CHAPTER SIX
“I need a horse,” I said.
Dad was in the office with Missy but I didn’t want to get into a whole thing right now. I’d wait until Missy went to the store to get the baby formula before I tried to tackle my dad with the big issues. Right now all that mattered was being able to ride with Mickey so that I could tell her everything.
“What?” Dad said, looking up from the desk.
“Is there a horse that needs to be worked? I’m just trying to be helpful here,” I added when I noticed that Missy was glaring at me.
“I suppose,” Dad said. He looked at the schedule on his desk. “Popcorn and Ballycat both need to be worked today. Take your pick.”
“Oh,” I groaned. “No one else?”
“Popcorn or Ballycat,” Dad said again, this time his voice firm.
“Okay great, thank you,” I said, disappearing before he changed his mind altogether.
“Did you get a horse?” Mickey asked when I went back to the tack room.
“Sort of,” I said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
“Never mind.” I shook my head.
Popcorn was a Fox Run lesson horse gone rogue. She was an Appaloosa with a mean streak and a nasty case of fungus. She’d been taken out of the lesson rotation while her skin healed but now that it had, she was still acting out with even the most advanced students, dumping them left and right whenever she felt like it with her crafty spook. No one wanted to ride her. Not even me.
Ballycat was a new lesson pony. He had a pretty blaze and white socks and the long eyelashes that everyone fell in love with the moment that they saw him. What he didn’t have was a back bone. Literally everything scared him. Bushes. Plants. Jumps. The bucket that he’d seen fifty million times already. He was so busy being afraid that he forgot to do everything else, including listen to his riders. No one wanted to ride him either.
It was like being forced to pick between two really bad choices. Neither one of them was going to be fun and since Missy was trying to strengthen her atrophied riding muscles, I didn’t see why she couldn’t work them instead but they were both out of the program and in what my father liked to call a rehabilitation time out. Which really meant that if they didn’t buck their ideas up and pull their weight then they couldn’t stay at Fox Run as lesson horses. They’d be sold and lets face it, who would want to buy a horse that dumped you off whenever she felt like it or one that was afraid of his own shadow?
So I decided to suck it up and ride them, even though I knew my father had assigned them to me as a sort of punishment for my behavior that morning. But if I made them both better riding horses and they could stay at Fox Run then I’d have done something good. Missy wouldn’t be able to say that I wasn’t pulling my weight and my father would see what an asset I was to have around. So what if they weren’t super awesome jumpers? I couldn’t get that lucky all the time. Life wasn’t like that.
“Should I ride the one that is going to spend the whole ride trying to dump me off or the one that is going to spend the whole ride freaking out about everything?” I asked Mickey.
She just looked at me and laughed.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Since I actually wanted to get somewhere and didn’t want to spend the whole ride going backwards, I went with the horse who was probably going to dump me off multiple times instead of the one who would crawl along like a scared turtle.
“Come on,” I said as I put the halter on Popcorn.
She’d glared at me when I opened her stall door and refused to come when I called her, standing in the back by the waterer ignoring me and hoping that I would just go away.
“It’s not going to happen,” I told her. “You are my project now and that sucks for you because I’m going to whip your butt back into shape. You’ll be toting beginners around the ring again in no time.”
She pinned her ears but let me take her out to the cross ties where she acted like I was killing her when I tried to brush her.
“Your fungus has gone now,” I said. “And I’m using the softest brush so deal with it.”
But mares didn’t like to just deal with things. If she was a gelding, I could have got away with something like that but she wasn’t. And Applaoosas were hardly shy about hiding their feelings. She kicked out with her back leg while I was brushing her rump and just narrowly grazed my shin. Within one second I’d replied to her protest with a swift smack on the rump which echoed loudly down the barn aisle. A little girl with braids and ribbons was walking by. She looked up at me all horrified and then at Popcorn, who was standing there trying to look like she was the most abused horse in the history of the world.
“Trust me,” I told the little girl, rubbing my hand. “It hurt me more than it hurt her.”
The girl walked off but I could tell she didn’t believe me.
“When you’re done beating up that horse, I’ll be out in the dressage ring waiting for you,” Mickey called out from the end of the barn.
“Very funny,” I said.
She disappeared with Hampton and I went to get the tack for Popcorn. Each lesson horse had their own open faced locker with their bridle and equipment. The saddles went with the riders, most of the Fox Run riders bringing their own and the lesson saddles were lined up on racks that jutted out of the wall, being matched to the size of the rider more than that of the horse.
I lifted out the bridle that Popcorn usually went in, noticing that she was in an awfully harsh bit. It was a kimberwick, the reins looped through the bottom slat so that the curb action would be more severe. I stood there looking at it, wondering why. Most of our lesson horses went in snaffles. Only a few of the naughty ponies went in anything more than that. I fiddled with the reins, taking them off and putting them through the top slat instead.
