Casper, the Spirited Arabian

by Kelly Wilson

  As soon as Casper’s hooves touched the far shoreline, Vicki breathed a sigh of relief. It was always stressful swimming ponies across the estuary for the first time. They rode across the paddock to where her parents had set up camp, and Vicki gave her tired pony a pat.

  Vicki fell into bed that night exhausted. As well as the long ride that day, she had had too many sleepless nights the week before, tossing and turning in her excitement about the trek.

  As she lay listening to the ponies nickering outside in the paddocks surrounding the campsite, she thought back over the ride out, proud of how well Casper had behaved. It had been a big day for him, and with a whole week of camp before them, there was plenty more fun ahead.

  Chapter 21

  Fun and Games

  THE NEXT MORNING VICKI WOKE early and ran down to visit the ponies. They were all grazing together, along with Diego, in the pine paddock on the hill. As soon as Casper and Dandy saw her, they neighed out and trotted over for a pat. Vicki felt like the luckiest girl in the world to own two such beautiful ponies.

  After feeding them a carrot each, she heard a bell toll in the distance. She’d lost track of time and was going to be late for the morning meeting! Sprinting back the way she had come, she hurried over to the circle of people sitting listening to the president of the local Pony Club talk over the plan for the day.

  “What did I miss?” Vicki whispered when she found her family.

  “There’s a fast beach ride at ten, and a slow one at eleven-thirty,” Dad replied.

  Vicki smiled, pleased both her ponies would be able to ride out on the beach. Since Casper would be tired after his huge ride the day before, she’d take him with the slower group. That way, Dandy could go for a gallop and stretch his legs on the 10 a.m. ride.

  “And don’t forget to enter for the dressage formation ride before Thursday,” said the president, to finish. “You’ll need teams of four, and we’re expecting you to have a four-minute dressage test, complete with costumes and music.”

  Around the circle, people started talking excitedly. Vicki could barely hear over the buzz.

  “Have you entered us yet?” Stella asked. They’d been planning their formation ride for weeks. It was one of their favourite events, and they loved coming up with costumes and complicated moves to impress the judges.

  “You’ll have to find a fourth person,” Mum said, looking over at Amanda, who was sitting with three little girls her own age. “Amanda’s just decided to do a Beach Babes theme with all her friends, since they have matching white ponies.”

  Vicki sighed. Teaching someone all the moves in just two days was going to be hard.

  “What about Aimee?” Kelly suggested. She was in the same level as them at Pony Club, and had a beautiful bay pony which would match Diego — and the formation ride always looked better when the ponies were the same colour. “That way we’ll have two greys and two bays.”

  “Good idea. If she’s keen, we should practise this afternoon.”

  Aimee was excited about joining their team, so Vicki hurried over to enter them before grabbing her halter and heading back up the hill to catch Dandy.

  An hour later, as she rode Dandy along the ocean beach in a group of 30 horses and ponies, Vicki couldn’t help but smile. Although she loved competing and jumping, nothing beat the freedom of galloping alongside the crashing surf.

  “You love the beach as much as I do, don’t you, Dandy?” she murmured, as they crossed back over the estuary and made their way back to the truck. The ride had taken much longer than she’d thought, and as she rounded the corner she saw Jude, Cameo and Charlie tied up to the truck, already tacked up. Even Casper had been caught and was standing patiently waiting for her, with his bridle on.

  “The next ride leaves in five minutes,” Dad said as Vicki jumped off. “I’ll put Dandy away so you don’t miss out.”

  The next two days were full of beach riding, swimming in the estuary, playing softball, farm riding, practising their formation ride with Aimee and competing in a Mounted Games competition. Vicki, Stella, Kelly and Amanda made up a team for the games, calling themselves the Kamo Kids after their Pony Club and decorating their ponies with yellow and black, their Pony Club colours.

  Unsure which pony to ride, Vicki finally settled on Casper for the team events; and they competed in the sack, bending, mug and sword races, gaining confidence with every competition. Finally, it was time for the barrel race, and Vicki was thrilled to find out she could ride both ponies. Casper’s score would count towards the team points, but she could also ride Dandy as an individual.

