Pony Tails 07- Jasmine Trots Ahead

by Bonnie Bryant

  They continued making dinner in friendly silence. Jasmine thought over what her mother had said about shopping. At first Jasmine had thought she meant grocery shopping. But now she wondered. Could her mother be planning to shop for something else, something extraspecial? Something like … a model pony?

  The more she thought about it, the more certain Jasmine became. Her mother was going back to the mall to buy her the model pony! Now Jasmine wouldn’t have to wait until Christmas. She already knew what she was going to name her new pony: Outlaw Junior. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends.

  After dinner Jasmine hurried next door to Corey’s house. She found Corey and May in Corey’s barn, leaning over a large cage in one corner.

  “Come look at these babies,” May called as soon as she saw Jasmine. “They’re so cute!”

  Corey’s mother was a veterinarian who took care of all sorts of small animals. She sometimes used one part of the barn to house her patients. Corey’s pony, Samurai, and a baby goat named Alexander lived in the other part. Samurai was poking his head over his stall door, trying to see what the fuss was about.

  Jasmine wanted to know, too. She hurried over to the cage. Inside was a floppy-eared rabbit with eight squirming babies around her. “Oh!” she exclaimed, dropping to her knees next to her friends. “They’re adorable.”

  “They were born a few weeks ago,” Corey said. “The owner dropped them off yesterday—she wants Mom to take care of them while she’s out of town.”

  “Can we pet them?” Jasmine asked.

  “Sure,” Corey said. “The mother is tame. See?” She reached carefully into the cage and stroked the mother rabbit’s soft fur.

  “I can’t believe how many babies there are,” Jasmine said. She gingerly reached in and touched one of the fuzzy little creatures.

  “Can you imagine having that many brothers and sisters?” May said. “What a nightmare!” May was always fighting with her two older sisters, Ellie and Dottie.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Jasmine said thoughtfully, still gently petting the mother rabbit. “I don’t think I’d mind.”

  “Me either,” Corey agreed.

  May rolled her eyes. “You’re both only children. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Sisters are nothing but trouble.”

  “Maybe your sisters are a pain sometimes,” Jasmine said. “But at least you’re never lonely. Besides, Ellie and Dottie can be really nice sometimes. Remember how they threw you that surprise birthday party?”

  “That was a once-in-a-lifetime event,” May declared. “Believe me, I’d be happy to give away one of my sisters to each of you, if only my parents would let me.”

  Corey giggled. “No thanks. But I still think it would be nice to belong to a big family like the one Mrs. Rabbit has.”

  After a few minutes of watching the rabbits, Jasmine remembered why she had come to find her friends. She told them everything her mother had said. “I think she’s going to buy me the pony,” she finished.

  “That’s great,” Corey said. “I can’t wait to see it.”

  “Your mom’s right about Erin, you know,” May added. “There’s really nothing she can do to you. Especially since she wouldn’t dare do anything to get herself in trouble with Max.”

  Jasmine sighed. “I hope you’re right.”

  “She is,” Corey said firmly. “You can’t waste your time worrying about Erin. It’ll just get in the way of learning what you’re supposed to be learning.”

  “I hope I can learn what I’m supposed to learn this week,” May said, looking glum. “I can tell Veronica diAngelo isn’t going to be much help. Today she just ignored me and rode Danny around and around the ring.”

  “It’s too bad you got stuck with her,” Corey said.

  May shrugged. “I’m just glad you guys got good partners. You’re going to have fun.”

  “Unless Erin finds a way to ruin it,” Jasmine said darkly.

  “You can’t let her,” Corey said. “The worst thing you can do is worry so much that you can’t concentrate on equitation.”

  “That would play right into Erin’s sneaky little hands,” May pointed out. “See? You just have to ignore her.”

  Jasmine smiled. Her friends were making her feel better. After all, what could Erin really do to her? “You know something, May?” Jasmine said, reaching in to give the mother rabbit another pat. “You’re right. I’m not going to worry about Erin!”

