Beginner's Luck (Show Jumping Dreams ~ Book 18)

by Claire Svendsen

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  After our ride together, Faith became my new best friend. At least that was what she seemed to think and I didn’t really mind. I liked helping her and wished that I’d had someone to take me under their wing when I was her age and show me the ropes. Macaroni was a great pony but he wasn’t always an easy pony and I found myself giving her pointers on our rides together.

  She loved going out on the trail and it sort of became our thing. Cantering under the shaded trees and hopping over the fallen logs. She was a really talented little rider and I watched her get stronger every day. I also watched Mickey’s friendship with Dakota get stronger, which only made me feel more alienated than ever. When I saw her in the tack room getting her stuff together with no Dakota in sight, I saw my opportunity to make things right.

  “Hey,” I said, leaning against the door frame, trying to look casual.

  “Hey,” she replied, looking up and seeing me standing there.

  She was wearing new breeches. They were gray with tiny black horses galloping across them and I wondered if she’d got them at the tack store.

  “Nice breeches,” I said.

  “Thanks. My mom ordered them for me.”

  Which meant she hadn’t gone into town and I didn’t need to quiz her on whether or not she’d seen Jordan or if Taylor was there at the store still acting all distraught.

  “I saw your new friend,” I said, trying not to sound awkward about it. “She’s the one you told me about, right? The one you felt sorry for?”

  “I don’t just feel sorry for her,” Mickey said. “I like her too. She’s a nice person.”

  I wanted to say, and I’m not? But I bit my tongue instead.

  “Well it’s nice that you are helping her out I guess. Being in a new place without your own horses must suck.”

  “It does,” Mickey said. “You have no idea how much.”

  Which was silly because of course I did. I wanted to remind her of all the horseless years I spent locked in my mother’s house after my father left which I knew she knew about but had somehow conveniently forgotten.

  “Well do you want to go for a ride with me today?” I asked, trying not to sound all desperate and needy.

  “Dakota is coming out. We both have lessons and then we’ll probably ride around the loop or something.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Wait, what? Dakota has a lesson?”

  “With Missy,” Mickey said. “I thought you knew.”

  “No, I didn’t,” I said.

  “Well now you do.” She shrugged.

  I stormed off to look at the lesson board. Dakota riding around and goofing off was one thing but her having a lesson was something else entirely. I stood there looking at the lesson board. Mickey was right. There was Dakota’s name in purple marker. She was riding Popcorn again in a jumping lesson with Missy. A jumping lesson. The girl who rode western and didn’t belong here.

  I threw myself down on the leather couch feeling all huffy and depressed even though I wasn’t sure why. Lots of girls came to ride here. They took lessons every week. Some of them came more than once a week and lots of them rode Popcorn. I couldn’t figure out what the big deal was. Why did I feel so jealous? Was it because she was encroaching on my best friend? My barn territory? Or my horses? She was riding Popcorn now but what happened when she graduated from the cranky Appaloosa mare? Would Missy put her on Socks? Or Wizard? Or another horse that I loved? I was the prodigal child who got to ride all the horses but I couldn’t shake the feeling that pretty Dakota with her sunny smile and magnetic personality was somehow going to take all that away from me.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  I didn’t want to stick around and watch Dakota’s lesson so I tacked up Arion and took him out to the jump field. He’d finished his ulcer treatment and it had worked. He was back to his old self again, eating his hay and not pinning his ears when I tightened his girth. I had a few tubes of the ulcer medication for times of stress like when we took him to shows but I was kind of nervous to even take him off the farm again in case it upset him, even though I knew that if he was going to be a show horse he was going to have to leave at some point.

  Dad said that the ulcers were probably left over from his days as a racehorse and now that he was in a more relaxed environment where he was able to go in the fields and play like a real horse and wasn’t being pumped full of supplements and sweet feed, there was a good chance that he would be just fine.

  Of course that still didn’t mean that my father thought the horse had any talent. There was a schooling show at the end of the month and I was hoping that he would let me take Arion. Bluebird was having a month off from showing in preparation for a busy summer and the Talent Scout series but that didn’t mean that Arion couldn’t get his feet wet in a baby jumper class.

  In fact Faith was taking Macaroni and she’d practically begged me to go as well and if Wizard was still here and Jordan hadn’t come back to claim him then I was sort of hoping that I could show him as well. Just because Jordan had given up on poor Wizard, didn’t mean I would.

  Arion was fresh and hyper. He bunny hopped across the field and it took ages to settle him, which meant I couldn’t look over at the arena to see how Dakota was getting on with Popcorn but I knew she was in there. I’d seen her and Missy talking and laughing. Then she gave Dakota a leg up and sent her into the ring and every now and then I could see a spotted rump leaping over some fences. Dakota was getting Popcorn to jump and she wasn’t falling off or getting a million refusals but I told myself it didn’t matter. There were other students who rode Popcorn well too. It didn’t mean anything.

