A New Beginning

by Olivia Tuffin

  Alice was hoping that Secret would be better now that she was riding him, and after watching the pair trot a wobbly circle in the arena at home Josephine had entered them into a novice ridden class. Alice would be competing alongside family ponies and her mum was judging at another show, so Fergus was taking her instead. The pressure was off and Alice was hoping they would have fun.

  A few days later, and the day before the show, Alice realised they might not even make it into the show ring!

  “Please, Secret!”

  Alice scratched the little pony on his withers as he blew hard out of his nostrils, every hair on his body quivering as he snorted at some unseen monster. Alice was practising her show in the school, a simple figure of eight and a canter circle on both reins. Secret was being particularly naughty, either refusing to move or spooking wildly at everyday objects, like the coat draped over the fence. Alice found herself growing increasingly anxious.

  Alice was the only one who could catch Secret, and the only one who could load him on to the lorry. He would follow her anywhere. But the minute she tried any sort of training, he changed!

  Nervously she gathered up the reins again, then nudging him softly forward, she asked him to walk on. If they could manage a nice circle in walk and trot, that would be enough for the day. Secret yawned, and rested a back leg. He wasn’t going to move. Trying not to dig her heels in, Alice felt a familiar wave of frustration wash over her. She had waited more than four years to ride him, and thought they had built up a great relationship. He lived in the best yard in the country. He was in brilliant health and his tack fitted perfectly. He had been easy to back and ride away. So why was it all going wrong now?

  “Come o-n!” Alice said through gritted teeth. It was so tempting to pick up a crop and give him a wallop but she knew that would do more harm than good. Feeling like she might scream, Secret chose that moment to turn round to look at her, fluttering his eyelashes and nibbling her boot gently. Alice was overcome by love for him once again. However naughty he was, he could still melt her heart.

  “Come on, boy,” she said again, softer this time. Secret pricked his ears forward and decided to walk on. After a wobbly lap of the school Alice relaxed and patted him. It wasn’t great, but it was a start: they had sort of achieved something.

  Fergus had been watching from the side of the arena. “You know,” he called to Alice, “we can just take him to the fair for the experience. You could ride him in the warm-up for a bit and see how he gets on. He doesn’t have to go in the class.”

  Alice nodded. Fergus always made sensible suggestions. She tried to smile at the older groom. “OK, that sounds like a very good idea!”

  Once Alice had put Secret back into his stable she settled down to clean his tack, running her hand over the nut-brown leather and breathing in its familiar comforting scent. It was Alice’s favourite horsey job, calming her down and giving her time to think. She was so lost in her thoughts that she gave a start as Shelley bustled in, humming cheerfully to herself and hunting through the pile of saddlecloths.

  “Hey, Al!” Shelley grinned. “Looking forward to tomorrow?”

  Alice made a face. “Sort of,” she mumbled. “If Secret behaves.”

  She didn’t want to say too much in case Shelley passed anything on to her mum.

  “You’ll be fine!” Shelley said breezily, finding the cloth she wanted.

  “You think?” Alice replied, trying to sound casual.

  “Yeah.” Shelley was halfway out of the door and whistled for Poppy the dog to follow her. “You’re overthinking it. Try to think of him as one of the yard ponies. He’s just a pony at the end of the day.”

  Alice considered this. Yes, he was, but he was also her pony, her special pony, and she wanted everyone to see how well she had done with him. She wanted everything to be perfect!

  Chapter 5

  There was a shrill whinny from the back of the horsebox, and Alice felt the vehicle shake as Fergus pulled up at a set of traffic lights. As well as Secret, they were also taking Porridge the Shetland to the show, and a sweet Fell pony called Archie. Josephine was training Archie for a new client, a woman who was married to a former footballer. Alice had never heard of the footballer, but Fergus had told her he was once super famous. Alice was more interested in the client’s pony. Archie was gorgeous and showed huge potential. He had such wonderful manners compared to Secret, she thought disloyally. Secret had spent all morning trying to chew Archie’s mane!

