“See!” Poppy peered over the door, where Henry was still flat out on his side. And – oh no! – his groans were getting louder now. They’d need to get the emergency vet. This was serious.
But to her surprise, Lainey chuckled!
“Ah,” Lainey said. “There’s something I forgot to tell you about Henry…”
Letting herself into the stable, Lainey gave Henry’s generous hindquarters a pat.
“Come on, old boy,” she said affectionately. She made a sort of chrrr, chrrr sound. “Time to get up, sleepy head!”
To Poppy’s amazement, Henry stopped groaning, lifted his head and looked crossly at Lainey.
“He’s always done this.” Lainey laughed as Henry clambered slowly to his feet and stretched luxuriously before shaking himself, shavings flying off his dark-brown coat like snow. His mane was sticking up and he had an enormous stable stain down the side of his tummy from where he had lain in poo. Bright-eyed, the little pony nudged Lainey.
“He pretends he can’t hear you,” Lainey explained, giving him a hug. “He knows he can’t get away with it with me, so I expect he thought he’d try it on with you!”
“Oh.” Poppy slumped with relief. “But what about his tummy? It was rumbling really loudly, and he was making all those groaning noises. Like he was in pain!”
There was a stifled giggle from outside the stable and, looking up, Poppy flushed as she saw Izzy laughing with Daisy, obviously listening to every word. Lainey glanced at them and gave a little frown.
“I’m really pleased you’re so observant,” she said kindly but louder, as if making sure Izzy and Daisy could really hear her. “And you’re right, it could have been that Henry was seriously ill from what you saw of him lying down. But actually a rumbly tummy is perfectly healthy, and some are just rumblier than others. And the groaning noises … well, that’s just Henry. He’s got quite a sense of humour. I’ve had to wake him up for every single afternoon lesson since he arrived here ten years ago!”
Henry looked sideways at Poppy. It was almost as though he was smiling. So Izzy was right again, Poppy thought in dismay.
“There’s no time to groom,” Lainey continued, flicking a few shavings off with her hands. “Don’t worry about the stable stain, we’ll sort that later.” She paused and smiled at Poppy. “And well done for coming to find me. That was the right thing to do – never ignore your instincts.”
Poppy nodded, feeling a mixture of relief and pride at Lainey’s words, and a growing sense of embarrassment. Izzy and Daisy had scurried off, no longer laughing, which made her feel slightly better, but she still felt really silly.
She wished she could spend a bit of time smoothing out Henry’s mane but they were running late. Soon he was all tacked up and being led out to join the others, who were waiting for them in the outdoor arena. In the line-up of ponies, there was only one that Poppy really saw – her beautiful Misty, his coat sparkling white, his mane perfect. Izzy was wearing a gorgeous pair of soft sand-coloured breeches and long chestnut-leather boots. Poppy’s cheeks grew hot as she looked down at the bright-pink jodhpurs. Gracie might like them but she didn’t. They’d do while she rode Henry but when she was good enough to ride Misty, she was going to dress just like Izzy.
“Up down, up down. Good!” Lainey called from the centre of the arena as Poppy completed her solo lap of the school. Henry’s trot was bouncy but she felt surprisingly secure in the saddle, his bristly mane and neck solid in front of her, the plaited reins cool in her hands. Henry never went faster or slower than required. But as Poppy glanced in the mirror she saw that, despite her best efforts, Henry’s neck stuck out, his muzzle held low. It hardly looked elegant – there was no outline at all. In her books, it said you needed to use your seat and legs to encourage the pony to work into an outline rather than use your hands to force it to arch its neck.
But Henry just trotted around and Poppy felt he would probably do exactly the same whatever she tried to do. Instead she concentrated on her position, feeling sure Henry wouldn’t try to take off or buck or anything else she’d been worried about. She wanted to be able to canter on him perfectly for the beach ride in just two days’ time.
By contrast, Misty looked magical. His neck was beautifully rounded into the perfect outline and Izzy’s hands were soft on the reins. It was as though she was hardly moving in the saddle as she asked the grey to canter, which he did with a powerful leap forward. As he danced around the school, Poppy imagined that riding him was probably the best feeling in the world. She nudged Henry into a safe but lumbering canter at last, holding on to a handful of bristly mane as well as her reins, and sighed. She couldn’t wait to find out for herself just what it was like to ride that beautiful grey pony.
