“Finn!” she said happily.
“Hey, Alice.” Finn was obviously in another yard hundreds of miles away, the faint buzz of conversation of people around him as they carried out their morning chores. “How’s it going?”
Alice realised she’d been so busy since arriving at Skyview that she’d only sent Finn one text on her first night. Cora didn’t seem to text anyone, and as Alice was spending all her time with her she’d sort of forgotten to keep up with her best friend.
“It’s great,” Alice enthused. “Secret was lovely yesterday. We had a morning session, then in the afternoon session he was jumping huge; he’s on fire.”
“That’s cool,” Finn said. “Devon must be working you hard with two sessions a day. What are you doing today?”
Alice twiddled with a strand of hair. “More of the same,” she said. “Cora, who’s at the yard with me, is super focused and it’s helping me.”
“Hope you’re getting a rest!” Finn chuckled. “What’s the riding out like? It’s right by the sea, isn’t it?”
Alice thought about the lovely hack she’d had when she and Secret had arrived.
“There won’t be any riding out, apart from a beach hack with Devon later in the week,” she said, giving Secret a pat as he turned away from his hay to nestle into her arm. “We’re just training.”
“Oh, right. Sounds good,” Finn said, but Alice frowned. She knew her friend so well, she could pick up even the tiniest change in tone.
“It’s only a week,” she said, sounding more defensive than she had meant to, “and I do have the biggest show of my life coming up. I need to train. I can’t just go out hacking while Cora trains, can I?”
“I know,” Finn said. “The weekend is a big deal, but…” He paused. “Oh, nothing. Have a good day today. I’ll text you later, OK? Tell me all about it.”
But Alice wasn’t going to let it drop. “But what?” she insisted.
“Nothing!” Finn sounded exasperated. “I just said have a good day.”
“No you didn’t,” Alice said crossly. “You were about to say something else.”
There was a pause.
“It’s just that…” It sounded as though Finn was trying to choose his words carefully. “You normally don’t train that hard before a normal show,” he said. “Doesn’t my dad say it’s better just to hack Secret?”
Alice bit her lip. That was exactly what Angus had taught them, and it was their tried-and-tested formula. But Finn didn’t quite seem to get that this wasn’t just any normal show.
“It’s the trials!” Alice said crossly. “For the British team. I’m having to up my game. Cora, she’s doing the same. This is like nothing I’ve done before.”
“Oh, right,” Finn said again. “Well, I guess it is a massive deal.”
“And probably my last chance to do anything like this!” Alice added passionately.
“You don’t know that,” Finn said in a reasonable voice.
“It is.” Alice thought back to her conversations with Cora. “I don’t have that much longer competing on Secret. I have to get the place.”
“And I’m sure you will,” Finn replied.
There was a slightly uncomfortable pause.
“I have to go,” Finn said. “I’ve got some jobs to finish.”
“OK,” Alice said. “I need to get on too. Have a nice day.”
“You too.”
As he rang off, Alice was left feeling unsettled. The call hadn’t ended as happily as their normal calls did. But she knew Finn was never going to understand. He wasn’t competitive in the slightest; he’d had some brilliant results on her mum’s ponies in the show ring but he much preferred stunt riding. He supported Alice all the way, she knew that, but he didn’t get her burning need to prove herself.
There wasn’t time to dwell on the phone call once Alice was back in the saddle, though. Devon had her and Cora working even harder than the day before, practising angled turns and skinny poles, where Alice had to use all her concentration to get Secret to focus on the narrow jumps. His tendency to get faster and faster meant she had to really work at holding him together, and after half an hour she could feel the sweat dripping down her back and underneath her riding hat. She wasn’t sure the porridge and green juice had helped. That had been a step too far, she thought, and vowed to return to her normal toast from then on.
Secret still felt fresh as Devon called the girls into the centre of the arena. Jogging slightly and tossing his head around, he felt as though he could jump the moon.
