Heart Horse (Show Jumping Dreams ~ Book 27)
Page 12
“Good boy,” I cried but there wasn’t time to celebrate.
The water jump was ahead of us. I opened his stride, let him gallop on and we cleared the stretch of water. At least I felt like we did. I glanced behind me, waiting for the volunteer to raise her flag and let the judge know that we’d had a toe in but that didn’t happen. The rest of the course was a breeze. Valentine didn’t seem like he knew what he was doing but it turned out that he did. I made sure he was nice and round for the second to last fence, up off his forehand and not about to take the long spot that Socks and I had ended up with. Instead he hit the perfect take off point, cleared the jump and cantered on to the last. We made it through the finish flags just inside the time allowed.
“Good boy,” I said, patting the neck of a horse I barely knew with tears in my eyes. “Good boy.”
CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT
Dad and I were both in the jump off, along with four other riders, none of them Jess. She forced Blue Morning Mist round the course but they had nearly every single fence down. It was embarrassing really. Blue was in no way ready for a course like that and Jess’s nerves had obviously been shattered to pieces. In fact I felt sort of sorry for her. Blue would be sold before the next show, I was sure of it and maybe she’d pull out that big black stallion, no doubt another horse she couldn’t ride. I just wanted to give her Hashtag back. It was getting that bad.
Walter gave me instructions for the jump off and I tried to listen but I didn’t really need them. I already knew what I was going to do. Clean and clear was my goal. I wasn’t about to wildly gallop a horse that I didn’t know. Then at least we’d have a chance of placing whereas if we went all out and blew it we’d come away with nothing.
The girl before me on a big plain bay had a fast round but she knocked the final fence down, coming out with four faults.
Dad went in on Canterbury and I knew that he would never hold back. It wasn’t his style. He attacked the course just like he did everything in life and this time Canterbury really went for it. They had a clean fast round. I was so proud of him. I wanted to point out to everyone that he was my dad but I’m sure they either already knew or didn’t care.
I gathered my reins and trotted Valentine in. We circled and took off for the first fence before I could change my mind. The reckless part of me wanted to go all out but that wasn’t going to happen. Not today. We cantered around and got all our distances and were clean. I even let him gallop a little to the last fence, heart in my throat that we wouldn’t have it down and we didn’t but we were slow. There was plenty of room on the clock for the others to beat us, if they dared to go for it like my father did.
There were two riders left to go after us. I almost didn’t want to watch but I had to. The girl went clean until the last fence and the guy had a slow clear but looking at the clock I could tell he was slower than we had been.
“Second,” Fiola cried, patting her horse like he’d just won a gold medal.
“Sorry it wasn’t first,” I said.
“Are you kidding?” She laughed. “If I’d been riding him, we wouldn’t have placed at all so thank you. Thank you so much.”
And losing out to my father wasn’t so bad. After all, if I’d beaten him, the blow to his ego would have been worse than the joy that any blue ribbon could have brought. We rode in to collect our prizes, father and daughter side by side.
“You did good today,” he said. “Well done.”
“Well done yourself,” I said, then added, “It was a good day, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, I think it was,” he said, the blue ribbon pinned to his horse’s bridle and a look of pride that I hadn’t seen in a long time. My father was back in business.
CHAPTER FIFTY NINE
At the end of the day we had tired horses and ponies to get back to our farm and a trailer that wasn’t big enough to take them all in one go. Dad took Macaroni, Canterbury and Socks and left me with Arion and Bluebird and the promise that he would be back as soon as he could. I’d seen Faith sulking in the back of her mother’s car. She had to know that you couldn’t win them all but I wished that I’d been able to give her more of my time. Helped her a little bit before her class. I’d have to make it up to her somehow.
Sam had loaded up Blue and Harlow into their fancy trailer. I looked longingly as the gray horse disappeared into the darkness, knowing that I may never see him again. I’d try and get him back somehow but I didn’t have a plan. I hadn't even been able to find Wizard, even though my ‘have you seen this horse’ posters were plastered all over the show grounds like he was a missing child.
“I could give you a ride if you want,” Rose offered. “There is room in our trailer and it’s not that much further on to your farm.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “I’m enjoying the quiet time to be honest.”
So Rose and Andy left with waves and hugs and the promise to do better for the team at the next show. If there was going to be one. The way Duncan had left in a huff, I wasn’t so sure.
I hung out with my horses as the sun started to sink low on the horizon. I let their braids out so that their manes stood up all curly, brushed out their tails and poulticed their legs. I was proud of them and I hadn’t made a fool out of myself this time, which was a step in the right direction. I watched as other horses left in trailers, people waving goodbye to their friends. It was sad in a way that the day was over but we’d all meet up again at the next show. That was something we could all count on.
I wandered over to the concession stand to see if I could get one last cup of coffee. They were just closing up, two girls washing dishes who looked as tired as I felt.
“There is only dregs left I’m afraid,” one of them said apologetically.
“That’s okay,” I said. “I don’t care.”
She gave me the thick coffee and when I took out money to pay she pushed my hand away.
“On the house,” she said. “We’d only have thrown it out anyway.”
“Thanks,” I said.
I sipped at the strong coffee, feeling it jolt through my body and hit my brain like a thousand volts. I was tired but the coffee was helping.
