The next rider, a tiny girl on top of a sprightly little roan pony jumped clear also, and the tannoy confirmed this. “Melissa James, jumping clear in fifty-one seconds.”
“Not as fast as Charlie,” Alex muttered.
“But faster than me,” Jess couldn’t help thinking. Yet somehow she didn’t care. She had jumped and she had jumped well. She had done her best and she was happy. Now it was time to watch Belinda.
Jess stood close to Storm Cloud as she watched Belinda enter the ring with Golddust. She gazed in silent admiration as Belinda cantered the golden pony easily around the ring.
“Wow, what a fantastic pony,” a girl whispered next to Jess.
Jess stood enthralled at Belinda’s performance. Swiftly and efficiently Golddust cleared the jumps in quick succession, and at what a pace!
“Clear in forty six seconds!” the announcement came. “Belinda Lang takes the lead on Golddust!”
Tears shone in Belinda’s eyes as she left the ring. After all this time without her beloved pony, Belinda and Golddust had been reunited and had returned in triumph. Jess knew she and Storm Cloud had jumped superbly but it was Belinda who had been the best and really deserved to win. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that it took Jess a few moments to take in what Rosie was saying to her.
“Come on, it’s all over!” Rosie cried as the final competitor left the ring. “Belinda’s won!”
“I know she has,” Jess said.
“And we’ve got to follow her into the ring to collect our prizes,” Rosie urged.
“Prizes? What for?” Jess was confused.
“You came fourth, silly,” Rosie laughed. “And I was sixth. Guess what Jess? We’re winners at Southdown!”
Jess was astounded. She could hardly believe it. She climbed into Storm Cloud’s saddle once more and rode into the ring.
“Get behind me Jess,” Charlie grinned as he rode past. “I came second you know!”
At the side of the ring Jess saw her family, grinning with pride. Tom was there too, and Alex and Kate jumped up and down, cheering and clapping. Jess’s heart jumped as she caught a glimpse of Petronella and Sally watching them closely. In the background, Nick and Sarah were talking urgently to Mr. Slater and a policeman. But nothing else mattered to Jess now. As she followed Charlie into the ring for the celebratory lap of honour she could only beam and beam.
12
RUNAWAY RETURNS
“I can’t believe Mr. Slater gave Golddust back so easily in the end,” said Rosie.
Jess and Rosie were sitting in the tack room at Sandy Lane on the Saturday after the Southdown Show. A tin of saddle soap stood open on the table in front of them and, as they talked, they polished their way methodically through a jumbled pile of stirrup leathers.
“Well, there wasn’t a lot he could do about it,” said Jess. “The police told him because Golddust was stolen, she still belonged to the original owner. Petronella was furious about Belinda riding her, but her mother said she wasn’t allowed to have anything more to do with a stolen pony. And it seems that what Petronella’s mother says goes...”
So far the police hadn’t managed to track down the man who sold Golddust to the Slaters, although they hadn’t given up hope of catching him. Golddust was back with Belinda again, and Nick and Sarah had offered Belinda the use of the spare loose box at Sandy Lane on a temporary basis. With a thief still around, Belinda couldn’t be careful enough.
“Who am I booked on for the 11 o’clock hack?” Alex strode in to join Rosie and Jess in the tack room.
“Hello Alex. You’re on Hector I think,” Jess said.
“What, that lumbering old thing?” Alex groaned, but he was only joking. Alex loved Hector and Jess and Rosie knew it.
“Who’s a lumbering old thing?” a familiar voice enquired.
“Tom!” Jess and Rosie exclaimed together. “You’re back! Are you riding today? Are you feeling better? Have you missed Chancey?”
Tom stumbled back in mock horror, fending off the barrage of questions with fake blows. “Good grief, what an onslaught,” he grinned. “Well, to answer your questions. No, I’m not riding today – I’m not quite up to that yet, although I am feeling better. And – yes – yes, I have missed Chancey.”
“Hey, everyone,” Charlie mooched in. “Who am I riding then?”
But no one had time to answer him as an angry Kate appeared at the doorway, hands on hips.
“Right, Alex, that’s it!” she said, her eyes glinting furiously. “Just because your bike’s got a puncture, it doesn’t give you the right to take mine!”
