by Suzanne Weyn
Taylor started pedaling again, feeling lucky to have arrived at her favorite place in the world. But her mood darkened when she saw a one-horse trailer parked in front of the main building. Taylor recognized the car it was hitched to. It belonged to Daphne’s father. The back door of the trailer was open, and the loading ramp was out.
Dropping her bike against the bare maple beside the corral, Taylor ran toward the main building. She got there just as Daphne was leading Mandy from the stable.
Taylor had known this was coming, but somehow she’d never really believed it would happen. Seeing Mandy actually leaving was more than Taylor could stand.
“You’re not really taking her, are you?” Taylor blurted breathlessly.
“I told you I was going to,” Daphne reminded her, a note of apology in her voice. “You knew that.”
“I didn’t know it was definite!” Taylor countered.
“I told you,” Daphne insisted.
Daphne kept leading Mandy toward the back of the trailer.
“You can’t do this, Daphne,” Taylor persisted, walking alongside her. “You’ve been part of Wildwood from the very beginning. You love the place as much as I do. How can you leave?”
“They’re offering Mandy free board, Taylor. Free board at Ross River Ranch! You know what the place looks like. How can I say no to that?”
Taylor stopped and folded her arms. “You’re not loyal,” she said.
Daphne halted Mandy. “Don’t say that, Taylor. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me.”
“This, right here, is a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Taylor argued. She spread her arms wide as if to gather all of Wildwood in her embrace. “This is the special place. There are a ton of other places like Ross River, where people who are lucky enough to be rich can have the best of everything for their horses. But this is the place that we helped Mrs. LeFleur build — you, me, Mercedes, and Travis. We made this happen! How can you leave it?”
“I have the chance to work with Keith Hobbes,” Daphne said softly. With her head down, she moved onto the back of the trailer and began to walk Mandy up the ramp.
Taylor watched Mandy halt on the ramp. Her gray ears twitched. Did she know she was leaving this place forever? Did she understand she’d no longer live across from Prince Albert and Pixie, or next to Cody, the Colorado Ranger gelding who was her neighbor in the stall next door? Taylor knew that horses were like humans in that they formed relationships and emotional attachments with other horses, as well as with people.
Daphne clicked for Mandy to keep moving into the trailer, and her horse obeyed. In the next minute, Daphne was pulling the ramp away.
Daphne’s father walked out of the main building beside Mrs. LeFleur. They shook hands, and Mr. Chang headed to his car.
Taylor looked to Mrs. LeFleur imploringly. She wanted to cry out — Do something! But Mrs. LeFleur hadn’t noticed her. The ranch owner walked behind the Changs’ car and helped Daphne lock the trailer door. They hugged, and Daphne ran up to the car to join her father.
Taylor stood beside Mrs. LeFleur, and together they watched the trailer pull out, Daphne’s hand waving from the window. “Do you think we’ll ever see them again?” Taylor asked.
Mrs. LeFleur poked Taylor’s arm sharply. “You’ll be in high school with Daphne next year, silly girl. And don’t you take lessons over at Ross River Ranch? Of course you’ll see her.”
Taylor sighed. “It won’t be the same. And I only have one more lesson left at Ross River.”
This seemed to surprise Mrs. LeFleur. “Only one left?” she repeated sympathetically. “My, that went fast.”
“It did,” Taylor agreed, nodding.
Mrs. LeFleur studied Taylor a moment. “Then you’ll just have to win some more, won’t you?”
Mrs. LeFleur made it sound so simple. Taylor wished it seemed that easy to her. To Taylor, the fact that she’d won the first set was a piece of great luck that she could never hope to reproduce again — especially not when she’d be riding in the next level of competition.
Mercedes came to join them. “All the horses have been fed and watered,” she reported. “Taylor, could you help me muck some stalls?”
“Sure,” Taylor agreed. “Daphne just left with Mandy.”
Mercedes wiped a dark curl from her forehead. “I know. I didn’t want to come out to watch them drive off. I couldn’t take it. Who’s going to give lessons now?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Mrs. LeFleur replied. “How about you?”
