The Palomino Pony Runs Free

by Olivia Tuffin

  “So what’s he like to look at then?” Emma asked.

  Georgia groaned. “Oh Em, is that all you can think about? He’s got dark hair, kind of wavy, and er … blue eyes, I think.”

  “So you mean he’s good-looking?” Emma raised an eyebrow.

  “No … well, yes,” Georgia said grudgingly. “I suppose so – if you like that kind of thing.”

  Emma grinned, but Georgia huffed and turned away. She really couldn’t stand Will. And yet, she had to admit that he was dedicated to his horse. He was totally driven – more so than any rider Georgia had ever met. She was used to the older members of the Round Barrow, who, with the odd exception, mostly only rode for the social side of the club. And there were others who only rode because their parents wanted them to. But Will was completely different. When he wasn’t jumping huge fences and complicated-looking grids in Melanie’s school, he was out running – sometimes by five in the morning, according to Melanie. Despite his jokes and messing around, there was a steely determination to the boy.

  “Come on, G, he’s OK,” Dan chimed in. He was sitting on the other side of her and until now had been quietly flicking through a tractor catalogue and eating his sandwiches. Dan had been pleased to find that the new livery was a boy about his age, and had even kicked a football about with him at Redgrove the previous night, while Georgia swept the yard.

  “Dan!” Georgia was hurt. “You’re meant to be on my side!”

  “Oh, come off it, Georgia.” Dan looked a bit grumpy. “I know you’re stressed at the moment, but give it a rest!”

  Georgia swallowed hard as tears pricked her eyes. She knew her worries over the Horse of the Year Show were getting to her but, until now, she hadn’t realised that she’d been annoying her friends as well.

  “Hey – it’s all right, G.” Dan softened, as he saw her looking upset. “I’m not having a go at you. I’m just saying that we know Will got off to a bad start with you when he upset Lily that time on the heath, but honestly, he’s OK! You should give him a chance.”

  “OK,” Georgia mumbled. She suddenly felt a bit silly for going on about Will so much. She smiled weakly at Dan. “I should be concentrating entirely on Lily, anyway.” She took a deep breath. “I promise to give Will a break.”

  Later that afternoon, after school, Georgia remembered her promise and attempted to make conversation with Will while they were grooming their ponies. Santa stood quietly on one side of the tie bar, with Lily on the other. The dark brown mare lazily swished her tail, and the palomino arched her neck over towards her new friend. The two ponies had similar temperaments – both kind and willing – and, unlike Will and Georgia, had adored each other at first sight.

  “So…” Georgia tried to think of something to talk about. “Aren’t you missing loads of school to train here?” she asked eventually, thinking about all the lessons she’d had that day.

  “No,” Will chuckled. “I’m home-schooled. I’m a G&T, you see!” Laughing at Georgia’s puzzled expression he carried on. “G&T – it stands for gifted and talented. My brother home-schools me so that I can concentrate on my jumping.”

  “Oh, right.” Georgia was amazed – she had never met anyone her age that didn’t have to attend school. Will must be really good at competing if that was the case! She cleared her throat. “So does your brother ride as well?” she asked.

  Will laughed loudly, making Georgia blush. “Yes!” he chortled. “Haven’t you heard of him? Jasper Bowen?”

  Georgia thought hard. She tried to keep up with who-was-who on the showing scene, but still didn’t really know that many people – only Melanie and the riders from Josephine Smalley’s yard where Secret now lived. It was easier to keep up with if you were from a horsey family, which she wasn’t, and she’d only been riding competitively for a year. “No, I’m afraid I haven’t heard of him,” she said carefully, not wanting to offend Will in case his brother really was very well-known.

  “Well, he’s only one of the most famous show riders around,” Will said, sounding boastful. “He’s a brilliant rider, has an amazing yard, top ponies, and a super-luxurious horsebox, and he’s still only twenty-five. He’s sponsored by Diamond Horses. Pur-lease tell me you’ve heard of them at least?”

  Georgia looked blank.

