A Ride to Freedom

by Olivia Tuffin

  “Dad doesn’t think like me,” Seb said. “He’d keep every horse if he could. But I want to make a name for myself. The festival is a good opportunity to prove myself and the prize money is excellent, so if I win a few classes I can put it towards another horse or two.”

  Alice thought about the money she’d won in the past. The average was about twenty pounds, enough for a few treats for herself and Secret. Seb must be talking big prize money.

  “Oh,” she said. “Sounds like a lot?”

  “The winner of my big class gets ten thousand euros,” Seb continued airily. “You pony clubbers—” there was something about the way he said this that made Alice frown again— “your class is pretty good as well. About eleven hundred euros. That’s, what, about one thousand pounds?”

  A thousand pounds! That’s a fortune, Alice thought, her imagination starting to run away with her. She had her eye on some amazing blue stirrups her mum flatly refused to buy, and a new riding hat with tiny diamantes on the peak, just like she’d seen at Hickstead. She imagined herself going on a wild shopping spree at the local saddlery.

  They’d reached the top of the lavender rows now and beyond them the land stretched out, yellow and dusty. Alice looked back at the stable courtyard shining white among the purple. It was beautiful, and she told Seb so.

  “Isn’t it?” Seb looked down at her and smiled. “Even better when I have beautiful company to enjoy it with.”

  Alice felt herself blush right up to the roots of her hair, and Seb chuckled. “Come on,” he said. “Race you along the ridge!”

  Alice let Secret have his head. As they cantered along, hooves sending up clouds of soft, sandy dust, Alice laughed out loud. She still had to pinch herself that she was actually here!

  Alice woke up early the next morning. She and Holly were sharing a room in the chateau. The house was like a maze, and they had already got lost so many times, giggling as they kept turning down the wrong corridor, apologising to the fashion team as they accidentally found themselves in the smartest wing where they were staying.

  Pulling on a pair of shorts and a vest top, Alice wandered down to the stables, ready to muck out. Their first lesson was after breakfast, and she couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

  “Hey again, Alice!” Beth, the Welsh girl she’d met the day before waved cheerfully. Buzz was tied up and making all sorts of funny faces. “Ah, now,” Beth said, chiding her pony gently. “Be nice!”

  Alice chuckled and set to work on her own stable, chatting to Beth and Holly who’d just appeared.

  “Psssst, Alice!” Holly grinned, peering round the stable door. Alice was just sweeping up the last of the shavings as Secret finished his breakfast. “Did you go riding with Seb last night?”

  “Seb?” Beth had now joined Holly. “Ooh! Lucky you!”

  Alice blushed. “Well, yeah. I mean, Secret needed a leg stretch. And Seb offered, and he knows his way around…” Her voice trailed off.

  “A leg stretch?!” Beth giggled. “Nice work, Alice! He’s gorgeous!”

  “No … I mean, yes he is … is he?” Alice felt tongue-tied but Holly smiled kindly.

  “Hey, we’re only teasing!” she grinned. “But I could tell he liked you straight away!”

  To Alice’s relief, Secret bustled forward to say hello to someone walking past. It was Gabby, the lady from the magazine, clutching a cup of coffee, which Secret almost spilled as he gave her shoulder a nudge. Gabby laughed, setting her coffee down so she could say hello to him properly.

  “Sorry,” Alice apologised. “He’s a bit over-friendly at times.”

  Gabby smiled, still stroking Secret. “It’s made my morning!” she said brightly, and Alice smiled back.

  “We’re just about to do one of our shoots,” Gabby continued. She didn’t seem to mind one bit that Secret was leaving red hairs all over her crisp white shirt. “And I’d forgotten just how nice it is to hang out at some stables!”

  Alice watched in interest as a beautiful girl strolled into the yard surrounded by assistants. She had smooth caramel skin and her dark hair was in a long plait, and she was wearing the most incredible white gown.

  “Is that a wedding dress?” Alice blurted out.

  Gabby smiled. “It is! We’re doing a whole feature on them,” she said. “And here’s our lovely horse.”