“I had a really exciting call this morning,” Devon said, smiling at Alice and Cora. “A bit unexpected, but I think it’s fate.”
Alice and Cora exchanged curious glances.
“You’ve heard of Miguel Verona, haven’t you?” Devon’s smile grew wider, and Alice and Cora both nodded in unison.
“Of course!” Cora was wide-eyed. “He’s America’s leading showjumper!”
“And he just so happens to be an old friend of mine,” Devon explained, as Alice blinked. Miguel Verona was showjumping’s pin-up. He travelled around the world, winning big competitions wherever he went, with hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. It was rumoured his top horse was worth more than a million pounds! “He’s over in England looking at a young horse, so I sort of persuaded him to pop in before he flies home on Thursday night. And –” she paused, letting the suspense build – “I bribed him with Mum’s home cooking, and he said he’d give you girls a lesson! Won’t that be amazing? Kind of the last session before the trials. We can do our beach hack Friday, so the ponies have some downtime.” She looked at Cora as she said this. “That’s one thing I will insist on.”
“Oh my gosh!” Cora seemed to ignore the last part of what Devon had just said. “That’s incredible! Wow, wow, wow!” She turned to Alice. “Isn’t that the greatest?” she cried. “It will be the best preparation ever!”
But Alice was quiet. Thursday. The day she was going home for her dad’s birthday, to catch up with her family, to catch up with Mia. She’d promised everyone she would be going home, no matter what. But this was an opportunity she would never get again.
Chapter 6
“Um, about Thursday,” she said quietly, and after looking confused for a moment Devon slapped a hand to her forehead.
“Oh, Alice!” she said. “I’m so sorry! I’d totally forgotten about you not being around that day. He’s literally flying in for twenty-four hours, seeing this horse in Essex, and then flying out again. He’ll only be here Thursday evening before he catches the red-eye home.”
“It’s OK,” Alice said, trying to smile. “I understand.” She knew it wasn’t Devon’s fault.
“I feel awful,” Devon said. “But it can’t be helped. Cora, he’ll be happy to just teach you. I’m so sorry Alice.”
Alice realised Devon had presumed she would still go home rather than stay and have the lesson with Miguel. And that was still the plan … wasn’t it? But her stomach was twisting, thinking about driving home while Cora jumped under the watchful eye of one of the world’s most famous showjumpers. Secret had the opportunity to be assessed by someone as famous as Miguel. She couldn’t believe that she was going to miss out!
Cora voiced Alice’s doubts as the two girls warmed their ponies down a few minutes later. “Are you really going to miss the lesson?” she asked.
Alice hesitated. “I don’t really have a choice,” she said. “It’s my dad’s birthday. It’s a special occasion.”
“But so are the trials.” Cora raised an eyebrow. “About as special as it gets!”
“I know that.” Alice felt slightly defensive, just as she had with Finn earlier. It felt as though Finn had been implying she was taking the trials too seriously, and now here was Cora implying she wasn’t taking the trials seriously enough! “But don’t you have other commitments sometimes?”
“No,” Cora said immediately. “I’ve put everything on hold for this. Everything.”
Alice frowned. There was something unhealthy about the way Cora said that.
“I should really go home,” she mumbled. “I promised.”
“But it’s not just the lesson you’ll miss,” Cora then said. “Aren’t you going to be super tired with all the travelling? And a late night? I know it would badly affect me…” She left the statement hanging and Alice sighed. Alice would be tired after the journey back home, but it had never stopped her jumping her best in the past. Cora was right: the trials were about as special as they came.
*
As well as the training, Devon had also offered Alice and Cora a chance to ride one of her own horses. To Alice’s amazement, Cora had turned down the chance.
“I’m here to ride Bluebell only,” she’d explained. “I don’t want to have to concentrate on another horse; it would only distract me. Plus,” she added, “what if I fell off and injured myself so close to trials day? No thanks.”
