“Anyone about?” shouted Hanif, as they headed for the farm buildings. “Anyone at home?” But silence reigned everywhere until they heard grunting coming from one huge building which looked more like a village hall than a pig-sty. The door was locked, but they found a window open and from their ponies’ backs they were able to peer in.
Hundreds and hundreds of pigs stood in tiny pens, row upon row of tiny prisons. They were big pigs; it didn’t look as though they could even turn round.
“It’s horrible.”
“And there’s no one here.”
“Someone must come to feed them.”
“I expect it’s done automatically. There’s a sort of droning noise.”
“Let’s go, we’re wasting our time.”
“We’ll have to walk him all the way home then,” said Hanif.
“No, look, there’s a way out to the road down there. I’ll go on ahead,” decided Lesley. “I’ll hope to find a phone, but if not I’ll go all the way to Garland Farm and send them to meet you.”
“But how do we know where to go?”
“There’s only one road at this end of the Downs. You just follow the signpost to Kidlake.”
“That’s a long way round. Wouldn’t it be better to go back the way we came?”
“That track’s too rough for trailers and boxes. They always get stuck. I’ll tell them you’ll be on the road,” she called back as she trotted through the farm gate.
It was a horrible journey. Poor Sea King had stiffened while he was standing and could scarcely hobble along. They felt very mean forcing him to walk, but Hanif explained to him that they would never be found unless they reached the road. The movement seemed to do him good and he gradually unstiffened, but he still looked very sorry for himself and walked with a hanging head.
Hanif was in a continual panic, convinced that he had misunderstood Lesley’s instructions, that they were on wrong road and would shortly come to a signpost with no mention of Kidlake on it.
Alice pointed out that so far there had only been one road to take and that, anyway, David and the Roberts must know the pig farm when they lived so near. Then she went back to consoling Sea King with encouraging words and promises of horse boxes, vets, deep-bedded stables and bran mashes.
They had come at last to a signpost, which offered Coombe Lentworth, Kidlake or The Downs, and Hanif had just given a small cheer on seeing the telephone box from which Lesley must have telephoned, when a large cattle truck came slowly along the road.
“It’s them!” shouted Alice.
Mr Roberts was driving, and Paul, Lynne and Sarah were sitting beside him. They jumped out as the box stopped and gathered round Sea King, giving cries of horror at his wounds.
“I’ll turn the box before we load him,” said Mr Roberts and drove on to the crossroads.
“Is Jennifer all right?” asked Alice.
“She doesn’t seem too bad,” answered Paul.
“Her arm hurts so her mother’s taken her to hospital for a check-up,” explained Sarah.
“Mum thought she was making a bit of a fuss,” said Lynne. “Still, better to be safe than sorry.”
“Let’s get those headcollars on,” said Mr Roberts, coming back. “Lynne, you take the Blacker pony. Paul, give me a hand with this ramp. We’ll load the fit ponies first, and put the partitions between them. Come on, Alice, let’s have yours first.”
Saffron and Jupiter seemed pleased at the idea of a lift and made no difficulties. Sea King hurried up the ramp after them, as though afraid of being left behind.
“He’ll live,” said Mr Roberts, looking at him critically.
“Poor Jupe must be starving, I only gave him half his feed at lunchtime,” observed Hanif suddenly as they left the Downs and drove into Kidlake.
“Well, you can give him the rest in a minute.” Sarah’s voice was bossy. “David wants to see us all in his house before we go home. He’s in a terrible mood. He really blew Mrs Blacker up. When he found that Jennifer wasn’t seriously hurt, he got into the most terrible rage, and he was quite rude to Mummy, too.”
“I don’t blame him,” said Alice.
“What does he want us for?” asked Hanif suspiciously.
“To tell us about the Area Cup, of course.”
“Then he doesn’t need me, I’m not going in any team,” objected Hanif.
“Yes he does. He wants you all in there as soon as you’ve settled your ponies,” said Mr Roberts firmly.
“What about Lesley?” asked Alice as they bumped down the lane to Garland Farm.
“She should be here by now, if she found the short cut through the wood. Now get a move on, we want ponies watered and fed and you indoors quickly.”