“I’m trying to be kind to you,” I told Popcorn as she opened her mouth to take the bit. “And if you’re really good and don’t run off with me, I’ll see about getting you switched to a nicer bit. Okay?”
And it wasn’t that I was against hard bits because brakes were kind of one of the most important things to have and if you couldn’t stop your horse then you were in big trouble. But the lesson horses got their mouths yanked on by beginners day in and day out and it was nicer for them if that yanking didn’t give them dead mouths.
Mickey was out working in the dressage ring by the time I got Popcorn out there. She was trotting down the long side, trying to get Hampton collected. I thought he looked pretty good but as she saw me and slowed him to a walk, she shook her head.
“I think we’re just going backwards in our training,” she said.
“You looked fine to me.” I shrugged.
“Tell that to Miss. Fontain,” she replied.
“Oh no.” I laughed. “You are on your own with that one.”
The Fox Run dressage instructor hadn’t exactly been my biggest fan since Arion jumped out of the dressage ring at the last show. I’d tried to tell everyone that he was not a dressage horse but I just kept getting an earful about good foundations and all that stuff and look where that had led me. My horse was worse off than he’d been before.
“So,” Mickey said. “Are we going out on the trail?”
“Yes,” I said, looking around to make sure that no one was watching us. “I want to show you something.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
I could tell almost at once what Popcorn’s problem was and it had nothing to do with her fungus or the fact that she was sour. I’d known as soon as I looked at that bridle in the tack room. It was her mouth. When I took up contact on the reins, she threw her head up and darted sideways. Lucky for me my legs were stronger than ever thanks to a week at the Young Riders clinic where I’d ridden twice a day in intensive lessons in which we were often told to remove our stirrups. I closed my legs around her sides and sent her forward, keeping the reins slack.
“This is going to be fun,” Mickey said, laughing as Popcorn hopped sidew
ays towards the trail.
“Well at least this will take my mind off all the awful things that are happening,” I said.
“What awful things?”
“You’ll see.”
We trotted across the field and into the woods. I kept the reins loose, holding them practically at the buckle. Popcorn seemed to like that but it didn’t change the fact that she still wasn’t fond of having a rider on her back and she’d amassed a big bag of tricks in her arsenal after dumping off lesson students day after day. She tried them all on me. The sudden dart to the side. The tippy false rear. The awkward buck. None of them dislodged me and in the end it seemed as though she’d given up.
“Okay to canter?” Mickey called out.
“Might as well,” I replied. “She can’t have much else left to try.”
So we cantered through the woods, following Hampton’s bay rump. He took a wide berth around the fallen logs but I pointed Popcorn right at them. I figured that I might as well give her something else to think about other than tossing me off into the bushes. She pinned her ears as I closed my legs around her sides and encouraged her to move forward and she jumped the tiny jumps but she still wasn’t happy about it. When we got closer to the makeshift paddock where I’d found Arion, I motioned to Mickey that we should walk.
Popcorn pinned her ears at Hampton as they came in alongside us, snapping her teeth at him.
“Mares.” I shook my head, letting her have a little more space.
“Are you going to tell me what we are doing out here now?” Mickey asked, looking around. “I don’t think I’ve been in this part of the woods before.”
“Neither had I,” I said. “Until this morning when I just happened to find my horse out here.”
We’d reached the makeshift paddock and I pointed to it. The gate was still open and flies were already buzzing around the piles of manure that Arion had left behind.
“What are you talking about?” Mickey said, looking confused.
“So you didn’t know then?” I said.
“Know what?”
“That Arion had been put out here like some old dog that someone just dumped in the woods and hoped wouldn’t find its way home.”
“Of course not,” she cried.
I felt so relieved. The fact that maybe my best friend had known what was going on and hadn’t bothered to tell me had been stuck in the back of my mind all day.
“Don’t you think I would have told you if Arion had suddenly disappeared from the barn?”
“I thought you would have,” I said. “But you didn’t.”
“That’s because I’ve been grounded,” she said.
We got off our horses and loosened their girths, letting them graze around us as we sat on the leafy grass.
“What did you do to get grounded?” I said.
“It was nothing. I don’t even really think it was a big deal,” she said.
“What did you do?” I groaned.
“I snuck out of the house to go and get ice cream with Ethan.”
“So you’re still a couple then?” I said.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged.
Ethan had been riding with us since we were all at Sand Hill and even though he’d now given up show jumping for eventing, he still rode at Fox Run and lately Mickey had sort of fallen in love with him. Not that it really meant anything. She fell in love with lots of boys. No, she fell in love with all the boys. In fact I was surprised that she hadn’t scared Ethan off by now which was why I was amazed to hear that she was managing to contain herself.
“Well what was the problem? Don’t your parents like Ethan? He’s smart and funny and he rides horses. He’s not in a rock band and he doesn’t have a bunch of tattoos or anything like the guys you are usually attracted to.”
“I know,” she said. “And they do like him. It’s just that it was my grandma’s ninetieth birthday party.”
“You skipped out on your own grandmother’s birthday party to go out with a boy?” I said.
