Horseshoe

by Bonnie Bryant

  A CASE OF ABUSE

  The photograph made the Pony Clubbers gasp. The dog, a long-haired Irish setter, was nothing but skin and bones. His ribs showed plainly under his thin, matted coat, and his dark eyes looked toward the camera with despair.

  “He’d been kept chained in a concrete pen that was never cleaned. His water was soiled and he was hardly given enough food to keep him alive,” Doc Tock told the Pony Clubbers. “The owners weren’t trying to punish him—they just didn’t bother to take care of him.”

  Carole felt tears come to her eyes. She couldn’t believe that anyone would allow a helpless animal to suffer so. She glanced at Stevie, who looked horror-struck. “Unbelievable,” Stevie whispered.

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  RL 5, 009-012

  HORSESHOE

  A Skylark Book / May 1995

  Skylark Books is a registered trademark of Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere.

  “The Saddle Club” is a trademark of Bonnie Bryant Hiller. The Saddle Club design / logo, which consists of a riding crop and a riding hat, is a trademark of Bantam Books.

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 1995 by Bonnie Bryant Hiller.

  The artist wishes to give special thanks to the Jamaica Bay Riding Academy in Brooklyn, New York.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  For information address: Bantam Books.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-82541-4

  Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada

  Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.

  v3.1

  I would like to express my special

  thanks to Kimberly Brubaker Bradley for her

  help in the writing of this book.

  Contents

  Cover

  Other Skylark Books

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  About the Author

  “RIDERS, CIRCLE LEFT!”

  Carole Hanson swung her horse, Starlight, into a smooth circle. There were many things to think about just to make a horse turn—Carole moved her left hand back slightly, toward her hip, and let her right hand move the same amount forward, keeping an even contact with Starlight’s mouth. She sank her weight more heavily into her outside heel, kept her back straight, moved her left shoulder back, and turned her head to look in the direction she wanted Starlight to go. She pressed her left leg against Starlight’s side but supported his other side with her right leg. Steady, steady. She made tiny adjustments with her legs, seat, and hands all throughout the circle.

  All that, she thought ruefully, for one simple circle—one one-hundredth of the drill she and the rest of the riders in her Pony Club, Horse Wise, were practicing. Yet Starlight had responded perfectly, curving his neck and back in a gentle arch and turning without fuss or hesitation. Carole felt a flush of pride for him. He was doing so well—she had worked so hard to train him. Surely the drill would be a perfect chance to show—

  “Carole!” Max Regnery, the head of Horse Wise and the owner of Pine Hollow Stables, shouted across the ring. Carole looked up, startled. “Nice circle, Carole. But don’t forget that this is a team effort, okay? Pay attention!” Max was smiling, so Carole knew he wasn’t really mad. She knew, too, that he understood how easy it was for her to get totally wrapped up in her riding. Only this time, Carole realized that Outlaw’s tail was swishing just under Starlight’s nose!

  “Sorry, Jasmine,” Carole said to the little girl who was riding Outlaw. She pulled Starlight up to avoid a collision.

  “That’s okay,” Jasmine answered, grinning because she almost never saw Carole Hanson make a riding mistake. Everyone knew that Carole was really good. Jasmine moved Outlaw, her own Welsh pony, back to the rail and away from Starlight. “Should we try it again, Max?” she called.

  “Again!” Max confirmed.

  This time Carole paid attention to Jasmine and Outlaw as well as to Starlight. Horse Wise was made up of both younger and older riders, and in the drill each older rider was paired with a younger one. Carole was supposed to ride the exact same circle as Jasmine and Outlaw, only she had to keep Starlight exactly half a circle away from Outlaw. This wasn’t easy, because Starlight’s strides were so much bigger than the pony’s. Carole had to ride the circle evenly, and at the same time shorten Starlight’s strides to match Outlaw’s.

  “Keep him moving on as much as you can,” she whispered to Jasmine. Jasmine nodded and urged Outlaw forward. Carole was pleased to see how well Jasmine was doing. This drill was complicated, and it wasn’t easy for some of the younger girls, who hadn’t been riding very long.

  Across the ring, Stevie Lake was riding her circles with Jackie. Jackie’s main problem in the drill was that she sometimes got so enthusiastic that she forgot what she was doing. Stevie sympathized, because she often had the same trouble herself. At the same time, this drill was serious stuff. Not only was she going to have a chance to show off her new horse, Belle, but all their work was going toward a good cause. They were going to perform next week at the Willow Creek Founders’ Day fair, in support of the County Animal Rescue League.

  Stevie wiped her bangs off her sweaty face, grinned at Jackie, and moved Belle into the next element of the drill. She never minded how hard she worked when she was doing it for a reason she cared about. Stevie was famous for her wild schemes, but she could succeed at serious things too. She and Jackie made a terrific pair.

