Showtym Adventures 1

by Kelly Wilson

  Chapter 13

  Stormy Weather

  AS THE WEEKS PASSED the weather continued to worsen, and the family could only work the wild ponies occasionally. Torrential rain had quickly turned the paddocks to mud, so once again Vicki and her sisters found themselves having to cut grass so the horses would have enough to eat.

  “The rain’s not going away,” said Mum as they huddled inside one stormy day. “I’m worried about Dandy. He’s the only pony on the property that isn’t wearing a cover, and there aren’t many trees for him to shelter under like he used to do on the mountain.”

  With a slight shiver, Vicki got up and looked out the window at the ponies. Her eyes were drawn to the chestnut, who stood huddled beside his grey companion. Both were standing with their tails to the wind.

  “Do we have any covers that would fit him?” Vicki asked.

  “There’ll be one in the shed somewhere, but I can’t imagine he’s ready to wear one yet,” her mother replied.

  Turning away from the window, Vicki reached for her jacket. “Come on,” she said, heading for the door. “Together we might be able to get him covered. It’s worth a try.”

  Within seconds Vicki and her mum were soaked through to the skin, their coats doing little to protect them from the storm. With lowered heads they fought the wind, struggling to stay upright as they made their way to the shed.

  While her mum sorted through the dusty pile of old covers, Vicki ducked back outside. “I’ll be back in a second,” she said. “I’m just going to feed the birds and animals since I’m already wet.”

  “No worries. I’ll meet you at Dandy’s paddock.”

  Avoiding the puddles that lined the driveway, Vicki grabbed handfuls of grass as she made her way along the cobbled path which led to the aviary. Her cold fingers struggled to unbolt the gate and she rubbed them together briskly to warm them.

  Vicki was relieved to find the rabbits and guinea pigs in the covered part of the aviary, warm in their boxes, while above them the birds perched on branches. After tossing the animals the grass she’d picked, she checked to make sure the bird feeders were full of seeds.

  “I hope the aviary doesn’t flood,” Vicki panted when she reached her mum, who was waiting at the hill paddock where Dandy and Charlie grazed.

  Grabbing a halter from beside the gate, Vicki entered the paddock and called out for Dandy. It didn’t look like he wanted to be caught, though — when he saw Vicki he took off at a gallop. The storm had obviously brought out his wild side. Vicki watched in despair as he circled the paddock, his hooves slipping and sliding in the slick mud.

  “The weather has really put them on edge,” her mum called out. “Wait there while I run down and get a bucket of feed.”

  With some carrots to tempt him, Dandy soon came close enough to be caught. Vicki kept a firm hold of his rope while her mum held out the cover. Snorting, Dandy backed up, and it took all of Vicki’s strength to hold him.

  “Settle down, Dandy,” she said firmly. “Don’t you want to be snug as a bug, in a warm woollen rug?”

  Gradually he seemed to accept the feel of the cover. Although tense, Dandy stood still as it was laid over him.

  “Keep a good eye on him while I do up the back straps,” her mum said, reaching back to thread the leather between his hind legs. Uncomfortable, Dandy raised a leg and kicked out, narrowly missing Mum.

  “It’s a big ask, isn’t it, boy?” Vicki said softly, as she rubbed his forehead. “You have to try a little harder, though — we’re only out here in the pouring rain so you can stay dry, but if you make it too difficult we’ll have to give up.”

  Finally the cover was secured in place. Vicki watched as her mum stuffed handfuls of hay between the cover and his back.

  “What’s that for?” Vicki asked.

  “It will increase airflow and let his coat dry out under the cover,” her mum explained.

  Unclipping Dandy’s rope, Vicki gave his neck a rub before turning to follow her mum to the gate. She hated to think of him being cold and miserable out in the wet weather. He was fast becoming her best friend.

