Foxy: Rivalry at Summer Camp

by Belinda Rapley

  “I don’t believe it,” Rosie groaned, frantically rummaging through her untidy pile of clothes.

  “What now?” Charlie asked, looking over.

  “I can’t find a single pair of socks!” Rosie explained. “I must’ve forgotten to pack them! If I go sockless all week my jodhpur boots will be really stinky!”

  Alice giggled. “I’ve got some spare pairs. You can borrow them.”

  Charlie and Mia dug out a couple of spares, too. Rosie hastily pulled on a pair of Alice’s, which were too tight and swapped them for Charlie’s, which had a hole in, but Rosie kept them on anyway. While Mia tidied her corner of the tent, the others quickly raked brushes through their hair. Then they stepped out of the tent onto the dewy grass. A few of the other campers were starting to emerge too, and murmuring, sleepy voices having muffled conversations could be heard from other tents.

  Holly was already busy forking a full barrow of muck onto the muck heap, but she joined the other teams as they made their way to the feed room.

  “How long have you been up?” Charlie asked her as everyone collected their pony’s feed bucket and brought them back to the stables.

  “A while,” Holly admitted as Skylark tucked into his feed. “I was too excited to sleep.”

  During morning stables, the blue team buzzed around Amber, helping to pick up Copper’s droppings, or refill the water buckets. Once the mucking out was finished, everyone set about grooming their ponies, making them sparkle. The blue team insisted on fetching Copper’s grooming kit and picking out his hooves for Amber.

  After the camp had paused for breakfast, the riders headed back to the stables, grabbing their tack on the way. Scout’s rack was next to Copper’s, and as Alice gathered her gear, Watty and Emily rushed over. Watty quickly grabbed Copper’s expensive saddle from the rack and Alice couldn’t help but overhear her hushed conversation with Emily.

  “Amber will have to invite us to Chestnut Grove after all this help, won’t she?” Watty whispered, with a little giggle.

  “Totally!” Emily grinned, unhooking the bridle.

  They ran out, excited, to help tack up. Then stables were neatened, forelocks were combed and hooves were oiled. Watty and Emily fussed around Copper, and when Holly asked someone to check her tacking up before the inspection, Amber volunteered in an instant, desperate to escape.

  As the sun rose in the cloudless sky, so too did the temperature. After the instructors inspected their team’s stables, all the campers led their ponies over to four neatly kept, well-covered grass arenas. Freddie directed the purple team to the furthest one.

  “Line up in the middle, please!” he called out.

  The six riders stood next to their ponies. Skylark reached his large nose over towards Scout’s, blowing gently down his nostrils. Scout blew back, making Alice and Holly smile as they watched their ponies make friends.

  Freddie began inspecting each rider and pony. He pulled a long strand of hay from Dancer’s tail. As he showed it to Rosie, Dancer made a dive for it. The girls all stifled a giggle.

  “Remember, good riding,” Freddie said sternly, “starts with good presentation.”

  “Ah, so that’s where I’ve been going wrong,” Rosie said, looking down at the juice stain on her T-shirt.

  Freddie gave Wish, then Copper an appraising glance. “This is a very high standard of turnout,” he said, as Mia and Amber exchanged a smile. “Make sure you both keep it up.”

  Then he pulled Charlie up for being scruffy compared to her beautifully presented horse, and Holly for missing a stable stain near Skylark’s girth.

  After the inspection was finished, Freddie helped everyone into the saddle, either legging them up or by holding stirrups and tightening girths.

  “Before we start, I want to get an idea of everyone’s aim for the week,” he said, “and what everyone’s ambition is in riding. Let’s start with you, Alice.”

  “Um, I haven’t ever ridden over a proper cross-country course before,” Alice said, twiddling with Scout’s mane. “So I want to learn how to get confident jumping big, solid fences.”

  Charlie said that her big ambition was to showjump Phantom at the Horse of the Year show, but at camp, she’d settle for having as much fun with him as possible. Rosie made everyone – except Freddie – laugh by saying that she’d just like Dancer to move less like a camel and more like a pony. Next up was Holly. She looked round a bit shyly, before clearing her throat.

