Corey was about to ask Jasmine more questions, but May started jumping around impatiently again. “C’mon,” she said. “We’ve got to get started—it gets dark so early in the winter.” The three girls ran off toward their houses.
When Jasmine got home, the house was quiet. She peeked into the den and saw her mother, lying asleep on the couch with Sophie curled up by her side. Sophie was fast asleep, too.
Jasmine tiptoed upstairs to her room. She set down her school bag and wondered where to put her dinosaur poster. Her teacher had loved it. She had asked Jasmine to bring it back for a school art exhibition in two weeks. In the meantime, Jasmine was supposed to keep it safe at home.
Jasmine wondered if her parents would be able to go the art exhibition. Then she remembered how busy they were these days. She quickly shoved the poster into her closet. She noticed that the edges had gotten a little bent by a pair of shoes.
She shrugged. It was just a poster.
She put on her riding clothes and went outside.
Outlaw, her pony, nickered when he saw her. “Hi, Outlaw,” Jasmine said, giving him a hug. He shook his mane happily.
Unlike Jasmine, Outlaw had a mischievous, naughty streak—one that went with the banditlike white mask on his face, the reason for his name. Jasmine loved riding Outlaw, especially since he was always happy to spend time with her.
After tacking up, Jasmine rode over to May’s house. Because May’s father trained horses for a living, the Grovers’ house had a large stable and two schooling rings in the back.
Corey was already there, mounted on her pony, Samurai. Corey had named him for the white, sword-shaped streak across his nose.
Jasmine could tell that Samurai was eager to start. He looked even friskier than usual. Since he was usually pretty lively, Corey had her hands full trying to get him to stand quietly.
“Hi,” called Jasmine. Then May emerged from the stable, leading her pony, Macaroni—named because he was the color of May’s favorite food, macaroni and cheese. May led Macaroni to the mounting block and swung into the saddle.
First, the three girls practiced their gaits. To start, they concentrated on the slow trot, which helped them balance in the saddle. Then they worked on the posting trot, and then they moved from the posting trot into the canter.
Jasmine was having a great time. The biggest challenge in cantering was keeping your pony under control. Otherwise, the pony could break into a gallop. Outlaw, though, was behaving perfectly today. The three girls tried to keep in formation, single file, as if they were in riding class.
After a half hour of practicing, they stopped for a break. “That was great!” exclaimed Corey. Samurai, too, had been behaving perfectly.
“No, we were great,” declared May. “I think our practice and lessons are really working!”
“I think we’re getting to be good riders,” Jasmine agreed.
“Me too,” said May. “So I have an idea—why don’t we try a few jumps?”
“I’m game,” answered Corey immediately. Then May and Corey looked at Jasmine.
Jasmine felt a little nervous. “I haven’t done that much jumping,” she said. “Don’t you think we should take a lesson with Max first?” Max Regnery was their riding teacher at Pine Hollow.
“We’ve already learned some stuff about jumping from Max,” May reminded Jasmine. “And anyway, you have jumped before. Remember the big sister-little sister competition? You and Carole Hanson won first prize!”
Jasmine remembered how much fun that competition had been. She had been paired with Carole Hanson, one of the best riders at Pine Hollow and a member of the Saddle Club. The Saddle Club was an older group of girls who, like the Pony Tails, were best friends and loved riding. Jasmine and Carole had won the competition because of the last event, a jumping course.
Still Jasmine hesitated. “I don’t know,” she said. “Carole’s so good, I think she won that competition for us.”
“It’s no big deal, Jazz,” urged May. “You’re good, too—Carole said so. It’ll be fun, I promise!”
Jasmine gave in. “Okay,” she agreed. “But nothing crazy,”
Just then Mr. Grover walked out of the house. He smiled when he saw the girls.
“Hey, Dad,” called May. “Can you help us set up for some jumps?”
“Sure,” said Mr. Grover. He came over to the schooling ring. With his help, the Pony Tails dragged some cavalletti—long rails that hooked onto the approach side of a jump—into position.
