Crown Prince Challenged

by Linda Snow McLoon

Jack looked at Sarah. “So Prince was anxious at the ditch?”

  “It was close,” Sarah said. “We almost had a stop there. I could tell he was about to freak out. I never hit him with my crop, but I sat deep, and kicked him on as hard as I could. I think I was talking to him, too. More like pleading! And I did keep my eyes up. I was looking at a hawk’s nest in a tree up ahead. Prince took off about a stride early.”

  “Yes,” Jack said, smiling. “Those hawks’ nests come in handy sometimes. There’s something else I don’t think you’re aware of, Sarah.” He paused as she waited expectantly. “When I studied the cross-country scoreboard carefully, I saw that you and Crown Prince had the fastest time of the day.”

  Sarah stared at him, wide-eyed and speechless. She had known for a long time that Crown Prince was fast, but this news was overwhelming. Kayla jumped up to give her a high-five.

  Jack smiled broadly. “This is one reason why ’tis a great advantage to have a horse with a long stride like Crown Prince does. He can cover more ground in a shorter time. You should be very proud of him.”

  “Oh, I am,” Sarah said. “I certainly am. And now, prouder than ever!”

  Mr. DeWitt had been chatting with Kayla’s mother, but now he motioned to them. “The line is forming for ribs,” he called. “Come and get it!”

  Jack gathered the riders for a brief meeting after the barbeque. “I’ll be at your tent so we can walk the course at nine tomorrow. The show jumping will be on the large lawn behind the manor house. Don’t forget to bring your show jackets, and your horses will have to be turned out as for dressage—well-groomed and braided—but have your stirrups short enough for jumping.” As he turned to go, he frowned and added as an afterthought, “Bring your rain gear, because the forecast is for showers tomorrow. With eventing, the competition doesn’t shut down for a few raindrops.”

  * * * * *

  The show jumping phase wouldn’t start until half past ten on Sunday morning, so everyone but Kelly could come to the event grounds a little later than usual as long as they were on time for the course walk with Jack. As Tim, Kayla, and Sarah rode over on the shuttle bus, the sky was gray and rain pelted the windows. Sarah was glad she had packed her poncho, her old faithful for commuting to the barn on her bike in the rain, but she worried what the footing would be like for jumping.

  Kayla looked out the window as the school bus bumped along, and then turned to Sarah, scowling. “Some of the other riders have studs to put on their horses’ shoes,” she said. “I hope Fanny won’t slip on the grass.” This made Sarah worry even more.

  The riders went straight to their horses after they got off the bus. They saw that Rita had neglected to strip Chancellor’s stall of bedding before she left, which meant that chore would have to be done by the other team members. Kelly seemed like a lost soul without Rita around. She had never warmed up to Sarah and Kayla during the whole competition, so she hung around Tim’s stall, offering to help with Rhodes. “Could you hold him while I groom?” Tim asked. “Maybe later you could help strip Rita’s stall.”

  The steady rain drummed on the tent roof as they prepared to clean stalls and groom their horses. Sarah found Prince relaxed and eating hay, but he expected carrots and quickly came to her. As he chewed them, his eyes softened and wrinkled in the corners. He was probably still tired after yesterday’s cross-county ride, so he wouldn’t need much warm-up today. Just a lot of suppling exercises, in case he was stiff. Sarah lifted the grooming caddy out of her tack trunk and got busy. She had nearly finished grooming Prince when Jack and Kathleen arrived at the barn.

  “The rain has let up a little,” Jack said, “so we should walk the course now. Later on it may begin to rain harder again.”

  The riders were prepared for foul weather as they followed Jack to the show jumping area. Kayla had an umbrella, and Sarah and Tim wore ponchos. Jack’s waterproof Irish coat and a tweed cap would keep him dry. When they turned a corner on the gravel road, the Wexford Hall mansion came into view, towering over the expanse of green manicured lawns where the jumping course had been set up. There were already many spectators with brightly colored umbrellas sitting in the bleachers. I wonder what Prince will think of those umbrellas, Sarah worried.

