Showtym Adventures 1

by Kelly Wilson

  LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN … TAMING A WILD PONY!

  When nine-year-old Vicki Wilson’s beloved lease pony is sold, she is heartbroken. Her family doesn’t have much money, and she is desperate to have a pony of her own so she can keep riding.

  Then Vicki has the chance she has been waiting for, to tame and train her own wild pony! How will she earn the trust of her beautiful new chestnut? And will Dandy ever be quiet enough for her to ride at Pony Club or compete at Ribbon Days?

  This is an incredible true story of courage and determination from the Wilson Sisters’ early years, where Vicki, Kelly and Amanda Wilson first encounter wild horses and learn what it takes to make them into champions.

  The Wilson Sisters are leading figures on the equestrian scene, show jumping to Grand Prix and World Cup level. They have become widely known for their work with wild horses, making Kaimanawas a household name in New Zealand and raising awareness of the plight of the American Mustangs and Australian Brumbies.

  THIS BOOK BELONGS TO:

  Contents

  1. Goodbye, Lease Pony

  2. The Mountain Stallion

  3. If Wishes Were Horses …

  4. Not One, But Four

  5. The Round-Up

  6. The Hard Yards

  7. Baby Steps

  8. The Apple

  9. First Touch

  10. Eye Level

  11. Venturing Out

  12. Coming Home

  13. Stormy Weather

  14. The Horse-Breaker

  15. Lost Trust

  16. First Ride … and a Fall

  17. New Experiences

  18. Ribbon Day

  19. Leap of Faith

  Characters

  How-tos

  Follow Penguin Random House

  This book is dedicated to our parents.

  Thank you for teaching us to follow our dreams, and that anything is possible if we work hard, make sacrifices and continuously strive for self-improvement. We wouldn’t be where we are without the life lessons you instilled in us.

  Growing up, we Wilson sisters — Vicki, Amanda and me (I’m Kelly) — were three ordinary girls with a love of horses and dreams of Grand Prix show jumping, taming wild horses and becoming world champions.

  In Showtym Adventures, we want to share true stories from our early years with ponies, to inspire you to have big dreams too! I hope you enjoy reading about the special ponies that started us on our journey …

  Love,

  Kelly

  Chapter 1

  Goodbye, Lease Pony

  “COME ON, BOY,” VICKI WHISPERED to her pony, Cardiff. “If it’s our last show together, let’s make it a good one.” Tears shone in her blue eyes as she groomed his sleek white coat, braided his mane and oiled his hooves. She’d washed him three times to get the stains out and he’d never looked better.

  She couldn’t believe, after just one year together, his owner had sold him. Vicki had always hoped the owner would see how much she loved Cardiff and let her keep leasing him forever. She knew one day soon she’d outgrow the 12.2-hand pony — since she was already nine years old — but she’d imagined her little sisters, Kelly and Amanda, taking over the reins so he could stay in the family.

  “Vicki, can you help me brush Charlie?” asked four-year-old Amanda, her youngest sister. Vicki glanced over to where Amanda sat balanced on a feed bucket, carefully picking out Charlie Brown’s hooves. The flea-bitten grey pony was still covered in bits of hay and dirt, and they were due in the ring for Best Groomed in less than ten minutes.

  With a sigh, Vicki turned to help, but seven-year-old Kelly beat her to it. “I’ll help her,” she said. “Twinkle’s all ready, and anyway, you should be spending every second with Cardiff.”

  “Thanks,” Vicki said, grateful for her sister’s understanding. She returned to her pony and gently brushed his tail, careful not to pull out any of the precious strands of hair.

  Soon all three ponies were bridled and ready. Although they were all grey and sized between 11 and 12.2 hands, that’s where the similarities ended. Cardiff was a chunky gelding who’d quickly earned the paddock name ‘Fatso’ when he’d first joined their family. In comparison, Kelly’s pony Twinkle was a pretty mare with delicate features, and Amanda’s pony Charlie Brown, who both Vicki and Kelly had ridden when they were younger, was cheeky in both looks and personality.