But Alice hadn’t been able to resist. She had ridden one of Devon’s ponies before at Hickstead after Devon had helped Hilltops pony club put an emergency team together, and it had been an incredible experience. She was also used to riding the ponies her mum had in for schooling regularly and it had never affected her riding Secret. Devon led out Ranger, an enormous chestnut gelding with four white socks and a white face, and Alice had hesitated for one minute. What if she did fall off? But she trusted Devon, and Ranger was a schoolmaster. A bit later, as she cantered a circle on the big horse, Alice grinned from ear to ear. He was so enormous his canter strides ate up the ground. They even jumped, fences at well over a metre disappearing under the chestnut’s big hooves. It felt like flying. Alice couldn’t believe Cora had turned down the chance. It had been an amazing opportunity!
“Look at you,” Devon grinned as Alice walked the big horse round afterwards. “You look perfect on him. Secret will feel tiny after this!”
Alice winced. “Do you think he’s too small for me?” she asked anxiously.
“Oh no!” Devon laughed. “Gosh, no, I didn’t mean it like that. You’ll have lots of fun ahead of you with Secret, I’m sure. Even after you’re no longer jumping him.”
To Alice this drove home the fact that her days jumping Secret in the ring were limited. If she didn’t outgrow him first, her age would soon be a factor in the classes. And yet she was going to miss the training session with Miguel and travel home so close to the trials, when really, Cora was right: she should be concentrating solely on the trials.
Once Ranger was untacked and back in his stable, Alice grabbed a few moments with Secret, placing her arms round his neck and burying her face in his mane, lost in her thoughts.
A beep from her pocket made Secret snort, bringing her back to the present.
Pulling out her phone, Alice rubbed her eyes. So many messages, and now another one. Amy had texted her several times, asking for photos and updates for Secret’s social media page. And Mia has messaged more than once asking how things were. Alice been so busy she hadn’t replied to anyone. It was as though she didn’t have room in her head for anything more than Secret and the trials.
Alice read the text from Mia and could almost hear the tutting and indignation that accompanied the writing. Helloooooo. Are you alive? Are you OK? What’s been going on?
Alice and Mia usually texted several times a day even when they saw each other most evenings, exchanging funny stories or sharing their problems and thoughts. They’d become close friends in a short space of time, with Mia almost like the sister Alice had never had. It was their way of keeping in touch when they weren’t on the yard together and Alice knew it was out of character for her not to respond. She couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed. Mia knew what a big deal this was. Alice wasn’t exactly on holiday; she was training at a prestigious yard in preparation for the British pony team. But even as she thought this she felt guilty. She wondered if she was getting too caught up in it all, riding alongside the single-minded Cora. But it was just a week. And in order to succeed she needed to focus on the trials, even if that meant putting everything else on hold.
Putting her phone back in her pocket, she leaned into Secret again, closing her eyes for a minute. “Oh, Secret,” she muttered into his silken red mane. “Is this all going to be worth it?”
*
Alice returned to the school on Secret after lunch to begin their afternoon training session. Once again Secret had looked longingly out of the yard down the lane that led to the sea. The sky was blue, and had it not been for the brisk and chilly wind it could have been a summer’s day.
“Come on, boy,” Alice had said guiltily, pulling her fleece up round her neck as she nudged Secret towards the huge outdoor arena. “It’s really not long now. And we’ve got the beach hack soon.”
Secret did love jumping, she told herself, trying to make herself feel better. She tried not to think about what Finn or Angus would say. When they got back from the trials, Secret could hack out as much as he wanted.
But something was slightly amiss in the session. Cora was so focused on Bluebell she barely said hello, and she seemed to be tying up all of Devon’s attention, taking ages to talk to her as they discussed their course, cantering in front of Alice so she was nearest to Devon. At first Alice was unsure whether she was imagining it, but Secret was playing up as a result. It was as though he was saying to Alice, Look we’re here now – let’s get on with it! Tossing his red mane, he jigged from side to side as Cora asked Devon to explain yet again a complicated stride into a double fence. Alice was starting to wish she’d just hacked out.