  “This might sound crazy,” she said, avoiding looking at Amber, “but it’s my dream to get to Burghley one day, just like Lily Simpson.”

  Alice noticed that the muscle in Freddie’s jaw flickered for a second.

  “A noble ambition,” Freddie said, before taking a deep breath and turning to Mia. Mia said that although she normally aimed for red rosettes in showing classes, this week she wanted her and Wish to try something new.

  Freddie nodded and looked over at Amber. “And finally, Amber. What would you like to get out of this week?”

  “Um, well, I’d like to compete at the highest level too,” she said. “But my ambition right now is to come first in this week’s competition.”

  Freddie nodded, then got the purple team going. He watched as they rode twenty-metre circles, figures of eight and serpentines in walk and trot. Charlie could feel Phantom was tense beneath the saddle, his ears pricked, looking for the slightest excuse to explode. She kept her reins as loose as she dared as she warmed her horse up, talking to him quietly under her breath. As she rode a half-circle, she saw Skylark on the track ahead of her, picking up his round hooves in a high-stepping walk. Charlie steered Phantom round him. On the other side of the arena, Scout was so excited that he squealed as he went into canter, setting Phantom off in a series of bucks. As Alice called across an apology, Rosie watched enviously.

  “Why don’t you ever get excited about schooling, Dancer?” she sighed. As if in response, Dancer trotted slower and slower until she finally ground to a shambling walk.

  Wish was as unflappable as ever, even in the new surroundings. The palomino mare swished her cream tail, trotting and cantering elegantly around the arena, with Mia sitting neatly in the saddle. As she turned Wish onto a circle, Mia glanced across and saw Amber pushing Copper into an extended trot. Copper arched his neck, flicking his hooves flamboyantly.

  “Watch out!” Alice squeaked.

  Mia looked round at the last second, just as she was about to crash into Scout.

  “Sorry!” Mia said, steering Wish quickly away.

  “Concentrate, everyone,” Freddie reminded them.

  The group did as Freddie instructed, and Alice noticed that although Copper was the best schooled pony in the purple team, it was Skylark who really stood out. Alice knew that Holly hadn’t been riding long, and so, she’d expected to see her riding like a novice. Instead, even though her position wasn’t perfect and Freddie had to keep correcting her, she had a natural seat in the saddle. And it was clear from the way that Skylark’s ears were flicking back and forward that he was already listening intently to this new rider. Holly was communicating to him so clearly that by the end of the lesson Skylark was responding to Holly’s lightest command – first in trot, then in canter, too.

  Eventually, Freddie called everyone into the middle of the arena. Copper stood square, and Amber sat tall on top, looking immaculate.

  Freddie debriefed the ride, pointing out what he wanted them to improve on during the week. Holly had a long list, just like each of the Pony Detectives, but Freddie also singled her out for praise, saying that she had a light touch and that she’d already managed to form an impressive rapport with her pony. He left Amber until last, and Alice thought she looked slightly anxious as Freddie began his appraisal.

  “Amber, Copper’s clearly a beautifully schooled pony,” he said, “and you ride very neatly.”

  Amber’s pale face lit up, and a broad smile spread across her face.

  “But don’t forget that riding’s not j
ust about sitting in the saddle looking pretty,” Freddie continued. “I want to see you tuning in to your pony and responding to what he’s doing under you. That’s what Holly did really well.”

  As Holly blushed at the praise, Amber’s smile faded.

  “I’ll expect an improvement from all of you this afternoon,” Freddie finished. “Now, time to get the ponies washed down.”

  Once the ponies had all been taken back to the yard and hosed down, they were turned out into the paddocks beside the grass arenas. The instructors managed the grazing carefully. Electric ribbon was stretched between the post-and-rail fences to divide up the paddocks. Ponies that were stabled together at home were turned out together, while others, like Copper, had their own individual patches.

