Out of nowhere came the loudest bang and the door burst open, flying right off its hinges. Light flooded into the storeroom and I had to shield my eyes. I gasped in fear.
When my eyes adjusted to the bright light of day, I saw a mighty black horse, standing on its hind legs, kicking its front hooves in the air! The majestic black horse dropped its front legs back to the ground and whinnied. It was Sasha’s horse Midnight. And there on Midnight’s back was Sasha.
‘Come on then,’ she said, smiling. ‘Let’s go do this. May the best rider win!’
Sasha and I rode as fast as we could from the stable down to the competition ring. When we arrived, Miss Spencer ran up to Honey and helped me dismount.
‘Chloe, where on earth have you been?’ she cried.
‘Long story,’ I said, panting.
‘Well, you’ve missed the course walk and warm-up jumps. You’re going to have to go straight to the marshal and get your number. I’ve seen the list of names and you’re not first, which is lucky. At least this way you can watch some of the riders before you and get a feel for the course, even if you haven’t walked it yourself.’
I nodded at Miss Spencer.
Jenna bounded up to me and gave me a great big hug. ‘Where have you been?’ she yelled.
‘I’ll tell you all about it later,’ I said. ‘Let’s just say, I owe Sasha one.’
Jenna turned and saw Sasha standing behind me. She frowned and shook her head in confusion.
‘What’s the course like?’ I asked Jenna.
‘Not too bad. There are some tricky combos in there – the treble is a doozy. The wall is only at 1.0 metre for the first round, so I reckon you’ll clear that easily,’ Jenna said, pointing to the wall on the course.
‘Now, remember the rules of this competition,’ Miss Spencer interjected. ‘You have to do a clear round first, so no knock-downs. If you clear that round, you’ll qualify for the jump-off, which will be a slightly different course. I know they are including the 1.2-metre wall in the second round, Chloe, so you’re going to really need to focus to get Honey over it. Are you feeling okay?’
I nodded but inside I didn’t feel so sure.
A muffled voice came over the loudspeaker. ‘All competitors, please report to the marshalling area.’
I swallowed hard and tried to offer Miss Spencer a smile. She smiled back warmly. ‘You’ll be fine. Have faith, Chloe,’ she said with a wink.
After reporting to the marshalling area, we were ready to go. Jenna was the third competitor and Sasha was fourth. I was seventh, which gave me a good amount of time to watch the other riders complete the course.
The first round was a long one. It contained a combination of different kinds of jumps. There were verticals, which are fences with poles or planks in the middle. I could see there was a treble, which I knew would scare Sasha. There were a few oxers, which are a couple of fences close together that you have to jump in one go. They didn’t look too scary. There was also a water jump. It was basically a low vertical that had a pool of water on the ground just after it. It’s kind of like jumping over a little ditch, I guess. As I went around the course in my mind, nothing stood out as being too threatening. But then there was the wall. It was the second-last jump in the course. It had a brickwork pattern painted on it to make it look like a solid, head-smashing piece of concrete. I knew it was only pretend, but I couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of crashing my beautiful horse headfirst into a brick wall.
The bell rang and the first rider was on the course. She looked smooth and confident, taking the vertical jumps and oxers with ease. But when she came to the treble, her rhythm looked awkward. Her horse seemed to misstep between the second and third jump and her horse took a pole on the third jump. The pole fell and there was a collective sigh from the crowd. Poor girl. In order to get to the jump-offs, the rider had to clear this course with no faults. So she would not be going on in the competition. She looked deflated as she finished the course and the crowd gave a sympathetic round of applause.
The next rider had a much better round and cleared the course with no penalties. It was actually good seeing a rider jump clear – it gave me confidence that the course wasn’t impossible.
Jenna was up next.
‘Wish me luck!’ she sang in her confident American accent.