  As they parked, everyone turned to stare at their huge black lorry that looked out of place among the trailers towed by family estates. Alice scanned the showground. There were a few ponies being trotted about, but it all felt very low-key.

  After unloading the ponies from the box, Alice rode a lap of the showground without any major incidents. Secret felt responsive, his ears pricked forward, and Alice’s confidence increased. Giving him a pat, she made a thumbs-up sign at Fergus, who was combing out Archie’s tail.

  “OK?” he grinned.

  Alice nodded. “Think so…” she replied. She tried to smile.

  “Why don’t you try your class?” Fergus continued. “There’s only three in it. And you don’t even have to canter, if you don’t want to.”

  “OK,” Alice responded, taking a deep breath. Gathering up Secret’s reins she followed Fergus down to the pony rings, and took her place behind the two other competitors. They looked horrified as Alice entered the ring, and feeling a little embarrassed she tried to smile at them. She knew Secret was a beautiful pony, and that she was an experienced rider, but the class was for novice ponies … and Secret was definitely a novice!

  But as they circled the ring Alice frowned. Secret felt different. He had his ears back, something he very rarely did, and he seemed lacklustre, eyeing the exit every time they passed it. But he was called in first and Alice had a minute to settle him while the judges chatted among themselves.

  Peeling off a glove with her teeth, and leaning forward so she could adjust Secret’s bridle, Alice was suddenly aware of the little roan’s ears pricking up.

  Fergus spotted it first, a bright blue balloon drifting slowly across the warm-up area and into the ring. There were some snorts and eye-rolls from the waiting horses, but nothing more. The two ponies next to her watched with mild interest.

  Not Secret.

  “Alice, turn him!”

  But Fergus’s warning came a fraction too late. As the balloon drifted upwards on a sudden gust, it came within centimetres of the line-up. The reins were ripped clean out of Alice’s hands as Secret shot forward before wheeling round, sending Alice flying to the ground. Secret galloped straight out of the ring – ignoring the steward’s frantic arm waving – and through the warm-up area, scattering alarmed ponies. Frozen, Alice could only watch from the ground as her pony disappeared. A judge ran over to check she was OK.

  From the side of the ring Fergus sprang into action, jolting Alice to her senses as she scrambled up, her left hand burning where the reins had ripped through it. The other riders in her class looked on in astonishment. Secret might have been gorgeous, but at least their ponies were behaving!

  Shouting an apology to the shocked judge, Alice ran after Fergus, realising that Secret had no intention of stopping at the barrier between the lorry park and the main show area. Shortening his stride, ears pricked, he neatly jumped the rope and carried on. Alice could tell that he was enjoying his adventure. He paused briefly to eat the flowers next to the tea tent where the officials were enjoying lunch. A woman ran out, waving her hat in anger as Secret joyfully kicked up his heels and carried on. A group of men tried to form a circle round him, but Secret was too quick for them.

  “This is a disaster!” Fergus swore grimly as he and Alice carried on in pursuit. They were gaining on Secret, but he had turned the chase into a game.

  Alice felt tears trickle down her face, a mixture of shock, humiliation and frustration at not being able to catch her pony. She loved Secret more th
an anything, but at the moment she wasn’t sure if she liked him one little bit! To her horror Secret was now trotting towards the entrance to the main ring, where a pony club jump-off was taking place. A loose pony among the showjumpers would spell disaster.

  Then, like a miracle, a dark-haired boy stepped out from behind one of the marquees. Giving a long, low whistle, he held his hand out to Secret, who stopped dead, turning his head towards the boy. The little roan snorted, his eyes wary. The boy took one step forward, and Alice fully expected Secret to toss his head and carry on, but instead something amazing happened. Secret took a step towards the boy. The boy smiled, and took another step. Again, Secret did the same, lowering his head. His eyes were bright, totally fixed on the boy. Gradually and quietly, as Secret mirrored each step, the boy got closer until he held Secret’s trailing reins. There was some relieved laughter from the watching crowd.

