Starlight Stables: Saving Starlight

by Soraya Nicholas

  ‘Okay,’ Poppy called out, making sure her voice carried loud enough. She hated having a lesson when she couldn’t hear her instructor clearly. ‘The course has already been set out, and I’m going to time each round. Time is going to count tomorrow, so I want you to focus on making the turns tight and getting to each jump as quick as you can.’ Neither Kate nor Milly gave her a weird look or questioned what she said, and it helped to boost her confidence. ‘Milly, you’re up first. Aunt Sophie, can you time for me?’

  ‘Sure thing, Pops,’ Aunt Sophie replied.

  Katie fell back and rode towards Poppy, but Poppy quickly switched her gaze to Milly. Joe was super fast, but sometimes he was too quick for his own good.

  ‘Keep him in check just enough, to make sure that he doesn’t take off too fast. Sit up tall, shoulders back!’ Milly soared over the first jump and Poppy grinned. ‘Great work!’

  She watched as they sped around the rest of the course, glancing quickly over at her aunt. Poppy hoped she was doing okay. She didn’t want to be too bossy, but she also wanted to say what she thought rather than stay quiet.

  ‘Great work!’ Poppy called as Milly neared the final jump. ‘Keep your eyes up!’

  The top rail on the final jump wobbled when Joe just knocked it, but it stayed put.

  ‘Woo hoo!’ Milly cheered.

  ‘You’re up, Katie,’ Poppy said. ‘Try to push him a bit faster, legs on and turn those corners as tight as you can.’

  Katie gave her a salute and cantered off, clucking Cody on. Poppy focused on her, saw the way she pulled Cody up a little to slow him down as they approached the first fence. She couldn’t believe how much like her aunt she sounded when she was giving instructions!

  ‘Trust him, Katie. Don’t hold him back. Ride him forward, legs on.’

  Poppy smiled when she saw Katie follow her advice, propelling him into a faster canter. This time when they approached she didn’t slow him down and Cody jumped it easily, going straight back into his canter when he landed.

  ‘Great work! Keep your legs on!’ Poppy cheered.

  Poppy was brimming with pride when Katie finished her round clear, having easily jumped every fence. She knew without checking her watch that Katie had done a fantastic time, too.

  ‘Who won?’ Poppy called over to her aunt, who was standing at the edge of the arena. Both Katie and Milly had ridden clear, so it only came down to time.

  Her aunt walked closer, a big smile on her face. ‘Katie by two seconds.’

  ‘Yippee!’ Katie had just halted beside Poppy and her squeal made Poppy jump.

  Milly laughed from behind Poppy and Poppy grinned at Katie. ‘Congrats. You rode really well.’

  ‘And you taught really well!’ Katie insisted. ‘I mean, really well. I forgot it was you.’

  ‘Yeah, I hate losing but you were good,’ Milly admitted. ‘Can we go again?’

  Poppy was about to say ‘yes’ when Aunt Sophie placed her hands over her shoulders and spoke up.

  ‘I actually think that’s enough, girls,’ she said. ‘Both of your ponies did everything you asked, so you can end on a good note without pushing them too hard. It’s a big day tomorrow.’

  Katie glanced at Poppy and giggled. ‘Are you going in to see Crystal now?’

  Poppy frowned. ‘What’s going on?’

  Katie shrugged, and when Poppy glanced at Milly, she also shrugged.

  ‘What is it?!’ Poppy asked.

  ‘You’ll have to go and see.’

  Poppy glanced at her friends again and then her aunt, before turning and bursting into a fast sprint. She ran as fast as she could back towards the stables.

  ‘Poppy, no running! Slow down!’ Aunt Sophie yelled after her.

  But Poppy didn’t care. She was feeling fine and she was going to die if she didn’t see what they were talking about right now. She skidded on some hay in the entrance, letting her eyes adjust to the dimmer light inside. The concrete floor was littered with a bit of hay so she did slow down, not wanting to slip or scare the horses. Crystal’s stall was past some of the bigger horses, and when Jupiter hung his head over the wooden half door to say hello, she didn’t even stop, just put her hand out to him as she kept walking.

  ‘Crys-tal!’ she called out in the sing-song voice she always used when she said her horse’s name. ‘Come on, girl.’

