Showtym Adventures 1

by Kelly Wilson

  Although he flicked an ear, Dandy didn’t move, and stood waiting quietly for direction. With a soft cluck, the trainer urged him forward. Slowly, Dandy circled the yard. With a slight squeeze on the rope from his rider, Dandy came to a crooked halt in front of his audience, and the trainer dismounted.

  “At times he’s slightly wobbly and unsure of what’s being asked of him, but he’s come a long way,” he said.

  “He looks amazing!” gushed Vicki. “Thank you so much!”

  The trainer gave Dandy’s neck a gentle pat.

  “He’ll be ready for you in no time. I’ll hopefully get our first trot and canter over the next few days, then I’ll give you a lesson when you collect him next weekend.”

  Speechless, Vicki nodded frantically, unable to believe she’d finally be able to ride Dandy. She’d waited for this moment for over six months.

  Entering the yard, she slid her arms around Dandy’s neck and gave him a hug.

  “Did you hear that, boy? It’s going to be the first of many adventures!” As if he understood her, Dandy nudged her with his head, and Vicki laughed.

  Chapter 16

  First Ride … and a Fall

  THE NEXT WEEK SEEMED TO crawl by, but eventually it was the morning of Vicki’s big ride. From the moment she woke up she was filled with anticipation. Impatient to see Dandy, she hurried everyone through breakfast.

  Again, the car trip seemed to take forever. She talked non-stop, her excitement driving everyone else crazy. It wasn’t until they pulled into the driveway that she finally stopped talking and her family breathed a sigh of relief.

  Just like their last visit, Vicki watched while the trainer put Dandy through his paces, riding him bareback. He’d improved so much in a week! No longer confused, Dandy strode out well, stopping and turning when asked.

  As he rode, the trainer talked Vicki through the cues Dandy now understood, so he would know when she wanted him to start, stop or turn. Vicki carefully took note — she didn’t want to forget a thing. She watched in awe as they trotted then cantered around the yard, before the trainer brought Dandy back to a walk and rode over to the gate.

  “Are you ready to ride?” he asked. “It’ll have to be bareback, though, as he’s only had the saddle on a few times so far.”

  Vicki nodded her head, fumbling as she tried to open the gate. “That’s OK — I ride bareback at home all the time.”

  “Come on over then, he’s all ready for you,” he said.

  Holding Dandy steady, the trainer leant over and gave Vicki a leg up. She could hardly believe she was riding Dandy for the very first time, when just a few weeks earlier she’d doubted it would ever be possible. From the rails, her parents and sisters watched as she gathered the rope reins, everyone beaming from ear to ear.

  “Very carefully, you’re going to open the outside rein and ask him to go forward by gently squeezing your legs,” the trainer instructed. “We want him working around the outside of the round yard.”

  Careful to follow his instructions, Vicki guided Dandy around the pen, making sure to stay relaxed so Dandy wouldn’t become tense.

  “You’re doing an amazing job, Dandy,” she said, reaching forward to pat him.

  “You’re not doing too bad yourself,” the trainer said. “Ready for a trot?”

  With a click of her tongue, she squeezed her legs to ask for a trot and Dandy increased his stride. His paces were smooth and effortless.

  “Good job, Vicki. Squeeze him on a little more and let’s see if he’ll canter for you.”

  As Vicki urged him forward again, Dandy changed into the three-beat gait. Beneath her, she could hear the pounding of his hooves. She glanced down at his pricked ears and his mane flowing in the wind. It was a magical first ride, and when they came back to a halt she couldn’t stop smiling. Riding her wild mountain pony was everything she’d dreamed of.

  “That was the best feeling ever!” said Vicki, her heart in her mouth. “Thank you so much for training him!”

  “Oh, I didn’t do too much,” the trainer said. “You did most of the hard work, winning his trust over the past six months.”

  Not wanting to dismount, Vicki stayed on Dandy while the trainer talked with her parents, patting Dandy for being such a good boy. But all too soon it was time to leave. Vicki swung off him.

  “Ready to come home?” she asked Dandy. “I bet you missed all your friends.”

