Crown Prince Challenged (41 page)

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It was a tired and damp team that prepared to leave Wexford Hall that afternoon. The riders had packed their bags in the morning before leaving the Belmont School, and Jack had made a stop to pick them up. The adults had long since departed for Yardley, leaving the team to attend to their horses. After stripping the stalls and loading all their equipment and supplies in the trucks, they were ready to head back to Brookmeade Farm.

As promised, Judson had shown up with the Snyders' big rig, and with their legs properly wrapped, the three horses were soon eating hay from nets inside it. Tim told the others he was riding home with Paige and would be waiting for them at the farm.

When Judson fired up the diesel engine of his truck, Kelly gave Sarah a dirty look and then ran to jump in the cab.
I guess she wants to steer clear of Kayla and me,
Sarah thought. Kathleen motioned to them, and she and Kayla climbed into the Brookmeade pickup's back seat.

Before long they were on the highway, the pickup again traveling a short distance behind the large gooseneck trailer. Jack seemed rather preoccupied as he drove, without much to say, and Sarah noticed how gloomy and tired he looked. She knew he was upset over Rita's performance in yesterday's cross-country ride, and he undoubtedly felt badly about Rhodes Scholar's fall. She was glad when Kathleen tried to cheer him up. “'Twas lucky that neither Rhodes Scholar nor Tim were injured in the fall,” she said.

Jack nodded. “Yes, I suppose there's a silver lining in the events of the last few days.” He looked into the back seat through his rear view mirror. “All the hard work you've put in with Crown Prince paid off, did it not, Sarah?”

Sarah had hardly let the red second-place ribbon she and Prince had been awarded out of her sight, and now she held it up to answer Jack's question. “I'm totally thrilled with Prince. I'm the luckiest person in the world.”

Jack's eyes shifted to Kayla. “You rode extremely well, Kayla. I think you learned a valuable lesson from your dressage test. And to go clear cross-country and have only one rail down in that quagmire they called a show jumping course is surely something to be proud of.”

“Yeah,” Kayla said, “and I think I like eventing as much as showing. I'd like to try this again.”

Sarah looked at Kayla. “Fanny was awesome. This was her first time to go cross-country, and she aced it.”

Kayla grinned back at her. “I know another horse that did the same thing.”

When they pulled into the parking area at the farm, Mrs. Romano was waiting with their horse trailer. After Fanny and Kayla's things were transferred into their truck, Kayla gave Sarah a big hug. “Thanks for all your help, kid,” she said. “You did super.”

Sarah stepped back to give her a high-five. “I couldn't have done it without you.”

Paige and Tim came out of the barn to unload Rhodes. Paige was all smiles and laughter—her old self. “I hope Rhodes decided to stay on four legs during the ride home,” she said.
Paige is back!
Sarah thought happily. Her laugh sounded so good!

Before taking Prince off the trailer, Sarah ran to his stall with the red ribbon and attached it prominently to his stall door. She could hardly wait to show it to Derek.

Prince tugged on his shank as Sarah led him into the barn, eager to get back to his stall. “I guess you've missed this place,” Sarah said. “It's really home to you now.” Once Prince was in his stall, she grabbed his water bucket and scoured it clean before filling it with fresh water.

Sarah looked at her watch. On the ride home, she'd called her father, and he would be there soon to pick her up. She gave Prince a kiss on his velvet-soft nose and then slid his stall door shut. “I'll be back later to feed you,” she said, before making her way to the parking area with her suitcase. She also planned to take her saddle and bridle home with her. After getting soaked that morning, they needed a good soaping.

Sarah's father and Abby arrived a few minutes later. Sarah was tired and eager to get home, so she was even a little irritated when Abby insisted on visiting Prince in his stall to present him with an apple. Prince took a big bite and chomped on it, the juice running from his mouth. His eyes wrinkled in the corners when Abby stroked his neck and told him what a star he had been at Wexford Hall.