“There’s tea in David’s kitchen,” Lynne added encouragingly, “and Mum’s made two huge cakes.”
8
Dress Rehearsal
Though it had been modernized, David’s kitchen had kept its old-fashioned look. Long and low-ceilinged, furnished with an old wooden dresser and table, it was now full of people. The wheelback chairs, the basket chairs and the window seats were all occupied. Handed mugs of tea and huge slices of cake by Mrs Roberts, Alice and Hanif joined Rupert and Oliver who were sitting on the floor, their backs against the dresser.
Alice waved to Lesley. “It was a good idea of yours,” she said. “They came quite quickly. We’d only just reached the proper road, so it saved poor King several miles.”
Mrs Rooke was counting heads. “Twelve,” she announced triumphantly, and David, who was sitting in one of the basket chairs, said, “Right, I’ll begin. First of all I’m sorry that our course ended in confusion. As you know, this was caused by the bad manners and stupidity of someone who shouldn’t have been there; she had refused to attend on the two earlier days. And it’s only by sheer luck that neither pony nor rider were seriously hurt.” He did not look at Mrs Rooke, who seemed busy, studying a sheaf of printed details.
“Now, you will all remember that when Mrs Rooke mentioned the Area Cup at the beginning of the holidays I refused to consider entering a team. Since then you’ve all worked so hard and improved so much, some of you almost miraculously so, that, yesterday, I changed my mind.
“Then, as it seemed rather a shame only to enter five of you and I knew it was going to be very difficult to decide which five, I spoke to the organizers and they’ve agreed to let us enter two teams, and also an individual should we have anyone left over. This means that you can all go.”
Nearly everyone was pleased.
“Oh good!”
“Terrific.”
“It’ll be much more fun if we all go.”
Only Rupert and Hanif took the news gloomily. Rupert put up his hand and asked, “Can I be the individual because then I won’t let anyone down?”
“I think it ought to be me,” argued Hanif. “I hate being in teams and my dressage is terrible.”
“No, me. I’m the least experienced of you all,” said Tina. “I’ve never ridden in anything, not even a gymkhana event, in my whole life.”
“Can Netti and I and Lynne go with James?” Sarah.
“Yes, Lynne’s brilliant at turnout and the quiz,” agreed Netti.
“But you’ll need someone to take Jennifer’s place,” Mrs Rooke pointed out. “We must choose the best out of all the others to make up a really good A team.”
“What on earth is Sarah doing in an A team?” asked Lesley disagreeably. “Half the people on the course are better than she is.”
“Well at least I ...” Sarah began to shriek an angry retort, but David sat up in his chair and interrupted her. “In this branch, the district commissioner chooses the teams,” he said in a very firm voice. He brandished a sheet of paper. “And I’ve been working on the possible combinations. First of all, as the individual has to compete in all four sections, it can’t be Rupert. I don’t feel that Rosie’s dressage is up to a public performance at present. I think it should be Tina. She and Hobbit are both good al
l-rounders, and I agree with her view that she is the least experienced of you all. I don’t propose to have an A and a B team. I haven’t seen you ride in competitions so I don’t know how you react under pressure. We’ll just have two teams and you can call yourselves what you like. In one I’ve put Alice, Lizzie, Lesley, Harry and Rupert. Rupert will stand down for the dressage, Lesley for the cross-country. I don’t think Stardust should be asked to go round a strange cross-country until she’s developed more self-confidence. I don’t know which members of the team should enter for the quiz or the turnout—perhaps you can tell me—or we can consult Julia.” He paused for a moment.
“Now, in the other team we have James, Netti, Sarah, Lynne and Paul. I don’t think Berry is going well enough for either the dressage or the cross-country, but as Lynne tells me she’ll be quite happy to do the quiz and turnout that doesn’t matter. Any comments?”
“I still think it would be better to try and pick one really good team,” said James. “We want the Woodbury to win for a change and that’s not going to happen if you divide us into two more or less equal lots.”
“I’m not aiming to win this year,” David answered. “This is more of a trial run, a school, and it’ll be a better school if both teams are in with a chance. Now would you like to get into your groups and sort out the quiz and turnout. We’ve paper and biros here. Tina, you come and have a look at the rules.”
