by Kelly Wilson
Vicki saw sunlight peeking through the curtains and jumped out of bed, hurriedly pulling on her clothes.
“It’s eight o’clock! Hurry up, guys — Dandy will be hungry!” she said.
A few minutes later, Amanda wandered into the kitchen and stretched sleepily before grabbing a bowl and asking her mum to make her breakfast. Whisking it away from her, Dad turned her in the direction of the door.
“There’s a new rule in this house: no one gets to eat until the horses are fed.”
Amanda dragged her feet. “But I’m starving, and I won’t be able to work if I’m hungry.”
Vicki smirked. Amanda loved her food and always got a little angry when she was hungry. “No complaining, remember?”
Looking around, Mum asked, “Where’s Kelly?”
“Tell her she’s got ten seconds to be in the car,” Dad replied.
The morning routine took even longer than the night before — not only did they have to pick grass, but their parents also had to muck out the manure from the yards, moving quietly so the horses wouldn’t get frightened. The palomino and the grey mare and her foal were quite settled, but Dandy started panicking as soon as Dad opened the gate.
‘Woah, boy,” he said. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
“He looks like he’s going to jump the fence,” Vicki said nervously, as she watched from the laneway.
“I don’t think he’s ready for me to enter his yard. How about we move him into the next one over so I can muck out?” Dad opened another gate and slowly stepped around Dandy to encourage him into the opening. Seeing an opportunity to escape, Dandy darted into the next yard and stood trembling while the gate was relatched.
“Come in and help me, Vicki,” Dad said. “The sooner we get his yard clean, the quicker he can return and get settled.”
Kelly and Amanda helped their mum cut grass, emptying it into the yards for the horses to eat. Once they were done the family sat on the fence overlooking the horses, talking quietly to their new steeds. Their quiet voices lulled the ponies and they stood quietly eating.
Eventually all the jobs were finished and the family headed home for breakfast. Vicki felt as if she was half-starved and ate twice as much as normal. She was desperate to return to the yards to work with the horses. During the weeks there wouldn’t be much daylight in the evenings after school.
When they returned to the yards soon after lunch, Vicki was disheartened to see the horses had eaten all their grass.
“We can’t let the horses go that long without food, so we’re going to have to feed them three times a day,” Mum said. “You girls can help on weekends, but Dad and I will do the lunch feeds on school days.”
With a few groans, the girls collected the wheelbarrow and headed down to the road to cut more grass. It looked like they would be spending over two hours every day just cutting grass.
“No wonder people normally feed hay to horses!” said Vicki.
“If we were feeding hay they’d go through at least two slices each, three times a day. That’s fifteen bales every week, so it quickly adds up.”
“Ouch!” said Vicki, quickly doing the maths. “We’d be spending more on hay in one week than it cost to buy the ponies.”
Her dad nodded. “We could never have afforded that, so thank you for your genius idea to cut grass.”
When they finished, Vicki settled down to watch Dandy eat.
“So, how do we tame them, anyway?” she asked her mum.
“I have no idea,” she replied softly. “Let’s just take it one day at a time and let the horses be our teachers.”
Chapter 7
Baby Steps
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS Vicki, Kelly and Amanda fell into a routine. They would wake up at 7 a.m. and head down to the stockyards to cut grass for the wild horses, then head home for breakfast. It was always a rush for Vicki and Kelly to get dressed and ready for school in time, and they were often late.
Arriving after the bell for the third day in a row, Vicki hurried into class, pulling grass from her hair.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said as she passed her teacher a note.
“Please excuse Vicki for being late, it couldn’t be helped,” she read. “You’ve used the same excuse three days in a row and it certainly doesn’t offer much information. What exactly is causing you to be late?”
“I’m taming a wild stallion, and I have to pick grass for him each morning.”
With a frown, the teacher locked eyes with Vicki. “As amusing as that sounds, you are required to tell me the truth.”
