The Canterwood Crest Stable of Books

by Jessica Burkhart

  I nudged Charm with my toe behind the girth. He ducked his head and shook his mane. Two strides later, he started to canter and both ears pointed forward. He wasn’t listening to me at all. I closed my fingers on the reins and tried to get his attention. He finally broke into a canter and bowed his neck from the pressure of the reins.

  But both of us had lost our concentration. I knew that Charm sensed my mind wasn’t on the exercises—I was thinking about Jacob.

  “Working trot, please,” Miss Cho said.

  I slowed Charm to a trot and tried to collect him. He trotted too fast and it threw him off balance. I couldn’t get him on the bit. His trot was flat and he didn’t pay attention to my weak and confusing signals.

  Ahead of us, Phoenix trotted with balance and suppleness. He mouthed the bit, listening to Jasmine’s every cue. Her eyes didn’t shift from looking between his ears. I didn’t even look in the direction of the scouts. They’d probably written She’s REALLY on the advanced team?! by my name.

  For the next twenty minutes, Miss Cho asked us for an extended walk and trot, transitions from trotting to cantering and halts. After my ride, I’d be lucky if I got a job leading ponies at Union’s county fair.

  Miss Cho held up a hand. “Excellent job,” she said. “Please line up your horses in the center and wait for our guests to come speak with you.”

  Charm, with sweat patches darkening his coat, stood between Malibu and Rio. Phoenix stood like gray stone at the end of the line. Jasmine rubbed his neck. Her secret practices had showed in her ride. She’d been near perfect.

  The scouts started with Jasmine, but I couldn’t hear what they said to her. When their backs were to her, she edged Phoenix forward a step so she could see my face. She smiled and mouthed, “Poor Sasha.”

  The scouts worked their way down the line. I didn’t even listen to them. I’d blown the first round. Charm and I looked as if we hadn’t practiced in months. I wished Heather had never said a word about Jacob. She knew it would make me crazy and I wouldn’t be able to…focus.

  “Oh, my God,” I whispered aloud.

  She’d told me about Jacob—if he was even here—to rattle me before my ride. Heather Fox hadn’t changed! She’d been so nice to me for the past couple of weeks…she’d tricked me into thinking she wasn’t a threat.

  “Sasha Silver,” said a gray-haired man, consulting his clipboard.

  “Yes,” I said. “Thank you for watching me ride.”

  “You seemed to lose focus,” one woman said, frowning. “Can we expect better from your jumping round?”

  No excuses. “Yes, ma’am. It wasn’t my horse’s fault. I’m completely focused now and I’ll prove it.”

  The scouts nodded at each other. “Good. Thank you,” the first scout said. “We look forward to watching you again.”

  Mr. Conner stepped over to us. “All right, you may all cool down your horses and wait for your jumping round. Great job.”

  Yeah. Great job everyone but me. I dismounted and led Charm into the aisle. The final flatwork group headed inside for their ride. A few feet ahead, Heather led Aristocrat up and down the aisle at a slow walk.

  “How’d you do?” she asked.

  “Awful,” I said. “Your plan totally worked. Congratulations.”

  I led Charm away from her.

  Heather hurried after me. “Um, what are you talking about?”

  “Please. You only told me that Jacob was here to throw me off. You got your wish. I blew my ride.”

  “Sasha, I’m sorry,” Heather said. She moved in front of me. “I told you that because, I don’t know, I thought you’d be happy.”

  “Aw,” Jasmine said, cutting in between us. “Sasha, is Heather trying to help you become a decent rider before we jump?”

  “Go away,” Heather said. “We’re just sooo glad we only have to see you until tomorrow.”

  Jasmine grinned and put a hand over her heart, feigning hurt feelings. “Too bad you’re not going to get your way.”

  “What does that even mean?” Heather asked, looking impatient.

  “Guess who’s transferring to Canterwood next week?”

  Jasmine laughed when she saw the look on our faces.

  “I hated the idea at first,” she said. “Wellington is obviously the better school. But Mr. Conner is a tough instructor and my old coach was getting soft.”

  “You’re serious,” Heather said, blood draining from her face. It wasn’t a question, but Jas answered anyway.