“Which first?” asked Hanif, who had the paper and pen.
“Turnout,” said Lesley. “Who has reasonable tack?”
“Harry’s is lovely and mine’s bearable,” answered Alice.
“Mine’s just about bearable, I suppose,” Lesley went on, “and then we’d better have you, Lizzie. At lease Ra will be well groomed.”
Lizzie gave a moan of dismay. “My bridle’s so ancient, I simply can’t get it to look nice, and my stirrups are awful plated things and half the plating has come off.”
“Well, they only count the marks of the best three,” Alice reminded her soothingly.
“Quiz?” asked Hanif.
“Not me,” said Rupert. “I have absolutely no idea how many pounds of hay a pony should eat, or how many nails there are in a shoe.”
“But you must be in something else,” Hanif told him. “You can’t just go in the cross-country.”
“I don’t see why not. If I survive that I shall have done my duty for the honour of the Woodbury pony club,” argued Rupert.
“Oh, wait a minute. If Rosie had Ra’s saddle with my leathers and girth, but your irons, we could make up quite a respectable set of tack,” said Lizzie. “Then you could be in the turnout and that would make two things.”
“Turnout?” Rupert’s face was full of horror. “But you know I’m hopeless at grooming and tack cleaning.”
“I’ll help you and so will Ollie,” said Lizzie. “Don’t you think that’s a good idea?” she appealed to her other team mates.
“So Alice and I go in everything. Lizzie’s not in the turnout, Rupert’s not in the quiz or the dressage, Lesley’s not in the cross-country,” announced Hanif, reading from his list. “Is that settled? Shall I give this to David? I must say I think it’s crazy putting me in the dressage. I’m just as bad as Rupert.”
“Only three scores count,” Alice reminded him.
“I’ll have a nice restful day,” said Rupert contentedly.
“No you won’t, you’ll have to help the rest of us,” Lesley told him. “Holding ponies, tying on numbers, fetching and carrying.”
As David studied Hanif’s list, Mrs Rooke read it over his shoulder.
“If Lesley’s not going in the cross-country, why not try Sarah on Stardust?” she suggested, “She’s a really game little rider. I’m sure she’d get the pony round and then we wouldn’t have the problem of Chess and black plastic.”
“No, they won’t let them ride more than one pony, and anyway Stardust is really going well, her dressage is good. We don’t want to upset her with a change of rider.” Mrs Rooke was silenced.
“Come on, James, where’s your list?” David went on. “I’ve promised to telephone the secretary with names before seven.”
“Our list’s easy, we’ve done that,” answered James, handing it over. “I’m not going in the quiz, Paul’s not going in the turnout, and Lynne’s out of the other two. It’s a name for the team that’s holding us up.”
“Woodbury Wonders,” shouted Sarah. “It must be, James.”
“Yes, come on, James,” agreed the rest of the team.
“It doesn’t matter, names are only for fun,” David told them. “Now, tomorrow’s a day off. All the ponies and I suspect, most of the riders, need a rest. Then on Sunday I want to do some real water. I’ll fix it up with Mr Crankshaw over at Waterford Farm—we’ll splash about in the ford. We need a flat field to do the test once more and I’m hoping he may be able to provide that too,”
Alice looked at Hanif. “Your arena’s lovely,” she said, “all marked out and everything, and very near Waterford if you go through the woods.”
“Yes, it’s not bad.” Hanif sounded doubtful.
“Would your stepfather mind eleven ponies?” asked David. “We are rather an invasion.”
“I don’t know, shall I ask and ring you up?” suggested Hanif.
“We’ll have to think about transport too,” said David in a suddenly exhausted voice.
“You have a rest and think about that tomorrow,” said Mrs Roberts, beginning to wash up the mugs piled on the sink. Everyone was talking again. Mrs Rooke clapped her hands. “Time to go home,” she announced. “Sunday morning, ten o’clock, just inside the Waterford Farm gate. We’ll let you know if there’s any change.”
“Thank you, David,” they said, crowding round him. “The cross-country was lovely.”
