Horse Talk

by Bonnie Bryant

  Two boys came out of Mrs. Klemme’s room, scowling. “Guess she didn’t like their idea,” Carole said, nudging Lisa with her elbow and nodding toward the boys.

  “Guess not.” Lisa frowned. “Weren’t they planning on doing a music show, like us?”

  “Ours will be much better,” Carole assured her. Lisa nodded.

  But the next two pairs of kids went in and out of Mrs. Klemme’s room so quickly that Lisa thought it looked as if they were using a revolving door. She grabbed a girl from the second pair. “What’s wrong?” Lisa asked. “Why isn’t she listening to anyone’s ideas?”

  The girl, whom Lisa knew slightly from class, rolled her eyes in disgust. “She says she’s not taking any more music shows. She’s got enough scheduled already, she says.” The girl sounded peeved. “She wouldn’t even look at our playlist!”

  “Uh-oh.” Lisa and Carole looked at each other in dismay. “That’s what we were going to do, too.”

  “Better change your minds fast, or give up being a DJ,” the girl advised as she walked away.

  “Wow,” Carole said. “What should we do?”

  “We have to think of something quick,” Lisa said. “How about a talk show?”

  Carole shook her head, laughing. “The only thing I know enough to talk about is horses. Who’s going to listen to that?”

  “I don’t know,” Lisa said. She tried to come up with a better idea, but the door opened and it was their turn.

  “Horse Talk!” Carole said to Mrs. Klemme. “We thought we’d do a talk show called Horse Talk. About horses.”

  Mrs. Klemme looked pleased. “That’s a different idea,” she said. “A call-in show, you mean?”

  “Uh … sure,” Lisa said. “Like the gardening show my mom listens to. People call in and ask questions about how to take care of gardenias and stuff, only they’ll be asking us how to take care of horses.”

  “All about horses,” Carole corrected her. “Not just how to care for them. Anything people want to ask, we’ll answer.”

  Mrs. Klemme smiled. “It’s a relief to hear from a pair who don’t want to do another music show! I don’t know anything about horses myself. I assume you two do?”

  They nodded. “We’ve been riding for years,” Carole said.

  “Horse Talk it is,” Ms. Klemme said, adding the title to her chart. “You’ll be on the air a week from today.”

  Lisa and Carole looked at one another. What had they gotten themselves into?

  “A TALK SHOW about horses? Here?” Max looked amused and a little skeptical. “Where did you get that idea?” Lisa and Carole had come straight from the meeting to the stables. They’d had time to tell Stevie all about their plans before Max had finished a lesson he was teaching. Stevie thought Horse Talk was a fabulous idea. She couldn’t wait to help out.

  “Come on, Max,” Lisa pleaded. “It was the best idea we could think of. We’re the only call-in show. And we already told Mrs. Klemme we could probably have it here.”

  “Live from Pine Hollow,” Carole told him. “It’s exciting. It’s authentic.”

  “It’s publicity,” Stevie pointed out. “This could make Pine Hollow famous—really put it on the map. You’ll probably get a bunch of new students because of Horse Talk.”

  Max grinned. “Only if Lisa and Carole answer the questions correctly,” he said.

  “Max!” Lisa protested. “You know we know more about horses than most people who listen to the radio.” Lisa knew that no one knew everything about riding, but she also knew that many people didn’t know anything at all.

  “Between Lisa’s acting ability and Carole’s incredible wealth of knowledge, how can they go wrong?” Stevie asked. She smiled at Max. “Plus, they’ll have my behind-the-scenes help. It’ll be a certain success—if you say we can do it.”

  “If anyone can make a horse chat show a success, I believe you three could,” Max said. “You certainly talk about horses enough. I guess you can hold it here.”

  “Thanks!” Lisa said. “Mrs. Klemme said she’d stop by later in the week to discuss the details with you. Max, you won’t regret this.”

  “I’m sure I won’t,” he replied.

  Stevie squeezed Lisa’s arm excitedly. “This is the best Saddle Club project ever!”

  LISA AND CAROLE spent the next couple of days getting ready for Horse Talk. On Thursday they learned how to set up and operate the portable equipment that would let them broadcast from Pine Hollow. On Friday morning they met with some of the students who were doing behind-the-scenes work for the project. They picked out music for a theme song and learned how to play the prerecorded advertising tapes.