“Me?” Mercedes cried, pretending to be shocked.
Taylor bit down on a smile. Mercedes was not one bit surprised by this. Taylor knew Mercedes was dying to give lessons. She was always looking for the chance to instruct riders who came to the stable just to ride, especially the younger ones.
“I’m sure I could do it,” Mercedes said. “You know I’ve been riding since I was six, and I’ve had great instructors. You can see what an amazing horse Monty is. I trained him myself, and not many other girls my age could have —”
“Oh, I know you’re a wonderful rider,” Mrs. LeFleur cut Mercedes off. “You’re one of the best. I think both of you will make terrific instructors.”
“Me?” Taylor asked with a gasp. Unlike Mercedes, Taylor was genuinely shocked by Mrs. LeFleur’s suggestion.
“Taylor?” Mercedes cried at the same time.
Mrs. LeFleur was amused by their surprise. “Yes, Taylor. I’ve had a number of inquiries from the parents of children as young as five who are total beginners and are looking for lessons. I think you’d be wonderful with them, Taylor. You could use Pixie for the very little ones. And Prince Albert has become so wonderfully sensible and steady with slightly older children. Mercedes could instruct the somewhat more advanced riders.”
Taylor was dumbstruck by this idea. Could she really be a riding instructor?
Mercedes scowled. “Isn’t Taylor sort of uh … uh … new to horseback riding?”
“She certainly knows the basics well enough to teach them,” Mrs. LeFleur replied. “And she’s gotten some experience from helping out with the volunteer programs we’ve had here, and the children’s parties.”
Was it true? Taylor wondered if she really did know enough to be a teacher. Mrs. LeFleur wouldn’t let her try it if she didn’t truly think so.
Taylor discovered she was smiling, though she hadn’t realized it. Taylor Henry, Riding Instructor. Cool.
Turning toward Mercedes, Taylor was about to say it would be fun for them to both be riding instructors together. But all she saw was Mercedes’ back as the girl walked away.
“Is she mad because I’m going to teach, too?” Taylor asked Mrs. LeFleur, intuitively guessing what was bothering Mercedes.
Mrs. LeFleur shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Mercedes has to learn that she can’t always be the big cheese around here.”
Taylor nodded, but she felt uneasy. What was happening at Wildwood? First, Daphne had left, and now Mercedes was miffed at her. Even Spots had leaped away.
Taylor sat in the heated office at Wildwood, flipping through one of Mrs. LeFleur’s old books. Its yellowed pages showed different gymkhana patterns and games. Some of them looked fun — definitely something she could do with her lesson group.
The door creaked open and a blast of cold air made Taylor look up to see who had entered the office. Mercedes bustled in, looking hurried. Her curly hair was piled underneath a blue ski cap.
“What are you doing? Come on, the kids will be here soon!” Mercedes said as she grabbed a clipboard from near the computer.
“Just looking up some things to try with the beginners,” Taylor said, shutting the book and placing it back on the shelf. “This book has lots of horse games and contests. I read the book’s introduction, and it said that here in the northeast we call it gymkhana, but out west they use the Native American name for it, which is O-Mok-See, which just means games on horseback. But don’t you think it sounds much cooler and —”
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“Whatever! We don’t have time for this!” Mercedes exploded.
Taylor felt stung by her impatience. “It’s only three-thirty. The kids won’t be here until four.”
Mercedes looked at Taylor as if she had just spoken in Latin. “Seriously?” she asked, her tone implying irritation rather than confusion. “You have to go get your horses ready.”
Taylor hesitated before she said, “Well, I was thinking the kids would learn more about grooming and tacking if I taught them how, instead of me just getting the horses ready for them.”
Mercedes waved her right hand dismissively in Taylor’s direction. “Whatever. You can do what you want. I’m going to go get my horses ready so that the kids will have plenty of riding time. See you out there.”
Taylor stood up as Mercedes walked out of the office door into the chilly December air. Now unsure what she should do, Taylor paused, rethinking her plans. She decided to go ask Mrs. LeFleur, who was outside talking to a prospective boarder.