  “We’re up first,” she told Casper as the barrels were set. The teams would ride first, their score counting for both the teams and individual prizes. While she waited, her eyes traced around the pattern she had to ride. Beneath her, Casper felt calm and sure.

  When the time-keeper raised a flag, Vicki urged Casper forward into a canter. Soon the last barrel was behind them, and Vicki settled low over Casper’s back as he galloped to the finish line.

  “He looked like a pro out there,” Mum said, as Casper slowed to a walk beside them.

  Vicki leant forward and ruffled Casper’s mane. “He loved it! I can’t believe how good he’s been today.”

  “He’s becoming quite the all-rounder,” Dad said, patting Casper’s neck. “Hard to believe it’s the same angry pony we first met in the winter.”

  With Casper finished for the day, Vicki handed him over to her mum, then hurriedly hopped on Dandy to compete in the individual competition. She returned to the ring just in time to watch Amanda and Charlie canter around the barrels. Although Charlie was fast for a little pony, he was still much slower than Casper had been.

  “What’s the winning time?” Vicki asked after she’d warmed up Dandy. They were the last combination left to ride, and Vicki was confident he had a good chance of winning the trophy for the fastest individual time.

  “You are,” Kelly beamed. “No one’s managed to beat the time you set on Casper!”

  As Vicki waited for her second turn, she was torn. If she rode a fraction slower on Dandy, Casper was guaranteed the win and it would be all the more special because it would be his first ever ribbon and trophy. But that wouldn’t be fair on Dandy, who also deserved the chance to do his best.

  As the flag raised, she knew what she had to do. Kicking Dandy forward, they cantered towards the first barrel, the ground whizzing by in a blur as they circled the three barrels in rapid succession. As they rode over the finish line, Dandy tossed his head in enjoyment and Vicki was filled with pride. She had no idea which pony had won, but she’d given them both her best effort, and that was all she could do.

  “First we have the winners of the team events,” the announcer’s voice rang out as Vicki hurriedly swapped ponies. “The winning team for the barrel race is Kamo Kids!” Vicki smiled at her team members as they all rode their ponies forward to receive their red ribbons. Next, the ribbons for the rest of the team games were presented, and soon Casper’s neck was decorated in a colourful array of ribbons — the Kamo Kids had also placed in the bending, flag and sack races. Vicki was so proud of how well Casper had coped at his first event.

  Finally, the judge called forward the winners for the most prestigious class of the day, the individual barrel race. “And the winner of the Barrel Race Trophy, for the fastest individual time, goes to Vicki Wilson and Just Fine n Dandy, with her other pony, Casper, in second place!”

  Swapping onto Dandy, Vicki rode him forward, leading Casper, so neither pony would miss out on getting their well-deserved prize.

  Chapter 22

  Dressage Divas

  THE MORNING OF THE DRESSAGE formation ride was hectic. In every direction, teams were decorating their horses for the themed event. Teams would be judged not only for Best Performance, but also for Best Presented, so the girls woke early to groom their horses until they shone, and to plait their manes.

  “At least we didn’t have to wash
them,” Kelly said with relief. “All that swimming in the salt water has kept them so clean.”

  “I’ve never seen Casper so white!” Vicki agreed, as she brushed out her pony’s tail.

  “I wish we lived closer to the beach,” Amanda said, as she fitted a life-jacket around her pony’s neck. “Charlie’s impossible to keep clean normally.”

  With her little pony ready, she headed into the truck to get dressed into her own costume — swimsuit, flippers, goggles and a snorkel — before laying a towel over Charlie’s back and jumping on.

  “I’m off to find the rest of the Beach Babes,” she said with a queenly wave.

  Vicki struggled to contain a laugh as her little sister rode off, then turned back to Casper. The event would start in half an hour, and they still had a few finishing touches left to make before changing into their own costumes for their Spice Girls-themed routine.