  Chapter 14

  The Horse-Breaker

  AS THE WINTER PROGRESSED, the family began the task of preparing the wild ponies to be ridden. Vicki watched while her parents stood by Jude and Squizzy’s shoulders, patting them on both sides of their bodies. Once the horses were comfortable with this, her parents jumped up and down beside the ponies, then sprung up and lay over their backs. The first time, the ponies stumbled from the feel of the unfamiliar weight, but they soon stood solid as her mum sat upright on Jude, and Dad walked Squizzy bareback for the first time.

  Dandy, too, was ready for more, but he still wasn’t very fond of having two people close to him, and he was too tall for Vicki to jump on by herself. A few times she’d tried to leap off a log or water trough onto his back, but each time Dandy leapt forward in fright and kicked out with a hind leg. Vicki was disheartened when her parents decided it wasn’t safe for her to continue.

  After her parents tried to work with Dandy themselves with no luck, her dad sighed. “I think it’s best if we send him away to be trained by a professional.”

  “But he trusts me!” Vicki cried. “I just need more time.”

  “He’s too difficult for even Dad and me to attempt to ride,” her mum said. “If we don’t sort this out now, he’ll never be suitable for you. I saw an advertisement in the local saddlery for a guy who breaks in horses, and he’s not too expensive.”

  “How will you afford it?” Vicki asked, secretly hoping they wouldn’t have the money.

  “Jude’s foal is old enough to wean, so we thought we’d advertise her for sale.”

  Vicki was distraught. So far she’d done everything with Dandy, and she hated the idea of someone else working with him. But nothing could change her parents’ minds. The following day they advertised Jude’s filly in the local paper for three hundred dollars, and organised for the horse-breaker to take Dandy.

  The phone didn’t stop ringing, and the first person who came to view the filly fell in love with her and bought her. Amanda was very upset when the new owners came to take her away, but she tried to put on a brave face.

  “I’ll miss my friend,” she said tearfully, as the new owners drove off.

  “I know you will,” her dad said. “But this was always the plan. You have Charlie, Kelly has Twinkle, and by training and selling our two palominos we’re making it possible for Vicki and mum to have their own ponies too.”

  “Will you miss Squizzy when he has to go?” Amanda asked, watching the trailer disappear from sight.

  “Of course I will,” he said. “But it’s a little easier for me because he’s too small for me to ride long-term. Right from the beginning I’ve known he’d have to go to a child one day.”

  A few days later it was Vicki’s birthday, and she woke up nervous and excited. Her parents had organised to visit the horse-breaker’s property so she could watch Dandy being worked. Dandy had only been gone for a few days but already she missed him terribly.

  Quickly throwing on her clothes, she rushed into the kitchen for breakfast.

  “Happy birthday!” Kelly and Amanda yelled as they jumped at her, demanding a hug. “Can she open her presents now?”

  From behind their backs, her parents pulled out a number of presents wrapped in newspaper. Delighted, Vicki opened them one at a time, revealing a collection of second-hand horse books.

  Vicki looked up at her parents, “I love them all, thanks so much! Once we get home from seeing Dandy I’ll spend the whole afternoon reading.”

  Hopefully you haven’t read them before,” grinned Mum.

  “They’re perfect — I’ll treasure every one,” said Vicki as she carefully set aside the books.

  “There’s one more,” Dad said, as he passed her the last present. Unlike the others, it was wrapped in gift paper, not newspaper. Knowing it must be important, Vicki carefully unwrapped it, making sure she
didn’t rip the paper so they could reuse it.

  “Thank you, thank you!” Vicki gasped, her eyes wide as she held out a red-and-yellow rope halter and a long matching rope, with leather plaited at the end.

  “The colour of fire, for your volcano pony,” her dad said, smiling. “I spent hours with an old horseman I met in town, learning how to tie special knots and splice ropes. It’s what you’re supposed to use to tame wild horses with, not the webbing halters we’ve been using.”

  “You have no idea how much this means to me,” Vicki said, as she clutched it to her chest.

  After lunch, they headed to the horse-breaker’s property to visit Dandy. Hoping to try her new rope halter on him, Vicki laid it carefully on her lap. She was excited to see if the colours suited Dandy.