  One of the grooms was tying up a beautiful grey outside a stable. The horse was wearing an ornate bridle decorated with little silver bells.

  Maria, appearing next to them, tossed back her dark hair and scowled. “A bit OTT? I still think this shoot would work perfectly well without that creature.”

  “As I said before, it will be amazing,” Gabby replied, sounding irritated.

  Maria rolled her eyes and stalked off, and Gabby frowned, her lips pursed.

  Alice mentally crossed her fingers that Gabby would get the photos she wanted with the beautiful grey. Anything to get one over on pony-hating Maria!

  “There you are,” the groom said in broken English. “He’s all yours. He’s a good boy, one of the quiet ones. You said you had some horse experience? Are you happy to take over from here?”

  “Thank you – yes, that’s fine.” Gabby smiled at the groom who went on with his yard work as the horse rested a leg and looked around him calmly.

  Suddenly more people appeared: a photographer, a couple of assistants, and someone carrying some heavy-looking equipment. Gabby was consulting her notebook, while the crew was heaving boxes of props around and the model was checking her phone in a shady corner.

  Alice turned back to Secret as the fashion team bustled around. Then suddenly there was a shriek and a clatter of hooves and everyone jumped as the grey horse, now loose, careered over the cobbles past Maria, who cowered behind a big suitcase.

  “Help!” she cried dramatically. “That thing almost killed me!”

  With no one else moving Alice started to come out of Secret’s stable, knowing someone needed to try to catch the loose horse. His reins were broken, dangling down to his legs, and this seemed to panic him, causing him to career into a large box of equipment, knocking it to the ground with a crash and spilling props all over the yard. This in turn spooked the horse even more as he kicked out at a light reflector. He was in a complete frenzy.

  Just then Finn appeared from the other side of the yard, close to the big grey. Using the same body language he’d used when Secret had been loose at the country fair all those months ago, he approached the horse calmly and had hold of his bridle in no time, patting him and reassuring him as he led him back past the equipment.

  “He seems a bit spooked by all this stuff,” Finn explained, looking at all the gear in the yard. “Poor boy.”

  “See!” Maria hissed at Gabby who was looking all around at the fallen equipment. “I told you it wouldn’t work! They do say never work with children or animals!”

  Alice frowned. Closing the stable door behind her and moving closer to the now calm horse she saw that the break in his reins was neat, as if it had been cut.

  “Look at this,” she said. “It looks like someone cut the reins!”

  Maria glared at her. “Don’t be ridiculous! The creature broke free! He’s clearly wild. I don’t think we can use him; it’s not safe.”

  Finn looked at Maria as if she were crazy and shook his head. “He’s not wild! He just had a fright and needs to adjust to the equipment. What about if I gave you a hand on the shoot? It might take longer than you had planned, though.”

  “That would be amazing,” Gabby said gratefully.

  But Maria just looked furious. “Time is money, Gabby – you know that!” she hissed. “As art director, if we don’t get the shots in time, this all falls on me!”

  “It’ll be fine. I’ll take responsibility as editor of the magazine,” Gabby said calmly, before turning to Finn. “Thank you. Finn, isn’t it?”

  “That’s right.” Finn stroked the grey on his neck and started to lead him out of the yard. Glancing at Mar
ia, Alice felt a shiver run down her spine. Maria wore a look of pure hatred as she followed Finn and Gabby, who were now chatting away as they headed out towards the lavender.

  Alice soon had other things on her mind. It turned out that Secret had made himself busy during the night. Each stable had its own beautifully hand-painted number on a slightly raised box sign. Alice realised Secret had chewed and peeled the sign’s woodwork so much that she could almost slide one finger behind it!

  “Secret!” she scolded him, and he blinked innocently at her. Alice went to find Mathis to tell him what Secret had been up to.

  “Well now,” Mathis said in an amused tone as he inspected the damage, “we’ve never had a pony do that.”

  “Sorry,” Alice mumbled. “You’ve probably not had a pony like Secret before.”

  Mathis laughed. “He’s certainly got a glint in his eye! There’s not much point moving him; all the stables have the same sign.” He looked thoughtful. “We have a product that will help – it tastes horrid and should stop him chewing. I’ll put some on the sign.”

