A Pony Called Secret

by Olivia Tuffin

  “Are you happy if I leave now?” Alice’s mum asked as she gave her a hug. “Secret looks as though he’s going to be just fine.” Then she drew back, peering at Alice. “And I know you’re going to be too. Just remember to enjoy it.”

  Alice smiled. “Thanks, Mum, I will.”

  Devon stood with Alice as they both waved Josephine off down the chalky drive in her big horsebox.

  “I’ll let you both get your bearings today,” she said kindly. “We’ll start the training tomorrow.”

  A short while later, after Devon had introduced Alice to the other horses on the yard, an enormous silver horsebox came trundling up the drive. Alice fiddled with the handles of her suitcase. She’d decided to wait until the other girl had arrived before settling into their flat above the hay barn, so that they could go in together. She felt nervous not knowing what to expect. She had tried to look up Cora online, but unlike Secret, who had his own social media accounts managed by Alice’s pony club friend Amy, all Alice could find on Cora was her impressive list of results.

  Cora was being driven by a good-looking man in breeches and long boots in his mid-twenties. Alice wondered if he was the brother Angus had mentioned. Devon obviously knew him and gave him an enthusiastic hug as he jumped out of the horsebox cab.

  “Adam!” she said happily. “Long time no see. We’re so excited to have your sister here. How’s that lovely mare of yours? And your youngster, by Tango, isn’t she?”

  Alice watched as Cora’s brother smiled back.

  “Oh, you know,” he said in a soft Manchester lilt, “doing OK. Getting them out when I can. Things are –” he paused, as if trying to find the right word – “busy, you know?”

  Devon nodded. “I understand.”

  As Adam and Devon chatted, Cora climbed slowly out of the cab, stretching her legs. Alice knew that they’d had over twice the journey Alice and her mum had had, and she knew how tiring long distances in a horsebox could be.

  “Hey!” she said in a friendly voice. “I’m Alice.”

  Cora gave an equally friendly smile back. “Hey, Alice,” she grinned. “I’ve been so excited about meeting you in real life, and Secret too! I’m Cora.”

  Alice instantly felt that Cora was warm and genuine. This was such a relief to Alice, as she’d had a couple of bad experiences and now felt nervous meeting new people. She worried about doing or saying the wrong thing.

  Alice knew a lot of people probably thought of her as confident when they saw her jumping the enormous fences at the big shows, but truthfully it was Secret who gave her confidence. When she was riding him, she felt she could do anything. Her time at Devon’s yard was so precious that she couldn’t bear it if Cora was mean or dismissive. She just wanted to concentrate on her jumping, and on Secret and the trials. She certainly didn’t need any more drama!

  “I’d best get Bluebell out.” Cora started to lower the ramp of the horsebox with Adam, before unloading the most beautiful black warmblood pony. She had a chunkier build than Secret and an exquisite face. Then, as she turned her head to look around the yard, Alice couldn’t help but stare. One of Bluebell’s eyes was completely missing; there was a hollowed-out space where her deep dark eye should be.

  “She’s only got one eye!” Alice blurted out before she could stop herself, and then horrified, clapped a hand over her mouth.

  Cora turned to her and smiled. “It’s OK,” she said in a kind voice. “I know it looks quite shocking.”

  Alice nodded. She had to admit it did; she’d seen pictures of horses with one eye but never one up close. It was quite unnerving seeing the velvet black hair in the concave space.

  “Sh-she’s gorgeous,” Alice stammered instead. “I’ve just never seen that before. I never noticed in the pictures!”

  Cora shrugged. “She’s only had her photo in Horse & Hound a couple of times and they only used photos of her good-eye side.”

  “Oh, right.”

  Alice wasn’t sure whether it was OK to ask Cora what had happened but decided to leave it for now, as curious as she was. She knew horses lost eyes for all sorts of reasons – accidents, diseases – but it felt a bit much to ask when she and Cora had only just met. Plus Cora was now helping Adam to unpack a suitcase and a pile of tack from the living quarters of the lorry.

  “It’s a long journey back, Adam,” Devon said. “Why don’t you stay and have a cup of tea and a bite to eat before you set off?”