  “All riders cross through the center!” Max commanded. Lisa Atwood moved her horse, Delilah, into position behind May Grover and her new pony, Macaroni. The riders had formed two lines down the long sides of the arena and were crossing through the middle alternately, making a giant X. The trick with crossing through the center was to keep a perfectly even pace. The horses had to be moving at exactly the same speed; otherwise, they would run into each other in the center of the ring. Once they had the drill down pat, they would set it to music, but now they were just trying to get through it without messing up.

  Luckily for Lisa, Delilah, a sweet palomino mare, listened to Lisa’s every instruction. Lisa usually rode Prancer, a high-strung Thoroughbred, but Prancer was not ready for the precision and patience that a drill like this required. Nor, thought Lisa, was she likely to be ready for the Founders’ Day parade that they would ride in before their demonstration. Prancer might think she was parading at the racetrack again. Lisa laughed to herself at
the thought of Prancer racing through the streets of Willow Creek.

  “Hey! What do you think you’re doing, you stupid brat? Can’t you make that pony move!” Lisa heard the screech from the center of the ring and knew who it was without turning her head. Only one rider at Pine Hollow would talk to one of the little kids like that. Veronica diAngelo.

  Sure enough, Veronica had stopped her purebred Arabian, Garnet, in the middle of the ring and was scowling at Jessica Adler. Apparently Jessica had crossed the ring too slowly and had let two riders cross in front of her instead of one, as she was supposed too. It was an easy mistake to make, particularly for such a little girl riding a small pony. Lisa hardly knew Jessica, but she felt sorry for her. Jessica looked as though she were ready to cry.

  “Veronica,” Max said in a quiet but angry tone that told Lisa he was feeling the same way. “You didn’t help matters by halting your horse. Let’s re-form the lines and try it again.”

  Veronica sniffed and tossed her sleek black hair over her shoulder. “I haven’t got all day,” she muttered. “This stupid drill is taking up way too much of my time.” Lisa saw Max decide not to hear her. Instead, he went up to Jessica and smiled.

  “Chin up,” he said. “Old Penny’s taking advantage of you. You have to show her who’s boss.” His hand moved affectionately down the pony’s neck as he spoke. Penny had been a lesson pony at Pine Hollow for years. Some days she was inclined to be stubborn, and Lisa, seeing the look on the pony’s face, knew that this was one of those days. She felt doubly sorry for Jessica.

  “Can’t we get started?” Veronica demanded. Lisa looked up, annoyed, just in time to see Veronica cut right in front of Michael Grant, a new boy at Pine Hollow. “I believe I’m supposed to ride just in front of you, aren’t I?” Veronica asked him, her voice turned honey sweet.

  “Sure,” Michael said. He slowed down to give Veronica room, but other than that he hardly seemed to notice her, even when Veronica turned and batted her eyelashes at him. Lisa was amazed. Usually boys liked Veronica—at least until they got to know her.

  If Michael Grant hadn’t noticed Veronica, Stevie thought from across the ring, then he was certainly the only rider who hadn’t. Her tantrum had created waves of displeasure throughout the group, and now most of Horse Wise was giving Jessica sympathetic looks.

  “She’s mean,” Jackie hissed to Stevie. “I wouldn’t want her to be my big sister.”

  “I wouldn’t want her to be my garbage collector,” Stevie replied. She caught the glances of Carole and Lisa, her two best friends, and the three of them shook their heads. Long ago they had formed a club called The Saddle Club. Members had to be horse crazy and willing to help each other out. The Saddle Club had solved a lot of problems, but there wasn’t much they could do to help this situation now. Jessica started to cross the ring again, and Stevie crossed her fingers that she would do it right.

  Right away Stevie could see what the problem was. Penny was dragging her feet stubbornly, and Jessica was kicking her forward. When Penny sped up, her stride shortened and became choppier, and she didn’t really travel any faster. What Jessica needed to do was lengthen Penny’s stride, but that was hard to do and Jessica probably hadn’t been riding long enough to be able to do it.

  Jessica began to lose ground. One rider crossed between her and Veronica, and she had to be the next person through the center. She gave Penny a desperate kick, and the mare shot forward, galloping—and ran right into Garnet. Garnet squealed and hunched her back, about to kick Penny. Penny saw the kick coming and dodged sideways fast.

  Jessica managed to stay on. She threw her weight back into the saddle and rode Penny out of harm’s way. Veronica, not expecting Garnet’s reaction, fell forward onto Garnet’s neck, her fingers clutching Garnet’s mane. She seemed to catch her balance, and then—The Saddle Club was willing to swear later that she did it on purpose—she ever so slowly slid to the ground. Her feet hit first, and she whirled to Max, her face purple with rage.

  “Did you see what just happened?” she screamed. Stevie looked up at Carole, who nodded and grinned. They’d all fallen off about a zillion times. It was part of riding. Neither of them believed for a second that Veronica was really concerned about her fall.

  But Veronica was not finished. “I didn’t come here to risk my life!” she shouted. “I didn’t come here to risk my purebred horse’s life either! I’m not sure why we’re even doing this—all this for a bunch of mangy, nasty animals that nobody wants and that aren’t worth anything in the first place!”

  Lisa winced. The County Animal Rescue League had sounded important to all of them. Veronica never understood anything.

