The Palomino Pony Wins Through

by Olivia Tuffin

  Georgia saw Josephine pale as she strode over to her.

  “I don’t think this is the time or the place, do you, Lucy?” Josephine said in a wavering voice.

  Lucy laughed – a hollow, bitter sound. The atmosphere was tense, even with the hustle and bustle of the showground all around them. Then Lucy said something under her breath before wheeling her dapple-grey pony round and cantering back to the horseboxes, leaving Josephine looking shaken.

  Enough, thought Georgia, dismounting Lachlan. The girl had basically threatened her in the ring, and whatever her problem was it was obviously with the Smalley yard, and not with her. Feeling brave, she took a deep breath.

  “What’s going on?” she asked. “I think I have a right to know!”

  Shelley had come up behind them and looked startled as she busied herself with Lachlan’s bridle.

  Josephine was silent for a minute. “Lucy used to be my rider, alongside Alice,” she explained. She gave Georgia a pleading look. “I promise I’ll tell you about it later. Just please don’t let it get to you. Concentrate on your riding.”

  There wasn’t time to say anything more. As Georgia swung her leg over Lily and settled into the saddle, the stewards started to call the riders forward for the Welsh pony class. She would have to hurry if she was going to make it in time.

  Lily was as calm as ever as she trotted into the ring. Looking around, Georgia winced as she noticed a couple of the ponies with their heads pulled in, fighting against the bits. They reminded her of the girl who used to own Lily, and she shuddered to think about the little palomino being ridden like that. Lily was still petrified of a whip, so Georgia didn’t carry one. She remembered what Melanie had taught her. She shouldn’t need to force Lily into an outline at all. All she had to do was sit quietly and Lily would go forwards naturally, her lovely pace unhampered.

  Taking care not to clench her reins, Georgia gave Lily her head and nudged her into a canter. “Easy, girl,” she breathed gently.

  Phew, right leg strike-off. Georgia grinned in relief.

  Just like Melanie had shown her, Lily’s impulsion meant she cantered forwards in a perfect outline, girl and rider in complete harmony. Melanie had taught Georgia well and she rode with light hands, never interfering with the pony beneath her.

  Unlike Lachlan’s class, Lily’s class was for novice ponies that hadn’t been in the show ring much – meant to give them experience. Georgia mentally crossed her fingers as she brought Lily back down to walk, and lined her up with the rest of the class. Some of the individual shows were amazing, the riders obviously professional – Georgia could tell just by their manners and fitted tweed jackets. Then it was Georgia’s turn.

  Giving Lily a little scratch on her withers, she took a deep breath. Walk away from the judge, trot back, canter a figure of eight… Melanie’s words swam round and round in her head.

  Lily felt slightly hesitant at first, a little overwhelmed at being on show, but her confidence soon picked up and she was flying around the corners, her champagne tail streaming out behind her.

  “That’s it, my lovely!” Georgia breathed appreciatively.

  A hush had descended over the arena. The spectators seemed captivated by Lily.

  The judge smiled and tipped his cap at Georgia as she walked back into line, patting the palomino over and over.

  “Well done, Lily, well done!” she whispered, and the little mare flicked an ear back in response.

  Georgia was so busy praising Lily that she didn’t hear her number being called and Josephine and Shelley’s whoops of delight.

  “I think you’ve won.” A curly-haired girl on a chestnut grinned at Georgia.

  Suddenly Georgia realised what was happening. She had won the novice class! Her second win of the day! Only this rosette felt a hundred times better than the class she had won on Lachlan because Lily was hers and getting her to this stage was down to her own hard work.

  Thanking the judge and pinning the rosette to Lily’s bridle, she grinned in delight. As she led a lap of honour around the ring, she caught sight of Dan clapping wildly. It was the best feeling in the world to have him there to share her victory on the pony that they had rescued together!

  Due to the excitement of the day, it was only as Georgia and Dan bedded down the ponies for the night that she remembered the dark-haired girl Lucy, and her threats. What had that all been about? Josephine had been quiet on the way home, even after a successful day with two wins, Porridge’s third and a second in Fergus’s in-hand class. Just then, Georgia heard her phone beep and pulled it out from her jacket pocket. As she read the message, she felt her blood run cold.