  Adam smiled and shook his head. “Love to, Devon,” he said slightly regretfully. “But you know how it is.”

  Devon squeezed his arm and nodded. “It’s good to see you. Another time.”

  “Adam wants to get on,” Cora explained as Adam waved from the open window, carefully turning the big lorry in the yard. “It’s quite busy at home… He just prefers to get back.”

  Alice nodded. She wondered what was so busy at home that Adam hadn’t even time for a cup of tea, but she was just grateful Cora seemed really nice – and now they were both here at one of the best yards in the south of England. And with the big pony trials looming ahead, that was all Alice wanted to focus on!

  Chapter 3

  There was no training planned for the first day, so the girls just needed to settle in the ponies and familiarise themselves with the yard. Devon had given Alice a map of the local bridleways and, as it was still early and Secret always settled with a hack, Alice decided that a ride out was exactly what was needed. It was a perfect autumn day, the sort that could pass for late summer. The hedges that surrounded the yard were full of blackberries and there was a faint tang of bonfire on the still air. Alice had to wear her fleece, but the sun was warm on her face as she swung herself up in the saddle and gathered her reins. Secret gave a snort of anticipation; he always enjoyed exploring new areas. As she turned out of the barn, Alice saw Cora approach, dressed in running gear. Halting Secret, she gave her a wave as Cora removed earphones and waved back.

  “I’m going to go for a hack to have an explore,” Alice explained. “Do you want to join us?”

  Cora shook her head as she came up to them and gave Secret a pat. “I actually never ride Bluebell as soon as I arrive somewhere,” she explained. “I think it does her best to settle into her surroundings, rather than get tacked up to ride.”

  “Oh right,” Alice said. “Secret needs a hack to let off some steam!”

  Cora chuckled. “Kind of like me.” She gestured to her trainers, stretching each leg in turn. “That’s why I run.”

  “Gosh,” Alice said in awe, thinking about how much she hated running at school, despite being quite good at it. In fact, her PE teacher often blamed Alice’s dedication to riding for her lack of interest in running. “Rather you than me!”

  Cora grinned and set off at quite a pace, and Alice turned the other way down one of the wide lanes surrounding Skyview, enjoying the glimpses of the sea through the hedges.

  Cora must know Bluebell as well as she knew Secret, she thought. And, as they rounded the corner and left the road to take a chalky uphill bridleway, she let him fly into a powerful canter, laughing out loud in sheer delight. The two of them had been through so much over the years. Alice had owned the headstrong pony since he was six months old, when he’d come to stay on their yard with his dam. At the time Alice had vowed never to get close to another pony after her first pony, Honey, had died suddenly and tragically on a cross-country ride. Then she’d struggled with training Secret, until they’d both found what it was they really loved: jumping. Since then, the pair of them had taken the world of pony showjumping by storm, both in and out of the arena, with Secret becoming well known for his antics, both heroic and comic. And here they were, at top showjumper Devon Jenkins’ yard and looking forward to trials for the British pony team friendly!

  *

  Devon had a couple of grooms who looked after all the horses: a serious-looking Irish man in his late twenties called Hayden and Gemma, a smiley brunette who clattered back into the yard at the same time as A
lice and Secret, riding a big bay and leading a chestnut. They had both offered to do the bulk of Secret’s stable care, but Alice had decided to do it herself; mucking Secret out and filling his hay net were her chances to spend time with him. Cora obviously felt the same, because later that evening she was skipping out the stable next to Alice, chatting away to Bluebell. The two girls had unpacked and Devon’s mum, Jane, who lived close by, had been down to cook supper for everyone. When Alice had been planning the trip, Devon had explained over the phone that her mum came in every day to help, so that she and Nina could just concentrate on the horses. After meeting Jane and digging into the most delicious home-cooked lasagne, Alice was barely feeling a trace of homesickness. She felt hugely grown-up!

  “What’s your yard like at home?” Alice asked Cora. She leaned on the shavings fork.

  “Well,” she said. “There’s me; I’m the youngest. Then Adam, who you met. And my sister, Lauren, and Mum and Dad. We all live at home. My dad was a showjumper back in the day.”