  They went first to the judge’s stand, where a diagram of the show jumping course was posted. The riders studied it for several minutes until Jack motioned for them to follow him. “This is not a simple course,” he said. “There are several changes of direction and some tight turns, which might be tricky on grass in this weather. But I believe all of you can do it.” He looked intently at Sarah when he said it. “The important thing to remember is that you need to stay calm. And don’t lean in—sit up tall. You need to help your horses stay balanced.”

  Sarah looked at the maze made by the assortment of standards and striped rails. The jumps were as high as anything she and Prince had ever encountered in their lessons. To make matters worse, the tightly cropped grass seemed saturated with rain and squished as they walked. Would it stay firm when Prince cantered around the course and pushed hard against it to jump? Sarah swallowed hard in response to the lump that was forming in her throat.

  Jack led them around the course. “The brush box is an inviting first fence,” he said, as they approached it. Once on the other side, Jack began pacing the strides to the second fence. “This should ride well,” he said. “’Tis a good distance to give you four strides. Just maintain a good tempo and don’t get ahead of your horse.”

  Jack and the three riders continued around the jumping course, walking from one clearly numbered fence to another. The course consisted of a dozen jumps and had two combinations. Number Four was an in-and-out, and late on the course a triple-element contained two vertical jumps and an oxer. “At least there’s nothing tricky about the striding here,” Jack said. “You won’t have to lengthen or shorten strides in the combinations unless your horse gets into the first fence poorly.”

  As they approached a post-and-rail jump with a tray of water underneath it, Jack said, “I see they’ve got a Liverpool on the course.” He paused to study the fence and then look back at the preceding jump. “This Liverpool has a long approach, so your horses will have ample opportunity to be well aware of it.” He walked closer to the jump. “Keep your eyes up and ride it like any other fence.”

  Sarah knew Jack didn’t want to frighten her by suggesting that Prince might react the same way to the Liverpool as he did to ditches, but she knew that was just what he was thinking. It was another case of something on the ground looking scary. And she had thought the ditch issue was behind them! As they started back to the tent, Jack had one final bit of advice. “Think of this course as a dressage test with bumps. Be exact and disciplined as you ride it.”

  When the riders and Jack got back to the tent, the Dixons and Mrs. Romano had arrived. “Would you like me to hold Fanny while you braid?” Kayla’s mother asked her. Tim’s mother was also willing to help by holding Rhodes. Without Rita’s stool, they had to settle for turned-over buckets to stand on. “I’ll try to finish with Fanny in time to braid Prince for you,” Kayla called over to Sarah as she worked.

  Kathleen overheard the remark and came to Prince’s stall where Sarah was brushing him. “May I braid his mane for you?” she asked. “I haven’t done it in a while, and the practice would do me good.”

  “Oh, cool,” Sarah said. “I was thinking I should try it, and for my first time braiding a mane, Prince would probably look weird.”

  “’Twould take more than a poor braiding job to make this horse anything but beautiful,” Kathleen quipped, smiling, as she left to empty the water bucket outside. In a few minutes she was standing on the bucket braiding Prince’s mane while Sarah held him. Kelly kept busy carrying wheelbarrow loads of bedding out of Rita’s stall to the disposal area.

  When they had finished, Jack called the riders together. “With six horses eliminated and ten others with time penalties, there have been many changes on the scoreboard,”
he said.

  “How will we know when we ride?” Kayla asked.

  “You’ll need to know where you are in the order, which is posted on the scoreboard, and be ready to ride in that order. I’ll be there to help you with that.”

  Tim spoke up. “I think we already know that Kayla is in fourteenth place, Sarah is in fifth, and I’m in second.”

  “Yes,” Jack said, “and because there are a number of horses scheduled to go before you, there’s no need to have your horses tacked up and ready to go at the start time. We don’t want them standing in the rain unnecessarily. I suggest you leave them in their stalls and go watch some of the rounds. ’Twill give you an idea of how the course is riding.”

  Sarah decided she had time to go over her tack with saddle soap. It would offer a bit more protection for the leather if the rain started up again. She knew this was a job Kelly was supposed to help with, but she didn’t want to ask her. As Sarah worked, in her mind she went over the course she and Prince would be jumping soon. An occasional announcement from the loudspeaker penetrated the stable area, reminding competitors to be on time for the show jumping phase.