  Mum and Dad arrived back from the show office just before the Best Groomed class started and helped to tie the entry numbers onto the girls’ arms.

  “Enjoy today, kiddo,” Dad said as he hugged Vicki good luck. “I’m sorry we couldn’t afford to buy Cardiff for you, but don’t let it take away from enjoying your last day together.”

  As Vicki waited in line for the judge to look over her pony, her mind wandered. She knew how stressed her parents were feeling, trying to work out a way to afford a new pony. Twinkle had cost just $75 and Charlie had been $250, but trying to scrape together even that much money was a struggle at the moment. There was no way they could have paid the thousands of dollars that Cardiff’s new rider had paid for him.

  Vicki thought back to when she’d first been given Cardiff. She’d felt so lucky when she’d been offered him on a free lease — she could never have had such a nice pony otherwise. In the year they’d been together, she’d enjoyed lots of success with him at Ribbon Days and in Pony Club events.

  But now he was leaving, and Vicki desperately wanted a new pony so she could keep riding. Her sisters were being very kind and had offered to let her borrow their ponies, but Twinkle and Charlie seemed much too small now. Besides, Kelly and Amanda loved riding as much as she did, so she didn’t want them to miss out. Her parents had told her that the right pony would come along — she just hoped it would be soon. She had dreams of being one of the best riders in the country but she knew she had lots to learn before that could ever become a reality.

  “Vicki, stop day-dreaming — the judge is coming,” whispered Kelly.

  Shaking away her thoughts, Vicki turned to check Cardiff was standing with his legs square, then smiled as the judge approached. Carefully the judge ran her hands over the pony’s coat, then picked up his hooves to check they were clean. With a satisfied smile, she turned to Vicki and said, “You’re a lucky girl — he’s a beautiful pony. You’ve done a wonderful job presenting him.”

  As the judge moved along to Kelly, then Amanda, Vicki turned to Cardiff with a wobbly smile. She whispered in his ear, “I have been lucky — thank you for the best year ever.”

  Soon the judge was finished and called the winners forward. Vicki was in first place, and she proudly led her pony to collect his red ribbon. Neither of her sisters placed, but Vicki wasn’t surprised. Although they loved their ponies, they didn’t take their riding as seriously as she did. Unlike her, they hadn’t spent hours polishing their boots and cleaning their gear in preparation for the show, nor had they washed their ponies, who were more yellow than white. Their mum said it was because they were younger than her and weren’t used to competing, but Vicki just thought they were lazy.

  For the rest of the day, Vicki and Cardiff continued their winning streak. By the end of the show he’d won so many ribbons that they didn’t fit on his short, stocky neck. Trophies spilled out of Vicki’s arms, and rosettes hung off Cardiff’s bridle. It was the perfect last ride on her special pony, and that night she dreamed of what her next pony might look like.

  Chapter 2

  The Mountain Stallion

  A MONTH AFTER SHE’D HAD to say goodbye to Cardiff, Vicki was still without a pony. Every day she would search the newspaper for ponies advertised for sale, but her family had been able to scrape together only a couple of hundred dollars, and there wa
s nothing in their price range. With each day that passed Vicki felt more disheartened.

  One day after school, her parents told her they had a surprise trip planned. “We’re going to see some wild ponies!” her mum said with a huge smile.

  “Real wild horses?” squealed Kelly.

  “Where?” Vicki asked in confusion. “I didn’t know there were wild ponies around here.”

  “Neither did we,” her dad said, “but there’s a herd that runs wild on a mountain, just fifteen minutes from here. Look what I saw in today’s paper!”

  Vicki reached for the newspaper, unable to believe what she was hearing. Right there, in black and white, her dad had circled the following words: Wild mountain ponies, $50 each.

  With shaking hands, she re-read the words, then looked up at her parents. “My favourite books are about taming wild horses,” she whispered.

  Mum leant over and ruffled Vicki’s long brown hair. “I know they are. Maybe you’ll find your own one to tame. We’ve already phoned the people and they’re expecting us to look at the ponies this afternoon.”