  When Arion had settled enough to think about asking him to do some baby jumps, I got off and wandered about, adjusting all the fences so that they were only about two foot high. Baby jumpers had to start somewhere and I’d been hopping Arion over cross rails when my father wasn’t looking pretty much ever since I got him. It was time to see if he could jump more than what was essentially something he just stepped over.

  I was fixing the final poles when I heard a cheer from the ring and Missy started clapping.

  “Great job,” she cried. “Well done.”

  Missy never congratulated anyone. She didn’t tell people they’d done a good job or clap out loud. If you were lucky she told you that you were adequate. Somehow Dakota had won her over and that wasn’t an easy thing to do. Missy and I had somewhat made peace after the Easter show but that didn’t mean we were best buddies or anything and she hadn’t even had time to teach me at all, let alone tell me that I was doing a good job.

  I got back on Arion with a sigh. Dakota was pretty and a good rider and she could make people like her. It wasn’t fair.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Teaching a green horse to jump when I was all distracted probably wasn’t the best idea. I was too busy watching Dakota come out of the ring to pay attention to Arion’s total over excitement at the fact that he was jumping. He launched himself into the air over a couple of the fences like I was asking him to jump a four foot oxer and galloped on to the next before I could check him.

  “This isn’t a jump off,” I said through gritted teeth as I circled him before one of the fences.

  Mickey finally came out of the dressage ring and they both headed off for the trail. As I watched them go, Arion threw himself over the last fence and tossed me up onto his neck. I lost one of my stirrups and it took me ages to get situated again. When I had, they’d both vanished. Mickey said they were only going to ride around the loop, the fenced off perimeter which went around the whole property. She didn’t say anything about going out on the trail. Maybe they didn’t want me watching them or something which made me feel kind of hurt. That was our thing. Mine and Mickey’s and she hadn’t even asked me if I wanted to go with them.

  I took Arion back into the barn, feeling a little dejected. Missy was in the office. I could hear her talking to my father as I walked by.

  “She was great,” Missy s
aid. “Lots of natural talent there. I think she’ll go far. I could take her under my wing.”

  “Is that what you really want?” my father said.

  After all, it hadn’t been that long ago since Missy was trying to keep me out of the same classes as her. Now she was going to basically train up a new kid to do exactly that. How was that even fair? What about me? I’d been asking for a lesson from Missy for ages and so far she’d always pretended that she was too busy to teach me. My father was the one who squeezed me in here and there but he was busy too.

  “I think so,” Missy said. “She’s a nice girl and I feel sorry for her.”

  Another person who felt sorry for Dakota? What was the deal? I took Arion to the wash rack and hosed him off since he was pretty sweaty after leaping and jumping about and generally being silly.

  “Jumping isn’t a game,” I told him. “It’s serious business.”

  But I was kind of glad that he thought it was fun because it was better than having a horse who hated to jump or even worse, was afraid to jump. By the time I got back to the office, Missy had gone but my father was still there.

  “Hey,” I said, going in and sitting down. “Got a minute?”

  He looked at his watch. “I guess so. What is it? You’re not here to moan about that Dakota girl, are you?”

  “No,” I said. “Why would I do that?”

  “I saw you out there lurking and watching. I know you and I know that you don’t like her.”

  “It’s not that I don’t like her,” I said, staring at my feet. “I mean I don’t even know her, it’s just that everyone thinks she is so fabulous. First Mickey and now Missy. It’s like she’s weaving this spell over people to make them think she is the best thing ever.”

  “Maybe she is the best thing ever,” Dad said.

  “Maybe.” I sighed. “Anyway, that’s not it. I wanted to see if there was a free spot on the trailer at the end of the month for Arion to go to that schooling show. Faith is going and I thought it would be a good start for Arion. You know, a low key schooling show without all the distractions of the bigger shows we usually go to. He can get his feet wet in the baby jumper class and come home feeling good about himself.”

  “I don’t see why not,” Dad said, pulling a sheet of paper out of a drawer. “There is room. I think you are right. It will be good for Arion to start showing. Might as well expose him now while he is young and eager.”

  “Exactly,” I said, standing up to leave. “Thanks.”

  “Emily,” Dad said as I was turning away. “I know that you are possessive of your friends and your horses and your riding and I know why.”

  I stood there with my heart pounding in my chest, wondering if he was about to yell at me.

  “And I don’t blame you,” he continued on. “But not everyone is out to get you all the time. The world is full of other people who can ride just as well as you. No matter how talented you are there will always be people who are better than you. Who are having a better day or have better horses or even just better luck. The sooner you come to terms with that, the better off you’ll be.”

  “I’m trying,” I mumbled.

  “I know you are,” he said, coming around the desk and putting his hand on my shoulder. “But don’t lose your best friend over this, okay?”

  “I’m not the one who is being difficult,” I said. “She is.”

