The Palomino Pony Comes Home

by Olivia Tuffin

  Tentatively, she made her way over, stopping at the side of the fence.

  The pony stood her distance, her nostrils flaring, her head tossing as she eyed the newcomer.

  “It’s OK, girl,” Georgia breathed. “I’m not going to hurt you. I want to be your friend.” She pulled out one of the carrots from her pocket and placed it on her hand.

  For a moment, Georgia thought that the palomino was going to stay still but, as she stood watching, the pony started to amble forward.

  “That’s it,” Georgia breathed. “Easy does it.”

  But then, a few of metres short of her, the little mare stopped in her tracks. “Come on,” Georgia coaxed again.

  But that, it seemed, was far as the pony’s journey would take her.

  Georgia coaxed and cajoled for the next twenty minutes or so but still the pony wouldn’t budge and Georgia knew she had to admit defeat. She couldn’t expect Dan to cover for her for much longer and she’d already been gone half an hour.

  Leaving her bundle of carrots on the pony’s side of the fence, she reluctantly turned to go. As she made her way back along the path she glanced back one last time at the palomino.

  Now Georgia was at a safe distance, the little pony dipped her head down to the pile of carrots and started to munch.

  Georgia smiled to herself. “There. That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

  For the next couple of mornings, Georgia woke early to go back and see the palomino again. She just couldn’t help herself. In fact, in between lessons and fieldwork, the little pony was all she’d been able to think about.

  She still hadn’t been able to get close to the mare, but on the second morning, as Georgia walked along the path to the cottage, the little pony whickered. It was as though she had been expecting her!

  Georgia’s heart leapt. “Hello, girl,” she responded, reaching out her hand as she leaned over the wooden fencing. The palomino was only centimetres away but every part of her seemed to be on springs, as if she was ready to whirl round and flee.

  Carefully Georgia leaned in closer and stretched out a hand.

  The pony started immediately, snorting and taking a step back. But then a strange thing happened. She extended her neck, briefly touching Georgia’s palm with her nose. Instantly Georgia felt a warm feeling flood through her and her whole body relaxed.

  “Well, well, well.” A voice came from behind, making Georgia jump.

  The noise broke the moment and the pony spun round and galloped off, spraying Georgia with a fine mist of mud and water. But it had been enough. Georgia had felt something really special. There had been a connection.

  Georgia turned to see an elderly man wearing patched tweeds. He was weather-beaten and looked very frail. “So I see you’ve met Lily,” he said finally.

  “Lily,” Georgia breathed. So that was the name of the mysterious little pony. It was perfect for her.

  “You’re the first person to get near to her in quite some time,” the old man commented. “Apart from me, that is.” His accent was strong and lilting.

  “I thought I must have done something wrong,” said Georgia, smiling, “for it to take so long to make friends with her.”

  “No, nothing wrong,” said the old man. “She’s just very wary. She’s had a lot to deal with. But I’m forgetting my manners. Let me introduce myself.” The old man held out his hand. “I’m Eric.”

  “And, um, I’m Georgia,” said Georgia, reaching out to shake his hand. “I’m on a field trip just up the road.”

  “Ah, I thought you weren’t from round here,” said Eric. “So you like ponies, do you?”

  “Like them? I LOVE them.” Georgia reddened. “So, do you own Lily? Why is she like this?” She had so many questions.

  “Yes, I suppose I own her,” the old man said enigmatically. “I’ve only just got out of hospital,” he went on, letting out a heavy cough.

  Georgia nodded. It did, at least, explain why the pony hadn’t been groomed, although not why she was in such a nervy state. And who had been feeding her?

  The old man held out his hand to the little pony and as Georgia watched, Lily walked forward and cradled her head into it. Eric gently stroked her neck.

  “I bred her myself,” Eric explained. He leaned over the fence and blew into the little pony’s nostrils. “She should have been a champion show pony.”

  The palomino had visibly relaxed and the two of them stood contentedly for quite some time before the old man took a step back.

  “Should have been?” Georgia said finally.