  When they arrived, Dandy was already caught and the man was working him in a yard. Vicki hurried over to the rail to watch. But anger quickly spread through her as she saw Dandy fighting the rope, the kindness gone from his eyes. Bringing a whip crashing down onto his rump, the man swore.

  “He’s a wild one. You’ve got to break his spirit if you want any chance of riding him.”

  “Dad, he’s hurting him!” Vicki yelled. Hurrying over, her father joined her at the fence, his face creasing into a frown.

  “He’s mean-spirited,” the horse-breaker replied gruffly. “He’s done nothing but try to kick and bite me since he arrived.” With a jerk, the man spun Dandy around and used the whip to send him bolting in the other direction.

  “Dad, you have to stop him!” Vicki cried.

  Vicki’s dad called the horse-breaker over to the fence line. While they talked, Vicki rushed into the yard to console her distraught pony.

  “Woah, boy,” she whispered as she patted his sweaty neck. “No one’s going to hurt you again.”

  Vicki’s mum pulled the car keys from her pocket.

  “I’ll head home and get the horse truck,” she said grimly as she watched the tears streaming down her daughter’s face. “He can’t stay here.”

  Before long, Dandy was safely back in his paddock at home, although he was still highly stressed.

  “Mum, no matter how long it takes, promise you’ll let me train him,” Vicki demanded. “We can’t let him go through that again.”

  Her mum shook her head sadly. “You know I can’t do that. My number-one priority is to keep you safe, and if he’s too difficult I’m not going to let you be the first to ride him.”

  “Then I’ll wait a year — or more. I’m willing to take as long as he needs.”

  “We’ll see how it goes,” Mum replied. “He’ll need plenty of love from you over the next few weeks though, that’s for sure.” She looked Vicki in the eye. “You know we never intended for him to be trained that way, right?”

  “I know that,” Vicki replied, dejected. Scuffing her boot in the dirt, she whispered, “I just feel so guilty. I taught Dandy to trust humans and now he’s been hurt because of it.”

  Chapter 15

  Lost Trust

  VICKI STRUGGLED TO WIN BACK Dandy’s trust. Every time she raised a hand to pat him, he would cower in fear. It was even worse if her dad was in sight — Dandy would start trembling as soon as he heard a man’s voice.

  “I’m so sorry, boy,” said Vicki. “No matter how long it takes, or how patient I have to be, I’ll make sure you’re trained with kindness.”

  It took quite a few weeks, but by September Dandy was almost back to his old self, and Vicki was once again starting to see progress. She could now bridle and saddle him, and once he was geared up she would lead him around the farm behind Charlie.

  One day, when they were visiting the saddlery, her mum pointed out a poster for a Colt Starting clinic with a Natural Horsemanship trainer. People could bring along young horses and learn how to train them themselves, under supervision.

  “Vicki, should we see if there’s a space available? It might be just what we need to get Dandy ready to be ridden. This way you can be involved in the process.”

  Vicki looked at the poster. “‘Gentling’ horses sounds much nicer than the horse-breaker’s way of training Dandy! I’m sure he’s ready to try again, and he’ll be more relaxed if I’m the one riding him.”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself, young lady,” her mum said, laughing. “There’s still a month until the clinic, and then we’ll let the expert decide if Dandy’s ready for you to ride.”

  “I’ll spend lots of time with him before then, getting him ready,” Vicki promised.

  Vicki spent all her spare time with Dandy, preparing for the clinic, and reading as much as she could about horse training. On the weekends, the whole family would head out on the farm, with everyone else riding while Vicki walked behind, leading Dandy.

  The night before the clinic, Vicki washed Dandy, picked out his hooves and covered him so he’d stay clean. The next morning, they drove to the rodeo grounds. Once Dandy was unloaded, she groomed him to perfection, using a curry comb to loosen his winter coat. He was starting to look glossy again. No one looking at him now would have known that he’d roamed wild just five months earlier.

