The pony club members looked at each other. It was something to have satisfied David, they thought, patting their ponies self-consciously.
“Now you can all jump the slip rail and wait for me by the tree trunk. Full height for everyone this time, so will those who are doubtful take a good lead.”
Inspired by leads and encouraged by the fact that they were heading homewards, the ponies jumped willingly. Only Rosie, going last, almost refused and then made an enormous leap.
“There’s nothing to tree trunks,” said David, catching up with his ride. “They’re solid, straightforward and natural, and ponies understand them. This one is slightly uphill, so you make sure that you have plenty of impulsion.”
Only Rupert was worried by the tree trunk—everyone else was longing to get at it. They rode fast and with determination and the ponies sailed over. Rosie made one of her huge leaps.
“Over the logpile and then over the tree trunk again,” shouted David.
The ponies were less certain about the logpile. Even Ferdinand and Saffron took large careful leaps over it. Banjo made one of his stag jumps, high into the air, Stardust refused, and so did Berry, Chess and Rajah. Only Jupiter and Tristram seemed completely unconcerned.
“Form up the ride again,” said David. “Will the ponies that have got over give leads? Now come on, it’s not a big jump and I think it’s the riders who are being faint hearted.”
When they got going again, the ponies’ courage rose and they followed their leaders over. Then all the refusers were sent round on their own.
“Now for the ditch,” said David, struggling back into the Land Rover. By the time he had driven up the hill the riders were gathered round the ditch, all looking anxious and slightly green.
“Do any of the ponies jump ditches?” he asked. “James?”
“Ferdie’s done them in riding club competitions with my mother, but he generally had a stop or even two; they’re definitely not his strong point.”
“Anyone else?” asked David.
“Only those little ones at the side of the road,” said Netti, “but Tristram jumps most things.”
“I have a feeling a Crankshaw pony living at Waterford Farm won’t be too bothered about ditches or water, so we’ll send Alice first, then James and Harry and Netti, Paul and Lizzie. After that we’ll see,” David decided. “Now it’s wide but not high, and what height there is is on the far side, so obviously you take off as near to the ditch as you can, which means you come fairly fast and with a light contact—a giving hand. Don’t jump it as though it were a stile or a gate, don’t stand back, jump it as you would a triple.”
Alice wasn’t very happy about her position as leader, but she gritted her teeth and tried to convince Saffron that she knew all about jumping ditches and to her surprise it worked. He jumped it easily. Behind her Ferdinand made a last-minute run out, but Jupiter thundered on and jumped without hesitating. Tristram followed him, Banjo stopped, looked, and then jumped, unseating Paul, who clung round his neck, but managed to get back into the saddle on the far side. Rajah refused, peering down into the ditch with a disapproving expression.
“Clear the course,” ordered David. “We’ll now have the people who haven’t tried, but with leads. James, you don’t need a lead, just be ready for him this time and keep him straight.”
Lesley followed Alice, but at rather a half-hearted pace, and then slithered nervously on the edge of the ditch.
“Take her away,” shouted David as Jupiter thundered up with Rosie on his tail. A great cheer went up as she followed him over.
“I don’t think she saw the ditch,” said Rupert, patting her profusely. “I think she thought it was just another log with some earth lying about.”
The fact that Rosie was over encouraged several people who had been certain that they would never make it, and though Chess, Berry and Hobbit refused, they all three had a look and then went over at their second attempts. Rupert offered Lizzie a lead in a very lordly manner and, much to his amazement, Rosie again jumped the ditch easily. Rajah followed.
Only Stardust was left; she was still cantering up slowly with her ears back and obviously had no intention of jumping.
“Go on, Lesley. Wake her up, get her over,” called Mrs Rooke in exasperated tones. “Give her a good whack, don’t just sit there, kick.”
“You’d better put Sarah up,” she told David: “she’s the one with the drive. We’ll be here all night if we wait for Lesley to get the pony over.”
