Maddie’s Dream

by Catherine Hapka

  “I know, right?” Maddie glanced at Wizard, who was plodding along sleepily behind her. She’d managed to get most of the manure stain off, though his shoulder still had a slight greenish tinge. “I haven’t ridden Wiz in forever.”

  Val looped her reins over her arm and tightened the chin strap of her helmet. “You haven’t ridden anyone but Cloudy in forever,” she said.

  “Yeah, pretty much.” Maddie glanced at the gate, surprised that Ms. Emerson wasn’t there yet. “I mean, there’ve been a couple of times when she had an abscess or a snotty nose or something.”

  “And then there was the time she missed a whole week’s worth of lessons when that car company leased her to be in their TV commercial, remember?” Vic said.

  Maddie nodded. “But I knew about that ahead of time.”

  “So what’s going on? Is Cloudy sick or something?” Val looked worried.

  “No,” Maddie replied. “Ms. Emerson said she’s doing a private lesson later. I didn’t get to ask her about it, though, because she was giving some lady a tour, and—”

  “Shh.” Vic shot a warning look at the gate.

  Ms. Emerson strode in. “Ready to go, girls?” she asked. “Let’s mount up.”

  “Can you check my girth?” Val asked. “I tried to tighten it, but Susie keeps stomping her foot.”

  As the barn owner stepped over to help Val, Maddie checked Wizard’s girth and pulled down the stirrups on the saddle. “Come on, boy,” she said with a cluck. “Time to get going.”

  She led the pony over to the mounting block and swung aboard. Even though Wizard looked round, his back felt narrower than Cloudy’s, and at first Maddie couldn’t quite figure out where to let her legs hang. She was fiddling with her stirrups when Ms. Emerson walked over.

  “Everything all right, Maddie?” she asked, sliding a hand under Wizard’s girth to make sure it was tight enough.

  “I think so.” Maddie stuck her foot back in the stirrup. “He just feels . . . different. I’m used to Cloudy, I guess.”

  She shot Ms. Emerson a sidelong look, hoping the barn owner might provide some further explanation for why Maddie wasn’t riding Cloudy today. But Ms. Emerson just gave Wizard a pat and then stepped back. “All right, girls,” she said to all three of them. “Let’s get started. Take the rail to the right, please.”

  Maddie gave Wizard a nudge with her legs. The pony didn’t move, so she kicked a little harder.

  “Come on, buddy,” she muttered. “Let’s go.”

  Wizard finally creaked into a walk, and Maddie aimed him at a spot on the rail in front of Vic’s pony. She and Cloudy almost always led the way in their lessons. Even though the Chincoteague pony wasn’t very tall, she walked faster than any of the other lesson ponies and even most of the horses.

  But Maddie wasn’t riding Cloudy today. She was riding Wizard, and he definitely wasn’t one of the faster ponies in the barn. Within seconds, Vic’s pony was practically on Wizard’s heels.

  “Easy!” Ms. Emerson called out. “Be careful how close you’re getting, Victoria.”

  “Sorry!” Vic called back. She circled her pony, ending up behind her twin’s mount.

  “Come on, Wiz,” Maddie said, giving her pony another solid kick. “Let’s pick up the pace.”

  The gray pony lifted his head and stepped out a little faster—but only for a few strides. Then he settled back to his usual speed.

  “Look out!” Val called out. “Passing on the right, okay?”

  “Me too,” Vic said.

  Soon both of them were in front of Maddie. Even then Maddie had trouble keeping Wizard moving. She had to nudge or kick or cluck at almost every stride.

  This is a lot more work than riding Cloudy! she thought as she kicked again, trying to keep up with the others.

  “All right, let’s get ready to pick up a trot,” Ms. Emerson said after a few minutes.

  Maddie immediately tightened her grip on the reins. Whenever Cloudy heard the word “trot,” she surged forward into the faster gait without waiting for her rider’s cue.

  But once again, Maddie was reminded that Wizard wasn’t Cloudy when the gray gelding halted. “Oops,” she muttered, kicking him on again and loosening her reins.

  “Go ahead and trot when you’re ready,” Ms. Emerson said. “All the way around, then circle at the far end. Remember to ask for a proper bend. . . .”