  “Sorry again,” Alice called as Mathis went off to find some. “And as for you—” she turned to her Welsh pony affectionately— “can you just try to stay out of trouble?”

  After breakfast with the rest of the pony club members, minus Finn, Alice was back out at the stables tacking up Secret. The little pony looked most put out that foul-smelling brown liquid had been smeared on the sign and spoilt his fun!

  The fifteen pony clubbers were divided into three groups, and Alice was in Mathis’s group to start. Holly, Beth and Lizzie were also in her group. As they circled the arena Alice could see the yellow and white circus tents in the distance. She couldn’t wait to explore later!

  Secret snorted a little, eyeing up the brightly painted showjumps. Soon the group were trotting and cantering on both reins, before jumping over the grid exercise Mathis had set up. Secret bounded around with glee, launching himself over the jumps as though he was rocket-propelled. She noticed that a couple of pony club members from other branches were also struggling to control fresh ponies.

  Mathis soon had the riders going back to basics, as Angus did at the pony club, and as they cantered over poles on the ground she relaxed as Secret started to calm down.

  “OK!” Mathis gathered them into the centre of the arena. He seemed sharper today, more business-like, as he clapped his hands. “We have lots to work on. The competition at the end of the week will be fierce, and I want you all to be riding at your best. Although it is a pony club class, the standards are high, and so are the jumps! Now, do you all know what a top score class is?”

  Alice nodded, feeling her tummy lurch. A top score class was where each jump was awarded points based on how difficult it was, and the competitors could choose their own route around the course. The most difficult fence in the course with the most points was known as the joker, and the competitors had to decide whether or not to risk jumping it. Alice had watched similar classes at county shows over the years and knew it was fast and furious … and totally up Secret’s street!

  The rest of the lesson went well and Alice was cooling Secret down when she saw Mathis wave to someone just outside the arena. Following his gaze, Alice gave a start as she noticed Seb leaning against the arena fence. She hadn’t seen him watching the lesson.

  “Your pony looks a handful,” Seb commented as Alice rode back out. “Well ridden.”

  Alice immediately felt defensive. She hated other people pointing out Secret’s quirks, even Finn and Angus. But Seb had also complimented her, and his smile was so dazzling that Alice couldn’t help but smile back. “He can be tricky,” she admitted. “But I know him well.”

  Seb fell into step with her as she walked Secret back up to the yard. It was growing hot, and Alice hoped she’d be able to take a dip in the swimming pool soon.

  “What about a ride this evening?” Seb continued. “When the schools are free?”

  “OK!” Alice couldn’t help feeling excited at the thought of spending time with Seb. And, knowing now what the final competition was comprised of, she and Secret could do with as much practice as possible. Alice really wanted to do well, to represent her branch and justify her place on the trip.

  “Looking forward to it,” Seb replied, but as Alice dismounted Secret she caught the back of her heel on a cobble and stumbled, falling straight into Seb’s arms, who stopped her from falling flat on the floor. “Whoa!” he laughed. “Good thing I was here to save your life!”

  “My hero!” Alice replied back with a smile, mentally high-fiving herself for such a quick retort.

  And that’s when Finn strode back into the yard, leading the big grey from the photo shoot. Alice immediately jumped apart from Seb, who grinned.

  “Finn!” Alice said a little too quickly. “How did it go with the photos?”

  “Fine.”

  There was an awkward silence before Gabby came in behind them, trailed by several assistants holding bags, a relieved smile on her face.

  “Finn was brilliant!” she exclaimed. “He’s a natural! With his help I think we got the shots. It took a little longer than we thought, but I’m sure the photos will be amazing.”

  “Well, we’ll see, won’t we?” Maria muttered as she strutted past, carrying a box between her hands like it was the Crown Jewels. “Quite why we had to have horses in the photos, Gabby, is beyond me.”

  “Because it’s a core part of the artistic direction for the feature, Maria. That’s the whole point of us being here,” Gabby replied firmly. “Trust me, they’ll be special.”