  “Phew!” Lisa said as they walked into the stable together on Saturday morning. “All the radio stuff has been fun, but I’m glad we’ll be riding today!”

  “You and me both,” Carole replied. “Max said we could tell everyone about Horse Talk at Horse Wise today.” Horse Wise was the Pony Club that most of the kids at Pine Hollow belonged to. It helped them learn all sorts of things about horses, and it met almost every Saturday morning. Today they were having a brief meeting in the office, and then a session on horseback.

  They hung their coats in their cubbies in the locker room. Stevie appeared shortly, and the three of them headed for the meeting. Most of the other Pony Clubbers were already inside. Max spent the first few minutes of the meeting discussing some changes in the schedule for the next month. Then he asked Lisa to tell everyone about Horse Talk.

  “It’s new, it’s exciting, and it’s live from Pine Hollow!” Lisa began. Her acting classes had taught her the importance of an energetic opening line, but this one fizzled: The Pony Clubbers looked blank. “Horse Talk is a radio show Carole and I will be broadcasting from Pine Hollow—live every Wednesday afternoon!” she said. She explained her school’s project. “So if any of you have horse questions you want answered, you know where to call! And if you just like to hear about horses, tune in every Wednesday, live from Pine Hollow!” Despite the enthusiasm Lisa tried to put into her voice, no one looked very excited.

  “What a splendid idea,” Veronica diAngelo drawled, her sarcastic tone making the idea seem not splendid but hopelessly stupid. Veronica was one of the most annoying riders in the barn. “What kind of school do you go to, where they teach you things like that?” she asked. Veronica went to Fenton Hall, the same as Stevie, and she knew perfectly well where Lisa, Carole, and most of the other kids went to school.

  Lisa flushed but decided to ignore Veronica. “It’ll be great,” she promised the group. “Just tune in and see. Any questions?” To Lisa’s relief, May Grover raised her hand. “Yes, May?” Lisa asked the younger girl.

  “Why would we want to call you on the phone to ask you a question when we can just ask you in person?” May demanded. “Especially when you’re already at the stable.”

  “Well—”

  “Or we could just ask Max,” May’s friend Jasmine James cut in. “He knows more than you guys, even, and he’s usually around.”

  “Because it’ll be fun,” Stevie said. “You’ll get to hear your voice on the radio. All your friends will hear you.”

  “Not if they aren’t listening,” May said.

  Lisa looked increasingly flustered, and Stevie felt exasperated. “So tell them to listen,” Stevie told May. “Tell everyone you know. It’ll be a great show!”

  “Thank you, Lisa and Stevie,” Max said. “Thank you, Carole.”

  Lisa sat down gratefully and exchanged annoyed glances with Carole. How could the entire Pony Club be so shortsighted? Horse Talk was a fabulous idea.

  “One more item on our agenda before we ride,” Max said. “Janey, come on up here, please.” He motioned to a small girl Carole had not noticed before. She was dressed in neat but not fussy riding clothes, and she had a Pony Club pin on the collar of her jacket. She looked about May’s age, or maybe a little younger.

  “This is Janey,” Max said, turning her around to face the other kid
s. Janey didn’t quite meet their eyes; Carole guessed she didn’t feel comfortable in front of so many strangers. Oh, well, Carole thought. No one is ever a stranger at Pine Hollow for long.

  “Janey is from New Zealand,” Max continued. “Her parents are working in Washington, D.C., for a few months and living in Willow Creek, so Janey’s going to ride with us while she’s here. I want you all to make her welcome. Stevie, I want you to take special care of her. You’ll be her big sister, okay?”

  “Sure, Max,” Stevie said cheerfully. Max often had them learn things in big sister–little sister pairs. She waved at Janey, but Janey just hung her head a little and didn’t wave back. Stevie wondered why the girl looked so glum.

  “If you have any problems or questions and you can’t find me, you ask Stevie,” Max told Janey. “And Stevie will help you tack your pony up for the lesson today, too.”

  Janey spoke so softly, her reply was hard to hear. She had a funny accent that was difficult for Stevie to understand. The Saddle Club had gone to a Pony Club competition in England, and Stevie had become accustomed to English accents, but Janey’s was not quite the same.