  “Hurry up, Kelly,” Vicki demanded as she banged on the truck door.

  “I feel ridiculous,” Kelly grumbled as she stepped down the ramp, wearing a little black dress and high heels. “Why couldn’t I be Sporty Spice?”

  Vicki laughed as she ducked inside the truck to get changed into track pants and a sports top, her hair tied up in a ponytail. “Because there was no way I was going to wear a dress!”

  As they swung up onto their horses, Stella rode up in a leopard-print jumpsuit, with a frizzy black wig.

  “Even Scary Spice would have been better,” Kelly complained.

  Aimee soon joined them dressed as Baby Spice, her long blonde hair in pigtails. “At least you don’t have to wear a pink dress!” Vicki joked to Kelly.

  Seventeen teams had entered, and the Spice Girls were drawn to ride fourteenth. With plenty of time till the four girls were due in the ring, they dismounted and held their ponies while they watched the first eight teams.

  Some had opted to wear their Pony Club uniforms, while others had gone all out. There were nuns, clowns, dragons, class nerds, bumblebees and pirates.

  “The standard’s pretty high this year,” Dad commented as he watched four horses in the ring complete a complicated move. “Every year it just gets better and better.”

  Vicki couldn’t help but agree. It was one of the most competitive events of the season, and many of the riders spent months planning for it.

  “Oh, look, Amanda’s team is next,” Mum said, grabbing her camera and snapping photos as they began their routine. They were the youngest riders, on the smallest ponies, and the crowd loved them.

  “It’s cute that they all rode bareback.” Mum winked at Vicki. “I wonder who inspired them?”

  Vicki grinned as she looked over at Casper. “Lots of good has come from those troublesome first few months, but I am so relieved those days are behind me!”

  “Me, too,” Mum agreed. “Every time you went near him I was terrified that you’d get hurt.”

  Vicki paused and glanced back at her mum. “I didn’t realise that.”

  “I didn’t want my fear to rub off on you. You wouldn’t have made any progress with him if you’d been scared every time you worked him.”

  Vicki considered her mum’s words thoughtfully. “I guess at the beginning there were a few moments when he scared me, but not any more.”

  The horn hooted, signalling their turn. Vicki glanced sideways at the others to see if they were ready. With a small nod, she closed her legs against Casper’s sides and squeezed him into a trot.

  In perfect formation, to the opening bars of the Spice Girls song ‘Stop’, they entered the arena and trotted down the centre line, halting to salute the judge. Then they performed a series of intricate movements they’d invented, many that had never been seen before in the competition.

  To finish, Kelly, Stella and Aimee trotted up the centre line and Vicki came up from behind, weaving between them at a canter, before all four riders turned, side-by-side, and began a spiralling figure of eight pattern, and saluted the judge.

  “That was our best performance,” Stella squealed as they left the ring. “The horses were perfect!”

  As Vicki watched the last three teams ride, she was confident they stood a good chance of placing. The judges loved originality, and her team had pulled off every new move they’d dreamt up.

  Finally it was time for the prizegiving, and everyone lined up across the paddock. As all sixty-eight horses got into position, Vicki looked around her, overwhelmed by the number of riders that had competed. Most were much older than them, and there were even a few teams made up of adults.

  First, the winners were called forward for Best Presented. Some of the more dramatic costumes placed, and Vicki was pleased to see the clowns, who were from her Pony Club, win. She knew just how much time had gone into making their costumes.

  Next the judge called out the placegetters for the best performance. Then, “In second place, we have … the Spice Girls!”

  Aimee shrieked, and together the four girls rode forward to collect their blue ribbons.

  “And the crowd favourites and the overall winners of the formation ride are … the Beach Babes!”

  Vicki and Kelly gazed in disbelief as their little sister rode forward with her friends. Amanda and her friends were all just seven years old, and had decided to compete only a few days earlier.

  Amanda wore the same shocked expression as her sisters. “But we didn’t even canter!” she could be heard saying to the judge as she congratulated them.