“Sorry, Kate.” Alex shrank guiltily into a corner. “But you were so long getting ready this morning, and your bike was just sitting there looking all shiny and tempting and...”
“Hello everybody,” Belinda appeared. “I’ve come to take Golddust out. How’s Minstrel today, Jess?”
“He’s much better,” Jess replied. “I’m riding him later.”
Amidst the chatting and laughing Nick popped his head around the tack room door. “There’s someone asking for you outside, Jess,” he said.
“It’s Petronella Slater. She wants a private lesson!” said Charlie. By now everyone at Sandy Lane knew Petronella’s story. Jess glared at him and walked out. It was bright outside after the dimness of the tack room but when Jess could see clearly, she found herself face to face with a stocky man. It was Bob Hughes.
“I brought Goldie and Mary to see you,” he smiled.
Jess blinked. Sure enough, in front of her sat Mary on top of a beautiful palomino pony.
“Goldie!” Jess breathed. “Hello Mary. Can I stroke her?”
“Of course,” Mary smiled down at Jess. “It’s my first ride on Goldie since I came out of hospital,” she explained. “We only live up the Ash Hill road so we thought we’d pop in and say hello.”
“I’m glad you’ve come,” Jess said. “That’s Belinda’s pony, Golddust, over there,” she said, pointing to where Golddust stood in her loose box. “She’s the one I confused Goldie with. They don’t actually look the same at all, do they?”
“No,” Mary smiled. “They’re completely different. Both lovely, but different.”
At that moment, Belinda came out of the tack room. “Is that the runaway palomino pony?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Jess. “Funny to see both Goldie and Golddust together.”
“Mary!” Tom’s voice called from the tack room and they all looked round. “How are you feeling?”
“Hello Tom,” Mary replied as she slipped down from the saddle. “Ok-ish. You look much better.”
“Thanks, I feel it.”
“What a lovely pony!” Rosie, Charlie, Alex and Kate crowded eagerly around Mary. Goldie jumped back in startled surprise at all this attention and moved nearer to Golddust. The two ponies neighed gently at each other and stood nose to nose, breathing softly.
Jess stood back a little way from her friends and watched them all, eagerly chatting and laughing. She wanted to stand on the edge for a while and see what Sandy Lane looked liked to an outside eye.
“It looks just brilliant,” she said to herself.
From the stable behind her came a soft whinny. Storm Cloud was hanging her head over her door as usual, her delicate grey face turned towards Jess. Jess walked slowly towards her and breathed softly into the little pony’s nose.
“I haven’t forgotten you, Stormy,” she whispered into the pony’s ear. “We’ll ride again together soon. Nick’s promised me that.”
“Come on Jess,” a voice at her elbow interrupted. Rosie stood there smiling. “It’s nearly 11 o’clock. Minstrel and Pepper are waiting. Let’s go and tack up.”
More Sandy Lane Stables books
There are nine Sandy Lane Stables stories, you can collect them all! Click on the titles to read a short extract from each story.
1. A Horse for the Summer
2. Runaway Pony
3. Strangers at the Stables
4. The Midnigh
t Horse
5. Dream Pony
6. Ride by Moonlight
7. Horse in Danger
8. The Perfect Pony
9. Riding Holiday
1. A Horse for the Summer
by Michelle Bates
There was a frantic whinny and the sound of drumming hooves reverberated around the yard as Chancey pranced down the ramp. He was certainly on his toes, but he didn’t look like the sleek, well turned-out horse that Tom remembered seeing last season. He was still unclipped and his shabby winter coat was flecked with foam as feverishly he pawed the ground. No one knew what to say...
Tom’s cousin has agreed to lend him Chancey, her stunning chestnut gelding, for the summer. But Tom’s elation turns to dismay when he sees the state Chancey is in. It will take a lot of hard work to get the horse ready for the summer shows, but Tom is determined...until Nick decides Chancey is too dangerous to ride. What is Tom going to do?
2. Runaway Pony
by Susannah Leigh
Angry shouting and the crunch of hooves on gravel made Jess spin around sharply. Careering towards her, wild-eyed with fear and long tail flying behind, was a palomino pony. It was completely out of control. Jess’s heart began to pound and her breath came in sharp gasps, but almost without thinking she held out her arms...