  “She’ll be riding Nickel today,” Max told Stevie. The rest of Horse Wise was already dispersing, but Lisa and Carole stayed with Stevie and introduced themselves to Janey. The little girl scarcely responded to them, only muttering, “Hello,” before looking away. She wasn’t very friendly.

  “Come on,” Stevie said gently, leading her down the aisle. “I’ll show you the tack room and then I’ll take you to Nickel. Do you know how to tack up? Shall I show you how?”

  Janey’s eyes widened. “I’m not daft,” she said.

  “I didn’t say you were,” Stevie said. She didn’t understand Janey’s reaction—she hadn’t said anything to upset her. She was just trying to be helpful.

  “I can tack up a horse,” Janey said.

  Stevie shrugged. “At some stables around here, the kids just get on and ride,” she explained. “Some kids come to Pony Club and don’t know how to tack up.”

  “In New Zealand we learn everything proper,” Janey said with a fierce frown.

  Stevie sighed. She had always liked having a little sister before, but this particular little sister didn’t seem like much fun. She took Janey to the tack room and pointed out Nickel’s saddle, bridle, and grooming equipment. Then she took her down the aisle to meet the pony. Nickel was a shaggy, extremely gentle gray pony. He was one of Stevie’s favorites.

  “Here he is,” Stevie said grandly. She pulled a carrot out of her jacket pocket and broke off a piece for Nickel. He stuck his nose over the stall door and asked for more.

  Janey dropped her saddle on the nearby rack with a thump. “I’m riding that lump?” she asked. “That’s bloody! Am I going to be stuck on him the whole time?”

  “He’s a great pony. I don’t know whether you’ll get to ride him the whole time or not.” Stevie put great emphasis on the words get to. Riding was a privilege, and Janey should feel fortunate that Max had assigned her a pony as nice as Nickel.

  “He’s not much like my Fancy, that’s all,” Janey said softly.

  “He’s fancy enough,” Stevie retorted. She knew that some show ponies looked like miniature Thoroughbreds; she also knew that those cost about a zillion dollars and weren’t likely to be used for lessons anywhere. She didn’t know what Janey’s problem was.

  Janey made a noise that sounded like a growl. Stevie decided to ignore it. “You shouldn’t thump your saddle around like that,” she said instead. “Saddles have pieces of wood in the middle of them, and if you break the wood you’ve wrecked the saddle.”

  Janey’s eyes widened again. “Really?” she said. “How about the bridle? Does it have wood in it, too?”

  “Of course not,” Stevie said. “Look—”

  Janey let out a snort that was almost a laugh. “I was joking,” she said. “I know about saddles. My instructor at home cut an old one in half so we could see the insides.”

  “Oh.” Stevie felt a little foolish, and it annoyed her that a kid Janey’s age was making her feel that way. “Well, look. We’ve got to hurry or Max will get mad, and I’ve got my own horse to get ready. If you know so much about saddles, you can tack Nickel up by yourself. Just go on out to the ring when you’re done.”

  “Yes, miss,” Janey said, softly and a little sadly.

  Stevie wondered if Janey was being sarcastic again or if that was how people from New Zealand usually talked. She felt she wasn’t being a very good big sister, but she didn’t know what she should be doing differently. She was afraid she didn’t actually like Janey very much. She shook her head and went to saddle Belle. Probably Janey just needed a little more time to adjust to Pine Hollow.

  * * *

  WHEN CAROLE RODE into the ring for the mounted portion of the Pony Club meeting, she had to laugh. She gave Starlight’s neck a pat. “Look,” she said, “it’s our second chance.” Max had set up the same type of gymnastic exercises that Carole had struggled over in Tuesday’s lesson. Some of the fences were a little lower to accommodate the smaller ponies.

  This time Carole got it right. She focused on feeling Starlight’s body move, and she tried to let herself move with him. “Very good, Carole!” Max shouted the second time she rode down the line of jumps.

  Carole grinned from ear to ear. She could feel that she was doing well. “I’m listening a little better today,” she told him.

