Hobbyhorse (10 page)

Amelia scowled harder than ever. “She’s just a normal horse. I just happen to like her, that’s all.” She turned to Carole. “Aren’t I supposed to be cleaning tack?”

“Sure,” Carole said. Directing a roll of her eyes to her two friends, she led Amelia down to the tack room.

“I guess that means we put the wheelbarrow away,” Stevie remarked. “And it looks like I’ll be cleaning the water bucket, after all. Just this once, of course.”

“Your wish come true,” Lisa said jovially. “You get to do something for Amelia after all. But wasn’t that weird? Star isn’t so amazing after all. She’s just a good, honest horse.”

“Did you expect anything different?” Stevie asked.

“No,” Lisa admitted. “What surprises me is that Amelia knew the truth all along. I always thought her instructor had convinced her that Star was really special. I never guessed that Amelia was trying to convince us—and her mother, I
suppose. My aunt Marianne can be strange sometimes. She’s like my mother, only much worse.”

Stevie nodded understandingly. Lisa’s mother’s preoccupation with high society wasn’t all bad—Mrs. Atwood had urged Lisa to start riding because it was something she thought all well-bred young ladies should do—but it was sometimes annoying for Lisa.

“I agree that your cousin is a constant surprise,” Stevie said. “What I don’t understand is why we’re standing around talking about her when we could be out riding our horses and talking about her.”

Lisa grinned. “Good point.”

M
OST OF THE
young campers had gathered in the tack room by the time Amelia and Carole got there. They greeted Amelia in a much friendlier way than they had the day before. Carole guessed from the look on the Pony Tails’ faces that the news of Amelia’s tantrum had spread, and she was equally sure that the Pony Tails somehow knew the rest of the story: that Amelia was still allowed to ride, but only if she shaped up. All the younger riders looked ready to give Amelia a second chance, and Carole felt grateful to them. The people at Pine Hollow really were friendly.

“Hello, Amelia,” Corey said softly.

Amelia looked at the floor. “Which tack do I clean,
Carole?” she asked. Carole took Delilah’s bridle off its peg and handed it to her. “Can you show me how?” she whispered, looking embarrassed. “At my stable—at home they don’t show us how to do any of this.”

Those were almost the only words Amelia spoke while she cleaned her tack. The rest of the kids laughed and chattered, asked Carole questions, and talked about their ponies, but Amelia sat silently, scrubbing at the pieces of Delilah’s bridle as Carole directed her. The only time she talked at all was when Carole made her scrape the green crust off Delilah’s bit with her fingernail.

“This is
disgusting,
” she said.

“That’s because you didn’t wipe it off after you rode her the last time,” May piped up helpfully. “She probably had some chewed-up hay in her mouth, and it got on the bit and dried there overnight.”

Amelia hunched her shoulders. “Poor Delilah,” she said.

“Hey, it’s okay,” May said. “You’re cleaning it now, before she has to wear it.”

Carole noticed that Amelia worked until the bit was sparkling clean.

Max stuck his head in the tack room door. “Anyone here want to ride?” he asked.

“Yeah!” all the kids chorused, as they grabbed their clean tack and trooped out the door. Amelia remained with Carole.

“I haven’t cleaned my saddle yet,” she said.

“That’s okay,” Carole assured her. “It’s not very dirty, and you can do it later today.” She helped Amelia balance the saddle on her arm. “Do you need me to help you tack up?”

“No thanks. They teach us
some
things at my other stable, you know.” Amelia headed down the aisle.

Carole sighed, then went to pat Starlight before checking to make sure that Amelia had done it right.

B
EING AN ASSISTANT
instructor became much more fun the moment Carole took her place in the center of the riding ring next to Max. Eight small riders on horses or ponies circled the ring at a walk. Carole surveyed them all critically, mentally noting errors of position or control.

“Speak up,” Max told her, looking down at her with a grin. “You go ahead and get them started. I’ll add what I think.”