  When the first entry was announced, the Brookmeade riders made their way back to the show jumping area, where the bleachers had quickly filled. Sarah saw where the DeWitts, the Dixons, and yes, her parents and Abby, were sitting. They had returned home to Yardley the day before, and made the drive to Belmont again today. Sarah waved to them just before the riders slipped through the crowd to find a good place to watch the first round. Moments later, the horse in last place in the standings was trotting off the course, leaving two dropped rails behind him. A bay mare was the next to go. The rider halted to salute the judge, and after the whistle blew, she asked her horse for canter and circled for the first fence.

  “Notice how that girl is sitting tall between fences, helping her horse stay balanced,” Jack said just loud enough for his students to hear him. Sarah watched closely to see how the horse traveled on the soggy surface. She noticed chunks of grass go flying when the horse pushed off to jump the fences. By the time Prince and I go, the ground in front of the jumps will be totally chewed up! she thought.

  After watching a few more rounds, the riders left to get their mounts tacked up. “I’ll meet you in the warm-up,” Jack said. With Sarah and Kathleen helping Kayla, Fanny was ready to go in no time. As she had for her dressage test, Kayla looked impressive in her black show coat and white breeches. Even her Prince of Wales spurs gleamed from a recent polish. After Kayla had mounted Fanny, her mother took a few pictures and then Kayla was off for the warm-up ring, Mrs. Romano following behind. “Kick butt!” Tim called after them.

  Sarah wished she could watch Kayla’s round, but there just wasn’t time. She had to get her own horse ready. Kathleen helped her tack up Prince, and after his galloping boots were buckled in place, Kathleen held Prince so Sarah could get herself ready. She had kept her buff breeches, the only nice ones she owned, reasonably clean by wearing jeans over them when she wasn’t riding. She had just attached Prince’s number to his bridle when they heard the announcement of Kayla’s round. “In fourteenth place is Kayla Romano riding Fanfare.” Sarah and Kathleen stood still, waiting, waiting. Finally the loudspeaker crackled again and a voice came through. “Kayla Romano has four faults for one rail down.” Sarah stamped her foot. She’d wished a clear round for her friend.

  In a few minutes, Sarah was ready to ride. She wondered if she could avoid telegraphing her tension to her horse. Prince seemed to sense something exciting was going to happen, but only his large dark eyes betrayed his excitement. When they arrived at the warm-up, Kayla was outside the ring talking to Jack. She turned to Sarah as Prince drew closer. “We had one rail down,” Kayla said. “It’s slippery out there. Be careful on the far end, where it’s really soggy in places. Fanny’s not usually spooky about fences, but she wasn’t crazy about the Liverpool. Ride it hard!” Sarah took a deep breath. It wasn’t what she wanted to hear!

  “Let’s get him moving,” Jack said, motioning Sarah into the warm-up ring. “Do your regular warm-up, but be sure to do plenty of bending. I expect he’s a little stiff after his run yesterday.”

  Prince’s head was up, and he snorted when he saw the brightly decorated show jumping course. I’ve got to stay calm. Sarah told herself. It won’t help Prince if I’m freaking out! She took several long, deep breaths and then guided her horse toward the warm-up ring. At the walk, she did some over-bending by pulled his head toward her knee, first in one direction and then the other. He still felt stiff when she asked him to trot long and low, but after moving forward on small circles with several changes of direction, his movement became freer. After a little canter work on both leads, she took him over the two practice fences set up in the ring.

  Sarah left the warm-up ring when she saw Jack motion to her. As she walked Prince to the entry point with him, the rider in seventh place was about to start her ride. Waiting on deck was a pretty girl on a chestnut Thoroughbred who was in sixth place, which meant Sarah would go after her. Prince wasn’t as hyper as he’d been when they first arrived to warm-up, but his ears flicked in all directions as he looked at the course. He also checked out the bleachers mobbed with spectators and umbrellas. Her parents were there, watching her with worried eyes. To keep Prince’s attention, Jack had her walk her horse in a small circle while they waited.