  With a snort, Dandy nuzzled Vicki’s neck.

  Back at home later that afternoon, Vicki was helping her sisters feed the birds and animals in the aviary when Kelly said wistfully, “You are so lucky to be able to ride Dandy — he’s so beautiful.”

  “I’ll let you ride him if you want,” Vicki replied.

  “Really?” said Kelly, jumping up and down in excitement. “Can I ride him now?”

  Vicki hesitated. She hadn’t meant today, but seeing how excited Kelly was she felt mean saying no.

  “OK then, but just bareback and only on the lead rein.”

  Heading to the paddock, Vicki caught Dandy and led him over to where Kelly and Amanda stood waiting by the gate.

  “Come over here and I’ll help you get on,” Vicki said.

  Holding up a leg, Kelly waited for Vicki to give her a boost. Dandy was much higher than her pony Twinkle, and as she jumped up she clutched his mane, trying to wriggle her way onto his back.

  Startled, Dandy leapt in the air, and Kelly lost her balance and slipped off. Dandy kicked out in fright, but this time he didn’t miss. With a sickening thud, he double-barrelled Kelly, both of his hind hooves connecting with her knees.

  Kelly crashed to the ground and lay where she’d fallen, screaming in agony. The noise brought Amanda and their parents running, and they rushed to Kelly’s side. Relieved, Vicki headed over to reassure Dandy before returning to watch her parents check Kelly over.

  “Your knees are already swollen and bruising,” Mum said as she carefully rolled up Kelly’s pants. “He must have hit you hard — I can see hoof marks!”

  “It hurts so much,” Kelly whimpered.

  “Let’s get you to bed,” Mum said, gathering Kelly in her arms. “I don’t think anything’s broken, but you won’t be walking for a few days.”

  Dad turned to Vicki. “You can’t leave him like that, you know — you’ll have to ride him now, so he finishes up on a good note.”

  Feeling terrible, Vicki nodded. “I hope Kelly will be OK”

  “I can’t believe you thought it was a good idea to let your sister ride him. What were you thinking?” her dad said sternly.

  Already feeling bad, Vicki mumbled an apology and quietly set to work with Dandy. Once he was ready to mount, her dad came over to help. This time Dandy stood quietly while Vicki was legged up onto his back.

  As he had been on her ride that morning at the trainer’s, Dandy was well-behaved, and Vicki walked and trotted him for a few minutes before dismounting. He’d had a big day and she didn’t want to tire him out.

  “No more pony rides for this wild thing,” her dad said. “As soon as Dandy’s settled in his paddock you need to come to the house and make sure Kelly is OK. She’ll be hurting pretty badly, so you will have to do all her chores until she’s feeling better.”

  Feeling thoroughly chastened, Vicki headed up the hill with Dandy. She’d been kicked by a pony once and had limped for days, so she could only imagine how sore Kelly would be with both knees injured. She was just thankful that Dandy would still let her get on his back.

  Chapter 17

  New Experiences

  WEEKS PASSED, AND WITH every ride Vicki and Dandy’s bond grew stronger. Soon they were riding out on the hills with the other horses. First Dandy was ridden bareback, then he progressed to being ridden with a saddle and bridle.

  However, the palamino stallion still had to be sold. By early December Squizzy was ready to be advertised, and, just like when his golden daughter went up for sale, the phone didn’t stop ringing.

  Out of
all the people who came to look him over, Dad felt the best home for Squizzy might be with a fourteen-year-old girl who was very confident at working with young ponies. Her family owned a farm, and they all rode — it sounded like the perfect home.

  When they arrived, Vicki caught Squizzy and saddled him, before riding him so they could see how he worked. Impressed, the girl rode him next. She soon fell in love with his golden colouring, sweet temperament and dependable nature.

  “I absolutely love him,” she said, as she swung from the saddle and hugged him. “I’ve looked at a lot of ponies and he’s the best by far.”

  Determined not to miss out, the girl and her parents returned later that day to pay for him, with their horse trailer in tow so they could take him home. Everyone was sad to see Squizzy leave.

  “I’m going to miss that pony,” Dad said sadly.