“This little mare is a bit faint-hearted, she lacks self-confidence,” said David, limping forward to give Stardust a consoling pat. “I don’t think kicking and whacking are the answer. Ponies are so very different; old Jupiter is a real lionheart, prepared to take on anything, but Stardust’s at the opposite end of the scale; she’s a bit of a softie and you’ll get most out of her by building up her confidence and encouraging her.”
Hanif was patting Jupiter’s liver chestnut neck. “Jupe the Lionheart,” he announced, pleased with the compliment.
“I think Saffron’s quite lionhearted too,” said Alice.
“Yes,” David agreed, “but he’s the sort of pony which needs a partner; he has to like and trust his rider. Jupiter would cart anyone over anything; he relies on himself.”
“That is perfectly true,” said Hanif, remembering the Brunstock show.
“What about Ra?” asked Lizzie.
“He’s cautious by nature. If he was a person he would insure everything. He disapproves of taking risks.”
“And Chess?”
“Like so many small ponies which have belonged to little children, he doesn’t have much respect for his rider. He thinks he knows best and he likes to take a look at the jumps before he attempts them; you’ve got to convince him you’re grown-up.
“Now I want you to form up the ride again. All go down and start over the logpile, then the tree trunk and then the ditch. Alice, I want you and Lesley at the back.”
Everyone but Lesley was delighted to be jumping a piece of the course. They jogged down the hill arguing about leads. Lesley patted Stardust. The furious anger she’d felt at her mother’s interference had cooled when David had told her she was wrong. And of course he was right, it was no use kicking and hitting a pony or person who lacked confidence. She patted Stardust again. “You’re just as good as the rest of them. Don’t worry, just copy Saffron.”
James and Ferdinand came racing up the hill looking very pleased with themselves as they sailed over the ditch. David shouted, “Go on, over the brush, keep going.”
He roared the same message at the other riders as they jumped the ditch and one by one they went on, swooping over the brush with ease.
The later riders could see what was happening. “If Stardust refuses, let’s go on and jump the brush,” Alice suggested to Lesley as they set off. But this time Stardust’s blood was up; she was excited as she chased Saffron and the flying ponies ahead, and followed them over the ditch and then the brush without any thought of refusing.
The riders all patted their ponies delightedly.
“I never thought Rosie would jump as high as that,” Rupert told everyone who would listen.
“It’s at least three feet to the top leaf,” said Sarah, who had dismounted and was measuring the fence against herself.
“Angles,” said David, leaving the Land Rover on the edge of the trees and limping towards the two jumps. “The important thing is to look where you want to go. Your head is very heavy and, as you know, the rider’s weight is an aid, so by turning your head and shoulders in the direction you want to go you give the pony a clear signal. If you look straight ahead or down at the ground when you want to turn, you’re giving the pony a totally incorrect signal; it’s your fault if he doesn’t get over the second fence. Point him at the first fence, but look at and think about the second one. O.K.? Start slowly, but with impulsion. If you go too fast, the pony won’t have time to adjust his stride and you may have a refusal. A
s all our ponies are novices we’re not going to cut corners or go the shortest way; that comes later. So pop over the first, ride at the second, circle left and come back here.”
With all the riders staring rigidly in the correct direction, the ponies found the little jumps perfectly simple and only Berry ran out of the second one.
“Now for the horizon,” said David when Lynne was over at her second attempt. “Ours is very small and easy, but you can see that if you came galloping at some great hairy brush fence set on the hill like that, your pony might easily think, ‘Good grief there’s nowhere to land,’ and you’d have a last-minute refusal. The secret of jumping all tricky fences is to approach slowly but with impulsion. And that’s why they have them in competition courses; they want to test the pony’s training. Unschooled horses can only maintain impulsion by going fast. So pop over, look right, circle the coppice and come back here. If you look straight down the hill you’ll probably find yourself going there.”