  Secret’s sides were heaving with exertion, but his ears were pricked and his eyes were sparkling. Giving a deep sigh, he rubbed his head against the boy, who chuckled. Shielding her own eyes against the sunshine, Alice gave a gasp of recognition. Secret’s mystery catcher was the dark-haired rider from the Flying Fillies!

  Chapter 6

  The boy continued to fuss over Secret, who stood quietly next to him, resting his chin on the boy’s shoulder in adoration. Alice felt herself go hot and cold as she realised how disastrous Secret’s escape could have been. He could have knocked over a child, or caused an accident, or escaped on to the road.

  Wiping away tears and sweat with the back of her grubby hands, Alice could only stammer a thank-you. There were several angry-looking stewards approaching, and Fergus went over to talk to them, leaving Alice and Secret alone with the boy.

  “That’s one way to make an impression,” he said, raising an eyebrow as he gathered up Secret’s reins and handed them to Alice.

  Alice couldn’t think of anything to say. She could only stare down at his hands. They were outdoor hands, she found herself thinking irrationally, showing years of riding and mending fences and mucking out. Her own hand was stinging, and she carefully picked up Secret’s reins, trying to look more confident than she felt.

  Fergus jogged back, looking stressed. “I’ve sorted it, Alice. I apologised. I said Secret was spooked by a balloon. I think they’ll let us off.” He squinted back to the line of trailers. “I must go and check Archie and Porridge,” he continued. “Come on, let’s get Secret back.”

  Wincing, Alice tried to turn Secret round. He leaned against her, rubbing his head up and down in delight. After his adventure it seemed he had no intention of moving anywhere. Noticing her hand, the boy took back the reins. Alice didn’t stop him.

  “I’ll help her,” he said to Fergus, who had already started to jog back to the abandoned ponies.

  “Thanks,” Fergus called over his shoulder.

  “I’m Finn,” the boy said, turning to look at Alice.

  Alice muttered her own name in response, realising just how dark Finn’s eyes were, and how they were framed by the thickest, longest eyelashes she had ever seen. She felt her cheeks burn, mortified at how she must look. Hair all over the place, face tomato-red and sweaty. But the worst thing was how treacherously Secret was behaving; Finn just clucked at him, and the little roan followed as meekly as a lamb.

  “How did you manage that?” Finn sounded amused as he walked by the gelding’s side, placing a hand casually on his neck. “You should really train your pony to come back to you, you know. You could use a whistle, like a sheepdog.”

  “Yes, thanks for that. Very helpful,” Alice snapped.

  She knew Finn was only teasing her, but she felt herself growing defensive, all her embarrassment and humiliation turning to anger. Unable to think of a further response, she glared at him instead, at the same time envying the casual way he led her pony. Secret walked quietly next to Finn, not even trying to snatch mouthfuls of grass or gaze at ponies they passed. To make matters worse, even when they passed a girl holding an enormous bunch of balloons Secret barely glanced at them. Typical.

  Finn gave a whistle as he spotted Josephine’s horsebox. “Alice in her palace,” he grinned. “Nice lorry.”

  Alice wished they had used the trailer instead.

  Fergus already had Archie tacked up. Groaning, Alice realised she still had to ride Archie in his class. She mounted carefully, taking up the reins, before visibly wincing as the Fell thrust his nose forward. Fergus frowned.

  “It’s my hand,” Alice explained miserably, turning her palm over to show Fergus, who grimaced as he examined the angry red burn. “The reins ripped through it when I fell.”

  Archie was sweet, but if the young pony spooked, she just didn’t have the strength to hold him.

  “Well, you can’t ride with an injured hand,” Finn said thoughtfully. “Why don’t you let me?”