  5 Erin’s Revenge

  The next practice session was Tuesday after school. When the Pony Tails arrived, they found Carole and Lisa waiting for them. Veronica was nowhere in sight.

  “Oh, well,” May said. “It looks like I’m on my own.”

  “You can ride with us if you want,” Carole offered. “You don’t mind, do you, Jasmine?”

  “The more the merrier,” Jasmine said. She was glad. It would be easier to ignore Erin with May around. Carole and Lisa went inside to tack up their horses, and the younger girls headed toward the stalls of the ponies they would be riding that day. The three girls rode Pine Hollow ponies for their weekday lessons.

  Jasmine and May led Peso and Dime to the outdoor ring. Carole was waiting for them on her horse, a pretty bay gelding named Starlight. Max had assigned each pair of students their own practice space. There was a schooling ring and paddock in the front of the stable, other paddocks and rings scattered around the grounds, and larger fields and meadows. May and Veronica had been scheduled for the indoor ring in the center of the stable building. It was a great place to ride during bad weather, but on a breezy spring day like this one, May was happy to be outdoors.

  “I hope Erin doesn’t try to cause trouble today,” Jasmine said as she opened the gate and led Peso through.

  “Don’t worry,” May said. “I haven’t seen her yet. Maybe she’s not going to show up at all.”

  Just then the girls heard a familiar whining voice. “Carole, could you come here for a minute?”

  May and Jasmine turned and saw that Erin had just come out of the barn leading Quarter, the pony she usually rode. The reins of his bridle were twisted and knotted.

  Carole glanced over and dismounted. “I’ll be right there,” she called. “May, could you watch Starlight for a minute?”

  “Sure,” May said. She took Starlight’s reins in her free hand and gazed up at the tall horse. He looked back down at her calmly.

  Jasmine watched Carole and Erin. Carole was speaking to Quarter soothingly as she tried to untangle the reins. Erin was watching with her arms folded across her chest and a satisfied look on her face.

  A moment later Simon Atherton appeared in the stable doorway, leading a gentle horse named Patch. “What’s going on out here?” he asked when he saw Carole with Quarter. “Are you having some trouble with your horse, Erin?”

  “He’s a pony, not a horse,” she replied. “And don’t worry. Carole’s taking care of it.”

  “Actually,” Carole said, “Simon could probably help you with this, Erin. He is your big sis—er, big brother, after all.” She showed Simon the problem. “All you have to do is untangle this mess.”

  “No problem,” Simon said, starting to work.

  Carole returned to the ring and took back Starlight’s reins. “Sorry about that, guys,” she said. “Now let’s get started.”

  Fifteen minutes later Jasmine had almost forgotten about Erin. She, May, and Carole were hard at work practicing turning. Carole explained that it was easy to turn incorrectly if you didn’t guide the horse or pony with the proper aids. She demonstrated by asking Starlight to make some awkward turns.

  “Now that you’ve shown us the wrong way, are you going to show us the right way?” May asked.

  Carole laughed. “Just watch,” she said. “Pay close attention to what I’m doing with my legs. Your legs and seat are more important than your hands when you’re turning. And watch the way my hips and shoulders stay in line with Starlight’s body.”

  Jasmine and May watched as Caro
le and Starlight smoothly turned left, then right, then in a graceful figure eight. They started out at a walk, then moved to a trot. Finally Carole brought the gelding to a clean stop in front of the other girls.

  “That was great, Carole,” Jasmine said admiringly. “I wish I could ride like that.” It was clear that Carole was in complete control of her horse.

  “You will someday, Jasmine,” Carole said. “All it takes is practice and concentration. Oh, and being horse-crazy doesn’t hurt.”

  “Well, we’ve got that part down already,” May declared. All three girls laughed.

  “Why don’t you two try turning now?” Carole suggested. “I’ll watch and give you hints. Jasmine, you go first.”

  Jasmine nodded and signaled for Peso to walk. Just as she was about to turn him, she heard a loud, whiny voice.

  “Carole,” Erin called. She was leaning on the gate. “We’re having some trouble getting Quarter to back up. He won’t do it no matter what I do. Could you come see if you can tell what’s wrong with him?”