  Eleven other horses were at the clinic. Over the course of the day Vicki and her mum learnt a lot about horses’ natural instincts and body language, working Dandy through different exercises. Although he was still hesitant around some men, Dandy didn’t seem to mind the natural horsemanship trainer.

  “I think he knows you’re trying to make things easier for him,” Vicki said, when the trainer came over to show her when to hold and when to release the pressure on the rope.

  “It’s about communicating with our horses in a way they understand,” he said. “Timing is so important, because we want our horses to be soft and responsive.”

  “He’s starting to get it,” said Vicki, as she asked Dandy to work through the exercise again. “Thanks for showing me. I’m learning a lot.”

  “You’d have to be the youngest rider I’ve ever had at my clinics,” the trainer said, as he watched on. “You’ve got a great feel for horses.”

  “Do you think he’ll be ready for me to ride soon?” Vicki asked hesitantly. ‘Every time I try to jump on him he leaps sideways and I end up on the ground.”

  “If I think he’s ready, we can try tomorrow. Otherwise, I could work with him for a couple of weeks and get him ready for you to ride.”

  Nervously, Vicki twisted the rope between her hands.

  “We sent Dandy to a horse-breaker a few months ago and he got mistreated,” she said. “I promised him I wouldn’t send him away again.”

  “You know what’s best for your pony,” the trainer said, as he reached out to pat Dandy’s head. “But if you need a little help, I’d be more than happy to work with him. I think he’s very trainable, and with a little patience and a gentle touch, he’d be going kindly under saddle in no time at all.”

  The next day Vicki and Dandy continued to make progress, but the trainer still didn’t think he was ready for more.

  “There’s a lot of distractions here, and it’s better not to rush a first ride,” he said. “We want it to be a fun and positive experience for him.”

  After having stayed up most of the night before thinking about Dandy’s future, Vicki had made a decision about what he needed.

  She told the trainer, “Mum and I talked about it, and we would like you to train him — on one condition. We would like to come and watch on the weekends when you’re working with him.”

  “I’d be happy with that,” the trainer agreed. “I’ll talk you through everything, step by step, and maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.”

  “I’d love that,” said Vicki.

  That afternoon, once the clinic was finished, Vicki loaded Dandy onto the trainer’s horse truck. They would collect him in two weeks’ time. The trainer normally spent six weeks starting young horses under saddle, but as her mum and dad couldn’t afford that much time he was willing to make an exception.

  Although Vicki was n
ervous sending Dandy away again, this time she was confident he’d feel safe at the trainer’s property. She was looking forward to visiting him at the weekend to see his progress.

  The school week seemed to drag on forever. Vicki was desperate to check on Dandy and make sure he was happy, and equally excited to see how much he’d learnt in the six days he’d been gone.

  The drive north to the trainer’s property took over an hour. Vicki fidgeted in the back seat, annoying her sisters.

  “How long to go?” Vicki asked for the millionth time.

  “Two minutes less than the last time you asked,” Kelly muttered.

  “Girls, stop it,” their mum said. “We’re not far away now.”

  After what seemed like hours, they pulled into the driveway. As soon as the car was parked, Vicki jumped out and rushed over to where the trainer was waiting for them.

  “How’s he been going?” Vicki asked in a rush.

  Reaching for a halter, he replied, “Why don’t you follow me and see for yourself?”

  Falling into step behind him, Vicki walked over to the paddock where Dandy grazed. To Vicki’s relief, Dandy appeared settled. When he saw the trainer at the gate, he walked up to be caught without a moment’s hesitation.

  “He seems to trust you,” Vicki said.

  “He’s been trying really hard this past week. You should be very proud of him.”

  Pleased, Vicki watched as the trainer groomed Dandy before leading him over to the round-shaped yard. For the next fifteen minutes Vicki watched him doing groundwork with Dandy, listening closely as the trainer talked through what he was doing and why.

  Satisfied with how Dandy was working, the trainer brought the pony into the centre of the yard and stood quietly beside his shoulder. Unable to believe her eyes, Vicki watched as he leapt up onto Dandy’s back, riding him without a saddle.