  “As a heart attack,” Jasmine said. “Lucky for you, when I join your advanced team, you’ll get to see someone good in action. See you later, teammies!” She led Phoenix past us.

  Heather and I stared after her.

  “I can’t—how—” I started.

  “No,” Heather finished. “Mr. Conner can’t let her on the team. She didn’t even try out!”

  “He won’t. There’s no way. Then we’d have an extra person on the team.”

  But we both knew. If he tested her, she’d make it. Mr. Conner would make an allowance.

  “Whatever,” I said. “She’s not on the advanced team today. We are. And she just said all of that now so we’d be distracted before jumping.”

  “Yeah. You’re right. Forget about her. We’ve got one more round to go.”

  I sighed. My next round had to be perfect.

  “And look—I really didn’t mean for that to happen with your ride,” Heather said.

  “I believe you,” I said finally. And actually, I did. The old Heather wouldn’t have bothered to make excuses if she’d really wanted to throw my ride. Plus, I knew she wanted me to do well so we could show Jasmine up.

  We started down the aisle and I tried not to think about how much things were going to change after the demo.

  33

  TOO MANY DISASTERS TO COUNT

  WHEN I GOT OUT TO THE ARENA, I LOOKED for Callie to tell her about my ride, but I couldn’t find her. I scanned the stands for Jacob, but didn’t see him either. I hoped he’d be back in time for my ride.

  Heather’s group jumped first, but I was too nervous to watch. Heather came back with a giant smile, though, so she’d obviously done well. She must have known I was concentrating because she bypassed me as she led Aristocrat back to the stable.

  You’ve jumped this course a zillion times, I reminded myself. You already ruined the first round. If you don’t hit this, you’re done. The scouts won’t consider you at all.

  I took a slow breath in through my nose and let Charm amble around the waiting area. The scouts and Paige sat in the outdoor stands. I didn’t see Eric, but Mr. Conner had probably sent him on an errand.

  Seconds before it was time for Callie’s group, she emerged from nowhere and trotted Jack up to the waiting area. And she’d been worried about me being late!

  Alison rode first. Her light touch worked for Sunstruck and he made it through with a clean round.

  Julia and Trix went next. Trix handled the course like a pro. Julia guided her over the jumps and I held my breath when Trix’s back hooves nicked the last rail. But the rail stayed in place and Julia had a clean ride.

  Another girl in Callie’s group rode and then it was Callie’s turn.

  Callie and Jack cantered to the first vertical. They made it look easy as they cleared it with room to spare. My eyes shifted up to the stands. Paige clutched her hands as she watched Callie ri—

  OMG! There he was.

  My eyes stopped on Jacob. He sat at the edge of the bottom row of stands. I stood in the stirrups and waved. I couldn’t yell for him and my phone was back in the stable.

  Jacob! I screamed in my head. I’m over here!

  But he didn’t even look around. His eyes were on Callie. He shifted in his seat with each jump. He half-stood when Callie took the final vertical.

  Jack thundered over the jump and Jacob grinned. He sat back in his seat, his eyes trailing Callie as she trotted Jack out of the arena.

  But that was strange. I mean
, he hadn’t come to see Callie. He barely even knew her. He’d come to see me, and because he knew she was my friend, he’d politely watched her ride. He just couldn’t see me in the crowd of other horses and riders.

  Mr. Conner motioned for me to join him, Jasmine, Aaron, and Cole. I tore my eyes away from the stands and forced myself to look at Mr. Conner.

  “We randomly drew jumping order,” he said. “Sasha, you’re first. Then Cole, Aaron, and finally Jasmine. Good luck to all of you.”

  Cole, Aaron, and Jasmine moved their horses away as I took a breath before starting to the arena. Jacob’s cheering you on. Show him how good you are.

  Mr. Conner put a hand on my boot. “Take your time,” he said. “You’ll do fine.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  I took a deep breath and urged Charm into a trot. We headed up the slight hill and through the gate of the outdoor arena. I halted Charm once we stepped inside and let him get collected.

  I looked over to see Jacob. His seat was empty. I stared at the bench, half expecting him to materialize before my eyes. But he didn’t. Why had he left?