  “Wow!” Alice said. As an only child, she’d often wondered what life would have been like in a big family. “That must be so cool. Do you all ride together and stuff?”

  There was a pause.

  “We used to,” Cora said. “When we were younger. Pony club and stuff.”

  “I’m in the pony club,” Alice smiled, thinking of all the happy lessons at Hilltops and hanging out in the café with all her horsey friends. “It’s awesome. And do you all showjump?”

  “Adam does; my dad retired a few years ago.” Cora shook out some shavings from the fork. “Mum doesn’t ride but she loves turning out the horses.”

  “What about your sister?” Alice then asked. “Does she ride too?”

  Alice saw a look of pain flash across Cora’s face. Quickly the other girl turned away and carried on with skipping out.

  “Not any more,” she said, her voice flat. “She used to.”

  Alice felt she’d overstepped some mark somehow and fell silent, concentrating instead on Secret’s hay net.

  “Guess the hard work begins tomorrow!” Cora said brightly. She looked at her watch. “Ooh, it’s getting late. I’ll head off to bed soon, if that’s OK.”

  Alice looked at her own watch. It had just gone eight – hardly late – but maybe Cora was still tired from her long journey.

  “Cool,” she smiled. “See you in the morning.”

  Cora gave Bluebell a hug, and for a minute buried her face right into her black mane. Alice knew from experience that the familiar pony smell provided instant comfort.

  Drawing back, Cora smiled. “Goodnight, Alice.”

  “‘Night, Cora.”

  *

  An hour or so later, in her own little room and huddled in bed, Alice flicked through some messages on her phone. Her pony club friends had been super excited about Alice’s stay at Devon’s yard and she’d promised to update them. But there was one friend she wanted to contact first.

  She found Finn’s name next to his picture of his gorgeous Highland pony Horatio and typed out a message. Here safely. It’s amazing – you’d love it. Will let you know how it all goes.

  The reply came back almost instantly.

  Cool. Alice could almost hear Finn’s voice through the text. Give Secret a hug from me. Miss you.

  Alice smiled. Miss you too.

  She was asleep before she’d even had a chance to reply to the other messages; the excitement of the day and the anticipation of the week ahead had exhausted her more than she realised.

  *

  Alice had thought she was up early, but as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and walked into the flat’s little kitchen she was surprised to see Cora up already and dressed in her riding kit. Cora was sitting at the kitchen table with a big pair of headphones on and waved at Alice as she sat down opposite her, before tapping at her phone and removing her headphones.

  “What were you listening to?” Alice asked. She and Mia always listened to music at home and loved singing along to the radio.

  “My mindset coaching tapes,” Cora said.

  Alice blinked at her. “Your what now?”

  Cora laughed. “Mindset coaching tapes,” she repeated. “Haven’t you ever tried them? They’re amazing. They help me get into the right frame of mind before a big day’s riding. Focus me, if you like.” She shrugged. “It helps.”

  Alice felt the same flash of admiration she’d felt when she’d seen Cora off on a run.

  “Cool!” she said, thinking about how she’d just mindlessly scrolled through her phone in bed when she’d woken up. Then her eyes lit up as she spied something on the kitchen counter. “Ohh!” she exclaimed, jumping up and reading a note on a basket.

  “Thought you girls would like a nice breakfast for your first day. Jane,” she read aloud. The basket was full of the most delicious-smelling croissants! “Isn’t that nice?” she said to Cora, before picking one up and taking a bite. It was delicious, light and buttery, and briefly reminded Alice of the pony club French trip. “Do you want one?”

  Cora shook her head. “No, not before riding,” she explained. “It would only fill me up for a bit and then I’d crash and not be able to concentrate. I’ve already had my porridge.”

  Alice felt momentarily guilty as she finished the croissant, but not guilty enough to stop eating it, and then another after that! Her and Cora were just different, that was all. Two horsey girls who both had the same goals, but took different paths to get there.

  *

  “OK, you two!”