Jenna walked into the ring with Atlanta, looking brave and happy. Atlanta stood towering and strong. The bell rang to signal the beginning of the ride and Jenna kicked Atlanta into pace. Jenna started the course well, clearing the verticals and oxers with ease. Atlanta’s chestnut body glistened in the sunlight as he soared through the air over each obstacle. He was a mighty horse. Jenna confidently led Atlanta through the course, keeping her posture perfect the whole way through. She cleared the vertical and water jump and headed over to the treble. Jenna was pretty good on the combos and I was confident she’d sail over them.
As Atlanta approached the treble combo, something seemed odd about his rhythm. I could see a frown of concentration on Jenna’s face as she tried to fix the pace of her horse. Atlanta jumped the first jump but landed too long and didn’t seem to have the room to move over the second. Atlanta baulked and Jenna tumbled off her horse’s back, somersaulting over Atlanta’s head the way I had done in practice. Jenna hit the ground hard and the crowd went silent.
‘Medic to the ring,’ the voice on the loudspeaker instructed.
I held my breath as the nurse ran to Jenna.
Please be okay, I mouthed to myself.
We all stood by nervously as the nurse crouched down next to Jenna for what seemed like an eternity. Slowly, the nurse helped her to her feet and Jenna gave the crowd a thumbs-up sign. The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief. Jenna then stepped away from the nurse and gave a great big bow. Everyone laughed and cheered – typical Jenna. Miss Spencer led Atlanta off the ring and the nurse helped a limping Jenna out through the gate.
I ran straight over to her. ‘Are you okay?’ I gasped.
‘I’m fine,’ she laughed, shaking her head. ‘I think my pride was the biggest victim today. How embarrassing!’
I gave Jenna a quick hug and let the nurse take her back to the medical tent for further checks. I sighed, disappointed. This would mean that Jenna wouldn’t make the jump-off and her competition was over.
‘Next up,’ the voice boomed over the speaker system, ‘we have Sasha Cunningham riding Midnight!’
The crowd cheered as Sasha entered the arena on her beautiful black horse.
The bell rang and Sasha began circling Midnight around and onto the course. She looked perfect as she sailed over the obstacles one by one. But I knew there was only one obstacle she was thinking about – the treble. It must have made Sasha nervous to see Jenna fall on the treble, just like she had done in the previous competition.
Sasha sailed around the course, gliding over each vertical, oxer and the water jump. She cleared the Swedish oxer and began to gather her pace and rhythm for the treble combination. I could see her scrunching up her face from where I sat on the sidelines. She guided Midnight over the first jump, second jump and the third jump. The poles stayed up and untouched and I heard a cheer escape from her mother’s mouth.
Sasha finished the course and punched the air happily with her fist.
‘A clear round for Sasha Cunningham on Midnight, which means she will be proceeding to the jump-off,’ the voice beamed over the loudspeaker.
As Sasha exited the ring, I saw her mother run up to her. Sasha simply raised her hand to her mum, as if to say not now, and led Midnight back up the path. Her mum furrowed her brow in confusion before locking eyes with me. She frowned and nodded and turned away quickly.
After a few more girls had run the course, with a couple more making it to the jump-off, it was time for me and Honey to compete.
I nervously sat on Honey’s back, mentally making my way around the course.
The bell rang and I kicked Honey into pace. The course was good –
it seemed to flow really well and was not a difficult one for Honey. She was such a little horse compared to Midnight and Atlanta, but she sailed over the obstacles with grace. I smiled as we glided over each oxer and vertical, whispering encouragement to Honey the whole way.
As we approached the treble, I frowned in concentration. It had proven to be a difficult obstacle for lots of the riders that day and I wanted to make sure we had the right rhythm. Honey jumped the first jump, the second jump and the third jump – perfect!
‘Good girl!’ I whispered.
We made our way around and over a couple more obstacles before approaching the wall. I took a deep breath and tried to remember everything I’d been doing in training.
Don’t pull back, I reminded myself.
I knew this wall was at a height I’d jumped many times. I just had to have faith that Honey and I could clear it.
We approached the wall and I whispered, ‘We can do this.’