Most of the stalls were empty now but there were a few horses that seemed to be staying overnight. The show grounds let you lease a stall on a temporary basis. Some of those horses had been sold, money changing hands at the show and tomorrow their new owners would arrange to have them picked up and taken to their new barn. Others were waiting for the next clinic or show which might be in a day or two. I wasn’t sure. Or maybe their owners had to make two trips like we did, leaving horses behind to come back for them later.
I passed a small gray pony, a big chestnut mare and then a few more empty stalls before I heard a horse shuffling in the back of his stall. I peered inside, wondering if he was okay and there in the darkness was a familiar black face staring back at me.
“Wizard?” I said.
THE END
COMING SOON
SHOW JUMPING DREAMS #28: CATCH RIDER
Emily is finally figuring out that you don’t need to own all the horses in the world to ride and compete as much as you want. Showing is expensive but she’s started to make a name for herself as a catch rider, picking up rides at shows on other people’s horses. It’s got her noticed by Walter Grey, a prominent trainer on the jumper circuit and now he wants her to ride more of his horses. In fact he wants her to come and train at his barn, an offer she can’t refuse.
But Emily’s father wants to keep training her himself. He doesn’t want to lose his daughter again, to have her slip away to another barn and trainer. So he offers her the one thing he knows she wants, Harlow. And now she’ll have to choose between the horse she loves and the life that will further her career.
And she has another choice to make too. Walter thinks she should quit the team. He promises her that he can fast track her to not only the individual Junior Olympics but the real Olympics too. But Emily isn’t sure she wants to leave her n
ew friends behind. She likes being part of something that is bigger than herself and she’s come to realize that having friends you can count on is more important than going it alone. Her father thinks Walter should understand that but Emily doesn’t want to believe that Walter could have anything but her best interests at heart. But is the big name trainer hiding a dirty secret? And will Emily abandon the horse she once loved just to get ahead?
CATCH RIDER: CHAPTER ONE
I stood there looking at the familiar black face and soft mane as the sun set. Wizard was right in front of me. He’d been at the show all along. I’d found him and this time I wasn’t going to let him go. But there was a shiny silver lock hanging on the front of his stall. I couldn’t get it open. What kind of person would lock a horse in their stall and just leave? What if he got sick and no one could get to him?
I pulled out my phone to call Jordan. I had to tell him that his horse was here. That I’d found him. I knew that it wouldn’t make up for losing him but Wizard seemed okay. I couldn’t see anything wrong with him. His coat was just as dark and shiny as it had ever been.
But someone was coming, there were footsteps on the dry, crunchy grass behind me. I ran around the corner of the row of stalls and crouched in the dim light, heart pounding. I didn’t think they’d seen me. I peered around the corner and saw the back of a tall, stocky man. He looked at Wizard and then looked up and down like he was checking no one was watching him. Then he sat on a folding chair and crossed his arms like he was on guard.
I ran back to my own horses, the phone ringing in my ear, begging Jordan to pick up and not make me leave a message. If the roles had been reversed then I knew that I wouldn’t have answered. I would have made him leave a message but apparently he wasn’t as petty as I was and he answered on the fifth ring.
“Jordan?” I said breathlessly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, concern in his voice.
“Nothing,” I said. “I’ve found Wizard. He’s here at the show grounds, locked in a stall. I can’t get him out but you have to come. Some big guy is keeping watch.”
“Where are you?” he said.
I told him and begged him to hurry. If they decided to leave I wasn’t sure I could stop them. That big guy could easily swat me like a fly. I wouldn’t stand a chance. I just hoped that Jordan would make it in time.
“I know that you probably don’t like me very much anymore,” I said before he hung up. “But I want you to know that I’m sorry.”
“Of course I still like you,” he said. “Just don’t let them leave with my horse.”
“Should I call the police?” I said.
“Wait until I get there,” he said. “You don’t want to spook them. They might hurt Wizard.”
“Okay,” I said.
I waited by my stalls, time ticking away slowly. What if they left already? I couldn’t let them take Wizard again. I crept back to the stalls, hoping no one would see me but the guy wasn’t sitting on his chair anymore. He was pulling up with a truck and trailer. He was going to load up Wizard and take him away before Jordan even arrived. I had to do something. I had to stop him. But how?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Claire Svendsen fell in love with horses at age two when she got her first pony. The only trouble was that it wasn’t a real horse, it was a rocking horse. From that day on she begged, pleaded and bribed for lessons, riding clothes and a horse of her own. She had to wait and work really hard to finally get her first real horse but when she did, it was a dream come true. Over the years she has trained horses, given lessons and even run her own stable.
No longer able to ride due to injury, Claire lives vicariously through the characters in her books. When she’s not busy writing, you’ll find her hanging out at the barn with her retired Thoroughbred Merlin who loves carrots, apples and bowing on command.
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COLLECT THEM ALL
Other books in the Show Jumping Dreams series by Claire Svendsen
#1 Secret Rider
#2 Pony Jumpers
#3 Winter Blues
#4 Star Pupil
#5 Sale Horse
#6 Last Chance
#7 Hunter Pace
#8 Turf Wars
#9 Beach Ride
#10 White Horses
#11 Trick Pony
#12 Off Course
#13 Winter Wonderland
#14 Gift Horse
#15 Half Halt
#16 Young Riders
#17 Show Time
#18 Beginner’s Luck
#19 Chasing Ribbons
#20 Double Standards
#21 Stable Vices
#22 Jump Off
# 23 Dark Horse
#24 Boot Camp
#25 Second Chances
#26 Barn Sour
#27 Heart Horse
(COMING SOON) #28 Catch Rider