A Pony Called Secret

by Olivia Tuffin

  Finn nodded. “Think you will?”

  Alice shook her head. “We’ll see,” she said. “I would love to, but I don’t feel a burning need to. I lost sight of things for a bit leading up to the trials and I don’t want that to happen again.” She reached forward to pat her red pony. “I just want to enjoy my time with Secret. It doesn’t matter what we do.”

  Finn smiled, as if he totally understood, then the two ponies turned back over the ridge towards home, the downs and the fields below them stretching out like a green and brown patchwork quilt. Secret pricked his ears, happy to be heading back to his cosy stable, and Alice felt a wave of emotion rush through her, so unexpected it brought tears to her eyes.

  How many amazing things had she seen through those curved red ears? From the green turf of Hickstead and the bright lights of Olympia to the purple lavender in the south of France and the frosty, glittering parks in London. They’d watched wild horses canter around them, and she’d clung to him when Lachlan had died. They’d cleared the most challenging showjumping courses in the country and had done so in beautiful style. Secret had opened a whole world for her. He’d given her confidence and freedom, joy and heartbreak in equal measure. Alice’s life had changed for the better the minute the mischievous colt had arrived on the yard. She’d grown up with him, and he with her. Even if her view between those ears came to an end, he would still walk beside her. And she would carry him in her heart for the rest of her life. It was her and Secret, always.

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to the wonderful team at Nosy Crow, in particular Kirsty and Fiona for all their expert help and guidance and Nic and Ray for their amazing design skills and for producing the most beautiful covers. And thanks to the whole team at Nosy Crow who support the books so brilliantly from start to finish!

  A huge thank you to my lovely editor Sarah. It has been a pleasure working with you Sarah, throughout this whole series. You totally got Alice and Finn and Secret right from the start and have made my job even lovelier. From the very first meeting at Nosy Crow putting Alice forward as a character with her own series to seeing her now riding high with Secret – it’s been such a wonderful journey! Thank you for everything.

  Special thanks to Jolie Darton, former owner of Butler – our beautiful cover star. Jolie made sure Butler looked like a superstar ready for his photo shoot!

  Finally, writing pony books really is the best job in the world and I must thank my husband Clive who supports me every step of the way. And of course my children: Lara, whose love for ponies mirrors my own, and sweet Jasper, who smiles all day

  If you enjoyed this book, look out for the Palomino Pony series.

  Here’s a peek at the first book in the series…

  “Just move, Lily. Go forward!” The rider’s steely-blue eyes flashed angrily as she sat astride the golden palomino pony. She turned back to her mobile, but not before she had given the little mare a hefty kick.

  The pony’s nostrils flared and she snorted, but still she refused to walk on. Tentatively, she eyed the bushes ahead of her, her ears twitching back and forth.

  “ENOUGH!” the girl cried. “Just do as I say!” With a loud thwack, she brought her riding crop down hard on the pony’s hindquarters.

  CRACK!

  The mare wheeled round with a cry of pain that seemed to echo through the depths of the surrounding countryside. Then, just at that moment, a pheasant exploded out in front of them, squawking and flapping. Catching her footing on the hard, frozen tarmac the startled pony slipped, her hooves scrabbling and sparking.

  “I said, go on!” the girl cried out. She struck the pony hard on her flanks again, frightening her even more. The mare reared in a moment of blind panic, tossing her head and showing the whites of her eyes.

  The girl was thrown off clear into the road, rolling out of the way as the pony slipped on to her side, scrambling and struggling on the muddy ground.

  “Jemma … Jemma … are you all right?” A voice crackled through the mobile lying on the road.

  As the girl lay winded and bruised, the pony scrabbled to her feet, her saddle slipping to one side and her reins broken.

  Desperate to get away from the girl, the pony wheeled round and galloped wildly down the quiet road, veering on to a track that opened out to the moor beyond. With nothing to stop her, the pony raced and raced as if her life depended on it.