  Will laughed. “Man, you really are new to the competition world, aren’t you? Diamond Horses? You know – they make the jackets that every cool show rider wears if they know what’s what. They’re huge. Everyone wants to be sponsored by them!”

  “Oh, right,” Georgia said, thinking of her old but perfectly smart tweed jacket that used to belong to Sophie.

  “He usually trains me,” Will went on. “Only he can’t at the moment. That’s why I’m here – Janey used to teach us at Pony Club,” Will continued, “so she seemed the most obvious person to stand in.”

  “Oh, right,” Georgia said again. She sounded so young and amateurish compared to Will. She asked, curiously, “Why can’t your brother train you?” then immediately wished she hadn’t as Will’s face clouded over.

  “He just can’t, not at the moment,” he said shortly, looking away.

  “Oh, OK,” Georgia replied, not knowing what to say to that. This conversation hadn’t exactly gone the way she had hoped!

  The two of them continued to groom their ponies in awkward silence for a while. After a few minutes, Georgia decided to try again. “Santa’s so lovely,” she said, reaching out a hand to stroke Will’s pony on her soft muzzle.

  “Yeah, she is, isn’t she?” Softening, Will smiled, patting the dark brown mare on her neck. “She’s the best. She’s been in our family for years. My brother used to ride her.” He paused, and the tone of his voice suddenly changed again. “It’s just a shame…” He glanced quickly at Georgia before looking away again. “Oh, never mind.”

  “Never mind what?” Georgia had detected a note of sadness in Will’s normally upbeat, arrogant voice. She looked at him. He was still stroking Santa’s dark brown neck, but now there was a serious expression on his face that had replaced his usual carefree one.

  “Nothing,” he said quickly. The familiar teasing tone had returned to his voice. “So how do you rate Barbie’s pony’s chances in the ring anyway?”

  Georgia frowned. Lily was not a Barbie pony, and she was tired of Will calling her that! She opened her mouth to defend Lily, but he had already walked off. She thought hard. What had Will been about to say? And why was he so defensive about his brother? Clearly something was going on, and Georgia was determined to get to the bottom of it…

  Later that day, Georgia was riding Lily in the bottom paddock and working on her individual show, when she noticed Will lounging against the post and rail fence, baseball cap pulled over his eyes, intently watching her school. He was holding Santa’s reins in his hands and the little brown mare was also watching with interest. Already feeling nervous, Georgia nudged Lily into a trot and then a canter, hoping to work on her extension down the long side. She was concentrating so hard, though, that she fluffed the lead and put Lily on to the wrong leg. Bringing her back to a trot she corrected her mistake, feeling flustered. As she passed Will, he called out to her and she slowed down.

  “Here,” he said. “Try that again. You can’t make those sorts of mistakes at the Horse of the Year.”

  “Yes, I know,” Georgia said, embarrassed but also annoyed at Will for pointing out the obvious. Rounding the corner, she tried her canter-lead again, but feeling Will’s eyes burning into her, she made the same mistake. With Wilson she could perhaps have got away with it as he was such a old hand, but Lily was so much more sensitive and responsive to even the most subtle of aids that Georgia had to ride her perfectly. Again, she corrected her mistake, her cheeks flushed.

  “You need to work on that,” Will called out again. He had mounted Santa and they were warming up in the paddock now. “Watch this,” he said as he and the brown mare passed Georgia. Nudging her into a trot, they took up the correct lead and t
hen proceeded to canter the most perfect figure-of-eight, even throwing in a spectacular flying change across the diagonal. Santa moved like a ballet dancer, her hooves flicking up extravagantly, perfectly on the bit. “Like that,” Will said as he slowed his mare down, patting her on the neck. “You have to up your game a bit if you’re riding at the top.”

  “Right,” Georgia said, completely taken aback. Will didn’t mince his words, and her cheeks stung with mortification as he continued, seemingly oblivious to her upset.

  “My brother would love a pony like Lily,” he said. “He’d get her going like a champion, you’d see. Let me know if Mel ever wants to sell her, won’t you?”

