Sophie and the Spooky Pony

by Olivia Tuffin

  “Yes, but I promise I shut his stable door properly. I checked it twice,” she said all in a rush. “I think it was…”

  “Rosie,” Sophie and Lainey said at exactly the same time. They looked at each other. Then Lainey smiled.

  “How did you know about Rosie?” she asked gently.

  “I met Mary up by the gate yesterday when I was poo picking,” Sophie explained. “We were talking and she told me all about Rosie and you bottle-feeding Fable.”

  Lainey gave a small smile. “Ah, lovely Mary. She was such a help to me back then,” she said. “It feels like yesterday, that awful night. But at least I was able to see Fable survive and grow so strong. Rosie was the best pony.”

  “Does she, Rosie I mean, really visit the yard?” Sophie asked.

  “Well,” Lainey said, “I think so. But she’s never actually let a pony out before. I haven’t heard anything for years, but the ponies have been acting so oddly these last few days, I did wonder. And with Gorse loose … well, I just couldn’t help but think it was her. They have the same sense of humour so I think they would have been friends.” She paused, looking far away. “I was just thinking about her the other week. I kept her horseshoes, but we lost one ages ago. They were engraved. I was wondering about having another search.”

  Sophie felt really bad. It had to be the horseshoe she and her friends had found and hung on the barn wall when they’d arrived at camp. Rosie, or Rosalina, was the brave pony, and the inscription was about her. It was so sad! She had to tell Lainey the truth.

  “I know where it is,” she said quietly, and told Lainey about how they’d found it in the dust under the oak tree. “We hung it in the barn, for luck,” she finished, hanging her head. “I’m sorry, we didn’t know what the writing meant.” She hoped Lainey wouldn’t be cross.

  But Lainey looked thoughtful, and there was a pause.

  “Actually,” she finally said in a kind voice, “I think that’s the perfect place for it. Rosie adored children. She would have loved camp, just like Gorse. Let’s keep it there.”

  They smiled at each other and then, before Sophie could reply, a white van came bumping up the drive. Lainey waved as a woman and a man got out.

  “Here’s the wildlife rescue team,” she said. “We’d better show them where your fox is.”

  “Whew!”

  Sophie yawned and rubbed her eyes. It had taken ages, but the man and the woman from the rescue centre had trapped the fox and put it in a special box for transportation.

  “He looks fine,” Lainey’s friend had explained to Sophie. “His leg doesn’t appear to be broken and we can treat the cut back at the centre. He should make a complete recovery and we can release him again when he’s better.”

  Sophie was really happy she and Gorse had managed to save the little creature. But now she was exhausted!

  “You get back to bed.” Lainey patted her arm. She had helped Sophie pull a water container over to Gorse’s door to keep it extra secure. “It’s been quite a night! Come on, I’ll walk you over.”

  But as Lainey opened the door to the barn, Sophie’s friends sat up in their camp beds, blinking sleepily at her and looking confused.

  “Sophie?” Willow whispered. “What’s going on?”

  Sophie smiled. “I know you won’t believe me, but the most amazing thing has just happened!”

  CHAPTER 10

  “I can’t get over it. After all that –” Amina paused, leaning on her stable fork – “it was a fox spooking the ponies!”

  Despite the excitement of the night before, the girls were up early, mucking out their ponies and grooming them, ready for the cross-country lesson that morning.

  Sophie laughed. “I know,” she said. “Who knew something so small could cause such a commotion?”

  Amina laughed too. Then she looked serious. “I’m sorry we didn’t believe you yesterday, round the campfire,” she said. “And about the prints. You were totally telling the truth.”

  “That’s OK,” Sophie replied. “If I hadn’t seen the fox for myself, I wouldn’t have believed it either! And I did exaggerate, just a little bit.”

  Then she yawned. It had been quite an adventure! The girls hadn’t gone straight to sleep after Sophie had come back into the barn. They’d wanted to know every detail about the fox rescue. She still hadn’t told them about Rosie and Fable, but she had brushed her hand over the horseshoe when no one was looking. She’d tell them that story another time. For now, she concentrated on mucking out, making sure the shavings were swept up neatly. She hadn’t needed Jack’s help today! She’d done a great job by herself, she thought, looking at the tidy stable in satisfaction.