  The sale of Squizzy brought in more than enough money to pay the bills, which had been building up while the three wild ponies were being worked with. The remaining money was put into a special new account, which would be the start of a nest egg for when they needed to buy bigger ponies for Kelly and Amanda, or for new riding gear as they outgrew their old things.

  With Squizzy gone, Dad had more spare time in the evenings. To keep busy, he dragged a few logs out of the river for Vicki to teach Dandy to jump over.

  “We’ll have him ready for shows in no time,” he said at dinner that night.

  “You really think so?” Vicki asked.

  “Let’s take him to Pony Club next week and see how he copes,” her mum said. “If that goes well, you could aim for the local Ribbon Day next month.”

  It had been about eight months since Vicki, Kelly and Amanda had last attended Pony Club, back when they still had Cardiff, and they were excited by the prospect of catching up with all their riding friends and entering a show. It had been hard work over winter, with the wild ponies needing so much attention.

  Because it was Dandy’s first rally, Vicki was unsure how he would go. “He’s never jumped over coloured poles before, and I’m not sure how he’ll cope with the other ponies, either,” she told the instructor.

  “No worries,” the instructor said. “We’ll take it slowly.”

  They warmed up slowly, focusing on their transitions between paces: walk, trot, walk, halt, trot, canter, walk.

  “It’s pretty complicated, isn’t it, Dandy?” Vicki said, as he shook his head in confusion.

  At home they’d mostly been riding out on the farm, so the flat work was good practice for Dandy. He’d need to be confident working in a big circle with lots of other ponies if they wanted to compete at the upcoming Ribbon Day.

  Once they began jumping, Dandy was still a little unsure, spooking in front of the scarier fences. Vicki was relieved the jumps were small enough for Dandy to clear, even if he hesitated and had to jump from a standstill. Each time they landed, Vicki gave him a pat so he knew he’d been good, and the second time around he jumped them perfectly, boldly cantering into the jumps.

  Dandy’s next round was even better, and he kept a consistent rhythm as he made his way around the jumps. “That was good, Vicki,” the instructor called out. “Excellent job getting him around that course. You can finish with that — it’s a good note to end on.” Once Vicki finished, the instructor raised the fences to 60 centimetres for the other riders. Vicki watched as Kelly jumped Twinkle around the course clear.

  As they drove home late that evening, the three sisters chatted away, talking about the highlights of their day. They couldn’t wait to return to Pony Club the following week.

  “Dandy was amazing!” Vicki said proudly. “I’m sure he’ll be ready for the Ribbon Day in three weeks.”

  Chapter 18

  Ribbon Day

  THE MORNING OF THE RIBBON DAY dawned clear, and Vicki and her sisters woke at 6 a.m. to groom and plait their ponies’ manes and tails. Unlike when she’d ridden Cardiff, Vicki wasn’t expecting lots of ribbons — she was just excited to get Dandy out to his first show. She wanted it to be a good experience for him, and hoped it would be the first of many.

  Once the ponies were ready, Vicki, Kelly and Amanda loaded them onto their little horse truck and their parents drove them the five minutes to the showgrounds.

  “I can’t believe we’re at our first show,” Vicki said to Dandy as she unloaded him. “It’s been less than a year since you were wild, and now look at you!”

  Cars and trucks were everywhere and people bustled backwards and forwards. Dandy stood alert, taking everything in, while Vicki oiled his hooves and brushed out his tail. She was careful to make sure no one approached Dandy, as he was still a little unsettled around strangers and she didn’t want him upset before the show started.

  Dandy’s coat shone like copper from all the grooming. As Vicki saddled him up she couldn’t help but admire him.

  “I think you’re the most beautiful pony in the whole world,” she said. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

  Once he was ready, Vicki changed into her jodhpurs and Pony Club uniform, then helped Kelly and Amanda get ready. Soon they all looked identical in their matching yellow-and-black jerseys. Dashing outside, they pulled on their helmets and bridled their waiting ponies.

  Finally, it was time for the show to start. Vicki led Dandy over to the ring.