  There were more instructions, but Maddie wasn’t really listening. Most of her attention was focused on trying to get Wizard to trot. The twins’ ponies were both halfway down the next long side before the little gray managed a lumbering trot. Maddie started posting, closing her legs on his sides on each downbeat as she’d been taught. Even so, Wizard soon lost energy and broke back to a walk.

  “Keep trotting, Maddie,” Ms. Emerson called out.

  “I know. He’s being super-lazy!” Maddie exclaimed, giving the gray pony a firm kick with both heels. “Come on, Wiz!”

  “Easy with your leg,” Ms. Emerson said.

  “But he’s not listening!” Maddie slumped in the saddle and the pony drifted back to a walk and then a halt. “I’m used to Cloudy—she always wants to go.”

  “Come back to walk, please,” Ms. Emerson called to the twins. Then she turned to Maddie. “You can’t get frustrated with a pony just because he’s not like another pony. That’s not fair.”

  “Sorry.” Maddie frowned and glanced down at Wizard. “He’s just really different. He doesn’t want to go at all.”

  “That’s exactly why I assigned you to him. He’s been extra poky with the tiny beginners lately, and he needs someone strong enough to remind him how to respond properly to the aids.”

  “Oh.” Maddie felt a twinge of pride that the barn owner thought she was a good enough rider to help keep the pony schooled for beginners. “Okay. But I wish I had a crop.”

  “If you really can’t keep him moving, I’ll go get you one. But first I’d like you to try again without.”

  “Okay.” Maddie gathered up her reins. “Here we go, Wiz. Trot on!”

  She gave the pony a firm squeeze with both legs. “Shoulders back and eyes forward,” Ms. Emerson said. “There you go!”

  Maddie smiled. “Good boy!” she told Wizard as he picked up a trot. It still wasn’t very fast, and it wasn’t nearly as smooth as Cloudy’s trot. But this time she managed to keep him going until Ms. Emerson called for a walk.

  “Thanks, boy,” Maddie said, running a brush over Wizard’s back to rub out the sweat mark the saddle had left on his gray coat. “That was . . . interesting.”

  She grimaced, thinking back over the lesson. It definitely hadn’t been her best. Maddie had ridden better after Ms. Emerson’s little talk, but Wizard had remained lazy the entire time. It had taken Maddie three tries to get him to canter, and when it was time to jump, she’d held her breath over every tiny crossrail, half afraid the poky pony might not manage the energy to heave himself to the other side. All the way through, Maddie couldn’t help thinking about how much better Cloudy would have done at everything and how much more fun she was to ride.

  But that wasn’t really fair, Maddie reminded herself. Okay, so Wizard wasn’t Cloudy. But he was definitely an amazing pony in his own way. He was so steady and sweet that even the most frightened beginner felt safe on him. He’d taught lots of kids to be confident enough to move on to more challenging mounts. As Ms. Emerson often said, he was worth his weight in gold.

  “You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” Maddie murmured, digging into the pony’s white mane to give his crest a scratch. Wizard stretched his neck out, his lower lip flopping and his eyes half closed. Maddie smiled. “You like that, huh?”

  She heard footsteps in the aisle and stepped to the door to see if they belonged to the twins. Instead she saw Kiana, who was in her early twenties and a native of Hawaii. Kiana had moved to Northern California to attend one of the local universities, and she helped Ms. Emerson run the barn part-time during the school year and full-time
in the summer. At the moment her straight, fine black hair was flopping out of her ponytail as usual, and she was carrying a broom.

  “Hi, Maddie.” As usual, Kiana’s smile was wide and friendly. “Have a good lesson today?”

  “Sort of,” Maddie said. With a slightly guilty glance at Wizard, she added, “I mean yeah, definitely. But listen, I was just wondering—do you know why Ms. E is giving some private lesson on Cloudy today?”

  Kiana pushed a strand of hair out of her round dark eyes. “Oh, you mean the Richardson thing? Is that today?”

  “Richardson thing?” Maddie didn’t know anyone named Richardson. “Is that a new lesson student or something? Oh! Maybe it’s got to do with that tall blond lady I saw with Ms. E earlier.”

  Kiana blinked at her. “Yeah, that was probably Mrs. Richardson. She just got back here with some of the kids, I think.”