When she got home, Sarah decided there was time to oil her tack before she had to return to the farm to dole out the evening hay and grain. After taking her bridle apart and removing the stirrup leathers from her saddle, she applied neatsfoot oil with a soft cloth until the leather was soft and pliable again. The saddle soap she worked into her saddle and the girth would also preserve it. Her father walked by as she worked. “Good job,” he said. “Water is leather's worst enemy.” He paused and looked back. “I'll take your tack back to the farm when I go that way tomorrow.”

Once she had put her bridle together, Sarah went upstairs to get the feed room key before heading back to the farm on her bike. It had been several days since she'd done the evening feeding, and it actually felt good to be getting back to the old routine. A chorus of neighs greeted her when she walked up the aisle toward the feed room. The horses recognized Sarah and knew what was coming.

After the feed detail, Sarah went to Crown Prince. Derek hadn't gotten back from his show with Bismarck, and except for the sounds of horses eating, the barn was quiet. She slid through Prince's stall door and went to her horse, encircling his neck to hold him tightly while he ate his grain. He had exceeded her wildest expectations, giving her his best in all three phases of the event. His famous Thoroughbred ancestors would be proud! He had demonstrated the class that had come down through many generations. She couldn't love him more than she did at that moment.

To celebrate her performance at Wexford Hall, her mother had prepared her favorite dinner—fried chicken with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. Sarah had so much to tell them as they gathered around the table, and Abby pestered her with question after question. “You find this stuff interesting,” Sarah said, grinning at her. “Are you ready to start taking riding lessons?”

Mrs. Wagner immediately interceded. “I think Abby should stick to softball and soccer,” she said. “I'm not sure my blood pressure could take having two riders in the family.”

Sarah went to bed early that night, and even though she was exhausted, she tossed and turned. The events of the last three days whirled through her mind. Finally she drifted off into a deep sleep. She didn't hear her cell phone or the house phone ring a few hours later, but she was awakened by her father's raised voice. He had flicked on the light in her room and was standing by her bed in his pajamas.

“Sarah, wake up! Derek just called. He said you should get to the barn right away. Prince is in trouble!”

SARAH ROLLED OVER IN HER BED,
opening her eyes in response to her father's urgent voice. As her head cleared, she sat upright. Was this a dream? Had her father just told her Prince was in trouble?

“Get dressed! I'll meet you downstairs,” her father said, as he hurried from her room. Sarah jumped out of bed and quickly pulled on her jeans and a T-shirt. After slipping into a pair of sneakers, she rushed down the stairs. Her mother was in her bathrobe, waiting to see them off. “Call me,” she said, as Sarah and her father went out the back door.

Sarah had never known her father to drive as fast as he did on their way to the farm. It was late, and there was no other traffic on the road. With no moon or stars showing on an overcast night, the sky was pitch black as they turned into the farm road.
What could possibly be wrong?
Sarah thought. Prince had been perfectly fine when she left him. It had been like any other night when she'd fed the horses and then headed home.

As they gathered speed going down the last hill, it looked like every light in the barn was on, and the parking area was brightly illuminated. Derek's pickup and trailer with its ramp down were parked near the barn. Sarah jumped from the car when it came to a stop and sprinted toward the barn's side door. She dashed down the aisle, noticing as she passed the feed room that the door was wide open and the floor was littered with grain and feed pails from the cart. She kept running.

When Sarah turned the corner close to Prince's stall, she screeched to a halt, her hand flying to her mouth as it opened in shock. Derek was looking into Prince's stall where Gus stood at Prince's head, holding his halter tightly to keep him from moving. Prince's moist body was covered with bedding, and his white-rimmed eyes mirrored fear and pain as he attempted to pull back from Gus's strong hold.

Sarah ran to the stall. “What's wrong with Prince?” she demanded.

Derek's brow was creased with worry lines. “When I got back from the show with Bismarck, Prince's stall door was wide open, and he was down and thrashing,” he said. “I ran to get Gus. You probably saw the feed room when you came in.”

“Is it colic?” Sarah asked, as her father came up behind them.

“Of course it's colic!” Gus barked at her from inside the stall. He glared at her sullenly. “You must have left the feed room doors open when you fed tonight.”

Stunned and speechless, Sarah swung around to Derek.