Honey leapt into the air, tucking up her legs and sailing over the wall, landing heavily on the other side. We finished the final couple of obstacles and I let out a ‘Woohoo!’ as we completed the course without penalty.
‘A clear round! So Chloe Humphries will also be moving through to the jump-off.’
I looked to the crowd and saw Jenna fist-pumping the air in celebration. I smiled.
I gave Honey an affectionate pat on her neck and headed out of the arena. Miss Spencer was standing on the side, jumping up and down and clapping.
‘Well done, Chloe!’ she squealed. ‘Now just do that again in the jump-off and you’ll be fine!’
As the first round ended, we discovered only five competitors had made it to the jump-off. The marshals had created a shorter course for the jump-off and allowed us to walk through it to get to know it. As I wandered around the course, noting various combinations of jumps and obstacles, I came to the part where the treble combination had sat in the round before. But it was different this time. I craned my head around the poles and immediately noticed that this wasn’t a treble combination jump at all. In this round it was just a double combination. I spun around and caught Sasha’s eye as she realised the same thing, her worst fear – the treble combo – wasn’t even in this round. She shrugged at me and smiled. However, my worst fear – the brick wall – was not only still there but was standing at a towering 1.2 metres, a height I’d never cleared on Honey before.
I sighed a deflated sigh. This jump-off wasn’t going to be easy. Jenna’s words echoed in my head: I just had to have faith and take the biggest leap of my life.
‘So, remember,’ Miss Spencer said, ‘this round is timed. Fastest clear round will win. Now, I don’t want you to rush, but you do need to be conscious about not lagging on the course.’
I nodded. I was the last rider of the day so at least I knew what time I was going to have to beat. There were only five riders in the jump-off. I would have a good chance of winning if I could muster up the courage to get over the wall.
Having walked the course, I knew it was a shorter punchier course. There weren’t as many jumps, but it felt like the course was a bit more challenging and less of a smooth ride compared to the first round.
‘First up, jumping for the title today, we have Sasha Cunningham!’ a voice boomed over the loud speaker.
Sasha entered the ring with an air of confidence and grace. Midnight was radiant as the sun bounced off his beautifully smooth, velvet body.
The bell rang and Sasha began the course. She was definitely riding this course faster than the last one. Midnight seemed to float through the course with the greatest of ease. Sasha guided Midnight over the verticals and oxers and across to the double combination. She didn’t wear the same look of fear on her face as she did when doing the treble. It must have been her confidence, because she sailed over the double combination as if it was the easiest thing in the world. She rode Midnight around in an arc and gathered some pace as she approached the wall. Midnight lifted off the ground and appeared to fly over the wall, clearing it with room to spare. Sasha rode him over the last couple of obstacles and finished with a clear round.
‘A clear round for Sasha Cunningham on Midnight!’ the voice over the loudspeaker sang. ‘And in a time of 42.5 seconds – a great first ride for the jump-off this afternoon!’
Wow. 42.5 seconds. It seemed like a good time for this course.
Sasha beamed as she rode Midnight out of the ring. She was definitely in the running to take first place and she knew it.
I watched the other riders intensely as they rode through the course. There were three girls who would ride before me, so it was important that I studied their moves and worked out what time I needed to beat.
The rider directly after Sasha finished the course quickly but she knocked a pole and was penalised. Even though her time was a second quicker than Sasha’s, Sasha’s clean run meant that she was still in the lead.
The third rider completed a clean round, but her time was 45.6 seconds, which was slower than Sasha’s. So Sasha remained in the lead.
The last rider before me didn’t have the best ride. Her horse refused a jump, and even though she cleared it on a second attempt, she was going to be penalised. So she was definitely out of the running for first place.
Now there was only one thing that stood in front of Sasha taking the title: me and little Honey.
Nerves bubbled away in my stomach as I stroked Honey’s neck from where I was sitting on her back. I rode into the ring and prepared to start. The bell rang out and I took a deep breath as we began the course.
