My Dream Pony

by Katrina Kahler

  He seemed really pleased that we were there and was clearly proud of winning. I told him that we should get his autograph as he may become famous one day and although he blushed bright red, he had a pleased grin on his face.

  After untacking his horse and putting him into a stall with some feed, he came up into the grandstand to sit with us. We shifted over to make room on the seats next to Cassie’s parents and all proceeded to watch the bronco riding. In this event, each rider had to grip a handle with one hand that is tied around the middle of their horse and use the sharp spurs on their boots to make the horse lurch forwards. But I didn’t really like the look of the way the horses were prodded with spurs. It looked cruel and I was happy when it ended.

  The most exciting event though, had to be the bull riding and it also appeared to be the most dangerous. The bulls were constantly trying to buck off their rider who only had a piece of rope to hold onto. Tom said that he couldn’t wait to be allowed to try this event and I told him that he was crazy.

  The rodeo was a lot of fun and we really enjoyed hanging out with Tom. But I decided that that type of riding definitely wasn’t for me. Without doubt, I prefer the events that we do at pony club and couldn’t wait to get there again the following Saturday.

  Throughout the next week, Dad set up a couple of jumps in the paddock for me and during my lesson with Sally, we worked on my technique. At Dad’s insistence, we had kept the jumps small but regardless, Bella hadn’t shied even once. I felt that by the end of the lesson I was really getting the idea of what Jim meant by pushing Bella towards the jump so that she didn’t attempt to shy.

  Feeling really keen to try some higher jumps, I looked forward to going to pony club again. Having Jim supervise would make it much safer as well, because he’s such an expert at jumping.

  Already the memory of my embarrassing fall had been wiped from my mind and I focused again on the vision of Bella and I flying gracefully over a high jump. The thrill I could feel at the thought of it, sent shivers down my spine and I couldn’t wait to be living that moment.

  Little did I know however, that the dream I had envisioned was going to be more out of reach than I could ever possibly have imagined.

  So grateful…

  The shrill ring of the telephone jolted me awake early one Saturday morning and I wondered why no one else was answering it.

  Bleary eyed and still half asleep, I spoke croakily into the mouthpiece but the distressed voice on the other end quickly jolted me to my senses.

  “Cassie?” I asked with alarm. “Is that you?”

  “Yes, it’s me,” she sobbed. “Julia, I don’t know what I’m going to do!”

  “Cassie, start again,” I encouraged. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”

  “Early this morning my dad got a phone call. It was from the people who own the property where we agist Jasper,” she explained chokingly. “They found that Jasper was missing and realized that someone had left his paddock gate open. Anyway, apparently he’d wandered onto their neighbor’s property and it took them forever to catch him. Now they want him gone. They’re saying that he’s too much trouble and don’t want him there anymore!”

  “Oh no!” I replied, genuinely concerned. “That’s terrible news!”

  “My parents are freaking out at me,” she cried, taking a deep breath. “They said this whole horse thing has become a nightmare and they’re even considering selling Jasper, just to avoid all the trouble.”

  I knew that because Cassie lived on a very small property, which was completely unsuitable to keep Jasper on, she had to agist him elsewhere. Hearing about this made me appreciate how lucky I was to be living where I did, with heaps of land and paddocks set up perfectly for horses.

  Being able to see Bella grazing in her paddock right from our kitchen window was the most wonderful thing and I thought about how annoying it would be to have to keep your pony somewhere else.

  Suddenly, the perfect solution entered my mind. And I wondered fleetingly why I had never thought of it before.

  “Cassie, I’ll call you right back. I won’t be long!” I said abruptly as I hung up the phone. I could imagine the shocked look on her face when she realized the phone line had gone dead, but I didn’t want to get her hopes up.

  As I raced outside looking for my parents, I thought about how awesome things were going to be. That was as long as they said yes, of course. But focusing on a positive outcome, I took a deep breath before spilling out my plan.

  They were in the paddock where Mom was helping to support a fence post while Dad did some repairs. My brother, Matt was nowhere to be seen and I assumed wryly that he was probably still asleep in bed.

  Bewildered, they simply stared at me, wondering what on earth I was babbling about. With a huge effort, I took another deep breath, just to calm my excitement so I could repeat what I had just said.

  “Cassie has to move Jasper from the property where they agist him but she has nowhere else for him to go. Would it be ok it she keeps him here? It’ll be extra money for us in agistment fees that we can put towards Bella’s feed bill and as well as that, I’ll have someone to ride with!”

  They exchanged tentative glances, obviously realizing what I was asking.

  “Mom, Dad!” I exclaimed excitedly. “It would be so incredible! If she kept him here, we could ride together all the time. It would be so awesome. What do you think? Would it be ok? I looked quickly from my mom to my dad and back again, trying to judge from their expressions what their answer was going to be.

  But my hopeful excitement seemed to be too much for them to resist because after another glance at each other, Dad replied with a smile, “Well, if it’s ok with your mom, then I guess its ok with me!”