  “Kids?” Maddie was feeling more confused by the second. “What kids?”

  “The Richardson kids.” Kiana shifted the broom to her other hand and gazed at Maddie. “Wait, I thought you knew about all this.”

  “All what?”

  “The Richardsons.” Kiana shrugged. “They’re the family that sold Cloudy to us—the ones who bought her out east at the pony auction. They heard how well she’s been doing lately, and now they might be interested in buying her back.”

  CHAPTER

  3

  “WHAT?” MADDIE COULDN’T BELIEVE HER ears. “What do you mean, they want to buy her back? Cloudy can’t leave!”

  “I’m with you.” Kiana sounded sympathetic. “Cloudy’s one of our best lesson ponies. But it’s up to Ms. E, I guess. She’s the boss, right?”

  “But she can’t sell Cloudy!” Maddie clutched the top of the stall door so tightly, her knuckles turned white. “Anyway, why would those people want her back? They’re the ones who almost ruined her!”

  Kiana shook her head. “Sorry, sweetie, I don’t know much more than what I just told you. You’ll need to ask Ms. E about the details.”

  “I will.” Maddie let herself out of the stall and rushed down the aisle.

  Halfway to the office, she almost crashed into Val, who was stepping out of a stall. “Whoa!” Vic said, emerging behind her twin. “Where are you going?”

  “To talk to Ms. Emerson.” Maddie took a deep breath. “You’ll never believe this. . . .”

  She quickly filled her friends in on what Kiana had told her. By the time she finished, both twins looked just as dismayed as Maddie felt.

  “Oh my gosh! This is terrible!” Vic exclaimed.

  “Cloudy can’t leave.” Val twisted her hands together the way she did when she was feeling especially anxious. “And she definitely can’t go back to her old owners.”

  “No kidding.” Maddie grimaced as she thought back to Cloudy’s early days at Solano Stables. The mare had been so unruly that Ms. Emerson hadn’t even let anyone else lead her out to the pasture at first, let alone ride her. “They obviously didn’t know anything about training horses. They’d probably just let Cloudy run wild again!”

  “Yeah,” Vic said. “It would be crazy to send her back to them.”

  “So why is Ms. E considering it?” Maddie wondered. “She’s not usually—”

  “Oops, Mom’s here.” Val waved at her mother, who had just appeared in the doorway at the end of the aisle. “We’ve got to go.”

  “Yeah. But text us later and let us know what Ms. Emerson says, okay?” Vic added, following her sister up the aisle.

  “I will,” Maddie said.

  She continued on to the office, but it was deserted. That was no surprise. As the owner and head instructor of a busy lesson barn, Ms. Emerson rarely sat still for long.

  Maddie kept searching. As she wandered down the main aisle, she saw Cloudy coming out of her stall, wearing saddle and bridle and led by a girl Maddie didn’t know. The girl looked a couple of years older than Maddie, tall for her age, with the same pale blond hair and lanky build as the woman Maddie had seen earlier.

  Maddie’s heart raced. The girl didn’t seem to notice her standing there, staring, as she led Cloudy out of the barn in the direction of the outdoor ring.

  That’s got to be one of the Richardson kids, Maddie thought.

  She hurried after girl and pony, emerging just in time to see the girl lead Cloudy into the ring. The blond woman—Mrs. Richardson, Maddie knew now—was sitting in the bleachers, fiddling with her smartphone. A blond girl who looked to be maybe eight or nine years old was perched beside her, while two other kids—a boy about the same age and a younger girl—chased each other around in the grass nearby.

  But most of Maddie’s attention was on the girl with Cloudy. Ms. Emerson was already helping her adjust her girth and stirrups.

  “All right, shall we mount up?” The barn owner’s voice didn’t seem that loud, but it carried easily to where Maddie was standing, in the shadow of the barn overhang. “Lead Cloudy over to the block.”

  “I don’t need a mounting block.” The blond girl’s voice was confident. “We used to get on from the ground all the time when we had her. I could always get on, even though I was a lot shorter back then.”

  “I understand. But here we always use a mounting block.” Ms. Emerson’s voice was kind but firm. “It’s better for the horses’ backs, and better for the tack as well.”

  “Oh.” The girl sounded dubious. “Okay, whatever.”