James and Alice jumped it easily. Hanif, looking right with desperate concentration, found it worked; Jupiter made no attempt to run away down the hill. Rosie and Stardust refused, but both jumped at their second try. The little ponies popped over eagerly, wondering what all the fuss was about. Then David sent them all back with instructions to jump the brush, angle and horizon fences one after the other. Everyone was pleased; their worries and fears had all vanished—it was fun and the ponies, enjoying it too, didn’t need much riding.
“Down to the gate into the lane,” said David, making his way back to the Land Rover.
They rode down on loose reins, chattering. Oliver walked proudly beside Hobbit.
“Isn’t he going well?” he asked Tina. “I never thought he’d do the big ones like the ditch and the brush.”
“He’s great,” agreed Tina, “so brave; he’s another lionheart. I’m having a lovely time, Ollie, thanks to you. I’ve learned more about riding in these three days than in my whole life.”
“David’s good, isn’t he? I can’t wait to get into his ride.”
“Now,” said David, gathering them round the gateway, “this is a test of the pony’s cleverness and agility, and, of course, impulsion. Think about the second fence and look the way you want to turn in the lane, and go slowly so that the pony has a chance to see what he’s got to do. O.K., James. This time we’ll turn left on landing. Don’t follow too closely as some people are bound to get stuck.”
Ferdinand, looking very serious, jumped it perfectly. Rajah and Banjo followed him carefully. Jupiter flung himself over the first one, landed too near the second and had to turn round before he could jump down into the lane.
“That’ll teach him to look before he leaps,” shouted David. “Combinations are very good for over-confident ponies.”
Saffron went over neatly, but Rosie over-jumped the first one, refused the second, then changed her mind and decided she could jump it from a standstill, but hit the pole so hard with her hindlegs that she broke the baling string.
“Oh, dozy Rosie, you make more work than all the others put together,” complained Oliver, hurrying to repair the damage.
Then Tristram led the small ponies over and they all found it quite easy because they could fit in so many strides. Last of all Stardust jumped in and then spent several minutes teetering on the bank before she summoned the courage to jump down into the lane, which she did from a standstill.
“Now you can come back,” David shouted through the loudhailer. “You’ll need some impulsion to get up the bank. Go a bit further up the lane so that you’ve room to get going. Then keep as near to the left-hand hedge as you can so you give yourself the maximum turning space, and don’t take your pony by surprise.”
Ferdinand was rather surprised, but he climbed over somehow, and the other ponies following knew they had to jump. Rajah heaved himself over with a great grunt, Banjo did one of his stage-like springs, vertically into the air. Berry and Chess gave their riders uncomfortable, slow motion jumps and Rosie climbed over the pole one leg at a time. Saffron jumped it well; Stardust followed without refusing and Hobbit, coming last, flew over in the neatest possible manner.
“We’ll do it into the lane again,” said David, “but this time I want you to turn the opposite way to the pony in front of you. James, you’ll go to the right, so if you’re next, Lizzie, you’ll turn left, Paul right and so on, all down the line. Does everyone understand? I want to see that you’re in charge, not the ponies.”
Only Rosie went the wrong way; she made such an awkward jump that Rupert was in no position to steer. Sarah and Lynne were giving shrieks of dismay as they jumped, but managed to turn their separate ways. Then they all leapt back into the field in fine style, finding that the bank was perfectly easy if you had enough impulsion.
“A volunteer to give Rosie one more lead,” said David, and chose Lizzie from all the shouted offers.
“Now lunch,” he said when the Wheelers returned. “You can jump both slip rails on the way in, but don’t go mad. James, will you hold everyone up in the lane until the last one’s over.”
“What a morning!” said Hanif, settling contentedly to his lunch, when all the ponies had been watered, fed and tied up in the barn, out of kicking distance of each other.
“I’m glad it’s only us and all that dreary D lot have gone home,” remarked Oliver, munching pork pie.
“You’re a dreary D yourself,” Paul told him. He and Lynne had persuaded their mother to let them lunch in the barn with the other pony club members.
“I may be a D, but I’m not dreary,” Oliver told him fiercely.