  I hope I’m not overfacing Prince! Sarah thought, as she looked out at the sea of jumps positioned on the rain-sodden grass. Is it fair to ask him to do this? She had a moment of doubt.

  The girl in front of her rode to the judge’s stand, and after saluting, began her round. Minutes later, her horse came off the course with three rails down. Sarah gathered her reins, waiting for the announcement. As they stood motionless, she felt the raindrops begin to fall, softly at first, and then progressively harder until there was a steady, soaking rain coming down. Prince shook his head, annoyed by the rain, and stepped sideways. Sarah reached down to stroke his neck.

  “In fifth place is Sarah Wagner riding Crown Prince,” the announcer’s voice droned, as if he hadn’t noticed the heavens had opened up and it was raining hard. The show would go on. Sarah pressed her legs on Prince’s sides and asked him to trot to the judge’s stand. Once he had halted, she curtly saluted the judge and then turned her horse to face the course. The whistle blew, and they were off.

  After picking up canter, Sarah focused on the brush box so she could bring Prince into it straight. She felt hesitation and uncertainty in his gait. Her legs pressed hard on his sides while her reins channeled him toward the jump. Yes, Prince, we can do it, she spoke with her aids. Then they were in the air, landing, and heading for the second fence. Now he knew what they were here for. Prince took the bit, moving strongly toward the jump. All thoughts about the rain were gone.

  The route after the second fence doubled back toward the start, and as Sarah turned her horse in that direction, she felt him stiffen, his strides slowing and becoming more deliberate. The ground was giving way under his feet as he turned, and Prince was working hard to keep his balance. This was the area of the course Kayla had warned her about! Finally the line straightened to an oxer, and once over it, the in-and-out combination loomed ahead. Sarah looked beyond the two fences, as she asked Prince to keep his pace coming into them. He jumped the first element easily, and after one stride, pushed off cleanly over the second.

  So far so good. Now they were turning again, this time toward a jump in the middle of the diagonal. The footing on this end wasn’t nearly as soggy, and with Sarah being careful to sit tall, Prince negotiated the turn without a problem. He jumped the next fence well and continued over the triple bar that followed it. But again they were heading into the soggy section, and Prince moved cautiously along the course. He was aware how slippery the going had become, and as they approached the wettest section, instead of the smooth, green lawn it had once been, the takeoff area in front of the next jump was black churned
-up earth. When Sarah felt her horse begin to lose forward impulsion, she sat deeply to urge him forward and pressed her legs hard on his sides. You can do it! her heart cried out to her horse, and he responded with a powerful thrust through the mud and into the air. As they descended, Sarah heard a dull thud from behind them. Had Prince knocked down a rail with a hind leg? But she mustn’t think about that now!

  Somehow they made it to better footing, but ahead Sarah could see the fence she dreaded most! The Liverpool was next, and the steady rain made the countless ripples in the water tray ping-pong up and down. On this jump she couldn’t wait! While they were still some distance from the Liverpool, Sarah sat deeply and with her legs asked Prince to attack this jump with all his strength and resolve. Together they could do it! As they got closer, she felt a gathering of powerful muscles and then her upper body was moving forward with her horse in the air over the jump.

  After making it successfully over the next two jumps, Sarah knew another huge challenge was ahead. They were turning, with deliberate, cautious strides, into the triple combination, the three separate fences in a row that were only a few strides apart. She remembered Jack’s words. He had said them so many times. “Sit up and wait for your horse.” With Prince firmly between her hand and her leg, Sarah rode him toward the triple. Prince got into the first element well, which set him up for the second element and then the third. Sarah felt like hugging her horse!

  Now the final jump was ahead of them, the last jump on the course, and Sarah was apprehensive. She remembered what Jack had told the class: “’Tis easy to think ’tis almost over. Riders relax too much, and their horses often have a rail down on the last fence.” Sarah aimed her horse squarely for the vertical jump with standards designed to look like lighthouses and pressed her legs against his sides. She felt his muscles gather as he took off perfectly and soared over the jump. In spite of the rain and the soggy going, they had finished the course! But had they jumped clear? Did they have a rail down?