Walking up cautiously, she asked quietly, “Uh, Mrs. LeFleur? Sorry to interrupt, but do you think it’s okay, for the first couple of lessons, that I teach the kids how to groom and tack before they start riding?”
Mrs. LeFleur looked at Taylor and smiled encouragingly. “I think that’s a great idea, especially since you’re teaching the beginner class. It’s important that they get the basics.”
Taylor nodded and took a deep breath. Mrs. LeFleur looked into Taylor’s eyes, as if she could see the worry there. “Relax,” she reassured her, lowering her voice and putting her face closer to Taylor’s. “You’ll be fine, and if you need help I’ll be right here, talking with Mr. Segarra.”
Mr. Segarra gave a smile, extending his hand. “Pleased to meet you. My daughter, Roberta, is starting lessons today. With the older kids, I believe. We’re thinking about bringing our horse down for boarding as well,” he explained.
Taylor shook his strong, rough hand. He wore jeans with white paint splotches on them and a red and gold plaid shirt. By his look she guessed he was in construction. “Nice to meet you, too,” Taylor said. “I’m going to be teaching the younger group today. Real beginners.”
Mr. Segarra chuckled knowingly. “I remember my first time on a horse. The darn thing spooked at something and bolted. I was so scared, it practically turned my hair straight!” He laughed, running a calloused hand through his thick, curly hair for emphasis.
Taylor smiled and said, “I know how scary that can be. I got bucked off of my friend Eric’s horse not too long ago.”
“Didn’t stop me from getting right back on, though,” Mr. Segarra said, scratching at his stubbly beard. “And you either, hmm?”
“Nope,” Taylor said with a grin. “Always have to get back in the saddle.” Feeling more confident now, and knowing that Mrs. LeFleur would be nearby if anything were to go wrong, Taylor waved good-bye to the two adults. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Segarra. I’m going to go pull the grooming buckets and tack I need. Talk to you all later!”
Taylor headed toward the tack room, passing Mercedes, who was frantically tacking up four horses — Cody, Jojo, Forest, and Monty — in the aisle. She wondered if she should ask Mercedes if she needed any help, but knowing how independent and, at the moment, high-strung Mercedes could be, decided against it.
Taylor brought three grooming totes, saddles, pads, and bridles into the aisle before approaching Prince Albert’s stall. Coming up to the black horse, she grabbed his halter from the door. She slid the stall door open and gently clucked at Prince Albert, trying to get his attention.
“Ready to help with a demonstration, boy?” she asked, petting the horse softly on his neck and sliding the halter over his ears.
Prince Albert’s ears pricked forward, interested. He neighed, as he always did when spoken to. Taylor loved this about him, although she loved almost everything about him. It made her feel like he was answering her.
From the next stall Pixie whinnied, as if to ask, “Me, too?”
“Not today, girl,” Taylor replied in a friendly tone. “But if I have any really little kids you might be just the right size. I won’t know until they get here, though.”
Taylor stepped around to Pixie’s stall to pet her frizzy blonde forelock. “I bet they’ll all love you and want to bring you treats. You’re such a pretty girl.” Pixie dipped her head, allowing Taylor to scratch gently between her ears.
It was just around four when the kids started to arrive. Some came in pairs, others alone. Most of the parents stayed to watch, while a few dropped off their child with a peck on the cheek and a “Have fun!”
Mercedes had brought the four horses into the front riding ring and called out to the forming group, “If you are with the advanced, older group, come here!” A few of the taller children glanced at each other, unsure, and walked forward. Some of their parents followed, while others stayed and chatted with one another.
Taylor came out from the back of the barn, Prince Albert in tow. She spoke to the group of youngest kids — two girls and boy. The oldest-looking girl appeared to be about seven. Taylor guessed that the boy and girl were five or six.
She would need Pixie, after all. And Taylor was glad Mercedes hadn’t used Shafir. The young mare was relatively small compared to the other horses.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Taylor, and this is my horse, Prince Albert.” She gestured to Prince Albert, who had lowered his head to nibble on what was left of a fuzzy dandelion. “If you’re in the beginner group, which I guess you are,” she continued, motioning toward the three remaining kids, “you can come on over here. I’m going to show you a couple of things before we get you on. Parents, you’re welcome to come along if you want.”