  Poppy’s boots stopped at Crystal’s stall. Her jaw dropped as she stared at her pony. Crystal had poked her head out and was nickering, her brown eyes on Poppy.

  ‘No way,’ Poppy whispered. Crystal always looked pretty, but right now she looked amazing. Her grey neck was arched and her entire mane had been braided into perfect plaits then wound into perfect rosettes. Even her forelock had been done.

  Poppy walked slowly towards her, holding out her hand, not sure whether to laugh or cry. She couldn’t believe her friends had done this for her!

  ‘Wow,’ she whispered. She let herself in, her eyes locked on her horse’s mane. Katie and Milly had known how much she wanted her plaited, to have her looking perfect, and they’d done it for her while she’d been stuck up at the house.

  Crystal looked incredible.

  Poppy ran a hand down her gleaming coat, moving around her body. And then her eyes fell on Crystal’s tail. She gasped. It was plaited too! That had to be Aunt Sophie, because only her aunt knew how to do the intricate reverse braid.

  Tears sprang into Poppy’s eyes and she threw her arms around Crystal’s neck.

  ‘We’re going to do it,’ Poppy mumbled, her lips against Crystal’s soft hair. She inhaled the sweet smell of her pony. ‘You look like a champion, and I promise not to do anything to muck it up.’

  It was time to trust her horse. Poppy had never, ever been so determined in her life. And it helped that she had the best friends ever in the whole world.

  Poppy wasn’t used to feeling so nervous, but today she was a bundle of nerves. Her tummy was churning and her palms were so sweaty that she kept having to wipe them on her jods.

  ‘Come on, girls, let’s go watch the demonstration class,’ Aunt Sophie said as she walked out of the horse truck.

  Poppy glared at the name on the side of the truck, hating the feed company that had let her aunt down. If they’d just kept sponsoring her, Poppy wouldn’t be freaking out about having to win the money she needed.

  She looked away. Right now she had to just focus on her showjumping round.

  ‘Just a sec,’ she called, going back to double-check Crystal’s lead rope. The knot was secure and Crystal was happily munching on some hay, tied up with Joe on one side and Cody on the other. They hadn’t brought any other horses or riders with them today, although some of Aunt Sophie’s pupils were competing with their own ponies.

  ‘Can you believe how big some of those jumps look?’ Milly asked, her eyes wide when she looked back at Poppy. ‘It’s insane!’

  They had a way to walk over to the arena, but even from where they were standing it was obvious how big the jumps were. Aunt Sophie was waiting for them up ahead, chatting to someone Poppy didn’t recognise, and they all ran to catch up with her.

  ‘I thought you’d like to watch the demonstration and then we can walk the course,’ Aunt Sophie said. ‘I’ve heard this part is going to be very cool.’

  ‘Please give a warm welcome to our brightest local talent in show jumping, Caitlyn Winters!’ the announcer said, the sound crackling and squeaking from the megaphone.

  A stunning bay horse entered the arena at a canter, his black tail held high, dark-brown coat gleaming. The rider held her hand in the air as she rode past, circling the entire arena. Her horse’s neck was curved, beautifully on the bit as he moved gracefully, and Caitlyn hardly looked like she was moving an inch in the saddle, her body so at one with her horse. Then they approached the first jump and everything changed.

  The elegant horse raised his head and sped up, his legs moving fast as he raced. The jumps were massive, the biggest Poppy had ever seen up close, but
the horse and rider made it look easy. Caitlyn was incredible, letting her horse go fast but keeping him in check enough before each jump so that they didn’t rush it. The compact gelding cleared each fence with ease and the rider’s position was perfect as she bent forward and released the reins every time they jumped. The final fences loomed, a double, and they bounced straight through.

  The crowd gathered around the arena started to clap and Poppy quickly glanced sideways as she joined in. Her friends looked as in awe as she felt.

  ‘And that’s why she’s this year’s Young Rider Champion and member of the Young Rider Elite Squad! Let’s hear it for Melbourne’s own Caitlyn Winters!’

  The crowd clapped and whistled again as she exited the arena, and Poppy stared after her. Caitlyn was on the Young Rider Elite Squad, which meant she was probably still a teenager. Maybe twenty years old at the most. It was Poppy’s dream to make that squad one day, and seeing Caitlyn Winters in the flesh had only made her more excited.