  Each of the paddocks had some shade from the leafy canopy of horse chestnut trees dotted through them. The Pony Detectives turned their ponies out together, and Charlie ran back to lead Hettie to the field, too. Phantom paced restlessly, his head high, his fine mane swishing with each step until Hettie appeared at the gate and trotted over to him. Scout and Wish walked the perimeter of their new paddock, while Dancer found a shady spot and chomped great mouthfuls of grass like she’d been starved for years.

  The only two that were on a strict ‘no grass’ diet and had to stay in the stables were Skylark and Destiny’s pony, Topaz.

  “How come they can’t be turned out?” Rosie asked, chucking Dancer’s headcollar and lead rope back into her stable. She thought how miserable Dancer would be if she couldn’t stuff herself with grass.

  “Topaz is prone to laminitis,” Destiny explained as everyone rushed to the hall to grab packed lunches. “If she eats too much rich, sugary summer grass, it affects her hooves and can make her really lame.”

  “Freddie said that Skylark’s exactly the same,” Holly said, smiling at Destiny.

  Suddenly Holly’s face lit up. “I know! Why don’t we take our sandwiches into the stables and eat them with Skylark and Topaz? That way they won’t feel left out!”

  Destiny agreed at once and they both ran off to keep their ponies company.

  Rosie and the other Pony Detectives carried their lunches back outside into the sunshine and collapsed under the tree in their paddock. Amber came over and joined them.

  “What do you all think of Freddie?” she asked. “I thought he was really picky.”

  Charlie was about to reply that she thought Freddie was pretty spot on when the blue team descended on their paddock. Amber groaned under her breath.

  “We kept getting told off in our lesson,” Watty giggled as she flumped down on the grass. “And it was all your fault, Amber!”

  “Really? How come?” Amber frowned.

  “Because we were gawping at your riding, that’s why!” Emily laughed. “We couldn’t take our eyes off you and Copper! You looked a-ma-ZING!”

  “Thanks!” Amber beamed, now looking genuinely pleased. For a while she soaked up all the admiration from the blue team, but she soon glazed over when Watty started rabbiting on about Lily again. Then, when Watty asked about Lily’s favourite warm-up routines for Firestorm, Amber quickly made an excuse to disappear back to the tent. The blue team lost interest after their mini celebrity had disappeared, and they wandered back to check on their own ponies. The Pony Detectives headed to their tent, just as Holly was disappearing in through the door flap ahead of them. Amber was lying on her camp bed.

  “Watty doesn’t stop, does she?” Charlie said with a sympathetic smile, as Holly grabbed a packet of Polos from her bag.

  Amber smiled back at Charlie. “I guess that’s a downfall of having a famous sister.”

  “She’s exactly the same at school.” Holly grimaced. “She drives our teachers mad too!”

  Amber acted like she hadn’t heard Holly, instead checking her watch.

  “Right, time for stable management,” Amber announced. “Are you all coming?”

  Alice nodded, but she noticed that Amber had only looked at the four Pony Detectives. She glanced across to see if Holly had realised. The hurt look on Holly’s face told Alice that she had.

  The afternoon demo was all about nutrition and feeding different kinds of ponies for different kinds of work. The teams sat together on the grass by the feed room, looking through all the sample feeds that the instructors handed round. Holly put her hand up and asked about laminitis, and Freddie explained the causes and the symptoms.

  “Laminitis is a painful disease which can, in some cases, be fatal,” he said, as the teams listened intently. “There are different causes, like eating too much grass, or concussion. Blood flow is restricted to the sensitive tissues inside the hoof wall, which causes the tissues to swell and the hoof to become really sore. A pony will rock back on his heels to take the weight off the front of his hooves. It’s much better to prevent laminitis than treat it, and that takes careful management.”

  Alice noticed Holly’s face fall she listened to Freddie talk, and she wondered if her new friend was worrying about Skylark.

  Next, Rosie asked which feed could give a pony more bounce, then the session ended with an activity where everyone had to work out how much food their ponies needed each day.

  The afternoon riding lesson was flatwork again. Freddie made it his mission to wake Dancer up and get her springing forward from the lightest command. Rosie worked so hard that by the end of the lesson she was complaining that her legs felt like jelly. But it was worth it – Dancer may have been disgruntled to begin with, but under Freddie’s sharp gaze her step had become far more lively. Alice wasn’t sure who was most surprised at the transformation: Dancer or Rosie.