A big part of camp was pony care. After supper, Poppy refilled Henry’s water bucket before cleaning out his stable and stuffing his hay net. Although one of the main reasons she’d opted to stay at camp was so that she could just hang out with Misty in the evenings, she found herself chatting away to Henry. Henry seemed to listen, a serious expression on his face as she recounted her day.
But it didn’t feel right to tell Henry about her plan to become a better rider on him so she could ride Misty! Despite his earlier performance in the stable, Poppy was very grateful to Henry for behaving nicely in the lesson. Letting herself out of Henry’s stable, she smiled as Misty whickered at her. Izzy wasn’t around so, crossing the yard, Poppy hugged him, breathing in the lemony-fly-spray-mixed-with-horse smell, feeling his coat silken and cool against her cheek.
“Good night. I love you so much,” she whispered. “And I’ve got a plan.”
It was OK to tell Misty now Henry was out of earshot. She reached up to stroke his forelock. “You see, what I’m going to do is to make sure I can ride you one day – very soon too.” She gave him one last hug, finally tearing herself away. But as she started to head back to the barn where her new friends were waiting for her to play rounders, she heard a throaty whicker and turned to see Henry peering at her over his stable door, his head bobbing up and down. Quickly running back, she planted a kiss on his muzzle, laughing as his bristly chin tickled her.
“And good night to you.”
Misty might be her dream pony, but Henry was very sweet too!
CHAPTER 6
Everyone was excited about the jumping lesson the next morning. The children were going to be taught by Jade, Vale Farm’s riding instructor. She kept her horse, a beautiful grey showjumper, at the yard. Poppy knew Jade had started out as a Saturday helper at the stables, and Poppy hoped to impress her in the jumping lessons. She made sure she was in the yard early to give herself time to smarten Henry up, and after brushing his dark-brown coat, applying hoof polish and using a special spray on his mane, her hard work paid off. Henry looked lovely, and he’d really enjoyed the extra pampering too. Poppy still longed to be brushing the silken white of Misty’s coat but it had been really rewarding giving Henry a special makeover. And it was even better when Jade complimented her.
“Wow, Henry!” Jade said. “You look ever so smart. Well done, Poppy.”
But even though Henry looked smart, it didn’t give him any extra oomph in his jumping lesson.
“Come on, Henry!” Jade called in an encouraging voice as Poppy had her turn over the little course. “See if you can canter on, Poppy.”
But despite Poppy’s best efforts, Henry barely broke out of a trot and hardly jumped the first cross-pole, merely lifting his legs a little higher. Poppy couldn’t help but feel deflated, especially as Misty and Izzy had soared gracefully over everything. She needed to show Jade what she could do so Jade could tell Lainey, Poppy thought. This was so important.
Determinedly, she gave Henry an extra nudge with her heels as they turned down to a straight bar. Leaning over the saddle, she tried to urge him on, moving her hands around to try to encourage him. But to her horror, Henry just got slower and slower until he came to a complete stop, thrusting his big head downwards and
nudging at the pole with his muzzle. Totally unbalanced and unable to stop herself, Poppy did a complete somersault over his neck in awful slow motion. As the rest of the class broke into giggles, she found herself sitting on the sand with Henry gazing down at her, tickling her cheek with his bristly whiskers.
Jade came over to Poppy and gave her a hand up. “All OK?” she asked, looking concerned.
Poppy nodded. She wasn’t hurt, just embarrassed. “Yes,” she mumbled. “Why did he do that?”
Jade smiled. “I know you didn’t mean to but when you moved your hands around like that, you pulled at his mouth,” she said in the same kind tone Lainey had used the day before when Poppy had been convinced Henry had colic. “You were urging him on and pulling back all at the same time, so he took matters into his own hands, or hooves, really. When it comes to jumping Henry, you just need to let him be.”
“What do you mean?” Poppy said miserably, wiping sand from the bright-pink jodhpurs.