“Okay,” Carole said with a nervous grin. This was fun! “Everybody walk on. And May,” she commanded, in a voice that carried across the arena, “you need to relax your hands a little. Let Macaroni get warmed up before you try to collect him. Joey, push Nickel on. He’s being lazy. Excellent job with Penny, Jessica, but try to put more of your weight in your heels.” She looked up at Max, who smiled and nodded; then she turned her attention back to the class.

“Amelia, squeeze with your legs to encourage Delilah to
go forward.” Carole knew Delilah sometimes started out slowly. Amelia squeezed, and when Delilah didn’t immediately respond, she clucked to the horse encouragingly. “That’s right, Amelia! Good job!”

Carole went through the rest of the class, gently correcting and encouraging the kids. She was careful not to tell them to change too many things at once, and she tried to give them lots of praise. That was how Max had taught her. She knew how nice it felt to be told you were doing something right.

“Okay, everybody into the jump position, and trot.” Max always had them do this at the start of the lesson. In the jump position, the rider stood slightly in the saddle. This took the rider’s weight off the horse’s back and gave the horse a chance to warm up thoroughly. It also encouraged the rider to use good leg position, which warmed up the rider.

“Grab the mane if you have to, Sarah. That’s right. Keep your eyes straight ahead, Corey, and look through your turns. Good! Back straight, Jasmine. Great job! Doesn’t that feel better?” Jasmine nodded, smiling. “Keep your chin up, Amelia. Good!”

Carole took them through several exercises at the posting and sitting trots, with Max adding his suggestions and comments as the class went along. Carole loved watching the kids improve under her teaching, and she would have been
having a wonderful time if, in the back of her mind, she hadn’t been worried about Starlight.

“Go ahead and tell them to canter,” Max said quietly.

“All canter!” Carole told the group.

Neither Carole nor Max understood what happened next. Amelia gave Delilah a soft, correct canter signal, and Delilah leaped into the canter with a giant buck. Amelia sailed over Delilah’s head and landed flat in the arena sand.

She didn’t move or cry. While the other riders brought their mounts to a halt, Max and Carole hurried to Amelia’s side.

The little girl looked up at them with wide, unblinking eyes.

“Are you okay?” Carole asked anxiously. She knew that most falls didn’t do more than shake the rider up, but they were still scary. Most kids cried hard when they fell off. Amelia’s silence worried her.

“Yes.” Amelia got slowly to her feet with Max’s help. He asked her several quick questions—“Does your head hurt?” “Are you dizzy?”—before seeming satisfied that she was okay.

Amelia looked up at Carole. “What did I do wrong?” she asked. “Does Delilah hate me?”

“O
F COURSE SHE
doesn’t hate you. And you didn’t do a single thing wrong,” Carole said. She put her arm around Amelia. “I promise.” She looked up at Max, who smiled sympathetically; then Carole took Amelia’s hand and led her over to Delilah. The mare was standing at the side of the ring, her reins dangling. She looked sorry. Carole gathered Delilah’s reins and handed them to Amelia. “Have you ever fallen off before?” she asked.

Amelia shook her head.

“Everyone does,” Carole said.

“I know,” Amelia whispered. “But it was scary. Why did Delilah do that?”

“I don’t know,” Carole said honestly. “She’s probably just feeling her oats. She’s a horse. No one understands horses all the time.”

Amelia looked up at the palomino mare. Cautiously she touched Delilah’s nose. “Am I still allowed to ride?” she asked.

“Of course,” Carole said. “The lesson isn’t over.”

“Good.” Amelia looped the reins over Delilah’s neck. “Could you give me a leg up?”

“Sure.” Carole boosted her into the saddle. She tried not to show how pleased she was that Amelia was getting right back on. Carole had known beginners who were so upset by their first fall that they gave up riding entirely.

Amelia’s second attempt at a canter was a success. The girl looked nervous, but she still rode gently, and Delilah behaved well.

“Good job!” Carole said.

“Okay,” Max said. “Let’s do a little jumping.” He set up two pole standards in the center of the ring.

“Max!” Carole whispered, going to help him with the jump. “Are you serious? Amelia will feel so left out.”