  Stop and focus! I screamed at myself. This is ridiculous. In less than two minutes, you can go find him. You’ve got to get through this round.

  Eight jumps. Eight chances to impress the scouts. I didn’t need another second to think about it.

  I leaned down by Charm’s ears.

  “Ready, boy? Let’s go!” I kneaded my hands along his neck and he burst into a canter. He headed for the red and white vertical and sailed over it. One down! I let him increase his speed and he lifted into the air and over a black double oxer. The spread didn’t even tire Charm and he landed almost gently on the other side. The sooner I got through this, the faster I could find Jacob.

  “Good,” I whispered. “Next one.”

  We made a half-turn and approached another vertical. This one was six inches higher than the first. Three, two, one, and up! On “up,” I squeezed my legs against Charm’s sides and he propelled over the rails. He didn’t even come close to touching the top rail.

  I sneaked a look at the stands…still empty.

  In the two seconds it took me to look away from the course, Charm had reached a vertical with flowerboxes on the side. He shied away from the fake orange and yellow lilies and tried to run out on the jump.

  “No, Charm,” I said. I tried to correct my mistake, but it was too late. We approached the vertical before I could get him centered. He jumped awkwardly at an angle. His knees knocked the top rail and it thudded to the ground.

  I wanted to stop, dismount and go back to the stable right now. But if I did, Mr. Conner would drag me back to the course and make me finish it. He’d be furious if I quit.

  A brisk wind stung my face. Charm tugged on the reins, asking for more, and I let him have another half-inch. The faux wall jump was next and we needed momentum to get over it.

  Charm’s hoofbeats pounded the dirt. The brick wall loomed in front of us. Charm, not even hesitating this time, launched forward and propelled himself over the wall. I kept myself steady in the saddle and focused on the final jumps.

  We were strides away from the second double oxer of the course. The higher rails and wider spread wouldn’t have worried me if Charm had been at the top of his game. But his nerves had made him tired and he needed energy to get over the last few jumps.

  “Easy, careful,” I whispered. At the right second, he flew into the air. But he didn’t have enough force. His back hooves ticked the rail and he dragged it down behind us.

  I checked him, forcing him to slow his canter, and he eyed the second to last jump, a three and a half foot vertical.

  Two knocked rails had shaken his confidence. He cantered with hesitation toward the rails, but managed to get over them. Charm’s hooves hit the ground inches away from the jump.

  “Last one!” I whispered to him. Charm snorted. He knew what we had to do.

  The final vertical had green and gold rails painted in Canterwood’s honor. This time, I didn’t count strides. I trusted him. When it felt right for both of us, we’d go. Charm kept one ear back—ready to listen to me—and pointed one forward. He cantered up to the jump and we were airborne. Not even close to touching the rail.

  We trotted out of the arena and I hopped off his back.

  “I’m so sorry, boy,” I whispered. “That was all my fault.”

  I couldn’t go find Jacob until Charm was cool. Charm needed to feel okay after our bad rides. I walked him in circles while Jasmine, Aaron, and Cole completed flawless rounds. Jas outperformed everyone in our group. One scout even pointed to her and passed notes to the other scouts.

  “You’re cool now,” I said, feeling Charm’s neck. “Let’s get you untacked and groomed.”

  “Sasha?” Mr. Conner asked. He walked up to me. “Let Mike take Charm and come with me for a second.”

  “Okay,” I said, handing Charm’s reins to Mike. “He’s really tired.”

  “I’ll take care of him,” Mike said. “C’mon, big guy, let’s get you untacked.”

  I followed Mr. Conner away from the arena.

  “I know I messed up,” I said. “I blew it in front of the scouts. They won’t even consider me now.”

  Mr. Conner shook his head. “You did lose concentration, but that happens to even the best riders once in a while. The scouts won’t hold one bad demonstration against you.”

  He was just trying to make me feel better. I knew I’d missed my chance at the YENT.

  Mr. Conner led me to a quiet spot by the outdoor wash stalls, where we joined Alison, Julia, Callie, Jasmine, and Heather.

  “What’s going on?” Heather asked Mr. Conner.