“Really terrific.”
“It was the most exciting day I’ve ever had.”
Lizzie offered her services to Mrs Roberts, “Can I help you wash up?”
“No, I think it would be better if you got off home,” said Mrs Roberts, looking anxiously at David. “I think he’s in pain so the sooner we leave him alone for a bit of peace the better. See if you can get them moving, dear.”
“If they’re going to be the Wonders, supposing we’re the Washouts?” Rupert suggested to Hanif. “We don’t want to compete.”
“I do,” said Lesley fiercely as they left David’s house. “I’d love to show my mother that her little darling isn’t a wonder after all.”
“Yes, let’s be the Washouts,” said Lizzie. “It’s better to sound useless and then do well, than the other way round.”
Saturday wasn’t much of a rest for the humans. Aunt Margaret had gone to a dog show so Alice decided to walk into Woodbury with her stirrup leathers and two keepers that were flapping on her bridle, and persuade the shoe mender to stitch them up while she waited.
Hanif, who hadn’t told his parents much about the course and had been very careful never to mention the Area Cup, found himself compelled to ask if it would be all right for eleven people to use the dressage arena on Sunday and, while he was in the middle of explaining that David would be in charge, Lesley telephoned and said, “Look, we’ve got to have a quiz practice if we’re not to make complete fools of ourselves. The ‘Wonders’ are having theirs here, and anyway, the Wheelers have persuaded Julia to pull Rosie’s mane and tail, so they want us to go over there. Alice’s Aunt Margaret is at a dog show and my mother wants to coach Sarah’s lot, so do you think your parents could do something?”
“I don’t know, I’ll ask,” answered Hanif. “How many people need collecting?”
“You, me and Alice,” snapped Lesley impatiently.
“What on earth was all that about?” asked Mr Franklin.
“I’m afraid it’s another request—transport this time,” explained Hanif. “It’s this team thing I’m in. They want to have a quiz session over at Kidlake and no one has any transport.”
“A team?” Mr
Franklin’s face lit up. “You never told us this was in the offing.”
“I didn’t know until last night. We thought that at the best there’d be one team, but now David’s decided to send two.”
“Well of course we must get you to this practice. We can’t have you letting the side down. What time do they want their transport?”
Hanif checked with Lesley, who said that if they could be there at about two, Julia would stay and do the quizzing.
Hanif was overcome with gratitude when his stepfather insisted on changing his plans and arranging for a golfing friend to collect him so that Mrs Franklin could have the car for the pony club use, but he was less pleased when he had to explain precisely what he would be doing and the exact purpose of the Area Cup.
“You mean that you will be performing in all four sections, and that some of the others will only be in two or three?” asked Mr Franklin, beginning to glow with pride.
“Yes, but I’m not much good at dressage. I hope they won’t have to count my score. Anyway, can I ring David and tell him that we can use our field tomorrow?”
“Both teams are coming, that’ll be quite a crowd.” Mr Franklin sounded pleased. “I think I’ll telephone your Mr Lumley myself; make sure I know exactly what he wants. I seem to remember putting down white lines at pony club camp. Do you have a copy of the test with the exact measurements?”
The Wheelers were in rather a state about Julia’s visit. They all agreed that the saddle room must be tidied up in her honour and Netti said that they must also weed the yard.
Leaving the yard to the others, Lizzie threw out enormous numbers of ancient rags, old saddle soap tins, gruesome-looking bottles, which had long lost their labels, and lengths of rotting rope. Then she swept out several inches of dirt, dust, dead leaves and cobwebs and cleaned the window so that there was far more light. By the time she had put the tack back on its brackets and the halters on their hooks she was worn out, but justly proud of her efforts. She emerged into the sunlight to see how the others were doing. Oliver’s broom lay abandoned and there was no sign of him. Netti had weeded two square yards of the cobblestones, producing a huge pile of grass, groundsel and dandelions, but the cleared space made the rest of the stableyard look much worse in comparison. Rupert had found a pot of blue paint and was dreamingly painting Rosie’s stable door.
Pony Club Cup (Woodbury Pony Club Book 1) Page 15