“Why?” Max grinned. “She’s going to be jumping, too.”

Carole looked at him. She could hardly believe it. Amelia, jumping after only four months! But on the other hand, Lisa had started jumping just as quickly, and so had
she. And Amelia was a good rider. “She’ll love it,” she whispered.

“I hope so,” said Max.

He set up a small cross rail with several poles spaced evenly on the ground in front of it. “Now, I want you to come through this one at a time,” he instructed the riders. “Go deep around the corner, get straight to the fence, and maintain an even pace throughout. Amelia, is this your first jump?”

Amelia’s face was a mixture of nervousness and excitement. “Yes,” she said.

“Then you go last, and watch the others. You should just concentrate on trotting Delilah exactly toward the center of the fence. Look over it, not at it. As you turn the corner, get into your two-point position, just as we practiced, and right before the fence, reach up and grab a handful of Delilah’s mane. She’ll do the rest. She knows all about jumping.”

“Okay.” Amelia took her place at the end of the line of riders.

“Come ahead, Jasmine,” Carole called. “Keep your heels down. Keep Outlaw steady. Good!”

One by one the kids jumped the fence. Joey lost his balance and had to catch himself on Penny’s mane, but everyone else jumped smoothly. They had all jumped before.

“Okay, Amelia,” Max said.

“Okay,” Amelia echoed. She gathered her reins and clucked to Delilah, who set off obligingly at a nice steady trot. Amelia guided her around the corner of the ring and headed her in a straight line toward the small fence.

Delilah tossed her head down, kicked her hind heels up, and jumped sideways. Amelia fought to keep her balance.

“Whoa!” commanded Max.

“Sit up!” yelled Carole. “Pull her head up!”

Amelia did all three and then added something on her own. She sat up, pulled Delilah’s head back up, and told the horse, “Steady.” Then she squeezed with her legs to make Delilah go forward. Delilah tossed her head. Amelia corrected her gently. With steely-eyed determination, she headed the horse straight for the fence. Delilah settled herself and jumped it.

Amelia brought Delilah to a controlled halt afterward, just as Max had told them all to do. “Way to go, Amelia!” May shouted, and the rest of the riders broke out in cheers.

When Carole reached Delilah’s side, she saw that Amelia was grinning from ear to ear. It was the first time that she’d seen Amelia look genuinely happy, she realized with a start.

“You did it,” Carole said. “Well done.”

Amelia patted Delilah’s neck over and over again. “I did, I really did!” she said. “I really jumped! Wait till my mom hears this!” To Max she added, “I think I know what’s
getting her upset. The sun is making a funny reflection off the side mirror on that truck over there. I think Delilah’s just tall enough so it hits her right in the eyes.”

Carole ducked through the fence and adjusted the mirror. “Good thinking,” Max told Amelia. “I like the fact that you looked for a reason for Delilah to spook. She doesn’t usually, so you’re probably right about the mirror. I also really, really, liked the way you dealt with her and still took the jump. You’re a good rider, Amelia.”

Amelia beamed. “Can we jump it again?” she asked. “I mean, may we? Please?”

The whole group jumped the fence five more times before Max called it quits. Delilah didn’t spook again. “If Amelia smiles any harder, her lips are going to cramp,” Carole told Max.

“Can you remember your first jump?” Max asked Carole.

Carole laughed. “Yes. My lips probably did cramp.”

A
S THEY WERE
walking back into the stable, Max slapped his hand against his forehead. “Carole, I forgot!” he said. “Judy came here this morning to see Starlight, really early. She left a note for you in the office, but all it says is to call her. She wants to talk to you about him.”

Happiness drained out of Carole like water out of a bathtub. “Did she say what was wrong with him?” Carole asked.

Max shook his head. “I wasn’t here yet. Red let Judy in.
I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. But you can use the office phone to call her.”

Carole went into the office and carefully shut the door. Her hands were shaking. She looked at the phone for a long time before she dialed Judy’s number. If it were something minor, Judy would have said so in her note. It had to be something bad. Navicular disease. Carole was sure.