The course was short and sharp and I wanted to get around it as quickly as I could. Honey took the verticals and oxers with ease. As we cleared each obstacle, I whispered, ‘good girl’ to encourage my little horse, willing her to keep going.
Honey completed the double combination jump easily – her rhythm was perfect and I felt so at one with her.
I could sense that our time was good – it felt like we had flown around the course so far. But there was only one really challenging obstacle left and I knew we had to clear it perfectly, first time, in order to even have a chance at winning.
The wall seemed to tower to the sky, the red and grey ‘bricks’ bearing down on us. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath as Honey approached the wall.
Have faith, Chloe. You can do it. Honey can do it.
I felt a quiet panic rise in my chest as the wall seemed to grow right in front of my eyes. Everything in me wanted to lean back and pull on Honey’s reins – to shy away from the huge obstacle that lay in our path.
But then I remembered my dream. The dream where Honey had grown wings and we had flown over the towering wall. Determination took over. I knew we could do this. I was a new person at the Academy – I wasn’t the shy, nervous Chloe from the farm anymore. I was the confident, brave girl who confronted Sasha. I was the girl who convinced Sasha to save me from the storeroom.
Fuelled by a courage I had never felt before, I clenched my teeth and frowned in determination.
‘Come on, Honey,’ I grunted.
Honey gained speed as we approached the wall and I gently gathered the reins and leant forwards. Honey leapt from the ground, tucking up her long thin legs and sailing up over the wall. I closed my eyes for half a second and saw us in my dream – sailing through the clouds with the earth far below. It felt like we were suspended in midair for eternity.
Honey hit the ground heavily and I knew we had cleared the wall. We took our last two jumps and the crowd erupted into cheers. I looked up to the stands and saw Miss Spencer and Jenna jumping up and down, cheering with their hands over their heads.
‘A clear round!’ the loudspeaker boomed excitedly. ‘We are just awaiting the official time for Chloe Humphries on Honey, to determine the winner of this competition.’
There was a couple of seconds’ pause, which seemed to go on forever.
‘The time is in – 41.17 seconds! That makes Chloe Humphries the champion of th
is showjumping competition!’
A wave of excitement and pride washed over me. I’d won. I’d won my first-ever showjumping competition at the Royal Academy of Sport for Girls. I looked around wildly as the crowd cheered. And there, standing by the ring with a smile on her face, was Sasha who was nodding and clapping for me.
As I exited the ring with Honey, Jenna pounced on me, embracing me with squeals of delight. Sasha stood beside me.
‘Fair and square,’ she said, shaking her head and smiling.
‘Fair and square,’ I laughed.
Behind Sasha, I saw her mum listening in. Sasha turned and breathed in sharply. She looked nervous – maybe even scared. Her mum gave her a quick nod and I could read her lips as she whispered to her daughter ‘Fair and square’. She pulled Sasha into an embrace and I saw Sasha’s whole body relax in her mum’s arms. I looked away, not wanting to spy on their private moment. But I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
‘In third place, we have Amelia Adams riding Merlin.’
Applause.
‘In second place, we have Sasha Cunningham riding Midnight.’
Applause.
‘In first place, we have Chloe Humphries riding Honey!’
The crowd cheered loudly as Honey wore a beautiful first-place garland and I was presented with a special gold Royal Academy of Sport for Girls medal – a medal which was given in every major competition for each of the sports at the school. I leant down from Honey’s back so Mrs Brunette, the principal, could put the medal over my head.
I slipped my helmet back on and waved to the crowd. Jenna whistled loudly through her fingers and I could see Alicia and Rosie had come after their dressage competition for my presentation. I beamed brightly at them.
I glanced over to Sasha, who was sitting next to me perched on Midnight. She shrugged. ‘I guess the best rider won on the day,’ she said, smiling.
‘Thanks, Sasha,’ I said. ‘Thanks for … for everything.’
Sasha smiled as the announcer picked up the microphone. ‘Now Chloe Humphries will lead our winners in a lap of honour!’
Leap of Faith Page 6