  Startled, Fergus turned to him. “Really? Have you ever done a ridden show?”

  “No,” Finn said breezily as he moved closer to Archie, patting the handsome pony. “But how hard can it be?” He turned to Alice with a small smile. “And anyway, you’ve watched me ride often enough.”

  Alice was mortified. So he had noticed her watching his display events!

  She took a deep breath and turned to Fergus. “He’s one of the Flying Fillies. He is good. Really good.” Flustered, she realised Finn was watching her closely.

  A look of recognition dawned on Fergus’s face. “Yes, of course,” he said slowly. “Alice watches your show at pretty much every event we go to.”

  “Fergus!” Alice groaned. Honestly, he was worse than a big brother at times.

  Finn grinned. “I know,” he said, looking pleased with himself. “So, what do you think?” he asked Fergus.

  Alice looked expectantly at Fergus, willing him to say yes. They could go home without taking Archie into his class, but his owner would be very disappointed. Alice knew her mum trusted Fergus enough to make decisions on her behalf. Sometimes they had to draft in extra riders on show days, so what was the difference here?

  Fergus hesitated. “Archie does need riding. I’ll tell you what, ride him around the warm-up, and if he’s OK, you can take him in the ring. It’s a bit different to … um … what you normally do.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Finn said with a touch of arrogance. “My jods and boots will do, got any spare show kit?”

  “There’s a jacket, tie and hat in the lorry,” Alice piped up.

  She wasn’t quite sure what to make of Finn, but she had to admit she was excited to see how Archie would go with him. She had never seen Secret react to anyone like he had with Finn. She wanted to know what made him so special.

  Finn quickly pulled on the jacket that had been hanging in the lorry wardrobe.

  “Bit different from my normal get-up,” he said with a frown. “Doesn’t it get uncomfortable, wearing all this stuff?”

  “A bit, I guess.” Alice couldn’t think of anything better to say. Finn seemed to have some weird effect on her, making her brain all sludgy.

  Finn swung lightly into Archie’s saddle and seemed to soothe the novice pony straight away, as he trotted quietly around the collecting ring. Fergus visibly relaxed as Finn sat still in the saddle, his hands light. Watching, Alice started to feel a twinge of envy that grew and grew. She thought she was a good rider. But she began to wonder if it really was because she had always had such well-trained ponies. Secret was a whole new challenge. She loved him more than anything, but what if she just wasn’t good enough to train him?

  If Alice and Fergus had been impressed with Finn’s riding in the warm-up, his performance in the show ring was even better. The class was quiet, but there was tension between a few of the ponies. Finn talked quietly to Archie under his breath, circling him away from the others, keeping him calm.

  “What a lovely rider.” Fergus, eyes narrowed, was watching the pair intently. “I wonder…”

  “What?” Alice glanced at the groom, who was loo
king thoughtful.

  “Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud.”

  Archie trotted and cantered obediently to Finn’s light aids, ears pricked forward, a perfect picture of harmony between horse and rider.

  Alice rubbed Secret’s face as they watched, and he lowered his head happily. “That will be you and me soon, sweetheart,” she whispered. “At least, I hope it will.”

  Then she frowned, realising she couldn’t be so sure about that any more.

  Chapter 7

  No one was surprised when Finn and Archie were placed first. Archie looked so proud of himself that everyone around Fergus and Alice chuckled. Alice heard Fergus breathe a sigh of relief next to her.

  Jumping off Archie with a grin, Finn handed the reins back to Fergus, along with the borrowed clothes. “I told you it would be OK,” he said, giving Archie a hug. Then with an amused smile he turned to Alice and Secret. “You might want to keep hold of your pony next time. I can’t guarantee I’ll always be on hand to catch him!”

  Alice glared at Finn. “It was a one-off incident,” she said hotly. “What are you anyway, some kind of horse whisperer?”