  Once everyone had eaten breakfast, it was time to tack up and head over to the cross-country field with Jade. Now the fox had been caught, the atmosphere was calm again and the ponies were all well behaved with no hint of nervousness.

  Swinging herself up into Gorse’s saddle, Sophie gave him a pat. She’d been looking forward to this lesson all camp. Cross-country was exhilarating and fast and daring; she frowned, thinking of her brothers and what they said about pony riding. If this wasn’t a sport, she didn’t know what was!

  “Brilliant, Sophie!” Jade called. Sophie and Gorse had just flown over a log and were now turning towards a tyre fence and then the drop into water. Leaning forward in the saddle, completely balanced as her hands gave a little on the plaited reins, Sophie felt the wind whip past her cheeks as Gorse jumped perfectly over the tyres. Then on to the drop and, splash, into the water they flew, Sophie leaning back as they jumped down, the droplets showering both her and the little Exmoor. This was amazing! Like riding round Badminton! Grinning from ear to ear as she slowed to a bouncy trot, Sophie gave Gorse a hug.

  “Wow!”

  Sophie looked up as she heard a familiar voice and gave a start. She hadn’t expected visitors!

  “Mum?” she said. “Samuel?”

  Sophie’s brother Samuel was dressed in his football training kit. He gave her a wave. As Sophie rode over, Samuel reached his hand out and patted Gorse cautiously.

  “We were on the way back from morning training, so I asked if I could stop in and see how you were getting on,” Sophie’s mum explained. “Brilliantly, I can see!”

  “Yes,” Sophie said with a smile. “It’s been great.”

  Then she steeled herself for some rude comment from Samuel. Probably something about how riding was boring, or how ponies smelt, or how he hadn’t wanted to come. But Samuel was still stroking Gorse, and looking impressed.

  “That’s actually quite cool, Sophie,” he said, and Sophie looked at him in surprise. “I didn’t realise you did all that – going fast and jumping over all those big things.”

  Sophie grinned. “Told ya! But I had to learn those things. It’s not as easy as it looks!”

  “You’ll be wanting to try next, Samuel!” her mum laughed, but Samuel looked serious.

  “Could I?”

  Sophie nearly fell off Gorse in amazement. “They have beginner lessons on Tuesday nights,” she said, still unsure if her brother was having her on or not. “If you’re serious…?”

  “That’s one of your training nights,” Sophie’s mum reminded Samuel, but Samuel shrugged.

  “It wouldn’t matter if I missed one, just to try,” he said, and Sophie smiled at him.

  “That’s all right with me!” Sophie’s mum said, winking at Sophie.

  Sophie smiled back with a shake of her head. That was the last thing she had expected! Laughing, she reached down to hug her mum and brother and rode back to rejoin her group. She’d have so much to talk to her grandmother about! And now she’d have her own amazing stories to share.

  Sophie put Gorse back into his stable after the lesson, laughing as he wibbled his lip against her hand, hoping for a treat. Giving his forelock a stroke, she thought about what had happened the previous evening. It seemed like a dream now. She hoped the little fox was doing OK. Lainey’s friend from the wildli
fe centre had promised to keep Lainey updated, and Lainey had told Sophie the fox was eating and drinking and already looking brighter. Giving Gorse a final hug, Sophie crossed back over the yard, but stopped, sensing something behind her. Even in the warm sunshine, just for a second, she felt an icy prickle down her spine. The fox was gone. Could it be…?

  But as she turned round, the sight that greeted her made her laugh out loud. Mini, the tame sheep that Lainey had long given up trying to keep in one place, was pawing at the kick bolt on Gorse’s door. It took her a few attempts, but finally her little hoof pushed the bolt down and she gave a triumphant flick of her short woolly tail. Looking Sophie directly in the eye, Gorse then lowered his head and started to nibble at the top latch. He would have been halfway to getting it free if Sophie hadn’t stopped him, shooing Mini, who skipped joyfully away.

  “I don’t believe it!”

  Sophie hadn’t realised Lainey was in the yard, but she appeared by Sophie’s side, a big smile on her face.

  “Mini!” Lainey gently scolded the little sheep, who was now enjoying a luxurious scratch against the mounting block. “I knew you were clever, but that’s something else. Teaming up with the most mischievous pony on the yard too! We’ll have to Mini-proof the stables somehow.”