  I left the office with my father’s words ringing in my ears. I knew he was right. I was being childish and stupid but if I didn’t hold on to all that I had I could lose it again and I just couldn’t face that. Riding was my life and the only thing I had going for me was the fact that I was really good at it.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  I tried to ignore my best friend and her new best friend by concentrating on working my horses. I hacked Bluebird out lightly every day, keeping his muscles in shape by working on dressage stuff. Arion got schooled in the jump field and sometimes in the ring, when we could squeeze in there without other people being around since he was kind of over exuberant when it came to the whole jumping thing. He was like a little kid who was learning to run for the first time with arms and legs flying all over the place only instead of arms it was four legs which all seemed to go in different directions when he headed towards a jump.

  And then there was Wizard. Poor Wizard. He seemed a little sad so I made sure to lavish him with extra love. He really was a nice horse and I’d jumped him a few times and found that he was simple and easy to ride. I had him out in the jump field having just finished the course out there when Dad beckoned me over. I thought maybe I was going to be in trouble. I wasn’t sure if I was technically supposed to be jumping Wizard that much or that high but the horse didn’t seem to mind.

  “You looked great out there,” Dad said, leaning on the fence.

  “Thanks,” I said. “Is there any word about Jordan yet?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  I threw my arms around Wizard’s neck. “I’m sorry boy,” I told him. “But don’t you worry, I’m sure he’ll show up soon and when he does it is perfectly fine if you act all mad with him, okay?”

  “Are you talking to the horse or yourself?” Dad said, raising an eyebrow.

  “I’m talking to Wizard,” I said. “I don’t care if Jordan ever comes back.”

  “Right,” Dad said. “Sure you don’t. Anyway, speaking of Wizard, I thought you might like to take him to the schooling show as well.”

  “Really?” I said.

  “Why not?”

  “Well what about Taylor? Won’t she be mad?”

  “Why would she be mad? The horse is here so that he can stay in work and be in shape for Jordan when he gets back. We might as well keep him ticking over on the show front as well, especially since he missed the last one.”

  “Cool,” I said, thinking that Jordan would be really annoyed if he came back and found out that I’d won a bunch of blue ribbons on his horse and it would serve him right.

  “So I was thinking that I would give you a lesson on him tomorrow if you like,” Dad said. “Just to make sure you guys are on the right track and then I really need to sort you and Arion out as well.”

  “Sort us out?” I said.

  “Yes,” Dad said, shaking his head. “I saw you guys flailing about out there the other day. “You can’t just let a green horse do whatever he wants. It’s not just about getting him over the fence. You also have to teach him how to do it properly.”

  “I’m trying,” I said. “He just gets so excited.”

  “I know,” Dad said, opening the gate so that Wizard and I could come out. “And it’s okay. You’re managing but managing isn’t going to turn him into a jumper, is it?”

  “No,” I said.

  “Right, so lessons tomorrow for you on Wizard and Arion. I’ll look at the schedule and fit you in and don’t be late because I know that I’ve got a crazy day.”

  We walked back to the barn side by side and I got the feeling that my father was really going out of his way to be extra nice to me. I just wasn’t sure why.

  “Everything is okay, isn’t it Dad?” I asked, starting to feel a little worried.

  “Of course,” he said, which didn’t instill me with any confidence at all.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The next day Dad set up a gymnastic exercise in the ring for Wizard, who seemed to think that it was the best thing ever. He was very quick on his feet for such a large horse and bounded like a cat down the row of bounce jumps.

  “Very good,” Dad called out. “A little less leg next time. He doesn’t need to be quite so forward.”

  We went again and this time Dad nodded.

  “What a nice horse,” he said when we were done. “No wonder Taylor decided not to sell him.”

  “She was going to sell him?” I asked curiously.

  “A while back,” Dad said. “With the store being so busy she said she didn’t have the time for him. She even contacted me about selling him for her bu
t then Jordan started showing an interest and seemed to really take to riding again so that was that.”

  “Again?” I said. “You mean Jordan used to ride before?”

  “When he was a little kid,” Dad said. “In the pony classes. In fact, I’m pretty sure he rode in the pony classes with you.”

  “What?” I said, jumping to the ground and running up my stirrups. “You’re joking, right?”

  “No,” Dad said. “I told you that I used to know Taylor. Jordan was only a couple of years older than you and he didn’t grow up from birth on the back of a pony like you did. Makes sense you’d be in the same classes, don’t you think?”

  “But I don’t remember him at all,” I said. “Are you sure?”

  “Well, maybe not then.” Dad shrugged. “I don’t know. But if you’re really curious there are loads of photo albums in the house.”

  “You mean you have pictures of me when I was little?” I said.

  “What kind of monster do you think I am?” Dad laughed. “You really think I’d just toss out all the photographs of my only daughter?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged.

  “Silly girl,” he said, ruffling my already messy hair after I took my helmet off. “Now go and get that gray beast of yours ready and let’s see if we can knock some sense into him together.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  But my mind wasn’t focused on riding Arion at all. It was on the photo albums that my father said were back at the house. Treasure troves of memories that I had long forgotten. Dad said he would never throw out all the old photos because who would do that but it was exactly what my mother had done. She’d tossed out every picture of my father and my sister and even my own childhood and secretly I was hoping that somewhere in those albums I’d find a photograph of Summer.