“I mean just that,” Jade explained. “Henry might not be the most stylish but he’s safe, so you can concentrate on your jumping position. He doesn’t like being hurried or told what to do. He knows what to do. Here, have another go.” And she legged Poppy up into the saddle before Poppy could think about it.
Poppy took a deep breath and turned Henry back down to a little cross-pole. She didn’t want to embarrass herself again, especially as she was sure she’d seen Izzy smirk. This time she left Henry’s mouth well alone, just as Jade had said. She simply concentrated on sitting up straight before folding neatly as Henry, ears pricked, leapt over the poles in a surprisingly nimble fashion. And as Poppy landed, she couldn’t help but grin. That was more like it!
As Poppy went back into line after a few more successful jumps, Sophie leaned over with a smile. “See! Told you you’d have a brilliant time with Henry.”
Poppy smiled back.
“I am,” she said. And it was totally true! She had barely thought about Misty while she was jumping.
Jade called all the riders around her.
“I think it’s time for some fun and games,” she said. “What do you all say to some gymkhana races?”
Everyone whooped, apart from Izzy and her friend Daisy, who just wrinkled their noses a bit.
Jack, who’d been sitting on the fence watching, leapt down and joined the group. “Jade, can I set up the games?”
Jade nodded. “Go on then,” she said. “Let’s think of some good ones.”
Poppy tried to listen carefully as Jade and Jack explained the rules of each game and divided the group into two teams. She smiled at Gracie and Willow as Jade pointed for her to join their side, but her tummy flipped over as Jade sent Izzy to their team too. She glanced around her. Everyone looked as though they knew what they were doing. But Poppy had never taken part in a gymkhana. And then there was the added pressure of trying to make Henry canter!
Waiting her turn on the first relay race, Poppy hoped she wouldn’t make a fool of herself as she nudged Henry and grabbed a baton from a laughing Gracie. She had to ride round the barrels that had been set up in a line, moving a cup from one barrel to the next before handing the baton to the next rider in the team.
“Come on, Henry!” Gracie called, slowing Bobby down as Poppy urged Henry on.
But as Henry steered in and out of the barrels, Poppy relaxed, realising he was actually really good at games! He seemed to be helping her, getting as close as possible to the barrel when she had to pick up the cup, turning his body so he was at exactly the right angle before leaping forward as if determined to win.
The next game was a simple bending race and Henry showed a surprising turn of speed. When it came to the race where each rider had to carry a cup of water from one side of the arena to the other, he seemed to trot extra carefully as Poppy held the full cup without spilling a drop.
In the next race, Poppy had to dismount after trotting to a pole and run back as fast as she could, getting Henry to follow her as she clutched a treat in her hand. Ears pricked, his big heavy hooves scuffing up the sand as he trotted behind her, Henry gobbled up the treat at the finish line, a look of delight on his face. Rosy-cheeked and laughing, Poppy gave him a huge hug. She hadn’t thought Henry was really capable of such speed – maybe he would actually be able to keep up with the others on the beach ride!
“Awesome!” Willow cheered. “You’ve just won us that race. I reckon we can win the whole thing!”
“A draw so far.” Jade clapped her hands. “It all depends on this last race. Ride up, swap ponies, ride back. Fastest team wins!”
Poppy held her breath as Jade quickly organised the riders into pairs. With growing excitement, Poppy realised the pony she was going to swap to was Misty. It might only be a quick canter back through some poles, but it didn’t matter. The fun of riding Henry in the games was nothing compared to this, and any achievement from the jumping session was quickly forgotten. Finally she’d ride her dream pony, her Silver Shadow!
CHAPTER 7
Everyone was in high spirits but Izzy didn’t look happy about the pony swap. Reaching the end of the arena, Poppy leapt off Henry in one swift movement, ready to hand her reins to Izzy, who dismounted much more slowly with an eye roll. Poppy could hardly believe it was happening as she swung herself into Misty’s saddle. She’d grown used to Henry, so sturdy and wide. For a split second she found herself missing the lovely feeling of safety Henry gave her, with his broad back and solid neck. But she shook that thought away. Riding Misty was everything she had dreamed of, after all!