Mr. Grover made sure the cavalletti were spaced evenly. “This helps the ponies get used to the idea of the rails and adjust their stride,” he explained to the girls. They all nodded, having done this before with Max at Pine Hollow.
For several minutes the three girls took turns trotting over the rails. Jasmine concentrated hard on keeping Outlaw at an even pace so that he wouldn’t hit the rails as he trotted over them.
“You’re doing great!” called Mr. Grover. “Let’s try something a little more difficult.”
Mr. Grover raised the cavalletti slightly from the ground on blocks. May went first, then Corey, and then Jasmine. This time the ponies had to pick their feet up and step over the rails. The girls concentrated on keeping their heads up and their seats balanced.
Once again the exercise went perfectly. After her fourth try, May turned around and called back to Corey and Jasmine. She was grinning. “Hey, we’re not so bad!” she said. “I think we’re ready for some real jumping now. Let’s try raising it three feet!”
Mr. Grover laughed. “Slow down, cowgirl,” he told May. “But you’re right, you are doing great. Let’s try a little jump.” He walked over and raised the cavalletti until they were six inches off the ground.
Jasmine felt an uncomfortable butterfly in her stomach. Jumping was a lot harder than regular riding. A rider had to tell her pony what to do. Even more importantly, the rider needed to stay with the pony throughout the jump. If she didn’t, she was in danger of losing her balance.
Jasmine wanted to say no. She looked at May and Corey. Both of them were grinning. She knew May was always excited about taking risks, but this time Corey looked eager to try jumping as well.
Both Corey and May had more jumping experience than Jasmine did. But she didn’t want to look like a wimp in front of her best friends. So she took a deep breath and waited for her turn.
Corey went first. She loved jumping. She and Samurai had taken first prize in the pony hunter event at a recent horse show. Under Corey’s guidance, Samurai sailed over the jumps.
“Good balance, Corey!” Mr. Grover called out.
Then May went. May was such a daredevil, she cantered Macaroni at the jumps a little too quickly. As a result, her form was not as good as Corey’s. As she approached the jumps, her hands clenched tightly on the reins. She looked down at the ground instead of straight ahead. Macaroni sailed over the jumps anyway.
“This is so much fun!” May said as she trotted Macaroni back to wait for her next turn.
“Nice jumping, May, but keep your head up,” instructed Mr. Grover. “Don’t look down; you need to guide the pony through the jump. Don’t hold the reins so tightly. You’ve got to give Macaroni room to stretch his neck as he takes the jump.” May nodded solemnly.
Jasmine gulped. She rode Outlaw to face the jumps and looked at Mr. Grover. He must have sensed her nervousness because he started talking again.
“Remember, Jasmine, most ponies love jumping,” he said. “It’s like playing a duet. You and Outlaw are such good friends, you should be able to tell him how to do this. Canter him slowly toward the jumps. Try to maintain your balance.”
Jasmine nodded and started cantering toward the jumps. When she reached the first one, she leaned forward. She felt Outlaw gather himself and sail over the tiny jump. Then the second. Then the third. She’d done it!
As she cleared the last jump, Jasmine was startled by a burst of clapping and cheering from the edge of the ring. She looked over and saw her parents standing
there, with Sophie fast asleep in her stroller. They had watched the whole thing. “Great style, Jasmine!” Mrs. James called out. Mr. James whistled through his fingers.
May and Corey watched Jasmine, who was grinning happily, ride over to say hello to her parents. Then May turned to Corey. “What’s the big deal?” she asked. “We’ve all jumped before with Horse Wise.”
Corey shrugged. “Jasmine hasn’t done that much jumping, I guess,” she said. “But it’s nice that her parents watch her do these things and cheer her on.” Corey’s parents were divorced. She lived with her mother, a veterinarian whom everyone called Doc Tock, short for Dr. Takamura. Corey got to see her father a lot, but she missed having her parents together.
May seemed to understand because she changed the subject. “Let’s go say hi to Mr. and Mrs. James,” she suggested.