  As they waited by the gate to go in, one of the other ponies snaked its head at Dandy, trying to bite him. On instinct, Dandy reared up, striking out with his hooves, and the other ponies scattered.

  “Woah, boy, calm down,” said Vicki, firmly tugging on the reins.

  Above the chaos, Vicki heard a snarky comment from one of the girls waiting to compete.

  “Those sisters always have the most feral horses,” she said, her nose in the air.

  “And their gear is always so old,” her friend replied. “I’d be too embarrassed to be seen in public if I looked like that.”

  Turning away, Vicki brought her focus back to Dandy, careful to keep him relaxed. “You might have been wild once, but you’re certainly not feral,” she whispered to him. “We’ll just have to prove them wrong, won’t we?”

  When the judge finally called them into the ring for the Best Groomed category, Vicki was careful to keep Dandy beside Twinkle so he wouldn’t get stressed by the other ponies. The fire in his eyes had long subsided, however, and he stood calmly waiting for the judge to walk down the line.

  All the hours of grooming paid off, and Vicki was thrilled to place third in the class. It was Dandy’s first ribbon! The next class was Rider on the Flat, Ten Years and Under.

  “I can’t wait till you’re eleven. It not fair that I have to compete against you!” Kelly complained.

  Vicki laughed. “I think you’ll have plenty of chance to beat me today, since it’s Dandy’s first show,” she told her sister.

  A hopeful gleam entered Kelly’s eyes and she urged Twinkle into the ring.

  Judging soon began, and everything was going well until the judge asked everyone to canter. A pony rushed up behind Dandy and he got a fright, tossing his neck as he leapt in the air. Unbalanced, Vicki lost her stirrup and it took all of her strength to stay on.

  “It’s OK, boy,” Vicki said as she shortened her reins and steadied him. Soon Dandy was settled and they continued on, changing pace and direction before the judge called the winners into the centre.

  “First place is number thirty-nine.”

  Vicki continued trotting, waiting for the judge to call out the next placegetters before dismissing the other riders. “Can I please have number thirty-nine, the chestnut,” the judge repeated.

  Looking around, Vicki saw the judge waving her arm to call her in. Her jaw dropped in surprise. She’d won the class!

  Asking Dandy back to a walk, she approached the judge and lined up for her ribbon. “Sorry,” said Vicki. “I didn’t think it could possibly be me.”

  “I thought you rode remarkably,” the judge replied, smiling. “He’s obviously an
inexperienced pony and you weren’t at all flustered when he leapt about. You have such a good seat and kind, soft hands. Well done.”

  Unable to contain her grin, Vicki led the other placegetters out of the ring, cantering out on a lap of honour.

  In the next class, Best Paced and Mannered, Dandy didn’t place. Although his paces were beautiful, his manners left much to be desired — unlike Twinkle, who placed second, much to Kelly’s delight.

  Next was Novice Pony, for any pony that had never won a first-place ribbon. Unlike the other classes, which each had about twenty ponies competing, there were only four novices.

  Dandy worked well, and again the judge called him in, this time in second place. While she waited for the judge to announce the rest of the placings, Vicki leant forward and gave Dandy a hug. She was so proud of how well he was going. It was even better than she could have dreamed.

  At lunch, they headed back to the truck to eat. First, they loosened the girths on their ponies’ saddles and offered them food and water. It had been a big morning for them, too. All three ponies dozed while Amanda filled in the older girls on her successes with Charlie, since she had been competing in a different ring.

  “I won three red ribbons,” Amanda said proudly.

  “Really? That’s amazing!” said Vicki. “Which classes?”

  “We won Best Groomed, even though I forgot to pick out Charlie’s hooves,” Amanda said with a cheeky grin. “Luckily the judge didn’t check!”

  “There’s a first time for everything,” Kelly said with a laugh. “Your pony is never the best groomed.”

  Poking out her tongue, Amanda continued. “I also won Rider on the Flat and Best Pony Club Mount.”

  “Congratulations,” Vicki said. “That means you’ll be in the Junior Ring next time, competing with us!”

  “It hardly seems fair having to compete against you, Vicki — you’re twice my age!” Amanda said, as she took a bite from her apple.