Finally, Alice got her chance to jump. She barely had to touch Secret’s sides with her boots, letting the reins slip slightly through her fingers, giving the little gelding his head as he bounded forward, all his pent-up energy from waiting for Cora and Bluebell fizzing over as he cantered a circle, before Alice turned him down into the first of the jumps Devon had set up. Three, two, one, then, finding the right stride, Secret soared over the tricky spread, barely glancing at the spooky fillers underneath it. Then, as if he couldn’t contain his energy he launched forward and Alice knew she’d lost control. And then Secret was flying straight past the next couple of jumps, totally ignoring her aids. Gritting her teeth, the wind whipping through her ponytail, aware of Devon calling for her to steady, Alice drew on every last bit of strength she had to try to pull Secret up, but to her horror she realised Secret was aiming straight for the low fence on the far side of the arena, which was decorated with ornamental troughs filled with flowers.
“Secret, no!” Alice cried, but it was too late. With perfect precision Secret cleared the fence, landing neatly on the other side and causing a ripple of excited whinnies from the barn as all Devon’s horses rushed to their back windows to see what was causing all the commotion.
Secret, obviously thoroughly delighted with his bid for freedom, had slowed up and Alice was finally able to gain control before he carried on down the drive and over Jane’s carefully tended flower borders. Turning his head round to Alice, he gently mouthed her boot, a habit he’d had since he was a youngster. It was one of his and Alice’s special ways of communication, as if he was asking for reassurance.
Alice felt her heart melt. “Oh, Secret!” Alice’s hands were trembling with adrenalin as she patted him. “What was that about?”
Devon had caught up with them now, her expression half amusement and half shock.
“Well,” she said. “That was quite something!”
“I know,” Alice mumbled. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Devon chuckled. “As long as you’re both OK. Don’t tell anyone but that’s happened to me in the past! Just don’t do that in front of the selectors on Saturday – they might not take too kindly to it!”
Alice laughed, feeling better.
“You know,” Devon then said in a quieter voice, “as I said when you arrived, you’re here to choose your own path in the lead-up to the weekend. I’m happy for you
to do as much or as little with me in the school. If Secret is suited to one session a day rather than two, you do that. I always remember you saying he’s a pony who needs to hack out. Perhaps it’s all getting a bit intense for him?” Devon glanced very quickly at Cora, still in the arena, as she said this.
“I think you’re right,” Alice said. “Can I ride out now instead?”
Devon nodded. “Good idea,” she smiled. “If you go out of here and turn right up the hill, you’ll see a bridleway sign on the corner. Follow it up, and you’ll find the most amazing spot to have a good canter.”
It was music to Alice’s ears, and probably Secret’s too, she thought, if he could understand. Alice nudged him out of the yard, following Devon’s instructions. She knew Cora would be horrified, but Alice knew she was making the right choice for Secret. Jumping out of the arena was his way of telling Alice he needed a break.
Devon had been right about the hack. The chalky path opened up on to the most enormous expanse of green land, with the sea glittering azure blue below them as the cliffs rolled down to the beach. Alice was pleased to see there was a good solid post and rail fence dividing the fields from the cliff edge and as she let Secret go he thundered up the turf, seagulls circling overhead, and it was just the two of them. As they cantered on, the pressures of the trial started to disappear. All that mattered was Alice’s red pony.
Chapter 7
“I can’t believe you went off for a hack!” Cora said later as the two girls prepared their stables for the evening.
Alice looked at her friend. The way she’d said it was as if Alice had done something awful and reckless.
“Secret needed it,” Alice replied shortly.
She hadn’t forgotten how Cora had demanded most of Devon’s attention during the lesson, which led to Secret getting wound up. She still couldn’t decide whether it had been deliberate.
“Oh, I’m sure,” Cora said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to sound like I disapproved. I just worry about lameness and stuff, you know. Or me falling.”
A Pony Called Secret Page 4