  That was the final straw for Georgia. She turned Lily back towards the stables, fuming, but also feeling totally useless. There were no two ways about it – Will had successfully ruined her afternoon!

  Early next morning, Georgia decided to cycle to Redgrove before catching the school bus. If she’d finished all of her homework and gone to bed early enough, her mum usually let her go to the stables before the bus arrived to pick her up. Normally Melanie turned Lily out for her in the morning, but that day Georgia planned to give Lily an extra groom and muck her out so she could train her that evening instead, and hopefully avoid Will. She had slept really badly after her schooling session – aware she was nowhere near his league and certainly not feeling good enough to compete at the Horse of the Year Show. She could feel her confidence shrinking every day. Will was right, she couldn’t make those mistakes, but the way he’d spoken to her had made Georgia feel awful.

  The mornings were still light but there was a thick fog enveloping the valley as she cycled down the hill towards the yard, and she was grateful for her reflective coat and bike lights. Pip, her little black-and-white spaniel, excited to be getting an extra walk, barked excitedly as she ran next to the bike. The lights were on in the yard as she propped her bike up against the stone pillars. Santa’s rug was hanging over her open stable door, her head collar still attached to the tie ring. Will must be out riding. Georgia sighed and, glancing at her watch, saw that it was only six thirty am.

  Wow, she thought, that’s very early to be out training! Glancing around the corner, she focused on the outdoor school, where Will was cantering a circle on the dark brown mare. There was a grid set up on the long side made up of Melanie’s rustic poles, ending in a huge jump that was at least one metre fifteen, huge, upright and imposing.

  Swishing her glossy brown tail, Santa cantered towards the grid. Will’s jaw was set in a hard line, and he didn’t look happy. Santa jumped the first three lower jumps beautifully, but just as she approached the final upright, despite Will’s quiet, concentrated riding she veered sharply to the left, half rearing and bolting away from the imposing jump. Will turned Santa back towards the grid. He hadn’t seen Georgia yet. She was relieved to see that although Will carried a riding crop, he wasn’t using it. It was clear that Santa wasn’t being naughty – Georgia could tell instinctively that the little mare just didn’t want to jump. Will briefly patted her neck, his jaw set tighter than ever.

  Urging Santa on with his legs, once more he approached the preliminary jumps, and again, Santa flew over them beautifully, before tossing her elegant head and veering away from the final upright. This time, however, she turned so sharply, almost rearing vertically, that it unseated Will and he fell heavily on to his side. Sitting for a moment on the damp sand of the school, he then buried his face in his hands and let out a shout of frustration. Or was it upset? Georgia couldn’t tell. Without thinking, she ran into the arena and caught Santa, who looked crestfallen, her head hanging.

  “There girl, there…” Stroking Santa’s glossy neck, Georgia attempted to soothe her.

  Will hauled himself up and limped over towards Georgia, his eyes glistening, and she glanced away, embarrassed. “Are you OK?” she whispered, concentrating hard on Santa’s mane instead of Will.

  “Fine.” His reply was abrupt, cutting. He took Santa’s reins and quickly led her back to the yard, where he carefully checked her legs. Feeling awkward, Georgia walked behind. She didn’t want him to think she was following him but she still needed to turn Lily out.

  The palomino whickered when Georgia came into the yard, her lovely amber eyes registering interest at all this activity so early in the morning. Evidently thinking she might be going to a show, she shuffled excitedly from side to side, nibbling at the bolt on the door. Georgia smiled and put Lily’s head collar on before leading her out into the paddock.

  Will was untacking Santa by the time she returned. Worried in case he had hurt himself when he fell, Georgia walked quietly over to his stable where Santa was now resting a leg.

  “Will?” Georgia hesitated. “Are you OK? Did you hurt yourself?”

  “I’m fine.” Will’s voice took on its usual, arrogant tone again, all the shakiness from earlier gone. “Just an off day, that’s all. I didn’t think anyone would be around. I expect you distracted Santa – spooked her when you came round the corner.”