“Gus gave me Dr. Reynolds's number,” Derek said. “His answering service got in touch with the vet, and he called about ten minutes ago. He should be here any minute.”

With tears streaming down her face, Sarah went to her horse. She pressed her face to his warm, moist neck, and ignoring Gus's glare, she spoke to him through her sobs. “Prince, Prince,” she said over and over again, as she tried to suppress a rising panic.

“Leave this stall,” Gus growled. “This horse may have a twisted intestine, and he wants to go down.” His face was twisted in anger when she didn't respond, and he raised his voice. “Get out!”

Sarah retreated in the face of Gus's angry words just as Dr. Reynolds came hurrying toward them with a stethoscope in his hand. He had also noticed the wide-open feed room. “I assume this is a grain-induced colic,” he said as he entered the stall. Gus nodded.

From outside, clutching the bars, Sarah felt as if a vice gripped her chest, making it hard to breath. She found herself shaking uncontrollably.

The veterinarian listened to Prince's pulse and then checked his respiration—both were elevated. After placing the stethoscope on the horse's side and listening for a few moments, he looked relieved when he stepped back. “There's plenty of activity in the gut, which is usually a good sign,” he said. “If we're lucky, he won't require surgery.” He went back to his truck.

Sarah took a deep breath and closed her eyes, sensing immense relief at Dr. Reynolds's words. A few minutes later the veterinarian entered the stall to administer a pain reliever and muscle relaxant to her horse. When he'd finished, Dr. Reynolds said, “I'm going to insert a tube into his stomach. We need to relieve him of gas in the digestive tract and at the same time add mineral oil to help him pass all that grain.” He left the stall for a few minutes before returning with the tube and oil in a bucket along with a pump. “He's not going to like this,” Dr. Reynolds said to Gus. “Take a good hold of his halter.”

Seeing her horse in extreme pain and having a plastic tube run through his nose to his stomach, Sarah was emotionally distraught. Tears ran down her face as she watched Dr. Reynolds insert the tube and then administer the mineral oil. Sarah was only vaguely aware of Derek putting his arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

A voice sounded behind them. It was Mr. DeWitt. “What's going on here?” he said, as he strode closer, his thick white hair tousled and his eyes puffy behind his steel-gray glasses. “I saw all the lights on down here.”

“It's colic, Chandler,” Dr. Reynolds said in a measured tone, as he slowly withdrew the stomach tube. “I just hope we got it in time.”

“Oh, no,” DeWitt said, shaking his head sadly. “I assume he got into the feed room.” His gaze turned to Sarah.

Sarah pulled away from Derek to face Mr. DeWitt. “I locked that room after I finished feeding,” she said firmly, looking him in the eye. “I know I did, and I took the key home with me.” She paused to wipe her eyes. “I came to see Prince just before I left. He was fine, and I'm sure I locked his stall door.”

Mr. DeWitt looked back at Crown Prince. “Right now the important thing is to save this horse. Colic is the leading cause of death in horses, and he may be fighting for his life.”

Dr. Reynolds stepped out of the stall. “That pain med I gave him is fast-acting, and I suggest you hand-walk him for twenty minutes. That will help get things moving. Then it'll be best to rest him for half an hour before walking him again. Let's hope he starts passing manure soon.”

Dr. Reynolds gathered up his things. “I have a second emergency call, so I'll be off. Please report any passing of manure, which will mean things are moving, and of course I want to know if he takes a turn for the worse. If he recovers enough to show any interest in eating, start him off with a warm mash.” The vet started to leave, but turned back. He paused, his face somber. “It's fortunate someone discovered him. By morning, it might have been too late.”

“Thanks for coming at this late hour,” Mr. Wagner said.

Dr. Reynolds just nodded, looked back at Crown Prince, and then hurried out of the barn.

After the veterinarian left, Sarah picked up the shank and went to her horse, who already appeared more comfortable. She ran her hands over his face as her tears started again, and when he lowered his head, she hugged him close. Finally she stepped back to attach the shank to his halter.

“I'm going to clean up the mess,” Gus said, heading for the feed room.