  “Dan!” she called in a panicked voice, and instantly he was beside her. The message was short, but the words felt like a punch in the stomach. Trembling, Georgia handed him the phone.

  Dan frowned as he read the text.

  “REMEMBER WHAT I SAID.”

  The words were all in capitals, making it all the more threatening.

  “I’LL GET MY REVENGE FOR HONEY.”

  Revenge. That awful word. How had the girl got her number? Enough was enough. It was time for Josephine to explain what was going on.

  Sitting round the kitchen table, Georgia showed Josephine the phone message.

  “It’s from Lucy – it has to be.” Josephine held her head in her hands. “I’ll understand if you want to leave, Georgia,” she said, plucking at her sleeve anxiously.

  “But why?” Georgia was surprised. “I’m enjoying the riding, and the Redgrove ponies are happy here. Besides, Melanie’s not back for two more weeks.” Georgia took a deep breath. “All I want is an explanation.”

  “I do owe you that.” Josephine sighed. “And I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into this.”

  She got up and walked across the room, reaching for the photo that Georgia had commented on that first day. Josephine laid it down in front of her. Once again, Georgia marvelled at how alike Honey and Lily were, right down to the small neat head and bright eyes.

  “This is Honey,” Josephine said, her voice barely a whisper. “She was Lucy’s pony before she outgrew her. Lucy used to ride for me so it made perfect sense for us to buy Honey for Alice, and then Lucy would still get to see her. Lucy and Alice schooled the ponies together. They were best friends, even though Lucy is older. Alice worshipped her. Anyway, together, Honey and Alice went to the top – to all of the big shows. They even won at the Horse of the Year Show.” Josephine paused, and looked at the photograph for a long time. “That was the last time Alice rode at a show, before … the accident.” The words seemed to stick in her throat.

  Georgia exchanged glances with Dan. Whatever had happened, it was obviously still pretty raw. But Georgia had been dragged into it today in the ring, and if she was going to be riding for Josephine for another fortnight, she needed to know what was going on. Josephine clearly seemed to realise this too, and continued in the same quiet voice.

  “It was Christmas Eve,” she said. “Alice and Lucy wanted to go jumping. I wouldn’t normally have let them go out by themselves but I was so busy with Christmas stuff – presents to wrap, family over, you know how it is. So the girls hacked to the local cross-country course. The ground was fine – no frost or ice – and all of the jumps there are on a sand surface. It couldn’t have been safer.” Josephine looked at Georgia, her face unreadable. “The girls had been laughing and joking around – Alice was always a bit of a daredevil, but so in tune with the ponies – and as Honey had been jumping everything so well, she wanted to try the bigger course. I had told them to only jump the lower fences, but apparently Alice thought there would be no harm if they just popped over a couple of the bigger ones. So Lucy agreed. They always stuck together.”

  Georgia listened, horrified, her hand clutched over her mouth, as Josephine went on to explain that Honey had fallen at the fence, and had crashed on to her side, crushing Alice.

  Josephine’s face was expressionless now. “There was nothing the vet c
ould have done,” she said quietly. “Honey suffered a huge heart attack and broke her neck when she fell. It took thirty seconds, and that was that, she was gone forever. Alice was trapped underneath. She broke her leg and her face was cut to pieces.”

  That would explain the scar on her cheek, Georgia thought. It was far worse than she had imagined. Poor, poor Honey, and poor Alice and Lucy.

  “The next few days were a blur,” Josephine said. “Alice spent Christmas in hospital. Shelley and Fergus kept the yard running while Alice’s dad and I stayed by her bedside. When she got out of hospital, she didn’t want to see the ponies. She cut up every photo of Honey apart from this one and didn’t come out of her room for days on end.” She glanced down at her hands. “Lucy took it particularly badly. She went off the rails. She blames us for Honey’s death, you see. She left in a hurry, and no one’s heard from her for ages. Apparently she’s lost the plot a bit, skipping school and hanging out with a bad crowd. I’ve written to her, tried to visit her, but she doesn’t want to know. She must be riding for another yard now. Today’s the first time we’ve seen her.”