“It’s true, I promise. Last weekend we caught four wild ponies in the mountains. They’re staying at the neighbours’ until they’re tame enough to bring home,” Vicki said.
“Next time you’re late I want to talk to your parents,” the teacher said sternly. “Now go to your seat.”
The 3 p.m. bell never came quickly enough. As soon as it rang, Vicki sprinted to the school entrance, closely followed by Kelly. Their parents always came prepared with a change of clothes and a snack, so they could go straight to the ponies.
Once they got to the yards, they had only an hour to spend with the horses. The rest of the time was spent cutting grass, mucking out or topping up the ponies’ water, so they could get home before dark. Dandy was still too wild to work with, so each day Vicki would just sit on the rails, quietly chatting to him.
“One day we’re going to be best friends,” she told the wild stallion. “I know you think I’m scary right now, but soon you’ll realise how much fun we can have. We’ll go on farm rides and learn to jump logs and ditches, then how to jump over walls and show-jumps. If you’re really good, you can even come to Pony Club camp and swim at the beach — you’ll love that.”
Each day, Vicki talked non-stop for the full hour, sharing her hopes and dreams with Dandy. Mostly he just ignored her and stood tense. But on Thursday, five days after he’d been mustered from the mountain, Vicki finally noticed a change come over him.
“Am I boring you?” she asked in surprise, when she noticed the pony yawn. “It’s good you’re finally relaxed enough to sleep when I’m around. You rest while I go check on the other ponies.”
Climbing down, Vicki was surprised to see her dad in the yard with the palomino stallion, while Kelly watched intently from the fence. He stood about a metre away from him, holding out a handful of grass. Although the horse wasn’t brave enough to step forward, he had his beautiful head outstretched.
“That’s a good boy, Squizzy,” Dad murmured. “You’re a brave one, aren’t you?” Dropping his hand, he slowly backed away from the horse until he stood near Kelly and Vicki. “If you think that’s good, you should watch your mum working with Jude. She’s already eating out of your mum’s hand!”
Vicki’s jaw dropped. She moved over to the next yard, careful to walk slowly so she didn’t spook the ponies. Her dad was right: the mare stood in the yard beside Mum, greedily eating grass out of her mum’s hands. The foal still hid behind her, unsure if humans were friends or not.
To Vicki’s surprise, she could see heaps of cut grass still lying nearby in a blue drum. That meant Jude wasn’t eating from her mum’s hands because she was hungry and had no other choice, but because the horse trusted her. How she wished Dandy was already at that stage.
The next day Vicki watched enviously as her mum stroked Jude’s neck for the first time. The mare was shocked by the contact and jumped backwards, but soon stepped forward and let herself be touched again. Even Squizzy was making good progress and was now stepping forward to eat out of her dad’s hands.
The only horse that hadn’t improved was Dandy, and Vicki was getting more and more worried that he was too wild to tame. Disheartened, she sat overlooking his yard, watching him.
“What am I supposed to do with you?” she said. “Don’t you want to be my friend? The sooner you’re tamed, the sooner you can come home. You’ll love it at home. There’s a big paddock to roam in and you’ll get to kno
w Charlie and Twinkle — they are heaps of fun, and I’m sure they’ll teach you lots of good habits. Charlie used to be so naughty! He tried every dirty trick in the book to make me fall off when I first got him, but now he’s perfect to ride. Even Amanda is safe on him, and she’s only little.”
Vicki was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice that Dandy had stepped closer until she heard him snort. Looking up in shock, she watched as the spirited stallion halted in the centre of the yard, facing her, no longer hiding in the furthest corner. Barely able to breathe, Vicki was careful to keep still.
“See, I’m not as scary as you think,” she whispered. Unsettled, Dandy tossed his head, his long mane flying as he spun around and retreated to the corner again.
Jumping down from the rails, Vicki darted over to where the others stood.
“Mum, Dad, did you see that?” she gushed. “It’s the first time he’s taken a step towards me!”