  “Yes,” Eric said. “She came from one of my best mares. But then she was given to Jemma, my granddaughter, and, well, let’s just say the rest is history. That was the end of her career.”

  “Why?” Georgia stared at him. “What happened?”

  “An accident,” the old man snorted. “Though it wasn’t Lily’s fault.”

  As Georgia gazed at the pretty little pony with her small neat head and her gorgeous liquid amber eyes, she knew it couldn’t have been anything she’d done.

  “So what happened?” Georgia persisted. She wanted to know everything about the palomino.

  “She threw Jemma off.” Eric snorted. “Jemma was on her mobile at the time, wouldn’t you know it? She tried to push Lily into going forward when Lily wasn’t sure. Lily’s always been quite a nervy, delicate pony, but she’s not a bad’un. That’s just part of her make-up. Lily got spooked and ran off. I found her out on the mountainside. My daughter-in-law, Jemma’s mother, wanted to have her put down but I wouldn’t hear of it. I brought her out here to live with me. It’s where I’ve been since I left the stud farm.” He pointed in the general direction of a farm in the distance. “Carlamu,” he breathed.

  “Carlamu?” Georgia rolled the word over her tongue.

  “Yes, the Carlamu Show Stud,” Eric explained. “It means ‘gallop’ in Welsh. I used to own it – but it’s my son and daughter-in-law’s now. I had to hand over control of the business when I got ill.” Eric coughed before continuing with his story. “I’m weary to my bones.” He held out his hand and Lily snuffled lightly over it, nudging him affectionately. “That’s why she’s got to go. I’ll miss her when she’s gone.”

  “Gone?” said Georgia.

  “Yes,” said the old man. “Tomorrow afternoon at four. Jemma and her cousins are coming to collect her. She’s going to be sold at the Builth sales on Saturday. I can’t take care of her any more.”

  The man looked upset, shaking his head sadly.

  Georgia felt panicked. The sales? That would mean she might never see the little pony again! She couldn’t let it happen! In that moment when they had made a connection, Georgia had seen the pony’s true spirit and the palomino had stolen her heart.

  She bit down hard on her bottom lip. The little pony could be sold to just anybody – a meat man even – the condition she was in! Georgia couldn’t bear it.

  “Please,” she said. “Please, don’t let them take her. Please look after her here.”

  “I wish I could,” the old man said, his blue eyes sad and watery. “But there’s nothing I can do. I’m not strong enough. It’s not what I want for her. I won’t be here tomorrow to say goodbye to her. I hate goodbyes.” He smiled weakly. “Now, young lady, it was nice to meet you. Enjoy the rest of your trip.”

  And with that he turned and limped back down the track, leaving Georgia standing next to the paddock on her own, lost in thought…

  Georgia stood quite still, watching the old man go, his walking stick acting as a crutch as he gently propelled himself forward. She felt a lump rise in her throat.

  Suddenly there was a noise behind her and a shout. Dan!

  “Georgia! Come on!” he called. “You said you’d only be ten minutes. We’ve got to get back!”

  “Get back?” Georgia stared wildly around her, all thoughts of lessons completely forgotten. She couldn’t bear to leave Lily to her fate. She had to do something. “Dan, it’s Lily,” she cried.
“I … er… We need to make a plan!”

  “Lily?” Dan looked puzzled.

  “The pony,” said Georgia impatiently, gesturing at the little mare in front of her. “She’s going to the sales at the weekend!” Georgia briefly filled him in on everything that the old man had told her – how Lily had been bred to be a star, how she had been mistreated, before finally finishing on how the palomino was going to be collected the very next afternoon.

  Dan was wide-eyed by the end of it. “So what can we do?”

  “I don’t know!” Georgia wailed. “I need to go back to the centre and think!”

  “OK,” said Dan. “I’ll help you. I’m good at plans. Although I have to say, I haven’t got a clue what we can do about this one!”

  Georgia nodded in agreement. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do yet either but Dan, with his sensible head and understanding of animals, was a good person to have for help.

  Saying their goodbyes to Lily, they headed down the slope and back to the clearing, where the group had been busy doing some more fieldwork. Immediately, the two of them ran into a teacher.