“Well, we’d better at least try to win.” Izzy grimaced and gave Henry a hard nudge. “Oh my goodness, he’s so ploddy and fat!”
Poppy frowned. She knew Henry wouldn’t like being nudged like that, and it wasn’t kind to say he was ploddy!
“He’s not! You don’t need to—” But her words were lost as Izzy pushed Henry into a lumbering canter, as if she wanted to get her ride on him over and done with as quickly as possible. Following close behind, Misty also broke into a canter and it was as though he was flying, his feet barely seeming to touch the ground. Despite feeling bad for Henry, Poppy couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Riding Misty was even better than she’d imagined.
But as they neared the finish line, Henry slowed up and trotted straight into their path, heading for the open bag of treats Jade had left on the side. Izzy looked furious, trying to steer him back to the finish line. They weren’t close to Poppy and Misty, but to Poppy’s horror Misty veered and spooked. Poppy had to use all her strength to stay on, her feet flying out of their stirrups as she grasped a handful of Misty’s silky mane. Red faced, she wriggled back into the saddle in an undignified manner and managed to finally cross the finish line.
Poppy felt a stab of disappointment. Not only had they just lost the race, meaning the other team had won overall, but that had been her chance to show Lainey and Jade how well she could ride Misty and she’d almost fallen off! She slid down the saddle and hugged him tight as he nestled into her, exactly as he did when she visited him in his field.
“He’s never done that with me!” Izzy called as she rode over. “He obviously knew he had a novice on his back.”
Poppy glared at her. It wasn’t Misty’s fault – after all, Izzy had let Henry cross their path. She looked at Henry, who was still gazing longingly at the treats, and felt cross with him. Izzy might have lost control but it was greedy Henry who had caused the spook. She gave Misty a pat.
“I will get better,” Poppy whispered to him. “And I’ll ride you again, I promise.”
She looked up. Izzy was now laughing with Daisy.
“Bet you didn’t think you’d have to ride him!” Daisy grimaced.
“Oh, don’t.” Izzy scowled, thrusting Henry’s reins back to Poppy. “Thank goodness Lainey paired me with Misty.”
Poppy looked at Henry, at his big, soft eyes, and any feelings of irritation quickly disappeared. Poor sweet Henry! It was a good thing he couldn’t unders
tand what the girls were saying. Giving Misty a final pat, Poppy took Henry’s reins and gave him a big hug.
“You did brilliantly, boy,” she said loudly, hoping Izzy and Daisy would feel guilty for being so mean. She had been mean too, she thought, feeling guilty herself. “You helped us win the treat race!”
Lainey came over, a smile on her face.
“Wow!” she said to Poppy. “You rode Misty really nicely there. You did well keeping him calm after the spook and that was a lovely canter. Henry is teaching you well.”
Poppy felt a bubble of happiness grow.
“Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” Lainey continued thoughtfully as everyone headed back to the stables. “Your concern for Henry yesterday, and your brilliant stable management have really made me think. I’ve got a Saturday space free – it’ll be a morning helping on the yard, in exchange for a lesson. I wondered if you’d like to take the place?”
“Oh, wow!” Poppy gasped. “Yes, please. I’d love that.”
“I’ll talk to your mum,” Lainey said with a smile. “Then you’ve got some pony time to look forward to after camp.”
Once Lainey had gone, Poppy looked over at Misty, her beautiful Misty. If she was going to be at Vale Farm each week, surely this meant she might have a chance to ride him more regularly? Her plan was working. But as Henry ambled back to his stable, ears pricked, a merry swing to his walk, she automatically placed an arm around his neck. Misty was her dream, but Henry was the one helping her achieve it!
“Wakey-wakey, sleepyhead!”
Sophie nudged Poppy, who groaned and reached for her watch. She had been certain she was going to wake up before her alarm, but all the riding and fresh air had made her super tired! Blearily she sat up in her camp bed and looked outside where the first rays of sunshine were creeping up over the paddocks, catching the horseshoe, making it sparkle in the early morning light.
Poppy and the Perfect Pony Page 3