  Although Gabby was the boss, Maria didn’t seem to have any respect for her, Alice thought. It was weird!

  As Maria passed Secret, she arched her body away from him as if he was a snake. When his soft muzzle nudged the box she was holding Maria shrieked, flapping a hand at him. Secret put his ears back, a wounded look on his handsome face.

  “Stay away!” Maria hissed. “There’s a very valuable necklace in this box. Worth a hundred of you, horrid pony!”

  “He’s not horrid!” Alice responded crossly, gently pulling Secret’s reins back. Alice decided she really didn’t like Maria. As far as she was concerned, Secret was priceless, far more valuable than any piece of jewellery!

  A little later, Alice and Finn walked back up to the yard together after turning Secret out. “Sounds like you did a great job on the shoot,” Alice said to Finn.

  He shrugged. “It wasn’t hard.”

  “So what were the Rebel Riders like yesterday?” Alice asked, and Finn’s face lit up.

  “So cool,” he enthused. “Like, how they think up their routines, and the training they give their horses. If I could just take back a little bit of what I learn, it would make the Fillies even better… That’s if…”

  It looked like he was going to say something else and then he stopped, his voice trailing off.

  “What about the Fillies?”

  Finn opened his mouth to reply but then Seb appeared, carrying a glass of iced water for Alice.

  “I thought you might like a cool drink,” he said in a charming voice. “Looking forward to seeing you later!”

  “Er, thanks.” Alice took the water, as Seb strolled off.

  Finn looked at her. “He seems friendly,” he said, and Alice couldn’t work out his tone.

  She frowned. “Well, yeah. Everyone is so nice. Well, apart from Maria! Anyway, what were you going to say about the Fillies?”

  Finn gave her the same exasperated look he’d used the previous day. “Oh, it’s nothing,” he mumbled, a note of annoyance creeping into his voice.

  “Money stuff?” Alice pressed, remembering what she’d overheard.

  “Stuff that’s between me and Sash and Dad!” Finn sounded really cross now, and Alice frowned at him.

  “Look,” Finn said more softly, “we’ll catch up later, OK? I’m going to go and chill out in my room. The Rebel Riders have asked me to join them later, when it’s a
bit cooler, so I’m off to look at some of their old routines online.”

  As Finn strode off, Alice sighed. They’d only been at the centre for a day, and it felt like they were having completely different experiences…

  A few hours later, after enjoying a swim with Holly in the pool and lounging in the sun, Alice went to bring Secret back in from his paddock. The day was still warm, but the ferociousness of the midday heat had dispersed, and Secret ambled over, having enjoyed his doze underneath the trees.

  As she took Secret to his stable, Alice noticed that the magazine team were setting up a new shoot in the yard opposite. Another of the centre’s horses was being used, this time a beautiful palomino mare, who reminded Alice of Secret’s dam, the gorgeous Lily. The horse stood quietly as the model posed next to her, one arm draped over her creamy mane.

  Holly joined Alice and together they watched the pictures being taken.

  “Perfect!” Gabby called, and then, seeing the girls watching, gave them a wave. They waved shyly back, watching as the next photo was set up.

  Maria, who was rifling through racks of expensive-looking clothes, glared in their direction, and Alice frowned. They weren’t doing anything wrong by just standing there! They were close enough to hear what was being said as Maria stood up, hands on hips.

  “Gabby?” she said in a loaded voice. “That dress we need to shoot. It’s not here.”

  Gabby turned round with a frown. “What do you mean?” she said. “I organised the clothes myself.”

  “I mean exactly what I said,” Maria huffed. “It’s not here. Perhaps it’s been lost. Or stolen. There are kids all over the place.” She gave Alice and Holly an accusing look. “So what do we do now? It’s a one-off piece! You know we have to include it.”

  “It won’t have been stolen, Maria.” Gabby sounded cross. “It’ll be here somewhere.”

  Feeling a bit awkward, Alice and Holly started to creep away, but paused as Sam went hurrying over to Maria and Gabby, clutching something in his hand. Alice moved closer to him, trying to work out what he was holding.