When a runaway pony gallops into Sandy Lane, Jess doesn’t flinch. Thanks to her quick reactions, the beautiful palomino pony is caught. But the man chasing her isn’t all he seems. Soon, Jess is bitterly regretting her moment of heroism...
3. Strangers at the Stables
by Michelle Bates
Thoughts jostled around in Rosie’s mind as she crossed the yard. She couldn’t believe how many things had gone wrong in the couple of weeks Nick and Sarah had been gone. She needed time to think. There was something worrying her, right at the back of her mind... something that held the key to it all. But what was it?
When the owners of Sandy Lane are called away everyone still expects the stables to run smoothly in their absence. No one is quite prepared for all the things that happen over the next few weeks. There isn’t time to get help, the regulars of Sandy Lane have to act fast, if they want to save their stables...
4. The Midnight Horse
by Michelle Bates
The horse cantered gracefully around the paddock in long easy strides, his tail held high, the crest of his neck arched. His jet-black coat contrasted sharply with the white frost, his hooves hardly seemed to touch the ground as he danced forward...
Riding at the Hawthorn Horse Trials is all that Kate has dreamed of and this year she’s in with a real chance of winning. As she works hard to prepare for the day, it seems nothing will distract her from her goal. But then the mysterious midnight horse rides into Kate’s life, and suddenly everything changes...
5. Dream Pony
by Susannah Leigh
The palomino was now just about on their tails. Jess could see that the ponies were lathered with sweat. As they passed, a blonde-haired girl shot Jess and Rosie a look which clearly indicated she considered them to be inferior. Then she dug her heels into her horse’s side and galloped away...
Jess can hardly believe it, but she really is the proud owner of Skylark. There’s only one problem. Skylark must be kept at Rychester, a rival stables. Rychester couldn’t be more different from Sandy Lane – and neither could its riders. Jess’s dream is about to turn into a nightmare...
6. Ride by Moonlight
by Michelle Bates
The ground started spinning. Charlie’s head was reeling. He felt as though he was seeing everything double. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t stop thinking. His mind was in a whirl as everything came flooding back – the high pitched whinny, the thundering hooves, the crashing fall – all echoed around his head...
When Charlie loses his nerve in a riding accident, no one thinks for a moment it’ll be long before he’s back in the saddle. But as the weeks go by, his friends begin to realize it’s going to take something quite exceptional to get him riding again...
7. Horse in Danger
by Michelle Bates
Rosie couldn’t see anything, yet she could definitely hear something. The stable in the far corner of the yard was shut, both sections of the door bolted tightly to a close. Rosie didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt very nervous.
Taking a deep breath, she crossed the yard and pulled back the bolt on the door. As she slid it open, a hand plunged forward and grabbed her into the darkness...
Rosie and Jess have always been the greatest of friends, but more recently they’ve found themselves drifting apart. On the Autumn Treasure Hunt Ride, Rosie sets out to make amends. But what she discovers that day takes her down a path of deception and danger, putting her friendship with Jess to the ultimate test...
8. The Perfect Pony
by Michelle Bates
The stable yard was already busy that morning and there was a crowd of people gathered around the barn in the corner. Horses and ponies whinnied loudly, and the sound of crashing hooves on timber echoed around the stable yard. Before Alex even had a chance to walk over, Tom had crossed the stable yard toward him.
“I wouldn’t like to be in your shoes right now, Alex...”
Alex’s sister Kate cannot believe what he’s done. Alex thought he was solving lots of problems buying a pony at the local auction. So he’s in for a shock when he realizes he’s now the owner of Puzzle, a filthy, thin and abused pony. But worse is to come, for Puzzle is in such a state, she may have to be put down...
9. Riding Holiday
by Michelle Bates
As Izzy leaned forward to get a closer look, the words swam in front of her eyes. It was only two lines, but what she saw completely took her breath away. She hadn’t really had a chance to think about what they might find at Joe Hagan’s farm, but what she had found looked like evidence that they hadn’t had a wasted trip...
Kate and Izzy have left Sandy Lane for a three-week riding holiday at a racing stables in America. But they’re not doing much riding, the owner is mysteriously missing and everyone seems to be keeping a secret. Then a horse’s life is threatened...
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