  Phantom produced some stunning work in between his excited outbursts. Copper had looked top class from the start, but Alice began to notice what Freddie was picking Amber up on. It was like Amber was just sitting on top of Copper, while Holly and Skylark were moving as one. The riding-school pony finished the lesson looking even more responsive than he had that morning. His neck was thick, but he arched it nicely, and his steps under Holly were deliberate and balanced.

  As the purple team gathered round Freddie at the end of the lesson, Rosie looked over at Skylark admiringly.

  “He’s so light on his hooves for a heavy pony,” she puffed to Holly, wiping the sweat from her face. “The complete opposite of Dancer! You rode him brilliantly.”

  “Yes, you two definitely look like a winning combination,” Freddie agreed, the first hint of a smile playing on his lips.

  Holly flushed pink and jumped off , giving her hot, damp pony a hug. Alice noticed that, as Amber dismounted, her nose looked seriously put out of joint. They led their ponies in a group back to the hosepipe, where the rest of the camp had already gathered. Alice walked next to Amber, trying to think of ways to cheer her up.

  “We’ve got our first jumping lesson tomorrow,” Alice said, patting Scout’s hot neck. “I bet that’s Copper’s speciality, isn’t it? He looks really springy when you ride him.”

  Amber was about to reply but Watty was eavesdropping and suddenly butted in.

  “I so bet Lily’s jumped massive fences! What do you reckon’s the highest?”

  The girls from the green and blue teams crowded round again to hear Amber’s answers. They “ooohed” at each other as Amber told them about Lily jumping fences so big that she could stand under the top poles without her head touching them.

  “Have you jumped that big too?” Emily gasped. Everyone stared at Amber.

  “Well, not quite that big…” she said.

  “How big then?” Emily insisted.

  Amber held up her hand a bit uncertainly, at shoulder height. “About this.”

  As everyone gasped, Amber lowered her hand a tiny bit.

  “Just think of the fences that Lily’ll be jumping at Burghley,” Charlie said, shaking her head. “She must be so brave. They look like the most massive, solid fences in the universe!”

  “She does get a bit nervous,” Amber said. “And she’s definit
ely feeling the pressure more this week because of the whole thing in the media about her becoming the youngest rider to win.”

  “And that was before she had Foxy to worry about, too!” Watty added in.

  Alice saw Amber wince, like she’d just been reminded of something she’d tried hard to forget.

  Holly was standing in the sun, waiting quietly for her turn with the hose. Listening to the conversation, her face was anxious, like she had something on her mind. But then Skylark lifted his pink muzzle and rested it on Holly’s shoulder. Holly broke into a huge smile as his big eyes closed sleepily, and she dropped a kiss on his whiskery muzzle.

  “Those two have totally clicked,” Charlie grinned as she scraped the excess water off Phantom. He danced away, crossly shaking his head as she squirted his mane and tail with fly spray. “It looks like they’ve known each other for years, not one day.”

  Next to her, Amber held onto Copper as she put sun cream on the end of his muzzle. “That’s the difference between riding-school ponies and privately owned ones,” she said, glancing over to where Holly was hosing down Skylark. The grey pony dropped his head to snuffle Holly’s hair as she cooled his lower legs. “They’re so docile, anyone can handle them really easily.”

  Alice picked up on the edge in Amber’s voice. Holly had her back to them, but Alice saw her stiffen slightly, and she was sure she’d overheard.

  Once the ponies had been fly-proofed, the girls turned them out in their paddocks. For the rest of the afternoon, everyone decided to collapse by the pool and laze in the baking sun.

  “Are you coming?” Rosie asked Holly, as they headed back to the tent.

  Holly hesitated, as if she was thinking about it, until she looked across at Amber and then seemed to change her mind. “Maybe not,” she said, blushing.“I’ll just read in the stables, I think.”

  She grabbed her book and wandered off on her own as the rest of the team made for the pool.