  “Yes, I think it could work out well, Julia.” Mom continued but I could see that she was not quite as convinced as Dad. “I can imagine how much more fun you will have. However, I do think we need to make it a trial. Tell Cassie we’ll give it a month, but if it’s not working out between you girls,” she said carefully, “then she’ll have to move Jasper somewhere else.”

  “Thank you so much!” I squealed, ignoring Mom’s warning. I threw my arms around both of them. Even the sweat that was dripping off Dad as he stood there in the hot sun didn’t deter me. “I love you both to the end of the world and back!” I cried as I raced towards the house so I could call Cassie and tell her the news.

  And, as I’d expected, the squeal that came from the other end of the phone was just as excited as mine.

  Later that morning, when Matt finally surfaced from his bedroom and was rummaging hungrily in the fridge for something to eat, he appeared to show a very keen interest in the idea of Jasper agisting on our property.

  “So I guess that means Cassie will be here a lot?” he asked, nodding his head in obvious agreement of the idea. I rolled my eyes at him and replied, “Yes, she will be here a lot; to spend time with Jasper and with Bella and me!”

  As I walked out of the kitchen in disgust at my brother and the interest he still seemed to be showing in my best friend, I decided that we would just have to keep out of his way. Not that that should be too hard though as he really had very little interest in horses.

  Then when I realized that Cassie would be arriving with Jasper any minute, I raced outside to the barn so I could clear out a stall for Jasper and an area for all of Cassie’s tack.

  As she later unloaded him from the trailer, her parents chatted with Mom and Dad. And when they offered for us to borrow their trailer any time we wanted, I was convinced that this was all meant to be.

  “This is going to work out perfectly!” I said to Cassie as we led Jasper into his new paddock, next to Bella’s.

  “I know,” replied Cassie, smiling widely. “We’ll be able to go to pony club together and everything!”

  “And do you know what!” she continued, “I have some proper jumps that Dad made for me as well as some other sporting equipment. There’s bending poles and bounce pony
logs. I’ll ask Dad to go back to the other property and pick them up. I’m certainly not going to leave them there, now that they’ve said I have to leave!”

  “Oh my gosh!” I exclaimed. “We’ll be able to set up a proper jumping course and practice all the other events as well. This will be so cool!”

  I knew that it was going to be great, and I said a silent prayer of thanks for all the wonderful things that were happening to me right then. Life was amazing, and beaming with delight at Cassie, I thought how grateful I was to have her as a friend; finally I had a best friend and one who was a horse lover as well.

  I felt as though it was Christmas and all my dreams had come true!

  Gymkhana Magic

  The following Monday afternoon when Cassie arrived with her Dad, I was bursting with delight as I realized that they’d brought all the sporting equipment with them.

  As her dad helped us to unload it from the trailer, I became more and more excited at the prospect of having all this equipment set up in our paddocks.

  We had decided to keep one area specifically set up for jumping, where we could arrange a variety of jumps at different heights to practice on. We’d promised our parents to be sensible though and not try jumps that were too high before we were ready for them.

  At our last pony club meeting day, we’d been given a calendar of events for the year and our club gymkhana was planned for two months from that date. This was great news as we had plenty of time to practice. And now that we had so much equipment to use, we would be able to focus on the events and improve our times.

  There hadn’t really been anywhere for Cassie to set all the equipment up at the last place, so she hadn’t used it for quite some time. It was lovely to see her just as grateful as me to now be able to train on a regular basis.

  We’d decided that she would probably come to my house every second afternoon after school so we could ride together. And on the alternate afternoons, I would feed and rug Jasper myself and put him in his stall for the night.

  I could see that Bella was really enjoying his company and they were already becoming attached. The two of them were extremely cute together and I had spotted them on several occasions nuzzling each other over the fence. I hadn’t realized how important it was for a horse to have the company of another horse nearby. And I was sure that it would make a huge difference to Bella’s emotional well-being.

  However, agisting Jasper on our property was obviously going to mean more work for me. And when later that week, Mom noticed the time I was taking to rug and feed the two horses, she became concerned that it might affect my school work.

  But I reassured her that I had everything under control and although I had to get up 20 minutes earlier in the mornings, it was certainly worth the effort. Also, the money that Cassie’s parents paid in agistment fees helped to pay for Bella. I hadn’t realized until recently that there were so many costs involved in being a horse owner. Luckily for me though, Dad had decided because I was spending so much time looking after Jasper, I should get to keep a portion of the money myself. I decided I was going to add this to the money I earned from working at the stock feed store. Already I had quite a bit saved up and wanted to put it towards a new saddle. The extra earnings would certainly be a huge help.

  Having Cassie to ride with on a regular basis added a whole new dimension to everything. Being able to hang out with a close friend and just do horsey stuff was wonderful. After we’d finished riding and had untacked and groomed the horses, we would sit together and just watch them grazing before putting them in their stalls for the night. We’d noticed that the days were getting shorter though and with the onset of winter, we probably wouldn’t have that luxury for too much longer.