  When she had covered at least three miles, the palomino finally slowed. She snorted into the clear crisp air, her breath hanging in a silver plume. She was safe at last.

  “Phew, what a day that was!” Georgia slumped into her seat as the dark-green horse lorry pulled out of the showground. It was the first time she’d had a chance to relax all day, she’d been so busy grooming, plaiting and polishing. She hadn’t actually ridden herself but she wasn’t complaining. She loved being around horses and it was a real treat watching them compete.

  Georgia especially loved Wilson, the big bay thoroughbred cross, and there was no doubt about it – he’d definitely been the star of the show! Georgia smiled as she pulled her tangled golden hair back into a ponytail. Wilson was owned by the Haydens – Sophie and her mother, Melanie – and was just one of the ponies that Georgia helped looked after in their yard.

  “Thanks again for everything you’ve done today, Georgia,” said Melanie as she drove the horse lorry down the bumpy old track and joined a long queue of horseboxes making their way home. “We couldn’t have done it without you, could we, Sophs?” She turned to her daughter.

  “Er, what was that?” Sophie looked up from the text she’d been busily composing.

  “I said we couldn’t have managed without Georgia’s help today, could we?” Melanie frowned at her daughter, who was still engrossed in her phone.

  “Er, no,” Sophie mumbled. She was sitting between her mother and Georgia, a handful of rosettes spread across her lap.

  Sophie sounded uninterested but Georgia knew that she wasn’t being offhand. She just wasn’t passionate about the looking-after part of being around horses, in the way that Georgia was. Sophie was going off to university next year, and at the moment her friends and her social life were probably more important to her than winning at the show.

  Sophie finally pocketed her phone and grinned at Georgia. “I bet you’ll be glad to see your bed tonight, eh, G?”

  “You can say that again!” Georgia laughed. She was tired, but it was the best kind of tired. There was nothing she loved more than being at the Haydens’ yard and watching Sophie ride Wilson. Sophie was seventeen, three years older than Georgia, and she was already an amazing rider. Georgia hoped that one day she’d be as good.

  “Well, I think you both did really well today,” Melanie grinned. “A great team effort!”

  Georgia smiled as she gazed out of the window, passing villages and fields. Today had been magical – the Wadebridge Show: a whole day to totally lose herself in horses. Georgia had wanted it to last for ever – not least because she knew that when she got home, she’d be thrown back into the reality of school and revision. Her end-of-year exams started tomorrow, and she hadn’t done nearly enough work for them. “So how long will it take to get back?” she asked Melanie, biting down thoughtfully on her bottom lip.

  “Probably a good couple of hours in this traffic,” Melanie answered.

  Georgia nodded. She’d thought as much. And once they were at the yard she’d have to help Sophie put Wilson to bed, unpack the lorry and do all the general tidying up before she could even think about any revision. Still, it was worth it. Helping out at the Haydens’ was the closest that Georgia would get to ever owning her own pony and she relished every moment of it. Money had been tight in the Black household ever since her dad had left years ago and there was no way that her mum could afford the cost of expensive riding lessons, let alone the upkeep of a horse. If it hadn’t been for all the riding that Melanie let her do in exchange for helping out at the yard, the only contact Georgia would get with ponie
s would be in her dreams!

  Copyright

  First published in the UK in 2019 by Nosy Crow Ltd

  The Crow’s Nest, 14 Baden Place

  Crosby Row, London SE1 1YW

  www.nosycrow.com

  ISBN: 978 178800 5432

  eISBN: 978 178800 5913

  Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd

  Text © Olivia Tuffin 2019

  Pony photographs © Matthew Bishop Photography 2019

  The right of Olivia Tuffin to be identified as the author has been asserted.

  All rights reserved

  This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of Nosy Crow Ltd.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  Printed and bound in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, Elcograf S.p.A.

  Typeset by Tiger Media

  Papers used by Nosy Crow are made from wood grown in sustainable forests.

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