  “Miss … Miss,” Dan started, thinking on his feet. “Georgia’s feeling dizzy. Can I take her back to the centre?”

  “Oh, Georgia, are you OK?” The teacher looked concerned and reached out a hand to feel her brow. “You do seem a bit warm.” She hesitated. “OK, go on then. You’d better have a lie down. And perhaps it would be best if you kept an eye on her, Dan, if she’s feeling dizzy.”

  Dan shot Georgia a look and the pair of them hurried away triumphantly.

  Once back at the centre, Georgia grabbed her mobile from her overhead locker and hurriedly scrolled through her contacts for Melanie.

  “Come on, Melanie … please be there,” she murmured as she punched the call button.

  Almost immediately there was a familiar voice at the other end. “Hello, Georgia! This is a nice surprise!”

  “Oh, Melanie!” Georgia felt so relieved that she started to sob. “It’s the pony. The one I texted you about – she’s going to be collected for the sales tomorrow.” The words tumbled out one after the other. “And I’m so worried that because she’s not in very good condition, she’ll probably go for meat! But, Melanie, she’s such a special pony. You should see her—”

  “OK, calm down a minute, Georgia,” Melanie soothed her, from the other end of the line. “Slow down.”

  “Can you come and see her? Please? There’s something about her…”

  She heard Melanie take a deep breath.

  “OK, listen to me, Georgia,” Melanie said. “When did you say she was being sold?”

  “Saturday,” Georgia replied. “Only she’s being collected tomorrow afternoon.”

  There was a silence at the end of the phone. Melanie was clearly thinking. The seconds seemed like hours. Time hanging in the air as delicate as a spider’s web. Lily’s life hanging in the balance.

  Finally Melanie spoke. “OK, here’s the plan,” she said. “Simon always tells me I’m reckless and that I follow my heart too much, but you’ve helped me so much in the past. Look, I’m going to come and see what I can do. I trust your instincts – you have an eye for a good horse – and I’d love to have a palomino at Redgrove. But if I don’t think she’s right, you’ll have to accept that she could be sold.”

  Georgia took a sharp intake of breath. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.

  “I’ll drive the lorry down tomorrow morning,” Melanie was saying now. “So I should be with you mid-afternoon. Would it be possible for you to go and sit with the pony? So you can explain if someone comes to take her away before I get there. When does your course wrap up?”

  “Um,” Georgia said hesitantly, thinking fast. “I think we finish around lunchtime and then have a free afternoon. I’ll go and watch Lily as soon as I can.”

  “Great. I’ll ring you tomorrow when I’m nearly there,” Melanie said. “I’ll give your mum a call now and let her know what’s going on.”

  “Thank you, thank you so much,” said Georgia. “I don’t know what to say.”

  There was a silence at the end of the phone before Melanie spoke again. She took a deep breath. “Don’t thank me – yet…”

  “Wow!” Dan said when finally Georgia ended the call and told him what Melanie had said. “Wow, wow, wow! We’re going to save her!”

  “We certainly are!” grinned Georgia.

  And without thinking, Georgia flung her arms around him and gave him the most massive hug, sheepishly drawing back with embarrassment as she realised just what she had done. But she couldn’t help herself. There was a real chance that they were going to rescue the gorgeous palomino – and she was over the moon!

  It was quiet on the mountainside the next afternoon as Dan and Georgia sat on a grassy tussock overlooking Lily’s field, quietly waiting. No one was about as the sun valiantly tried to make an appearance through the black clouds. Georgia had been right about having the afternoon off, which meant that they hadn’t even had to miss any lessons.

  Lily seemed to appreciate their company and stood quietly just a few metres away, dozing but with one eye watching them all the time. Dan stretched his long legs.

  “Honestly, Georgia, you and your ponies! I’ll never understand it!” But he was smiling as he said it.

  “What do you mean? They’re the most beautiful, most loyal creatures on earth,” Georgia said determinedly.

  Dan laughed at how earnest she sounded. “I’d quite like to learn to ride myself, you know,” he said. “My mum used to have a horse before she died so it would be nice to have that connection with her.”

