“Coming through, y’all!” a waiter hollered, entering with enormous trays of oysters balanced in each hand.
When he’d deposited the trays on the table, Haley’s eyes went wide. “Wow,” she said. “Are those oysters or clams? Because I’ve never had either one before.”
“Oh, are you in for a treat, darling!” Aunt Vi exclaimed, taking Haley by the hand and leading her forward. “Now, here’s how you eat an oyster New Orleans style . . .”
Nina laughed along with everyone else when her friend’s eyes went wide at the taste of her first oyster. Haley swallowed, then looked uncertain for a second, and then smiled.
“I like it!” she said, and the room erupted in applause.
“That’s good,” Nina said. “We’ll see how you like spicy crawfish and jambalaya next. . . .”
Dinner lasted well into the night. Afterward, Nina and her friends piled into the van so her father could drop off the local girls at their houses.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to drive me all the way out to Chalmette,” Leah informed him. “I’m staying over at Edie’s place. I called my parents, and they said it was okay.”
“Really?” Nina blurted out.
Leah rolled her eyes. “Did I stutter?” she snapped, but she looked happy as Edie gave Nina’s father directions to her house.
By the time they’d dropped off the last of the other girls, Nina was yawning.
So were Haley and Brooke, though Maddie seemed as bright and alert as ever.
“Aren’t you the least bit tired?” Haley asked when Maddie paused for breath during a monologue about some cute thing Cloudy had done last week. “I can barely keep my eyes open!”
Maddie shrugged. “It’s two hours earlier in California, remember?”
“Yeah.” Brooke stifled a huge yawn. “We’ll see how lively she is tomorrow morning!”
Nina’s father chuckled as he cut the engine. “Here we are, ladies,” he said. “Let’s get your bags inside.”
Soon they were all set up Nina’s room. Nina insisted that she could sleep on the floor while two of her friends took the double bed. Maddie and Brooke had agreed to share the bed, but only if Nina and Haley swapped with them the next night.
“You mean you guys are staying another night?” Nina exclaimed.
“Of course!” Maddie rolled her eyes. “You didn’t think we came all this way for one day, did you?”
Brooke giggled. “Yeah. We can’t wait to see more of New Orleans.”
“And meet Breezy!” Haley put in.
“Definitely!” Maddie and Brooke chorused. “We can’t wait to meet Breezy!”
They got their wish the next day. Even after staying up half the night talking, all four of them were up early, gobbling down plenty of Nina’s father’s homemade french toast and sausage, and then heading for the barn.
When they arrived, Nina led the way to her pony’s stall. Breezy stuck his head out at her whistle, pricking his ears curiously at the visitors.
“Oh my gosh, he’s so cute!” Haley exclaimed, hurrying forward to rub him on the nose.
“I bet you say that about all the Chincoteague ponies you meet,” Maddie joked.
“So what?” Haley turned her head and stuck out her tongue at Maddie. “It’s always true!”
Nina led Breezy out of the stall so her friends could get a better look at him. The pony nuzzled Brooke’s wispy light-brown ponytail curiously, as if wondering if it might be edible. Brooke giggled and wrapped her arms around the pony’s neck.
“You are so sweet!” she exclaimed.
Nina smiled as she watched all three of her best “imaginary” friends hugging and loving on her amazing pony—one of the four incredible Chincoteague ponies that had brought the Pony Post together. She was so happy she could hardly stand it. Did life get any better than this? She wasn’t sure, and she wasn’t going to worry about it just then. She was just going to enjoy the best surprise ever from the best parents ever with the best friends—and pony—ever.
Glossary
Andalusian horse: A very old breed originating in Spain, also known as the PRE—Pura Raza Española. The breed is similar to the Lusitano from Portugal. Both breeds are known as baroque breeds because of their distinctive conformation, with an arched neck and flowing mane and tail. Andalusians are used in dressage and various other English and Western disciplines, and appear frequently in movies.
Bombproofing: Training a horse to be brave and calm when faced with new or surprising situations. There are various methods to achieve this, many of which include desensitizing the horse by introducing it to a variety of obstacles in a structured environment.
Fly mask: A soft fabric mask worn on a horse’s head that keeps flies and other insects out of the horse’s eyes (and sometimes ears—fly masks can come with ear coverings or without). Passersby sometimes think horses wearing fly masks are blindfolded, but they’re not—all fly masks are see through even if they don’t look that way from a distance.
Forelock: The part of a horse or pony’s mane that grows forward from between the ears and hangs down onto the animal’s face.
Friesian horse: A breed that comes from the Netherlands. Like the Andalusian and Lusitano, the Friesian horse is considered a baroque breed, and has appeared in various movies. However, while Andalusians and Lusitanos can come in many colors, almost all Friesians are solid black.
Gaited horse: A group of breeds that are developed to be able to perform gaits other than the usual walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Called intermediate or ambling gaits, these tend to be very smooth to ride. Examples include the Tennessee Walking Horse, which performs a gait known as the running walk; the Paso Fino, which can perform up to three intermediate gaits; and the Icelandic horse, which is known as a five-gaited breed due to its two additional gaits, the tolt and the flying pace.
Haflinger: A breed of horse first developed in the mountains of Austria. They are sturdy horses sometimes used for draft work, and many are pony size. They are always chestnut with a lighter (flaxen) mane and tail.
Paddock boots: Ankle-height boots worn for riding. Sometimes also known as jodhpur boots.
Polo wraps: Stretchy bandages worn on a horse’s legs. Polo wraps can protect the legs against minor scratches or other issues. They come in many colors and patterns. Polo wraps must be carefully applied to avoid injuring the horse’s legs.
Rising trot (also called posting trot): When a rider rises and sits with each beat of a horse’s trot. Rising to the trot is easier than trying to sit a bouncy or fast trot, both for the rider and the horse.
Vertical: A type of jump. A vertical is upright and narrow, usually consisting of poles or planks set between two standards.
About the Author
CATHERINE HAPKA has written more than one hundred and fifty books for children and young adults, including many about horses. A lifelong horse lover, she rides several times per week and appreciates horses of all breeds. She keeps three horses on a small farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, though none of them are Chincoteague ponies—yet. In addition to writing and riding, she enjoys animals of all kinds, reading, gardening, music, and travel.
The Marguerite Henry’s Ponies of Chincoteague series is inspired by the award-winning books by MARGUERITE HENRY, the beloved author of such classic horse stories as King of the Wind; Misty of Chincoteague; Justin Morgan Had a Horse; Stormy, Misty’s Foal; Misty’s Twilight; and Album of Horses, among many other titles.
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Learn more about the world of Marguerite Henry at www.MistyofChincoteague.org.
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Don’t Miss
MARGUERITE HENRY’S
Ponies of Chincoteague
Book 1: Maddie’s Dream
Book 2: Blue Ribbon Summer
Book 3: Chasing Gold
Book 4: Moonlight Mile
Book 5: A Winning Gift
Book 6: True Riders
Book 7: Back in the Saddle
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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www.SimonandSchuster.com
First Aladdin paperback edition April 2017
Text copyright © 2017 by The Estate of Marguerite Henry
Cover illustration copyright © 2017 by Robert Papp
Also available in an Aladdin hardcover edition.
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
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Book designed by Karina Granda
The text of this book was set in Adobe Caslon Pro.
Library of Congress Control Number 2016953806
ISBN 978-1-4814-5997-6 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-5996-9 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4814-5998-3 (eBook)
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