  Carole furrowed her brow. “Quarter won’t back up? That’s not like him.” She looked at Jasmine and May and shrugged. “This should only take a minute,” she said. “Do you mind?”

  Jasmine and May shrugged in return and watched as Carole rode out of the ring.

  “I guess that’s the trouble with being the best rider at Pine Hollow,” Jasmine said. “Everyone always wants your help.”

  May narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think that’s the whole story here,” she muttered.

  “What do you mean?” Jasmine asked.

  “I think Erin is doing this on purpose. She’s never had any trouble getting Quarter to back up before,” May said. “Isn’t it kind of strange she suddenly needs Carole to help her now?”

  “Not really,” Jasmine said. “Everyone has bad days—riders and ponies. Maybe Quarter is just feeling a little stubborn today.”

  “Maybe,” May said. “Or maybe not.” She gathered Dime’s reins and signaled for him to trot. “Come on,” she told Jasmine. “We might as well keep practicing until Carole gets back.”

  A few minutes later Jasmine and May saw Carole leading Starlight toward the paddock gate. “Quarter seems all right now,” she called to Erin.

  “Wait,” Erin called back. “As long as you’re here, can I ask you one more thing?”

  Jasmine and May saw Carole glance at them, then back at Erin. Then she turned Starlight around and headed back toward Erin. Soon the two were deep in conversation. Every once in a while, Erin pointed to her stirrups.

  “I wonder what she’s asking her now,” Jasmine said.

  “I don’t know,” May replied with a little frown. She slid down off Dime’s back and stood staring at the paddock, her hands on her hips. “She’s probably getting Carole to explain how to mount or something.”

  Jasmine bit her lip. She wanted to believe that nothing unusual was going on, but May wasn’t helping. “Don’t you think you’re being a little too suspicious?”

  “Nope,” May said. “The trouble was, I wasn’t being suspicious enough before. I didn’t think Erin would go through with her threat because she’d be afraid Max would find out. But she’s even sneakier than I thought.”

  “What do you mean?” Jasmine asked. “She’s not really doing anything wrong.”

  “Exactly,” May said with a nod. “It’s the perfect revenge. She’s making sure she ruins your chance to work with Carole without letting anyone know she’s doing it—not even Carole.”

  Before Jasmine could answer, Carole returned to the ring. “Sorry about that,” she said. “Erin was having some trouble with her stirrups. Now, where were we?”

  “You were going to watch us turn and tell us what we’re doing wrong,” May reminded her. “Jasmine was just about to start.”

  “Right,” Carole said. “Go ahead, Jasmine.”

  Jasmine took a deep breath and rode Peso around the ring, paying extra attention to how she was sitting while her pony turned.

  “That’s good,” Carole called to her. “But loosen the inside rein a little more. That’s right. See? Now his head is free to look where he’s going. Don’t let your outside leg swing. And make sure he knows you’re in control.”

  Jasmine tried to do everything Carole said. Before long she could tell she and Peso were doing much better.

  “Carole!” Erin’s voice ruined Jasmine’s concentration once again. She frowned and quickly brought Peso to a stop. She looked over and saw that Erin was at the gate, waving to get Carole’s attention.

  “What is it, Erin?” Carole asked patiently.

  “I just remembered one more thing I wanted to ask you,” Erin said. “How can I get Quarter to lengthen his stride? I asked Simon, but he has no idea.”

  May shot Jasmine a look. Jasmine started chewing on her lower lip again. This time she had to admit that May might be right. Jasmine was sure it was true that Simon had no idea how to make Quarter lengthen his stride. But she was equally sure that Erin did know. They had practiced that move in a lesson a few weeks earlier and Erin and Quarter hadn’t had any trouble.

  “Now do you believe me?” May asked, riding over to Jasmine as Carole left the ring again.

  Jasmine shrugged. “I guess so,” she said. “But I don’t want to tell Carole what Erin’s doing. If we do, we’ll be tattletales just like she is.”

  “You’re right,” May agreed. “But we can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

  “We have to,” Jasmine said, slumping down in the saddle. “Face it, May. Erin has us beat this time.”