  “That’s right.” To Carole’s surprise, Max held up his hand and spoke to the entire group. “Carole is listening to her horse—not just with her ears, but with her legs and seat and hands. Everybody got that? That’s what you want to try to do.”

  At the end of the session, Carole’s friends rode up to congratulate her. “That was miles better,” Lisa said. “You’re back at the top of the class.”

  “Thanks.” Carole beamed and gave Starlight another pat. “Did you guys see Janey? I couldn’t watch her much because she was riding right behind me, but she looked really great.”

  “I couldn’t ever really see her, either,” Lisa admitted, “but Max sure said a lot of nice things to her.”

  “Um-hm,” Stevie said noncommittally. She was embarrassed to admit that she hadn’t really thought about or watched Janey at all.

  “Hey, Janey!” Lisa waved her crop to attract the little girl’s attention. “You did great!”

  Janey scowled. “I don’t need your sarcasm,” she retorted. She turned Nickel away from them, hitched up the back of her trousers, and stalked away.

  “But I wasn’t being sarcastic,” Lisa said softly. She turned to Carole. “Why would she think I was?”

  Carole shrugged. “Did we miss something? Maybe she made some mistakes we didn’t see.”

  “She doesn’t have to be rude about it,” Lisa said.

  “I bet she’s still in a tiff about riding Nickel,” Stevie said. “She told me he wasn’t fancy enough for her.”

  “Really!” Carole was disgusted. “He’s fancy enough for us. I hope Janey’s not another Veronica diAngelo.”

  WHILE THEY WERE putting their horses away, Mrs. Klemme came into the stable. Lisa pointed her in the direction of Max’s office, and after a few minutes she came back out, waved to Lisa and Carole, and drove away. A few minutes later, Max came down the aisle.

  “Turns out your radio project needs a lot of space and a few electrical outlets,” he said in a dry tone.

  “Yeah,” Lisa said, nodding. She remembered the big binder full of radio project information she’d been given. They would need a lot of equipment to do their show.

  “Turns out there’s only one place in the stable that’s big enough,” Max said. He sounded annoyed, but there was a glimmer of a smile around the edges of his mouth.

  “What place is that?” Carole asked.

  “In the stall row, right outside the tack room. It was there or the indoor ring, but the ring doesn’t have outlets. Trust you three to end up in the middle of everythin
g!” He turned and stalked away.

  “Sorry,” Lisa said. Stevie and Carole laughed.

  Max turned back and smiled at them. “You’re going to be live from Pine Hollow, all right. Wednesdays only—remember that. By Thursday morning I want my space back!”

  “READY?” CAROLE SLID into her chair and pulled it close to the big folding table they’d set up. She put on her headphones. Her heart was thudding from excitement. In just a few moments they would be on the air!

  “Ready!” Lisa took her place in another chair. The two friends grinned at one another. Lisa felt the quick thrill of nervousness that always went through her just as she was about to perform.

  Stevie adjusted the stack of horse reference books Carole had put on the table. Lisa fiddled with one of the equipment controls. Carole cleared her throat noisily, and all three of them watched the second hand on the big stable wall clock slowly sweep around. In exactly half a minute, Horse Talk would premiere.

  Stevie stood in front of the table, her eyes still on the clock. She counted off the last few seconds—“Three! Two! One!”—for her friends, then sat down in the third chair to watch the show.

  Exactly on cue, Lisa hit the button that put them on the air. Carole ran the tape that played their theme music—a classical piece that sounded a little like horses galloping—and Lisa read out their cleverly written introduction. “… We’re coming to you live from Pine Hollow, Willow Creek’s finest riding academy, every Wednesday for the next four weeks,” she concluded. “Horse Talk. The phone number is 555–8151. That’s 555–8151.”

  That was the stable phone number. It really wasn’t worth the extra bother for them to get a special number just for Horse Talk, so they’d run a long extension phone line from the office. Mrs. Reg had not been too happy about having her phone tied up for an hour every week, but she had let them use it after they’d promised to repay her by spending an extra hour each week cleaning stalls.

  Lisa licked her dry lips and smiled encouragingly at Carole. Carole nodded and spoke into the microphone. “I’m Carole Hanson. I’m a C-3 level Pony Club member, and I own a horse named Starlight. Lisa and I are pleased to take your calls. 555–8151.”