  Before he could reply, the silver-haired scout walked over and stood in front of us. He smiled at Mr. Conner and then looked at us.

  “Hello, girls. My name is Walt Nicholson—I’m the New England head scout for the Youth Equestrian National Team.”

  Mr. Nicholson shook each of our hands.

  “My fellow scouts and I were quite impressed with your rides today,” Mr. Nicholson said. “You’ve demonstrated tremendous growth since the Junior Equestrian Regionals. That proved to us that you all took this clinic seriously.”

  Wait. He couldn’t be talking to me. Had he seen the parts I’d messed up? The beginning, middle, and end?

  “Some of the students today struggled with the exercises, but Mr. Conner has told me how you all normally perform. I realize my colleagues and I added tension to the demonstration. Riding under pressure is something you’re all working on, correct?”

  We nodded.

  “Are all of you planning to continue your pursuits of advanced training?” Mr. Nicholson asked.

  We all nodded furiously.

  Mr. Conner and Mr. Nicholson laughed.

  “They are, Walt,” Mr. Conner said. “Callie, Sasha, Julia, Heather, and Alison are dedicated riders and students who are among the best in my stable. Jasmine King is also a new addition to Canterwood. She’s transferring here next week from Wellington Prep.”

  Callie, Julia, and Alison turned their heads to look at Jasmine, their mouths open.

  “Ah, Wellington,” Mr. Nicholson said. “Excellent school. Will Ms. King be joining your advanced team?”

  Please say no!

  “I’ll be testing her over the coming weeks,” Mr. Conner said. “If she performs as well as she did today, we’ll all be happy to welcome her to the team.”

  Jasmine smiled angelically at Mr. Conner.

  I tried not to roll my eyes. We would not welcome her to the team!

  “I’d like to come back to watch your seventh-grade advanced team ride again,” Mr. Nicholson said. “Over the next several months, my scouts and I will be evaluating riders for the Youth Equestrian National Team. Typically, we like to watch potential members ride three times. We’ll be visiting other area schools in June. We cannot guarantee that any of you will make the team as we will be evaluating hundreds of riders who
are just as hardworking and talented.”

  “Does this interest you at all?” Mr. Conner asked us with a smile.

  “Definitely,” Callie said.

  “I’m in,” I added.

  “So are we,” Heather said, looking at Julia and Alison.

  “Absolutely,” asserted Jasmine.

  I almost slumped to the ground in relief that I hadn’t blown my chance.

  “Good,” Mr. Nicholson said. “We’ll be in touch with Mr. Conner to set up a date for our next visit. You should be aware that it is the policy of the Youth Equestrian National Team not to offer more than three seats to any school. Often, it’s not more than one seat.”

  Three seats. The six of us looked at each other and then back at Mr. Nicholson.

  “Thank you, sir,” Heather said.

  Mr. Nicholson shook our hands again before Mr. Conner led him in the direction of the parking lot.

  “The man must be blind,” Jasmine said with a snort. “He’s going to watch Sasha ride after she embarrassed herself like that.”

  “Whatever,” I said. “I have to go.”

  I had to check on Charm and call Jacob to ask him to meet me. Callie and I could celebrate about the demo later.

  I started to break away from the group when, over Heather’s shoulder, I saw Jacob walking toward us. I beamed at him.

  “Oooh, Callie!” Julia said. She jerked her head in Jacob’s direction. “There’s your boyfriend!”

  “Julia!” Callie spat.

  I turned to look at Julia. “What?” I asked. “He’s not Callie’s boyfriend.”

  But you saw the way he watched her ride, a little voice nagged at me. No, Callie would tell me that wasn’t true. There had to be an explanation.

  “Sure he is,” Julia said. “I tried to tell you not to take Callie back. Now you know why.”

  I looked at Callie, waiting for her to tell me Julia was wrong. Instead, her eyes filled with tears and she reached for my arm.

  “Sasha, I’ve been trying to tell you. But I couldn’t! I tried and something always got in the way. I really thought you were with Eric. I never meant for it to happen with Jacob. We started texting and then talking on the phone after the Soirée and—” Callie kept rambling.