  “Hurry up, let’s go!” Amanda cried, with a stamp of her foot. “I’ve been waiting all day for you and Kelly to come home from school.”

  Excited, Vicki, Kelly and Amanda pulled on their boots and piled into the family’s old car. As their dad drove, the chatter of the three sisters filled the air, their excitement contagious as they neared the old volcano, which loomed above the Hikurangi Swamp.

  Their car rattled to a stop at the end of a steep gravel driveway. A lady met them and led the family higher up the mountain, walking up a winding bush track that weaved between trees and volcanic rocks.

  “How long have the wild ponies lived up here?” Vicki asked.

  “Our family has been breeding Welsh ponies on this mountain for generations,” the lady said. “It’s only in recent years we haven’t been able to keep up with training them. Now the herd roams wild — some of them have never been touched.”

  “How many are there?” Vicki said, eager to learn as much as possible about the ponies.

  “There must be about twenty or thirty now — I’ve lost track of all the foals that have been born over the years. Whoever takes them will have a hard time catching them, let alone taming them.”

  After they’d been walking for ten minutes, the trees thinned out and the track opened out into a volcanic crater. The grass was sparse from over-grazing, and dozens of ponies dotted the landscape.

  The family paused at the edge of the trees. As they watched, a beautiful chestnut pony pranced down the hill, his glistening red coat rippling like lava and his long mane flowing in the wind. With a shrill cry he screamed a challenge to a palomino stallion who stood grazing with his mares.

  Coming to a halt, the chestnut rose on his hind legs, his forelegs striking the air. Vicki gasped as the palomino rushed forward with teeth bared and chased the younger stallion away. With a loud snort the chestnut leapt to safety and darted up into the trees, disappearing from sight.

  “Why were they fighting?” asked Amanda. “Won’t they hurt each other?”

  “It’s the way of wild horses,” the lady replied. “The young chestnut stallion wants a herd of his own, and the palomino has to fight to protect his mares from being stolen.”

  Turning, she pointed to the palomino and his small herd. “Everything in this herd is available if you’re interested. The stallion is six years old, the grey mare with the foal is about eight and …”

  Vicki listened distractedly as the lady pointed out more ponies for sale, her eyes fixed on the trees, hoping the chestnut stallion would reappear. Quietly, she asked, “What about the chestnut?”

  The lady looked down at her with a cautious expression on her face and said, “They’re brothers, you know. But they are nothing alike. The palomino is curious and sensible, but the chestnut is a troublemaker. He’s only four years old, but he’s going to be a hard one to tame.”

  “But we could choose him, if he was our favourite?”

  “I certainly wouldn’t recommend him, but yes, he also has to go, one way or another.”

  “Can we please go closer to the horses?” Amanda asked, tugging on the lady’s arm.

  “Follow me,” she replied, striding ahead.

  Vicki’s gaze returned to the tree-line, but the elusive chestnut was nowhere to be seen.

  As they drew closer, the palomino raised his head, his flowing white mane contrasting with the golden hues of his coat. A white blaze ran down his nose. “He’s the most beautiful pony I’ve ever seen,” Kelly said, jumping up and down and clapping her hands in excitement. Startled, the palomino leapt back, circling his herd to put more distance between them.

  “Don’t you know anything about wild horses?” Vicki said, furious that her sister had spooked the curious stallion. “You have to stay quiet and move slowly so you don’t scare them.”

  Kelly dropped her gaze and slowly shuffled back behind her mum. “I’ve never seen a wild horse before — how was I supposed to know?”

  As they watched the herd, the grey mare stepped forward. Every rib was showing, and her hip bones were jutting through her taut hide. Her foal bunted her playfully, trying to suckle.

  “It’s been a hard year,” the lady sighed. “They’ll starve this winter if I don’t reduce numbers.”

  Finally, sensing movement in the trees, Vicki turned and saw a flash of red. “Mum, Dad,” she said urgently. “He’s watching us.”