  Meanwhile however, we just reveled in each other’s company and after complaining to Mom about Matt’s constant over attentiveness and how annoying it was becoming, she told him, quite plainly, to leave us alone. Secretly, I was glad that although Cassie admitted she thought Matt was cute, she really didn’t want him hanging around us all the time either.

  Then when Sunday came and it was time to load the horses onto the float for pony club, Bella boarded the trailer with no hesitation whatsoever. I didn’t even need the trusty hay net to entice her because I could see that wherever Jasper went, she was a willing follower.

  After another wonderful day of pony club with no mishaps at all throughout the week, I climbed into bed that night feeling exhausted but so very content.

  I rolled over and closed my eyes, picturing the upcoming gymkhana and all the ribbons I had planned on winning. And the best part was that although Cassie and I could attend gymkhanas together, we’d be in different age groups due to her being 6 months older than me. This just meant that we didn’t have to compete against each other and could both come home with a stack of ribbons.

  Eventually I fell asleep and dreamt of Bella racing around barrels, jumping bounce pony logs and clearing the jumping course with ease. And when I woke up the following morning, I decided that it was one of the best dreams I think I’d ever had! In fact, it was so good I hadn’t wanted it to end. But then I realized that I actually had the real life adventure to look forward to.

  Beaming broadly, I jumped out of bed and grabbed a couple of bananas for Bella and myself and a carrot for Jasper. Then with eager anticipation, I raced out to the barn to the most wonderful sound in the world, the quiet nickering of two beautiful horses.

  Bella!! Where are you???...

  The following Saturday morning had dawned bright and clear with signs of the forecast electrical storm, nowhere in sight.

  I was up early and in the barn watching both the horses chomping happily into a biscuit of hay. As I groomed Bella’s already gleaming coat, I thought excitedly about pony club the next day.

  It was going to be very special because a couple of ex Olympian champions had been invited to attend as guest instructors. Apparently one of them was related to our club president and at his request, they had both agreed to come along and work with various groups of riders. They had competed on the Olympic equestrian team some years prior and were highly sought after as trainers and instructors.

  Our club was extremely privileged to have the honor of their attendance and I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to be in a class with one of them as an instructor. My confidence when jumping had improved immensely and although Bella still tended to shy at occasional jumps, I was learning to push her forwards and overcome that obstacle. I was hoping that they might be able to give me some more tips to really manage this, as it was an event that I was very keen to excel in.

  Cassie was due to arrive shortly and we had planned to do some training in the paddocks that morning, to prepare for pony club the next day.

  It was obvious that we were both pretty competitive and were constantly encouraging each other to do better. We’d promised our parents that we wouldn’t try jumps that were too high until we were ready but Cassie was already jumping 35 inches fairly easily. This had made me determined to get to that height on Bella as well.

  The other day, when I was attempting a 30 inch jump, Bella had shied quite dramatically and I’d come very close to falling off. But luckily, I’ve learnt to grip firmly with my knees and this helped me to stay in the saddle. It really was a scary feeling when this happened though and the furious pounding of my heart was so hard to control.

  However, I was focusing on getting some really good tips at pony club the next day and learning how to get the best from Bella in this event.

  As the time ticked on and Cassie still hadn’t arrived, I decided to go into the house to give her a call. It was unusual for her to be late and when she didn’t answer her phone, I assumed that she must be on her way. So I headed back to the barn to clean out the horses’ stalls while I waited.

  With my iPod stuck into the top of my joddies and my headphones securely attached to my ears, I listened to some favorite music as I filled the wheelbarrow with fresh straw. I loved the smell that wa
fted through the air, that beautiful, earthy smell that came from being amongst horses and fresh hay and I breathed it in appreciatively.

  With a smile, I reflected on how I used to spend my days only a year earlier. Back then, dancing, playing guitar, wearing the latest fashion in clothes and of course, constantly thinking about boys were the things that were foremost on my mind. At that point in time, I would never in a million years have imagined myself cleaning out stables, picking up manure and spending most of my spare time wearing jodhpurs and riding boots. How people can change, I thought wryly to myself as I silently compared the two lifestyles.

  I also wondered briefly what Millie and Blake were up to right then and as Blake’s handsome face flashed through my mind, I felt a pang of loss at not having him in my life anymore. Then just as quickly, thoughts of Tom rounding up a speedy little calf at the rodeo brought the smile back to my face. How different those two boys were! It really was beyond comprehension. I could never see Blake on horseback, but then I could never see Tom on stage in a cool rock band either.

  Focusing on the job at hand, I shook thoughts of both of them from my mind and concentrated on surprising Cassie with a beautifully mucked out stall for Jasper.

  Before I knew it, several hours had passed and when I went inside to check the time, I was shocked to see that it was already midday.

  Checking with Mom, who had been in the house all morning, I began to worry when she said there had been no word at all from Cassie.

  Reaching for the phone once more, I called her home number. When I got their message bank and her mom’s voice explaining that no one was available to answer the phone, I hung up impatiently.