  Devon, in the centre of the arena, called the girls in to face her. Alice and Cora had been warming up, ready for their first lesson. Secret felt great, on his toes, alert and buzzy and mock-spooking at the mirrors at the far end of the school.

  Alice had chuckled. “Hey, Cora,” she’d laughed as she passed the other girl, “look at this daft pony of mine.”

  But Cora had barely looked up. She seemed like she was in her own little world, her face tense with concentration. Maybe Bluebell could be strong or difficult. Secret was the same in a competition warm-up. Giving her red pony a pat, Alice turned him towards Devon, halting next to her.

  Cora did the same, and Alice noticed she was wearing beautiful riding clothes from Dupont Equestrian, the company Alice and Secret had a shoot with during pony club camp. They made the most prestigious and stylish equestrian wear around and were worn by all the top professionals. Cora and Bluebell looked great and suddenly Alice felt a pang of worry. Both girls were competing for a place on the British pony team, and there was no guarantee they’d both succeed. Alice had grown used to Secret winning, and so far he’d been unstoppable, but Cora and Bluebell, from a showjumping family and with a list of accomplishments twice as long as Alice and Secret’s, looked the more likely candidates for the team. Alice needed to up her game.

  “So, I thought we’d have a couple of days of lessons, and perhaps break up the week with a beach hack,” Devon explained, as Alice and Cora listened carefully. “I’ll join you for the beach trip on Danny.”

  “Great!” Alice said. One of the things she’d always wanted to do with Secret was ride on a beach.

  Cora frowned. “Isn’t it risky to hack out so close to the trials?”

  Devon smiled. “We’ll just walk along the beach if you like. But it’ll do you good to get some sea air and a change of scene.”

  “OK,” Cora said, but she didn’t sound convinced. “I just thought we’d be training all week.”

  “Well, we are,” Devon said, a small frown creeping across her face, “but you guys need some downtime too. Believe me, I’ll be working you hard, so you’ll need the break!”

  Cora smiled back, but Alice could see she was worried. Alice couldn’t really understand Cora’s concerns. She remembered Cora saying that her and her siblings used to ride out and do pony club when they were younger. Secret was the reigning Olympia champion, but Alice still loved nothing more than a good canter over the downs with Mia or Finn, o
r a fun rally at Hilltops with her friends. Having fun was the best way to let off steam before or after a big show. If Cora did nothing but train, she must feel really stressed sometimes!

  Devon looked thoughtfully at the two girls. “Having said that, you know your own ponies best. If you feel like one or two sessions is enough, and you hack the rest of the time, that’s fine with me. You can ride my horses, and we can have some unmounted lessons, lunging, that sort of thing. The most important thing is that you prepare yourself for the weekend in a way that suits you.”

  Alice and Cora nodded. But as Devon got the girls going over a grid of jumps designed to focus both pony and rider, Secret – buoyed up by the new yard and the exciting atmosphere – was almost unbearable. It took Alice right back to her early days at Hilltops pony club, when she hadn’t been able to control Secret at all and had cried more times than she could remember. Angus had slowly helped Alice channel Secret’s energy, but Alice had to be careful about every aid she gave the little red pony: barely a whisper of a nudge from her boot was needed. As he sprang forward into a canter, his eyes firmly fixed on the line of jumps, Alice felt as though he would carry on and jump the arena fence if she wasn’t careful. Flying over the coloured poles, her arms were already aching from keeping him under control. For a small pony his strength was extraordinary.

  By contrast, Cora and Bluebell looked every bit as professional as Alice had expected them to. Cora didn’t seem to move in the saddle as Bluebell struck off perfectly into a beautiful collected canter. Her jumping style was fluid and effortless, and Cora folded neatly over her flying black mane, a determined look on her face. Alice realised that Bluebell’s missing eye seemed to make no difference to her performance. She had perfect timing and style. In contrast, and to Alice’s embarrassment, on their next attempt Secret’s excitement got the better of him and he over-jumped the second-to-last fence, leaving him short for the last, scattering poles everywhere. Red-faced, it took Alice a full lap of the arena before she was able to pull Secret up again. She was having serious déjà vu; this was exactly like her first lessons now.