  “Oh, I…” Georgia blushed. She didn’t think that had been the case – after all, Santa was a top jumping pony, so was surely used to crowds. She hadn’t looked distracted either. She had looked as though she genuinely didn’t want to jump the heights Will was attempting! But there was something about Will’s face that made her keep her mouth closed. “OK,” she said quietly. “I’ll let you know next time I’m here really early.”

  Heading towards Wilson’s stable, ready to put him in the field with Lily, Georgia shook her head. That was really strange. Why was Will over-facing his pony, and why was he putting on that front? Perhaps the pressures of the big show were getting to him after all…

  “Melanie?”

  It was later that week, and Georgia was sitting at the big wooden kitchen table at Redgrove, cleaning tack. She had been thinking about Will for the past few days – the way he had spoken the evening they’d been schooling their ponies, and what she had seen when he’d been jumping Santa early in the morning.

  Melanie looked up from her computer. “Yes?” She adjusted the glasses she wore for reading and pushed her chair back.

  “Is everything…” Georgia wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to say, and felt guilty for prying. “I mean, do you think everything’s OK with Will? You know – considering how hard he’s pushing Santa, and himself?”

  “Hmm.” Melanie looked thoughtful. “I have wondered about that. Will’s brother does get results from their horses and they’re good at what they do. I remember that from when they were in Pony Club. If I thought that Santa’s welfare was being compromised, I would say something. She’s a lovely pony, and Will is a great rider. I think it’s just that they do things differently to us, that’s all.” She smiled at Georgia. “Anyway, let’s think about your show with Lily. How are you feeling?”

  “OK…” Georgia crossed her fingers under the kitchen table, hoping Melanie wouldn’t notice the colour draining from her face. Once again, she wished that she had confessed her fears about the championships earlier on. But with only three weeks to go, she was scared that it was too late now. Not only had Melanie and Sophie booked a hotel to stay in close to the showground, her mum was also going to take the day off and drive up early in the morning on the day of the Show. Georgia knew that it was an expense she couldn’t easily spare. And of course Dan and Emma were coming too, having been given special permission to miss school. Everyone was really looking forward to it and she’d be letting them all down if she didn’t go ahead.

  She glanced out of the window, focusing on Lily who was grazing quietly next to the garden fence. No, Melanie couldn’t know how she was feeling. Instead she smiled brightly and tried to concentrate on the latest timetable for the Show day, swallowing her fears.

  “Ready, Georgia?” Mrs Black called her daughter from the bottom of the stairs the next evening, where she was waiting with Pip, car keys in hand.

  “Coming, Mum.” Georgia dragged a comb throu
gh her tangled blonde hair and hopped around on one foot, trying to locate her other trainer, which Pip had no doubt moved for her. Emma stood at the door, waiting, in new pink jeans and a black jumper, amused by her best friend’s untidiness.

  Georgia was taking a rare night off from the yard, but not from ponies! Instead, the two girls were attending a Pony Club rally, an unmounted one that was being held in a nearby village hall. Janey was so persuasive at getting members to attend, Georgia felt she couldn’t say no, even though she would far rather be riding Lily. Melanie had encouraged Georgia to go as well because she had been involved in organising it. Mostly the unmounted rallies were quite interesting, with talks on everything from plaiting to dressage and visits by famous three-day-eventers. Tonight’s talk was a bit less exciting – a first-aid course for pony clubbers. Georgia had been unlucky enough to fracture her wrist the previous summer and hoped never to have any more riding injuries. It had been awful not being able to ride for a few weeks. Still, perhaps she would learn something this evening.

  As Georgia’s mum drove the two girls towards the hall, she chatted to them about their day at school. Enthusiastically, Emma answered all of her questions but Georgia was tired, and didn’t say much, causing her mum to glance sideways at her in concern.

  “All OK, sweetheart?” she asked in a worried voice.

  “Fine,” Georgia responded, trying not to sound short. The last thing she needed was her mum questioning her about her nerves as well. “I’m just thinking about the championships.”