The children were shooed forward by their parents, a few of them casting cautious glances over their shoulder as they moved toward Taylor. Taylor bent forward as they came closer to get on their level.
“Hi, there. Again, you can call me Taylor, and this is Prince Albert. What are your names?” she asked, trying to sound as friendly as possible.
“My name is Katlyn Rumbold!” The smallest girl, a brunette dressed in jeans and pink cowboy boots spoke up first, jerking a thumb toward her chest for further indication. The little girl turned and looked at the boy next to her, giving him a sharp poke in the arm and demanding, “Say your name!”
“I’m Ad —” the little boy started to say, very quietly.
“His name is Adam!” said Katlyn, cutting him off. “He’s my twin brother, but he’s really quiet.”
Taylor laughed. “Well, nice to meet you both. And what’s your name?” she asked, turning to the remaining girl.
“Sarah,” the girl said, twisting her ponytail around her fingers. “Can I pet your horse?”
“Sure!” Taylor said, standing up and tugging Prince Albert forward. “In fact, can you guys help me get Prince Albert ready to ride? I sure could use the help. And then, once we learn how to get him ready, we can get your horses ready and go ride!”
Katlyn cheered and jumped up, while Adam gave a small smile and nodded. Sarah reached forward and gently patted Prince Albert’s muzzle as the horse finished off the remains of more dandelions.
Taylor reached into the grooming tote, pulling out a currycomb. “Can anyone tell me what this is used for?”
“For cleaning the mane?” Adam asked quietly.
“No, silly!” shouted Katlyn, slugging her brother in the arm. “It’s for brushing the horse’s body, duh!”
Taylor chuckled. “No hitting, please. And you’re both close. We use this currycomb to scrub any caked-on dirt or extra hair off the horse’s body. Here, watch me, and then you all can try.”
Taylor demonstrated how to curry, scrubbing small circles around the mass of Prince Albert’s body. She then had the children practice on different sections of Prince Albert. Taylor silently reminded herself to get something good for him for Christmas — she was so lucky he put up with the children’s shouting and quick motions. She wen
t through all of the grooming and then tacking, making sure to focus on things such as saddle pad placement and how to tie in horse gear.
“All right!” Taylor declared after the last child had practiced. “Let’s go get your horses ready to go ride!”
“Yeah!” Katlyn cheered as she pumped a small fist in the air. The other two children nodded enthusiastically.
As Taylor led the group into the barn, she glanced over her shoulder toward the ring to see how Mercedes was doing. Although she couldn’t hear exactly what Mercedes was saying, she could guess. Mercedes shouted something to one of her riders, then paused and shouted it again. She then stormed over to the student and made a quick, frustrated motion. The horse sidestepped away from the flailing hand, and the rider clutched hold of the saddle horn.
Wondering what was going on in the ring, Taylor turned back to her group of small children. Although it required a lot of patience and repetition, she enjoyed working with the kids. Their, or at least Katlyn’s, enthusiasm was contagious, and Taylor couldn’t help but grin as she helped them tack up and head into the ring.
The children all giggled as Taylor had them play games like Simon Says and Red Light, Green Light on their horses and pony. Although they were only able to go at a walk, it was still fun to watch them try to tag her during a game of Slow-Motion Tag.
Taylor discovered that she enjoyed teaching with games. The kids were learning control and balance without even realizing it. Before she knew it, it was time for them to dismount. She went around to each of them, helping them slide their leg behind them and then lowering them to the ground.
As Taylor led them back to the barn to untack, she heard Mr. Segarra talking to someone.
“But I don’t want to come back!” complained a slim brunette girl whom Taylor presumed to be his daughter, Roberta.
“Well, the board here is pretty cheap, and you can take discounted lessons,” Mr. Segarra countered, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Fine, we can board Chester, but I do not want to take lessons here,” Roberta said.