“A cute boy.” She shrugged.
“You are incorrigible.”
“I know.” She grinned. “So now that I’ve told you all my dirty secrets, are you going to tell me yours?”
“I guess so,” I said.
CHAPTER NINE
I told Mickey all about how Missy wanted to send Arion away. She couldn’t believe it. Saying the words out loud, I could hardly believe it myself.
“Why is she interfering in your business?” Mickey asked.
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “But it’s like she changed while I was away.”
“Well she did start riding again,” Mickey said. “Maybe she realizes how far you’ve come and how far she’s fallen behind.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But even if she thinks that I’m some kind of threat to her, Arion isn’t. He’s just an ex-racehorse who is still learning the ropes. Why does she hate him?”
“He did almost kill her,” Mickey said.
“But that was only because she stuck her nose in where it didn’t belong. I told them that I didn’t want anyone to work him while I was gone. It’s not my fault she didn’t listen to me. Why would she mess with him anyway?”
Mickey pulled at the blades of grass, holding them out for Hampton who came over and ate them out of her hand.
“I think you know why,” she said. “You already guessed it. She’s afraid that you’re getting better than her.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said. “She rode in the Olympics. She’s a million times better than I am.”
“No,” Mickey said. “She was. She had a baby, remember? Her body got all stretched out and her muscles are all out of shape. Have you seen her lately? She’s not exactly fit.”
“But she will be,” I said. “And I still don’t know why she has to take it out on me.”
We sat there in silence for a while, listening to the horses grazing around us. The sunlight spilled through the trees and dappled the ground. Every time that Popcorn thought Hampton was getting too close to her, she pinned her ears at him but Hampton was kind of dense. He didn’t pay any attention to her at all.
“What am I going to do?” I finally said. “I can’t let them send Arion away.”
“She’s probably just bluffing,” Mickey said. “Besides, if she wants to see you fail, why would she send your horse away for training? I mean, that would help, right? She’s probably just waiting for you to flip out and do something really stupid so that she can rat you out to your father. You should just ignore her.”
“Easier said than done.” I sighed. “And I still don’t get it. I thought she was my friend.”
“I’m your friend.” Mickey reached out and grabbed my hand.
“I know,” I said.
“Look, that big Easter show is coming up. It’s all anyone can talk about. You go there and you beat the pants off her and show everyone that she can’t put you down.”
“At this rate I won’t even be allowed to go to the show,” I said.
“Well you’d better be on your best behavior then hadn’t you?”
“What, like you?” I laughed.
“I think as long as you don’t sneak out to meet any boys for ice cream you should be all right.”
“Fat chance of that happening,” I said.
“Good. Then you go to the show and you win your classes and everything will go back to normal. You’ll see.”
“I hope so,” I said.
But it didn’t feel like everything was about to go back to normal. It felt like everything was about to explode right over my head.
CHAPTER TEN
Back at the barn I was pleased to find Missy’s truck gone. I put Popcorn away as fast as I could and checked in the office but my father wasn’t there. With a quick wave to Mickey, I ran back to the house. Missy had obviously gone to get the baby formula and I didn’t know how much time I’d have alone with my father but I’d take whatever I could get.
I found him in the kitche
n, standing in front of the open refrigerator.
“Dad,” I said.
He turned and looked at me, then shut the door with a sigh.
“That was your handiwork, wasn’t it?” he asked, pointing to the spilled formula that had now dried to the side of the sink in a sticky mess.
“What?” I said. “No, I don’t even know what you are talking about.”
“The formula, Emily,” he said.
“It was probably the cat,” I said, trying to sound innocent. I wasn’t sure if it was working or not. Dad looked suspicious but not overly mad about it.
“Well Missy was going to have to go to the store anyway because in case you hadn’t noticed, there is no food in this house.”
He sat down at the counter on one of the bar stools and ripped open the tattered wrapper of a packet of cookies. There were two left. He passed one to me and ate the other. I knew this was my chance to talk to my father alone but I was having trouble finding the words. He’d been with Missy longer than he’d been with me, unless you counted the time when I was a little kid. But he’d left when I was five and my childhood memories of him were fuzzy and warped. He was different now and I was only really getting to know the new dad that I lived with. I didn’t want to mess that up by questioning him but I had to know what was going on.
“So how did your hearing go?” I asked, figuring I’d start out with the hard stuff and move on to the even harder stuff.
“I got a slap on the wrist and a temporary suspension,” he said with a sigh.
“Oh Dad, I’m so sorry,” I said. “It was all I could think about while I was at the clinic and to be honest, I don’t even know why you let me go. I think that Hunter Preston and his groom may have had something to do with the drugging.”
I didn’t know how I was going to tell him what I overheard at the clinic. How Hunter and his creepy groom recognized Encore and seemed to know something about the whole thing. But the words seemed to come out easier now that I’d started talking.
Show Time (Show Jumping Dreams ~ Book 17) Page 2