  Later that night, as Georgia and Dan sat next to each other in the back of Georgia’s mum’s car, they were still talking about the shocking story. Georgia felt so awful for everyone involved. What a terrible accident. She couldn’t imagine losing a beloved pony in such a tragic way. In the few days that she had been at the Smalleys’ yard, she could tell that they loved their ponies. It was just so sad that Alice felt unable to ride any more. And what’s more, there didn’t seem to be anything anyone could do about it.

  It had been a few days since Georgia had seen Emma and she’d really missed her best friend, so she asked her mum to drop her there on the way home.

  “Night, Dan,” Georgia said as she jumped out of the car.

  “Night, Georgia.” Dan gave her a quick hug, and Georgia felt a little buzz of electricity flood through her.

  “Just half an hour, Georgia,” said her mum. “It’s been a long day.”

  “Thanks, Mum.”

  “Gee!” Emma cried as she saw her friend on the front step.

  Georgia hugged her best friend, who laughed and plucked a piece of hay out of her hair. “Come on in,” she said, leading her into the sitting room and plonking herself down on the sofa, patting the spot next to her.

  “Tell me everything. What’s going on?” asked Emma.

  “Well…” Georgia didn’t know where to start! “Some strange stuff, Em,” she said with a frown.

  “But Lily’s fine, isn’t she?” said Emma.

  Georgia nodded.

  “And the gorgeous Secret?”

  “He’s fine too,” replied Georgia.

  “Well, that’s great!” Emma said. “Isn’t it?”

  Georgia realised she must sound distracted. “Yes,” she said, smiling. “It’s just there’s other stuff going on at the Smalleys’.” And she quickly told her friend everything.

  Sitting beside Emma, fingers wrapped round a mug of hot chocolate, it felt easy to open up. Em listened patiently – to the threats that Lucy had made at the show, right through to Georgia finding out the tragic story of Honey’s death.

  “After riding Alice’s ponies, you can tell how much she must have loved them,” Georgia concluded. “I just wish I could help in some way!”

  Emma looked thoughtful. “Georgia,” she said carefully. “I know how much you want things to turn out for the best.” She looked at her best friend. “But really, I don’t know what you can do. In less than two weeks’ time you’ll be back at Redgrove. This is something for Josephine to sort out on her own.”

  Georgia looked thoughtful. Perhaps Em was right. But for some reason, Georgia felt sure there must be something she could do to help. She just wasn’t sure what that was yet!

  A week later and the show team were taking Porridge, a Connemara called Milky, an Exmoor named Toby, and Lily to the next date in the calendar, a qualifier show.

  “Don’t worry, boy,” Georgia had whispered to Wilson that morning. “Enjoy your day relaxing in the fields. You deserve it.”

  Callie had bustled up and nudged him in the shoulder, making Georgia laugh.

  “Ready!” Josephine called.

  Georgia gave both ponies one last scratch before sprinting back to the lorry. Secret had been grazing, and didn’t come over to say hello. Georgia tried to swallow a tiny bubble of hurt. She knew Secret was independent and that was just the way he was, but sometimes she wished he would show a tiny bit more affection towards her. Again, she wondered what Melanie would do with him. She knew they would have to talk about it when Melanie got back from France.

  With the season still in the early stages, the show was being held at an equestrian centre with all-weather arenas. It was a blustery, bright spring day, but the ground was still sodden following the wet winter. Georgia shuddered when she remembered the stormy day back in October – the night Secret was born – and the rising floods around Redgrove Farm. Thank goodness Dan had been there and suggested that they move all the ponies to his farm.

  He was working at the farm today so he wasn’t able to come and watch Georgia at the show. She missed him – lorry journeys weren’t so much fun without him!

  Idly, she wondered if they’d ever get to go to the cinema after all. They had barely seen each other over the last week. Every time she thought about Dan her tummy gave a little flip! Thank goodness for Lily; she was always able to pour out her secrets to the little palomino.