“That’s the way, Vicki,” her mum said proudly. “Patience is key. We’ll make a wild-horse tamer out of you yet!”
That night Vicki dreamed she and Dandy were galloping over the hills on the farm, outrunning lava as it spilled from the angry volcano above. Rocks were tossed out of the sky, thudding to earth in front of them. If they were too big to jump, Dandy would weave around them. On and on they galloped, his swiftness more than a match for the liquid fire that chased them.
Chapter 8
The Apple
THE NEXT MORNING Vicki woke up excited. It was the weekend again, which meant they’d be able to spend all day with the ponies. The timing couldn’t have been better. She was sure Dandy would only improve now after his brave first steps yesterday.
For the first time, Dandy didn’t panic when her dad walked into his yard to muck out. Vicki grinned. “He’s getting better.”
“He certainly is,” her dad agreed. “Whatever you’ve been doing, keep it up.”
Once the wheelbarrows of grass had been cut and the horses fed, Vicki settled onto the fence again, talking away.
“You know, one day I’m going to be a Grand Prix showjumper,” she said confidently. “I’ve jumped up to 75 centimetres so far, but I bet you’ll be able to jump higher than that. I dreamt we were jumping over volcanic boulders last night and it felt like we were flying.”
As Vicki talked, the stallion lifted his head from his food and turned to look at her. “I know you don’t trust me yet,” she whispered, “but I promise I’m not here to hurt you.”
“I don’t understand why we can’t spend the whole day at the yards,” Vicki complained after breakfast.
“You’ve lived and breathed those wild horses since they arrived a week ago,” her mum said. “You need to head outside and have an adventure. Go ride Charlie and Twinkle, or explore the river, but until I see the three of you girls having fun together, we’re not going back to the yards.”
Sulking, Vicki went in search of her sisters. It seemed boring having to play, when the real adventure was taming the wild horses. As she searched for Kelly and Amanda she came up with a plan.
“Do you guys want to ride out on the farm and have a picnic lunch?” she asked her sisters. “Kelly, you ride Twinkle, and Amanda and I can double on Charlie.”
“That sounds like fun,” Amanda said.
“You guys catch the ponies and I’ll go pack some food,” said Vicki as she hurried back towards the house.
Ten minutes later they were ready to go. Vicki had filled a backpack with apples and sandwiches, and Amanda and Kelly had the ponies waiting. Jumping on, bareback and with a halter, they rode down the road before crossing the bridge and heading towards the neighbour’s farm.
Urging the ponies forward, they broke into a canter, racing each other up the first hill. But at the top, instead of turning the normal way through the gate and heading up the steepest hill, Vicki rode into a side paddock, past a shed and along a laneway.
“Where are we going? We never come this way,” Kelly said, confused.
Smiling mischievously, Vicki told her to keep up. “You’ll see soon enough!”
A few minutes later, they turned the final bend and in front of them were the stockyards. As soon as the wild ponies saw them, they started neighing and pacing the fence-line.
“I didn’t even know we could ride here,” Kelly said. “Do Mum and Dad know where we are?”
“No, but we won’t stay long,” Vicki promised. “I just want to spend a little more time with Dandy. He’s so far behind Squizzy and Jude.”
The girls quickly dismounted and put their ponies in the spare yard beside Dandy. The young stallion was very curious about the new arrivals and arched his neck, whinnying a challenge. Nervously, Charlie and Twinkle backed away.
Suddenly Dandy spun and kicked the fence, splintering the middle rail. Panicked, Vicki dashed into the yard and grabbed Twinkle and Charlie’s halters.
“Hurry, Kelly — bring me their lead ropes. We need to get them away!”
The girls led their ponies out into the paddock and tied them each to a post, careful to get the rope just the right length — not so long that they could get their hooves caught, but just long enough for them to be able to graze. Once they were secure, the girls rushed back to the yards to check on Dandy, relieved to see he had settled a little.
“How come Dandy didn’t like Charlie?” Amanda asked with a frown. “Everyone likes Charlie!”