  She hopped onto the block as Ms. Emerson positioned Cloudy beside it. Soon the girl was in the saddle.

  “Looking good, Amber!” Mrs. Richardson called out, glancing up briefly from her phone.

  The girl—Amber—didn’t respond. She picked up the reins so quickly and firmly that Cloudy tossed her head and took a step backward.

  “Easy with your hands,” Ms. Emerson said. “Let’s start out with a walk around on the rail so you and Cloudy can get to know each other.”

  “We already know each other, remember?” Amber said. She gave Cloudy a thump with both legs, sending the startled mare spurting forward at a trot.

  “Walk, please,” Ms. Emerson said firmly.

  Maddie guessed the command was as much for Cloudy’s benefit as the rider’s. The mare was smart—she knew lots of words. Obeying the instructor’s command, she slowed to a brisk walk.

  “All right, let’s talk about this,” Ms. Emerson said. “Keep her on a circle around me.”

  Amber nodded and yanked on one rein. Maddie winced as Cloudy put her ears flat back and swished her tail, stopping short.

  “Giddyup, Cloudy,” Amber ordered, giving another kick to start the mare walking again.

  Cloudy jumped forward, but this time she stayed at a walk. Her head was cranked around to one side, and she didn’t look happy. But she went the way the girl was pulling, walking around Ms. Emerson in a tight circle.

  “Cloudy might feel a little different than you remember, Amber.” Ms. Emerson’s voice was calm, much calmer than Maddie felt as she watched Amber continue to yank and kick Cloudy around the circle. “She’s been working as a lesson pony for a while now, and she knows all the cues we use to ask her to do things. We call those cues the aids. Are you familiar with that term?”

  Amber frowned. “Um . . .”

  “She means like using your legs to make Cloudy go!” a high-pitched voice called from the bleachers.

  Maddie glanced that way. The nine-year-old girl was standing by the rail now, watching the lesson intently.

  “Shut up, Felicia,” Amber called.

  “Language, Amber.” Mrs. Richardson looked up from her phone. “Watch it, or the lesson is over.”

  “Sorry, Mom.” Amber waited until her mother looked down again, then rolled her eyes.

  “Your sister is correct,” Ms. Emerson told Amber. “There are a variety of aids, broken into two categories—natural and artificial. Your leg is one of the natural aids. Can you guess what the rest might be?”

  “I’m not sure.” Amber gave another yank on
the rein as Cloudy started to drift out. “The other leg? No, wait—how about the reins?”

  “Close. Your hands would be considered another natural aid,” Ms. Emerson replied. “Speaking of which, be careful about the way you’re pulling. Try more of a gentle give-and-take motion when you want her to turn.”

  Amber glanced down and loosened the reins slightly. “Are we going to trot soon?”

  “In a moment.” Ms. Emerson turned to the viewers by the bleachers. “Felicia, can you tell me the other two natural aids?”

  “Seat and voice,” the younger girl piped up immediately.

  “That’s right.” Ms. Emerson sounded pleased and slightly surprised. She smiled at Felicia, then turned her attention back to Amber, talking to her about proper use of the aids.

  I hope Amber’s listening, Maddie thought, gritting her teeth as Cloudy shook her head against the reins. Because Cloudy doesn’t look very happy about the way she’s riding.

  The lesson continued. Amber was obviously confident in the saddle, and after a few reminders she loosened up on the reins and stopped kicking so hard—at least most of the time. Maddie found herself wondering if this was the first real riding lesson the girl had ever had. If her siblings rode the same way, it was no wonder Cloudy had arrived at Solano Stables unschooled and confused!

  Amber wasn’t bad at posting the trot, though she had no idea what a diagonal was and seemed unimpressed with the whole concept of rising and sitting according to which direction she was going. Maddie guessed that meant she probably didn’t know anything about proper canter leads either, though luckily Cloudy was a pro and picked it up correctly the first time in both directions.

  “All right, bring her down,” Ms. Emerson said after Amber and Cloudy’s second canter circuit of the ring. “Very nice. I think we’ll end there.”

  Amber pulled the mare to a halt. “Wait, can’t we try jumping?” she asked, glancing at the pair of crossrails set up on the quarter line. “I know Cloudy knows how—my older sister and brother used to jump her over stuff all the time.”