  They saw the young chestnut stallion, standing alert and peering out from the shadow of the trees.

  “Everyone else wait here while Vicki and I get a closer look at him,” her mum said.

  Slowly, they made their way up the hill towards the chestnut. With each of their steps Vicki could see the stallion tense, his neck arched as he snorted in fear.

  “I’ve never seen a pony like him,” Vicki whispered, her eyes wide.

  “He sure is something,” her mum agreed, as the stallion tossed his head and galloped past them down the hillside, the pounding of his hooves echoing around the crater.

  As they made their way back to the others, Vicki kept her eyes on the fleeing pony. None of the others were as beautiful, strong or splendid as the chestnut stallion, and already her heart was set on taming him.

  As they hiked back down the mountain to their car, Vicki dreamed of everything she’d be able to do with him once she won his trust. Taming a wild, untouched stallion was everything she’d ever dreamed of. Now she just had to convince her parents she could do it.

  Chapter 3

  If Wishes Were Horses …

  THAT NIGHT, WHEN VICKI’S PARENTS came to tuck her into bed, in the small room she shared with her sisters, all she could talk about was the wild mountain ponies. “It would be a dream to tame the chestnut stallion. You know how hard it is to find nice ponies that we can afford — they’re always too old, or too young, or injured, or difficult. I never thought owning a pony that beautiful would be possible.”

  “There’s a very good reason they’re so cheap,” her dad cautioned. “Taming wild horses is much more difficult than it sounds in the books you read.”

  “Especially the chestnut. It’s in his nature to fight — didn’t you see the way he was baiting his brother?” her mum added. “What about the palomino? He looks much easier.”

  But Vicki was adamant. The chestnut stallion was the right pony for her. “Please, Mum and Dad — you know I’m good with naughty ponies. I really think I can tame him.”

  “I believe you, kiddo,” her dad said. “Now convince your mum while I go say goodnight to Amanda and Kelly.”

  “We just don’t want to see you get hurt,” Vicki’s mum said. “I know you did a great job retraining Charlie when you first got him, and helping Kelly with Twinkle, but that’s nothing compared to the challenges you’ll face working with a wild horse.”

  “You’ve ridden ever since you were a little girl,” Vicki argued. “I’m sure you can teach me ev
erything I need to know.”

  Laughing, her mum replied, “I rode farm horses and stroppy thoroughbreds off the racetrack — I don’t think they’re quite the same thing. Besides, I’ve barely ridden since you kids got your own ponies. I’m out of practice.”

  Tugging on her mum’s arm, Vicki leant forward. “Don’t you miss it? I’d be so sad if I couldn’t ride — it’s my favourite thing in the world.”

  With a wistful smile, her mum gave her a hug good night. “Sometimes, but there’s not enough money for all our dreams to come true,” she whispered in her daughter’s ear as she leant forward to hug her.

  Unable to sleep, Vicki mulled over her mum’s last words, convinced they had a hidden meaning. Did her mum want to ride again? If so, was it only money that stopped her?

  After a restless sleep, Vicki dragged herself out of bed the next morning and ran down the hallway of their tiny house.

  “Mum, why don’t you ride anymore?” Vicki demanded.

  Surprised, her mum glanced up from the clothes she was mending. When she saw her daughter’s determined face she put down the needle and thread. “It’s not my passion anymore. You and your sisters are what’s most important to me now.”

  “But if we had enough money, would you have your own horse again?”

  “But we don’t,” her mum said with a sigh. “Sometimes there’s no point imagining what might be. I get more than enough pleasure watching you and your sisters ride.”

  “Mum, we budgeted two hundred dollars for a new pony and the wild ones are only fifty dollars each. Couldn’t we both get one? The skinny grey mare would be big enough for you to ride.”

  Shaking her head, her mum replied, “If we take one of the wild ponies it will cost a fortune to feed for the first few months. The cost of hay alone will chip away at the last of our savings. And since we don’t have high enough fences to keep a horse like that contained, we’d have to keep them at the neighbours’.”