  The rest of the day’s practice went the same way. Every time Jasmine and May seemed to be learning something, Erin came over and interrupted. After the lesson on lengthening Quarter’s stride, Erin needed help with changing leads. Then she was afraid there was something wrong with Quarter’s bit. Then Simon fell off and Carole had to help catch Patch. Jasmine was pretty sure that last part was just a coincidence, but May wasn’t.

  “I bet she’s a witch, and she put a curse on him to make him fall,” May said. Jasmine couldn’t tell if May was kidding or not.

  Jasmine was almost relieved when the practice was over. She had learned a little bit. For one thing, she was much more confident about making simple turns. But she knew that wouldn’t be enough to win her a blue ribbon on Saturday. More importantly, she knew she was not getting a fair chance to learn from Carole. It was very frustrating. Still, there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about it.

  After she had groomed Peso, Jasmine went outside and found Corey and May. Corey had been working with Lisa in a paddock behind the stable, so Corey hadn’t seen Erin’s sneaky tricks. May was telling her about them.

  Just then Jasmine’s mother pulled her car into the driveway. The three girls piled into the backseat. They always sat together that way, even though their parents joked that it made them feel like chauffeurs.

  “Hi, girls,” Mrs. James said. “How was practice?”

  “Terrible,” May announced, at the same time that Jasmine and Corey said, “Fine.”

  Mrs. James laughed. She was used to May’s strong opinions. Usually she liked to hear all about them. But today she didn’t say anything else as she turned the car toward home.

  “What are we going to do about Erin?” May asked.

  “I don’t think we should do anything,” Jasmine said. “I thought we already decided that.”

  “I agree with Jasmine,” Corey said. “Unless we want to be tattletales just like Erin, we can’t tell Carole or Max what she’s doing. Maybe Carole will figure it out on her own.”

  “Maybe she won’t,” May said. “She’s always so glad to answer everybody’s questions about horses. She might not notice that Erin is suddenly asking more than usual.”

  “At least not until it’s too late,” Jasmine murmured, thinking of the imaginary blue ribbon above her desk.

  Corey looked at Jasmine sadly. “It’s not fair,” she said. “Erin shouldn’t be
able to ruin this for you.” She glanced forward at Mrs. James. Jasmine’s mother was usually very supportive and understanding when any of the girls had a problem. Corey was a little surprised that she didn’t seem to be paying attention to their conversation.

  Jasmine was surprised at her mother’s behavior, too. She wondered if her mother thought Jasmine was so grown up that she didn’t need help anymore. She hoped not.

  “I guess I’ll just have to hope that tomorrow’s practice goes better,” she said with a sigh.

  May and Corey nodded. They hoped so, too.

  6 Jasmine Hears Something Terrible

  The next day the younger riders had their regular Wednesday riding lesson. The older riders started to arrive for equitation practice as the lesson ended. Carole, Stevie, and Lisa arrived together and waved at their little sisters. May was just about to ask Carole if she could ride with her and Jasmine again when Veronica strolled past the ring, heading for the stable.

  Max looked surprised to see her. “Hello, Veronica,” he said. “You’re right on time.”

  “On time for what?” Veronica said. “We don’t have a lesson today. I just dropped by to pick up my sweater.”

  “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten,” Max said. “Your big sister duties are waiting. You’re supposed to get together with your partner today.”

  Veronica frowned. “Oh, that,” she said. “Um, I don’t think my partner is here. So I don’t think I’ll stick around.”

  “I’m right here, Veronica,” May announced, riding forward.

  Max smiled. “You’d better go tack up Danny,” he told Veronica firmly. “I’ll expect you in the indoor ring in ten minutes.”

  Veronica looked annoyed, but she knew better than to argue with Max when he used that tone. She stomped into the stable without another word. May rolled her eyes and followed.

  Corey giggled. “Poor May,” she said. “She’s going to have her hands full today.”

  Jasmine smiled weakly. She had a feeling that without May around today’s practice was going to be even worse than yesterday’s.