  “You know, Veronica,” Max said slowly, “participation in this drill is not mandatory. You don’t have to be here.”

  “Good! I’m leaving!” Veronica dusted some imaginary dirt from the seat of her expensive breeches and led Garnet out of the ring. The rest of Horse Wise gave an audible sigh of relief.

  “Well,” Max said with a wide grin. “That’s that. Let’s try it again, everybody, shall we? Remember, if this were easy, it wouldn’t be a worthwhile exhibition. Start with the circles.

  “And, Carole, Jessica’s without a big sister now, so keep an eye on her, okay? I’m counting on you to watch two young riders.” He grinned, and Carole knew he was referring to her earlier inattention. She smiled back. She’d show Max—plus, she’d be a much better big sister than Veronica ever could be!

  “Are you okay?” she asked, riding close to Jessica.

  Jessica nodded, but Carole could see that her chin was trembling and her eyes were filled with tears.

  “Don’t worry,” Carole said. “It’s hard, but you’ll get it.”

  “Why do you think she left?” Jessica asked.

  “Who? Veronica? Don’t worry about her either—she’s always a pain in the neck.”

  Jessica swallowed hard and nodded again, but Carole didn’t think she felt better. Penny, indignant at being kicked by Jessica and kicked at by Garnet, got slower and slower as the practice went on, and Jessica never managed to cross through the center correctly. The rest of the practice went well, however, and Max called them to a halt after an hour’s hard work.

  “Nice job,” he said, smiling at every one of them. “All of you did very well. Think about these movements over the next few days, and Tuesday afternoon we’ll try setting it to music, okay?”

  “Okay, Max!” May Grover shouted almost too enthusiastically. The riders laughed.

  “Okay, May,” Max said. “All of you, untack your horses, cool them out, and feed them. We’ll meet back at my office in”—he checked his watch—“forty minutes. Horse Wise, dismissed!”

  Stevie raised her hand. “Max? I’ve got an idea. Since I think we’re still going to need a lot of luck to do well in the drill, I think we should all touch the good-luck horseshoe on our way into the barn.”

  Everyone laughed again. The good-luck horseshoe was the best known of the Pine Hollow traditions. The horseshoe hung near the main entrance of the stable. Everyone touched it before they rode, and no one had ever been seriously injured at Pine Hollow. However, no one ever touched it after they rode.

  “I don’t think we need luck to take off a saddle,” Lisa said.

  “I don’t think we’ll get hurt filling up the horses’ water buckets,” Carole added, laughing, and the little riders all giggled.

  “Luck,” Stevie insisted. “We’ll need it for the drill.”

  “Skill,” Max countered. “Not luck. Precision, accuracy, control, careful thinking—”

  Stevie shook her head, her face serious. Dismounting Belle, she walked up to the good-luck shoe and gave it a loud slap, like a high-five, as she led Belle into the barn. One by one, all the other riders followed her example.

  “HOW’RE YOU DOING with Outlaw, Jasmine?” Carole leaned over the door into the stall where her “little sister” was carefully untacking the pony. Carole had just finished taking care of Starligh
t.

  “Pretty well,” said Jasmine. She unbuckled the girth and reached up to lift the saddle off Outlaw’s back. The saddle was heavy and awkward for her, and she staggered a little. “Except—”

  Carole hurried to help her. Where Jasmine reached up for the saddle, Carole reached down, because she was so much taller than Jasmine. She helped Jasmine balance the saddle across her arm.

  “Thanks,” Jasmine said, grinning. “I’ll take this to the trailer and be right back to groom him.”

  “I’ll help you,” Carole said.

  “I don’t really need help,” Jasmine said, turning to face Carole and walking backward down the aisle. “Really. I’m okay.”

  Carole waited with Outlaw anyway until Jasmine came back. She offered to help brush him, but Jasmine shook her head. “See, Carole,” she said, a serious expression on her face, “when my parents said they would buy me a pony, I promised them that I would take care of it myself. I know they wouldn’t mind you helping me, but I’d rather do everything that I can by myself. Besides, I really like taking care of Outlaw.” She smiled a little anxiously, as if afraid Carole would be offended.

  Carole understood right away. “I feel like that myself,” she said. “There’s nothing I like better than taking care of Starlight. I’ll go see how Jessica’s doing. You yell if you need me.”

  Jasmine grinned and nodded, her anxiety gone. Carole went down the aisle to Penny’s stall, but before she got there, she could hear muffled thumps and what sounded like a small girl crying. She ran the last few steps and threw open the door.

  Penny was whirling in her stall, her head and hindquarters crashing into the walls. Jessica was chasing her, lunging at her head and crying softly, “Stop it! Stop it! Penny!”

  Carole caught Jessica in her arms before the frantic pony could hurt her. “Hey, hey! Whoa! Jessica, what’s wrong?”

  Jessica sagged against Carole, covering her face with her hands. “Penny won’t come, she hates me!” she wailed. “I can’t unbuckle the girth, she won’t let me near her, I tried talking nice to her! She hates me!”