  “Do you think that’s what happened last night?” Sophie said. “I know I checked his door.”

  Lainey nodded. “Yes,” she said. “I expect it was. I reckon Mini’s been practising.”

  “I prefer imagining it was Rosie,” Sophie said without thinking. “I’m sure she and Gorse would have been friends, like you said.” Then she bit her lip, worried she’d been insensitive somehow.

  There was a pause, and Lainey’s eyes looked glossy. Then she put a hand on Sophie’s arm.

  “Do you know,” she said quietly, “so do I. Let’s go on thinking that.”

  And then she smiled and carried on across the yard towards Bertie’s stable. Sophie grinned and reached up to pat Gorse. His eyes were merry, as if he’d been caught out. But then Sophie noticed something and peered closer.

  There were two hoofprints on the concrete right under his door. The sort Sophie would see on the roads after horses walked past. Gorse was unshod, so his feet didn’t really leave marks. Reaching down, Sophie traced them with her finger. There could be lots of explanations she knew. But she had a feeling – something told her these were no ordinary hoofprints.

  For a second, she thought about running to tell her friends, to elaborate the story and spook them all after the events of last night. They’d totally believe her too. But she didn’t need to. She didn’t need to play pranks, to be the loudest, or the most entertaining. All she needed was to be around ponies, to let them tell their stories, to share her own with them. She only had to be herself. So instead she smiled and hugged her beautiful pony close. This was a secret just for her and Gorse.

  ARE YOU A PERFECT PONY PRO? TAKE THIS QUIZ TO FIND OUT!

  1 WHAT IS THE UNUSUAL TERM USED TO DESCRIBE AN EXMOOR PONY’S EYES?

  a) Frog eyes

  b) Toad eyes

  c) Tadpole eyes

  2 WHICH SIDE SHOULD YOU MOUNT, DISMOUNT AND LEAD A PONY FROM?

  a) The near side

  b) Whichever is closest and most convenient

  c) The off side

  3 HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE ON THE CORRECT CANTER LEAD IN THE ARENA?

  a) The inside foreleg will reach furthest forward

  b) The outside foreleg will reach furthest forward

  c) It doesn’t matter about correct legs in the arena, only out hacking

  4 WHICH OF THESE ARE NOT A NATIVE PONY BREED TO BRITAIN?

  a) The Fell pony

  b) The Shetland pony

  c) The Konik pony

  5 WHAT COLOUR FLAGS ARE TRADITIONALLY USED ON CROSS-COUNTRY FENCES?

  a) Red and white

  b) Pink and neon yellow

  c) Lime green and black polka dots

  6 WHAT PLANT THAT GROWS IN FIELDS IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR PONIES?

  a) Blackberries

  b) Ragwort

  c) Cow parsley

  7 WHICH COLOUR IS NOT ALLOWED IN THE EXMOOR BREED?

  a) Brown

  b) Bay

  c) Grey

  8 WHAT DO YOU CALL A FOAL’S MOTHER?

  a) Sire

  b) Dam

  c) Colt

  9 WHAT IS THE SMALLEST PONY BREED?

  a) Shetland

  b) Fallabella

  c) Dartmoor

  10 WHICH OF THESE IS NOT A TYPE OF CROSS-COUNTRY FENCE?

  a) Tiger trap

  b) Coffin

  c) Passage

  ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ!

  Answers: 1b, 2a, 3a, 4c, 5a, 6b, 7c, 8b, 9b, 10c

  COPYRIGHT

  First published in the UK in 2021 by Nosy Crow Ltd

  The Crow’s Nest, 14 Baden Place, Crosby Row

  London, SE1 1YW, UK

  Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd

  Text copyright © Olivia Tuffin, 2021

  Illustrations copyright © Jo Goodberry, 2021

  The right of Olivia Tuffin and Jo Goodberry to be identified as the authors and illustrator respectively of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 978 1 78800 822 8

  eISBN: 978 1 78800 800 6

  A CIP catalogue record for this book will be available from the British Library.

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of Nosy Crow Ltd.

  Printed and bound in the UK by Clays Ltd, Elcograf S.p.A.

  Papers used by Nosy Crow are made from wood grown in sustainable forests.

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