  Georgia gasped. “Oh, Dan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

  Dan shook his head sadly. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’re OK. Me and my brother, Ben, and Dad. We manage all right on the farm.”

  Georgia didn’t know what to say. All week she’d been feeling so sorry for herself, and here was Dan having lost his mother. She picked up his hand and then dropped it again, feeling embarrassed.

  “Listen!” Dan said suddenly, as voices came drifting over the still air. Just then three figures appeared at the brow of the hill, a teenage girl and two older boys.

  The girl was dressed in expensive riding gear and she held a riding crop in her hand. Her blonde hair was cut in a fashionable style and Georgia guessed she was about fourteen. She had a haughty look about her, as if she meant business. It had to be Jemma – Eric’s granddaughter.

  The two boys were probably a few years older and were wearing weather gear and carrying ropes and, much to Georgia’s amazement, what looked like a piece of lead pipe.

  “So you’re the one who’s been hanging around my pony, are you?” the girl said, sneering at Georgia as she drew near. “Granddad said something about someone making friends with Lily. Well, thanks for that.” Her voice was full of sarcasm. “But you can clear off now.” Jemma indicated with her thumb for them to leave. “We need to catch Lily to get her to the sale.”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Georgia said firmly, clenching and unclenching her fists, her whole body shaking.

  “Oh?” The girl trained her ice-blue eyes on Georgia.

  “Yes, er, actually. We would like to buy her, er, before she goes…” The words tumbled out one after the other.

  “You?” Jemma laughed, looking her up and down.

  “Yes,” Georgia stumbled over her words. “Well, no, not me, it’s a friend. She’s on her way with a horse lorry now.”

  “Is she now?” The girl laughed again, a cruel mocking sound. “But I don’t want to sell her privately. I want her to go for auction – see what I can get for her. With her breeding she’ll attract the biggest buyers.”

  “Oh.” Georgia hesitated. Lily was in such a terrible state that she hadn’t expected that, but then she had been bred as a show pony, hadn’t she? Maybe she would still be worth a lot after all. “I guess we’ll just have to go to the sales then
,” she said, suddenly unsure of herself.

  “Fine,” Jemma said curtly. “Although you don’t look like you could afford a hamster, let alone a pony!”

  “Hey, that’s enough!” Dan stepped in, but the girl wasn’t really listening. She marched towards Lily, who cowered at the sight of her. Just as she got close Lily gave a squeal of fear and galloped off, her ears pinned flat to her head.

  “That stupid animal,” one of the boys growled. “I knew we should have left her. Right, Andy, go and get the truck. We’re going to have to herd her in.”

  Georgia looked at Jemma, who was red with anger, cracking her crop against her leg.

  Lily was trembling now, her pink nostrils flared, blowing hard.

  Georgia and Dan watched as the truck was backed into the gateway. Dan had to hold Georgia back as she tried to run forward. “She’s not our pony, remember,” he said under his breath.

  The three of them started to herd the pony towards the truck, one of the boys cracking the pipe at Lily’s back legs as she tried to escape.

  “No!” cried Georgia, rushing forward, breaking out of Dan’s grasp. “Don’t hurt her!”

  But it was too late. Jemma smacked Lily hard across the haunches with her crop. Lily squealed in pain and reared skyward, knocking Jemma to the ground. Quick as a flash, Jemma jumped up and with a howl of rage she grabbed the pipe the boy was holding.

  “Right, you witch,” she screamed. “See if you like this!” She raised the pipe as if to strike Lily on the head, but instinctively the palomino wheeled round. Before Georgia knew what was happening, Lily had made a run for it, clearing the sheep hurdle propped against the trailer and escaping the field.

  Catching her footing on landing, she stumbled, falling heavily on to her side.

  Georgia ran towards her, as did Dan. Lily tried to get up, but she was clearly winded.

  “Quick,” bellowed Jemma. “Get a halter on her. NOW!”

  At the sound of Jemma’s voice, the little pony struggled to her feet and galloped blindly off up the hillside. Before anyone could stop her, she was free – running as far away as the eye could see.