-country again Saturday morning.”

Jack stood up when they heard the shuttle bus approaching. “A word of caution,” he said. “Even though the stable is lighted at night and there's a night watchman on duty, lock your tack trunks.” Sarah fingered the substantial chain her key was on around her neck. But Jack hadn't finished. “Remember that Kelly is coming here about seven tomorrow morning to feed your horses. We want them to have plenty of time to digest their breakfast.”