“Mummy thinks we’ve improved out of all recognition,” announced Sarah, who had been collecting her lunch from Mrs Rooke’s car. “She thinks we’re quite good enough to go in for the Area Cup and she’s going to persuade David to relent and let us enter. She’s gone home now, but she’s going to ring him tonight when he’s had a rest.”
“It’ll be too late,” said Lizzie. “The entries will have closed!”
“That’s what I said, but being an efficient secretary she entered a team at the very beginning of the holidays, before David decided we would disgrace him.”
“Oh no,” groaned Hanif, his contentment vanishing. “We don’t want to spoil everything with teams and prizes and having to win.”
“There’s no need to get worked up,” Rupert told him. “O.K., she’s entered a team, but that’s only five people; you don’t have to be in it.”
“He’s one of the best at cross-country,” James pointed out.
“But not much good at dressage,” added Sarah quickly.
“He’d be good for turn-out though,” observed Lynne. “Jupiter always looks lovely and his tack is practically new.”
“Thank you,” said Hanif, “but I don’t want to be in it. I renounce any claim I may have.”
“Mummy wants Jennifer to be in it,” Sarah told them.
“Why? She isn’t on the course,” protested Paul. “She thought she was too good.”
“Well, that’s the point isn’t it?” said James. “She’s best rider in the Woodbury and she knows it.”
“My mother will want James, Jennifer, the Great Sarah, Netti and a Roberts,” Lesley told Alice. “She settled it months ago; I expect she’ll get her own way.”
Lynne had produced a quiz book. “We’d better practise,” she said, “just in case.”
“It’s not fair to ask questions out of that book. Both you Sarah know all the answers by heart,” Paul objected.
“Oh come on, it’s not a competition, it’s just for fun,” Sarah told him. “Will you quiz us, James?”
“It’s not my idea of fun,” said Rupert, retreating to a distant straw bale.
James swallowed down a sandwich and opened the book obediently.
“Name two plants which are poisonous to horses,” he demanded.
“Yew.”
“Deadly nightshade.”
“Privet.”
“Rho
dodendrons.”
“Ivy,” they shouted all at once.
“Spaghetti,” said Rupert. Sarah gave him a withering look. “Let’s go over there in the corner,” she suggested to her team mates. “And James, you must ask us each a question in turn and give us marks for a correct or semi-correct answer.”
“What do the following initials stand for?” asked James. “B.H.S.”
“Beastly. Horrible. Stinking!” shouted Oliver.
“Oh, shut up. Can’t you understand that we want to have a good team for a change?” snapped Sarah. “We want to beat the Cranford Vale even if you don’t.”
“Leave them alone, Ollie. It’s not fair to spoil their practice!” Lizzie told him.
“Jokes are only funny once,” Rupert added. “It’s boring to go on and on.”
“I wasn’t going on and on,” objected Oliver.
The team soon grew tired of their question master. James was very slow and deliberate and insisted on looking up all the answers in the back of the book though Lynne and Sarah knew they had given the correct ones. They began to discuss what they should call themselves. Sarah and Lynne wanted to be the Woodbury Wonders, Netti said it sounded a bit boastful and she thought they ought to wait until they had done something wonderful before they gave themselves a name like that.
“We could have T shirts with it printed on the front,” suggested Lynne.
“Well, if Jennifer’s going to be in the team we’d better wait and ask her what she thinks,” said James, “but I think we should just be the Woodbury, or Woodbury P.C.”
“I knew all this talk of teams would spoil the atmosphere,” Hanif complained to Alice as they bridled their ponies. “They are going to divide us into two lots.”
“It’s only Sarah,” Alice told him. “I’m sure Netti, James and the Robertses aren’t like that.”
“Teams can ruin people’s natures,” said Hanif gloomily. Some of the pony club members were still tacking up when David drove the Land Rover into the yard.
“Come on, get moving,” he told them. “Julia will be waiting at Coppice Hill and we’ve got to get you all over that water before dark.”
Pony Club Cup (Woodbury Pony Club Book 1) Page 11