Jasmine got to the edge of the ring where her parents were. “I didn’t know you were watching. I thought you’d be working all afternoon,” she said to them.
“I got a lot of work done today. But honey, I didn’t know you were so good at jumping!” exclaimed Mrs. James.
“You looked like a real pro!” chimed in Mr. James.
Jasmine grinned again. She felt really good. She had been scared, but she had overcome her fear and made the jumps. More importantly, her parents had seen the whole thing and were really proud of her.
“Hey, Jazzie,” said Mr. James. Jasmine was surprised to see her father looking a little bit sheepish, as if he had done something wrong.
“What, Dad?” she asked.
“After breakfast, I remembered that I promised to take you and the other Pony Tails to a movie tonight,” Mr. James said. “And then I remembered that I forgot all about the promise!”
By this time May and Corey, along with Mr. Grover, had reached Jasmine’s parents. Everyone said hello, and then Mr. James kept on talking.
“I’m sorry I forgot about the movie,” he said. “But I’m really too tired to do it tonight, it’s been such a long day. How about renting National Velvet and having a Pony Tails sleepover instead?”
May, Corey, and Jasmine turned to each other and said at the same time, “Cool!” Then they gave each other a high five and exclaimed “Jake!” That was what they always did when they said the same thing at exactly the same time.
Not only a day, but a night thinking about ponies. What could be better?
Best of all, thought Jasmine happily, my parents will be there, too.
3 Jasmine Makes a Decision
May stuffed a handful of buttery popcorn into her mouth. “That was great,” she announced with her mouth full.
Corey, sitting next to May, agreed. “That was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen,” she said.
National Velvet was over. After a dinner of salad and pizza, the three Pony Tails had settled themselves on the couch in the Jameses’ den and watched the whole movie. None of them had seen it before.
They were thrilled by the story. The plot involved a young girl who disguised herself as a boy so that she could ride her horse in the National, one of the biggest horse races in England. The National looked like a really tough race. It was a steeplechase, which meant that the horses not only had to run, but also had to go over huge jumps.
“Imagine,” said May dreamily. “Dressing up as a boy and getting to ride in that race.”
“Don’t get any ideas, May,” warned Mr. James. Everyone laughed.
Mr. James had watched the movie with them. After putting Sophie down to sleep, Mrs. James had watched the movie, too. She had also contributed some of her famous cookies, along with a bowl of popcorn and glasses of juice. The Pony Tails were in heaven. Next to riding, this was the best kind of fun in the world.
“It gets better every time I see it,” commented Mrs. James. She smiled at Jasmine. “That young girl, flying over those jumps in the race! It reminded me of you, the way you took those jumps today.”
“Flying Jazzie!” put in Mr. James.
Jasmine blushed, but she was pleased.
May said, “Those jumps were really tiny. I think we can do better than that.”
“Samurai was definitely ready for more,” said Corey.
Mr. James yawned. “Well, there’s only one thing I’m ready for, and that’s sleep,” he declared. “Upstairs, young ladies. Don’t forget to brush your teeth.”
Jasmine’s room had two beds in it, and Jasmine’s mother brought in the guest cot. Jasmine volunteered to sleep on the cot, since May and Corey were her guests. They all brushed their teeth and climbed into bed.
After the light was turned out, Jasmine spoke. “Are you asleep yet?”
“Mmm,” mumbled May.
“What’s up, Jazz?” asked Corey.
“It’s about ponies,” teased Jasmine.
“I’m awake,” said May. They all giggled—softly, so that they wouldn’t wake up Jasmine’s parents or Sophie.
“I’ve been thinking,” continued Jasmine. “I’ve decided to sign up for a jumping class at Pine Hollow.”
“That’s a great idea, Jazz,” May said sleepily.
“It’s always good to add new skills,” Corey told Jasmine.
“Don’t you want to join, too?” asked Jasmine.
“Not this year,” said Corey. “I love riding, but I also love helping my mom out with her veterinary work. An extra riding lesson would give me less time to do that.”