  “No, but you made up for that by riding bareback,” the judge grinned as she handed over the coveted trophy. “I thought you were all outstanding!”

  As Amanda held the trophy up to the cheering crowd, Vicki rolled her eyes in amusement. Perhaps the Spice Girls should have ridden bareback, too!

  But she was filled with pride, and satisfied by her own performance. Standing side by side with the other Spice Girls, Vicki thought about those early days when things were going wrong with Casper. How differently his story would have ended if she hadn’t given him a second chance.

  And later, as the girls headed to the estuary to cool off their ponies with a swim, Vicki realised just how much Casper had taught her. Not all ponies were naughty on purpose — sometimes bad behaviour could be a pony’s way of showing that something hurt. She leant down and wrapped her arms around Casper’s graceful neck. She had a feeling that her spirited Arabian still had plenty more to teach her!

  Casper

  Braeburn Casper was born in 1993 and came to live with us in the autumn of 1998.

  Under Vicki’s love and guidance, the 14.1-hand, grey Arabian gelding transformed into a highly successful and trustworthy all-rounder, proving that every pony deserves a second chance. By the end of their first season together Vicki and Casper had won their first Champion Hunter and went on to compete in show jumping, games, cross country and dressage competitions.

  Although he won innumerable champions, Vicki’s favourite memories are of riding him bareback at home, using only her voice and legs to guide him. She trusted Casper with her life and accomplished things with him she’d previously only dreamed of.

  Casper lived with our family for many years, before the Bennetts convinced us to let him retire to their farm. He lives there to this day and has taught countless kids to ride.

  Characters

  Vicki has always shown talent for riding, training and competing with horses. She has won national titles and championships in Showing, Show Hunter and Show Jumping, and has represented New Zealand internationally. Dandy was the first pony she trained, when she was nine years old, and then twenty years later she won the World Championships for Colt Starting. When she’s not riding, she loves to learn as much about horses as she can, from farriers, vets, physios and dentists.

  Kelly has always been creative. She loves horses, photography and writing. Although she competed to Grand Prix level when she was sixteen, she now only show jumps for fun, and also enjoys taming wild horses. Her favourite rides are out on the farm, swimming in th
e river, or cantering down the beach. When she’s not on a horse, she is very daring, and loves going on extreme adventures.

  Amanda is the family comedian and can always make people laugh! As a child she was always pulling pranks and getting up to mischief. Amanda began show jumping at a young age, and competed in her first Grand Prix when she was twelve. In 2010, she won the Pony of the Year, the most prestigious Pony Grand Prix in the Southern Hemisphere, and since then she has had lots of wins up to World Cup level. When she’s not outside training her horses or teaching other riders, Amanda loves doing something creative — she has already filmed two documentaries, and is writing her first book.

  Mum (Heather Wilson) grew up with a love of horses, although she was the only one in her family to ride. She volunteered at a local stable from the age of thirteen, teaching herself to ride when she was gifted an injured racehorse. Although she rides only occasionally now, her love of horses hasn’t faded over the years, and she is always ringside to watch her daughters compete. In her spare time, Heather loves painting and drawing anything to do with horses, and as ‘Camp Mum’ is popular with the young riders who attend Showtym Camps.

  Dad ( John Wilson) grew up with horses, hunting, playing polo and riding on the farm. His family also show jumped and trained steeplechasers, so he has loved horses from a young age. He hurt his back when he was in his twenties, which has limited his horse riding, but he enjoys watching his daughters ride and is very proud of their success. When he’s not fixing things around the farm, he can be found gardening or creating stunning life-sized horse sculptures from recycled horseshoes.

  How-tos

  The most important thing about owning a pony is to learn as much as you can about their care and training, so you can make their life as fun and easy as possible! In each book in the Showtym Adventures series, we will expand on key lessons Vicki, Amanda and I learnt on our journey to becoming better horse riders. Some lessons we learnt by making mistakes; others from observing our horses and learning from them — and some knowledge has been passed down to us by others. We hope you enjoy these top tips!