  Much like the last show, the morning was a flurry of activity. If Georgia wasn’t showing she was warming up another pony in the outdoor ring, or helping Shelley brush out manes and tails and apply lashings of shine spray. She was walking Lily around on a loose rein when she felt her blood run cold. There was that girl – Lucy – standing right in front of her. Georgia looked around frantically, hoping to see Shelley, Fergus or Josephine, but she was alone.

  She halted Lily. Suddenly Lucy reached out and ran a hand down the palomino’s face, gently scratching just under her chin. Lily didn’t seem nervous or worried but Lucy’s eyes were bloodshot and she looked exhausted. She was a pretty girl but she had dark rings under her eyes and was swaying slightly as she stood in front of Georgia. Her hair was matted and she looked as if she hadn’t slept for nearly a week.

  “Honey, oh, Honey…” Lucy croaked, her voice cracking.

  “She’s not Honey!” Georgia said as firmly as she could, pulling Lily’s head closer to her.

  Lucy laughed bitterly, snapping out of her trance. “No, of course she’s not. Honey was killed by that girl. Maybe she should know what it feels like to lose something you love.”

  The grief and hatred on Lucy’s face was clear to see. Georgia had never been in a situation like this before. On one hand she could totally sympathise with Lucy – the girl had had to endure the sight of her beloved pony dying. But on the other hand, it had been a terrible accident. She felt sorry for Lucy, but at the same time she felt quite scared of her.

  “Honey was my world.” Lucy was crying now. “I’ve nothing left,” she sobbed, turning and stumbling away.

  For the Smalley show team, the event went well. Porridge won his class, and the other Smalley ponies both excelled in their novice classes, coming third and fifth. Georgia had given each of the ponies a big hug and a carrot, pinning their rosettes proudly to their bridles. Lily had once again won her class. People were starting to recognise her now. Georgia was thrilled, but it didn’t feel right without Melanie and Dan to celebrate with her. Curled up in the lorry on the way home, Georgia laid the rosettes on her lap. She must email Melanie tonight and let her know how Lily had got on.

  Her phone gave a familiar beep. It was Dan.

  “What are u up 2 tonight? Fancy a trip to the cinema? X”

  She thought for a moment before texting back regretfully.

  “Sorry I can’t tonight, I’m not going to be back in time X”

  It took ages for Dan to text back, an
d when he did it was fairly short.

  “Another time then X”

  Georgia sighed, feeling guilty. She texted back, deliberating whether to add one kiss, or two.

  “Sorry X”

  Settling for one, she pressed send, and waited for another beep. But Dan didn’t reply this time.

  Georgia knew that she had promised Dan a trip to the cinema but she was just so busy with her job the whole time. It was hard at times, being so committed to her riding. She hoped Dan would understand.

  Shelley was glued to her phone as well, texting her friends who were grooms at other yards. She gave a little gasp, waking Fergus who was sleeping next to her, a copy of Horse and Hound over his face.

  “What?” he said curiously.

  “It’s Lucy.” Shelley squinted at the screen on her phone. “A friend has texted to say that Lucy has been sacked from the yard where she’s been working as a rider! And she’s been saying she’s out for revenge…”

  There was a feeling of unease in the yard over the next few days as the news from the text sunk in. According to Fergus, Lucy still had keys to the tack room.

  “Surely she wouldn’t do anything to hurt the ponies though?” Georgia asked.

  “I would hope not,” said Shelley. “But you saw her at the show. She’s gone off the rails. Honey’s death hit her very hard, and now that she’s lost her job… It’s just too easy to find someone else to blame for everything.”

  Georgia tried to push any fears to the back of her mind. It wouldn’t be long until she was back at Redgrove, and maybe Emma was right – this was for Josephine to sort out, not her. She had been thrown into an impossible situation – Alice would never ride again and Lucy would always hold the death of Honey against the Smalleys – and as much as she wanted to help, realistically it was not Georgia’s problem to solve.