Jasmine understood. She and May both knew that Corey was thinking of becoming a veterinarian someday, just like her mom.
“May?” asked Jasmine. But all she heard was a muffled “Mmmph, too busy, maybe later.” So Jasmine and Corey knew that May was well on her way to sleep.
“We’ll cheer you on,” promised Corey.
“Thanks,” said Jasmine. “I guess we really should get to sleep, since we have a mounted meeting tomorrow.”
Corey said good night. Soon after, Jasmine heard her breathing evenly.
Jasmine couldn’t sleep for a while. She was happy that May and Corey liked her idea. They always encouraged her to try new things. That was why she loved being friends with them.
She was especially excited about telling her parents tomorrow. Judging from their reaction today, they would be even prouder when they heard about the jumping class. They’ll definitely want to see me perform in shows, thought Jasmine.
Thinking of high jumps and blue ribbons, she fell asleep.
The next morning Jasmine woke up very early. She looked at Corey, who was still fast asleep. Then she looked at May. Her face was still buried in her pillow. She was also fast asleep!
Jasmine couldn’t sleep another wink. She was too excited about jumping. She got out of bed and went to see if her parents were awake.
First she peered into her parents’ bedroom. She could see her father, still fast asleep. What a bunch of sleepyheads! Jasmine thought.
Then she heard a sound from the bathroom down the hallway. She found her mother giving Sophie a bath. A delicious smell was wafting its way upstairs.
Mrs. James smiled when she saw Jasmine. “Good morning, honey,” she said. “You’re up early for a Saturday.”
“Mom, I’ve decided to take a jumping class at Pine Hollow,” Jasmine blurted out. “I really want to learn as much about jumping as I can, if that’s okay with you and Dad.”
Mrs. James didn’t answer for a second. She was busy turning Sophie over so that she could carefully wash her back. Jasmine knew, from helping her mother with this task, how slippery Sophie could get in the water. It was like trying to wash a jumping bean!
“Ooopsy-daisy,” said Mrs. James. Then she looked up at Jasmine. “Okay,” she said. “We’ll see what can be worked out.”
Jasmine took that as a yes. She ran back to her room.
“Wake up, wake up!” she said. She sat down on May’s bed, and on May’s foot by accident.
“Ouch,” grumbled May sleepily. Then she looked at Jasmine. “What’s up, Jazz? You’re acting more like me thi
s morning.”
Jasmine giggled. It was true. Normally May was the one who crashed and bumped into things. Jasmine usually took her time.
Corey yawned and stretched. “I was having the most wonderful dream, about winning the National on Samurai,” she said. Then she, too, looked at Jasmine. “What’s up? You look like you’re about to burst.”
“Mom said okay to an extra jumping class,” Jasmine told them happily. “I can hardly wait to tell Max.”
“That’s great,” said May. She sat up and stretched. “Speaking of Max, it’s a good thing you woke us up. It’s Saturday—you know what that means!”
Corey and Jasmine nodded. Saturday, of course, meant a Horse Wise meeting at Pine Hollow.
“I have to go help my father get the trailer ready,” said May, jumping out of bed. For mounted meetings, Mr. Grover brought their own ponies from home.
“I wanted to give Samurai an extra-special grooming this morning,” said Corey, also climbing out of bed.
“Blueberry muffins, girls!” called Mrs. James from downstairs. That explained the delicious smell.
The three girls looked at each other.
“Well, maybe we can eat first,” suggested Jasmine.
May and Corey agreed. They quickly finished dressing and followed their noses downstairs.
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About the Author
Bonnie Bryant is the author of over one hundred forty books about horses, including the Saddle Club series and its spinoffs, the Pony Tails series and the Pine Hollow series. Bryant did not know very much about horses before writing the first Saddle Club book in 1986, so she found herself learning right along with the characters she created. She has also written novels and movie novelizations under her married name, Bonnie Bryant Hiller. Bryant was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives today.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
Pony Tails 15- Corey's Christmas Wish Page 5