  ‘Why is there a car being driven into the middle of the arena?’ Poppy heard Katie ask.

  ‘You’ll have to wait and see,’ Aunt Sophie replied.

  ‘Poppy, look!’ Milly squealed.

  Poppy looked back to the arena and saw two of the jumps being moved at the same time as a rider entered the ring. She gasped. The driver was leaving the car, and Caitlyn had entered again, her horse nowhere near as calm as he’d been earlier. She cantered slowly but her horse was hyped up now, which meant she battled to keep him steady and he kept throwing his head up high in the air.

  ‘I can’t believe she’s going to jump a car,’ Poppy mumbled, shaking her head in disbelief. She was actually going to do it.

  ‘She’s crazy!’ Katie hissed.

  ‘No, she’s freaking awesome!’ Milly said.

  Poppy watched as Caitlyn cantered in a circle and popped over a smaller jump before approaching the car. It was a Holden and it wasn’t small, the bright red paintwork glinting in the sun. Poppy held her breath, terrified till the last second, before watching the bay soar over the car and land with a thud on the other side before cantering off like they’d done nothing out of the ordinary.

  ‘Woo hoo!’ Milly cheered loudly beside her.

  Poppy clapped as hard as she could. If Caitlyn Winters had been awesome before, now she was the most amazing rider in the world.

  ‘If you weren’t convinced about this fantastic team before, there is no doubting them now. Join me in wishing them good luck at the Australian Jumping Champs!’

  Poppy was still clapping as they left the arena, and long after. She only stopped when she realised that everyone else had. She could hear the other two talking to her aunt, but she was still in a state of total awestruck wonder.

  ‘Let’s go take a look at the course,’ Aunt Sophie said.

  Poppy pulled herself out of her thoughts and forced her feet to cooperate. She could dream about what she’d seen all night – right now she had a job to do and she had to focus. Winning meant everything to her today, and nothing was going to stand in her way.

  She followed after the others, pausing only when an immaculate palomino pony cantered past and almost rode straight into her. Poppy gulped at the shiny horse, his rider as perfect as he was.

  ‘Don’t even think it,’ said her aunt, flashing her a grin.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Poppy smiled back.

  ‘You’re thinking that rider is better than you because her pony is flashier and her gear is all perfect. But that’s not true.’

  Poppy gulped and refused to look back at the pretty palomino again. Aunt Sophie was right, you couldn’t tell anything from looks alone, but still . . . today wasn’t going to be easy. No way.

  ‘They’re just finishing the course now, adjusting the height for your class,’ Aunt Sophie said, back in instructor mode. ‘I want you to walk up to each jump, ask me any questions you need to, and pace out the space between the double and the triple.’

  Poppy nodded and walked straight up to the first jump. It was fairly simple, an upright that shouldn’t cause Crystal any worries. She wasn’t so worried about this course, because she should be able to get around okay – it was the next class that had her all nervy.

  ‘We’re going to blitz this,’ Milly said confidently.

  Poppy rolled her eyes. Milly was always crazy confident.

  ‘I don’t know about blitz it, but it’s nothing we haven’t trained for.’

  ‘You girls will be fine. It’s probably going to come down to speed because some of the other riders will have been showjumping for some time.’

  Poppy knew what she meant – some of the riders would have been on the same pony for years, practising and competing regularly, whereas they hadn’t been at this level for long.

  ‘Today is going to be fab, I just know it,’ Katie said, a smug-looking smile on her face.

  ‘You say that like you know something we don’t,’ Poppy said.

  ‘I just believe in us, and I have a really good feeling about the jump-off.’

  Poppy felt her eyebrows shoot up, surprised that Katie was so unusually confident.

  ‘Let’s walk it as a team first, then you can go back through again on your own if you want,’ Aunt Sophie said.

  Poppy focused and ran a little to fall into step beside her aunt. She needed to listen to every piece of advice Aunt Sophie had if she had any chance of doing well today, let alone winning. The jumps also seemed bigger when she was on foot instead of in the saddle, but she wasn’t going to worry.

  ‘Do you remember how to pace out each jump?’ Aunt Sophie said.