“I’m not sure,” replied Vicki. “But next time we’ll know to be more careful.”
Settling down on the fence above Dandy’s yard, Vicki opened her backpack and handed out sandwiches, then set the apples on the post beside them for later. As the girls munched they watched Dandy pace the fence-line, keeping a careful eye on the ponies in the distance. By the time they finished eating, he had finally relaxed and turned instead to watch them.
“Don’t move,” whispered Amanda. “Dandy’s walking towards us right now.”
Careful to keep still, Vicki lifted her gaze to watch the stallion prance towards them, stopping just a metre away and snorting. Raising a powerful foreleg, he pawed the ground before taking another step forward. It was the closest the stallion had ever been and Vicki could see a hard glint in his eye as he stretched out his neck.
“He’s going to bite us!” Amanda whispered.
Gripping her sister’s arm tightly, Vicki shook her head. “Don’t you dare scare him. Keep still,” she said, quietly but forcefully.
Stretching his neck as far as possible, Dandy leant forward, flattening back his ears and snaking his head. His powerful teeth flashed as he sunk his teeth into the apple beside them before darting backwards.
Terrified, Amanda burst into tears. “I thought he was going to eat me!”
“He just wanted the apple. You’re OK,” Kelly comforted her.
Too distracted watching her pony eat the apple, Vicki barely noticed Amanda crying. But when her sister went to grab the two remaining apples, Vicki shook her head.
“Leave them for Dandy. He seems to like them.”
Chapter 9
First Touch
EACH DAY AFTER THAT, Vicki would bring an apple down to the yards and leave it on the post beside her while she talked to her pony. Every time, Dandy would step forward and eat it. Usually he would quickly retreat, but on the third day he stayed there and ate it, keeping a wary eye on Vicki.
“Well done, Vicki,” her mum said as she watched from the laneway. “You’re starting to win his trust.”
“He’s come so far,” Vicki said proudly.
“I think he’s ready for the next stage. Try holding out an apple and see if he’ll eat it from your hand.”
Slowly, Vicki held out an apple, talking quietly. “Hey Dandy. Think you’re brave enough to come a little closer?”
Snorting warily, Dandy backed up a little.
“It’s OK, boy. I know it’s a big step.”
Many minutes passed while Dandy contemplated his options. Then, to Vicki’s surpri
se, he stepped forward again and nudged the apple from her hand. It hit the ground with a plop, then the stallion dropped his head to eat it.
It was the very first time Dandy had ever touched Vicki, and a huge smile lit up her face.
“Good job,” her mum said, giving her a thumbs-up. “Best to leave him now so he can think things over. That was a huge milestone for him.”
Climbing down from the fence, Vicki headed to the next yard. She watched her Dad untangle a dreadlock from Squizzy’s white mane.
“You’re a good boy,” he said, reaching forward to stroke the palamino’s head. “So handsome and brave.”
Unable to believe the progress her dad had made with the wild pony, Vicki watched closely, trying to learn as much as possible.
“I wonder how long it will be until Dandy will be at that stage?” she said.
Vicki watched as her dad slowly backed away from Squizzy before answering.
“I watched you with him earlier. Now that you’ve won his trust I think you’ll be friends in no time at all.”
“Really?” Vicki asked.
“I’m sure of it,” her dad said. “It’s taken a lot of patience to get to this point, but everything will happen a lot faster now. Just enjoy the process and let the horse pick the timing.”
Vicki nodded and smiled. “I am enjoying it! Every day I learn something new — from watching Dandy, and from seeing you and mum working with your ponies. I’ve learnt to stay relaxed and keep my movements slow and steady so I don’t scare him.”
“Good girl,” her dad said. “That’s the most important thing — being open to learning. I think we’re all figuring it out as we go, but it seems to be working just fine.”
Vicki joined Amanda and Kelly watching through the fence as their mum entered the yard to work with Jude. Although the oldest of the wild ponies, she was also coming along well.