  Poppy stuck her hand up. ‘Yep. Our ponies are about three big human strides to one of their strides.’

  Aunt Sophie gave her a thumbs up. ‘That’s right. I do three normal strides, but you girls would need to do three big strides for a pony your size.’

  Milly ran on ahead, approaching the double. ‘Can I pace out this one?’

  She didn’t wait for anyone to answer, just ran around to the rear of the first jump and stepped it out.

  ‘That’s three strides!’ Milly called out.

  ‘I know you can trust Milly because she’s your friend, but it’s a good habit to always stride it out yourself rather than relying on anyone else. That way you get your own feel for the jump and pacing, plus sometimes not everyone is trustworthy if they’re a fellow competitor.’

  ‘Yeah, imagine if we’d ever trusted Jessica,’ Poppy said with a laugh.

  The other two groaned, which was what Poppy always did just at the mention of the mean girl’s name.

  ‘Did you get three strides too, Poppy?’

  Poppy finished the last of the nine big steps that equalled three pony strides. ‘Yep.’

  ‘Good. Now let’s quickly walk the rest of the course so you can recall the order.’

  It was Poppy’s biggest fear, forgetting her way or getting confused about which jump to go over when she was riding. As soon as they finished the course, she walked it quickly again on her own, and then stood back and ran through the jumps in her mind, eyes darting to each one as she mapped out her course. There was nothing to be nervous about. Yet.

  Poppy checked Crystal’s girth for what felt like the hundredth time. She had her sweaty palms back and she was getting all jittery again.

  I can do this, I can do this, she chanted over and over, trying to pep-talk herself and failing. If she hadn’t fallen the day before, if she hadn’t missed out on her lesson with Aunt Sophie after a week away from riding, if . . . ugh, enough with the ifs!

  Poppy threw the reins over Crystal’s head and mounted, feeling better when her bottom landed in the saddle with a familiar gentle thump. She pushed her feet through the stirrups, checked the length was right, then gathered up her reins.

  ‘Come on, girl, let’s go,’ she told her horse. As she rode past the truck she gave Katie a quick smile when their eyes met. They were both focused on what they were doing and hadn’t
spoken much while they’d prepared the horses after walking the course. Milly had already gone off to warm up.

  ‘Good luck out there,’ Katie called out.

  ‘You too,’ Poppy replied.

  Within minutes Poppy had joined the other riders and horses warming up in the big grassy paddock adjacent to the horse-truck parking area. There were so many horses circling around – walking, trotting and cantering – that she felt overwhelmed. Poppy reached down and stroked Crystal’s neck, wanting to touch her pony to settle herself, to remind her of why she was doing this.

  ‘We need to win. We need to ace this,’ Poppy whispered to Crystal.

  She took a deep breath that filled her lungs, then slowly let it go as she nudged Crystal on with her heels. Her pony wasn’t wanting to walk and started to jig-jog, all excited about the commotion going on around them. Just as she asked Crystal to trot on, a horse sped past them, missing them by inches, the whoosh of the other horse’s body forcing Poppy to pull up Crystal hard.

  ‘Hey!’ she yelled out. It was too late, the rider was long gone, but the way she’d zoomed past her like that wasn’t okay.

  ‘Poppy!’

  Turning in her saddle, Poppy glared at another horse that cut its way too fine past her. Then she locked eyes on Milly riding towards her.

  ‘Just remember what Mrs D said about warming up,’ Milly shouted.

  Poppy wracked her brain and couldn’t remember anything!

  ‘What?’ she shouted back.

  ‘Block everyone else out, find your own space no matter what, and get on with the job!’

  Milly’s grin was infectious and Poppy gave her a quick thumbs up as her friend turned to ride away. Milly was first up out of the three of them, which was why she’d been first to start warming up.

  Block everyone else out.

  Poppy kept repeating the words over and over in her head, even as riders glared at her for riding through their circle or getting in their way. It was impossible not to with so many riders competing for space, but Poppy shrugged it off. She started to trot, smiling when it all came back to her. When she’d been grumpy about being sidelined after her fall and watching Katie and Milly have their lesson the day before, Aunt Sophie had told them only to worry about themselves, and that was exactly what Poppy was going to do.