“Yeah,” Lisa admitted. “You’ll still be able to tell that it was broken. But really, it was the most amazing thing, I’ve been dying to tell you guys. You know how my parents didn’t say a single word about the hobbyhorse all week?”
Carole and Stevie nodded.
“Well,” Lisa said, “last night at dinner my mom asked my aunt and uncle if they remembered seeing the horse, and they said of course. Then my mom looked straight at Amelia and said, ‘It seems there was a little accident this week.’ ”
“You’re kidding!” Stevie said. “You told us your parents thought it was your fault.”
“That’s what I thought!” Lisa said. “Best of all, Amelia told her parents that it was mostly her fault. She said it was an accident, and she didn’t mean to break it, but she pretty much admitted that it was her fault. I said it was a little bit my fault, too—because it was.”
“Amazing,” Stevie declared. “I never thought she’d actually say she did something wrong.”
“So right away my uncle said he would pay for the hobbyhorse’s restoration,” Lisa continued. “And Amelia said she had twenty bucks saved from her Christmas money, and she’d give that. My dad accepted it, too. I mean, I know restoring the horse is going to cost a lot more than twenty dollars, but at least Amelia’s trying.”
Carole’s face took on a maternal glow. “One of my very first students,” she said happily.
“The best part is realizing that my parents believed my side of the story all along,” Lisa said. “I always thought they were siding with Amelia, but this morning Mom said they just didn’t want to start a major fight with her. Mom said she was proud of all I did for Amelia this week. She said it was a big responsibility.” Lisa smiled. She couldn’t really express how happy she was that her parents had known about Amelia and the hobbyhorse, but she had a feeling her friends understood.
“I couldn’t believe how much responsibility it took to be an assistant instructor,” Carole said, after a pause. “I mean, we work around the stables all the time, right? But taking care of those kids was totally different.” She leaned forward. “Have you ever seen anyone put a saddle on a horse backwards?” she asked. “Little Wendy Casto did it twice. The first time she went ahead and mounted, even though I’d told her not to.”
“She sat in the saddle backwards?” Lisa asked. “Wouldn’t that be uncomfortable?”
“Oh no,” Carole said, with a grin. “She got into the saddle correctly—only she didn’t understand why she was facing the horse’s tail!”
Stevie and Lisa laughed uproariously. “Taking care of Starlight was a pretty big responsibility this week, too,” Lisa added. “Don’t think Stevie and I didn’t realize how many hours you spent soaking and bandaging Starlight’s hoof. And I know Judy said your care was part of the reason he healed so quickly.”
Carole blushed. “Taking care of Starlight never feels like work, no matter how much time I spend doing it. I love him so much.”
Stevie smiled. “Well, I didn’t have as hard of a week as either of you, but I’m still pretty tired.” She yawned. It’s a good thing it rained today, she thought. She would hardly have had the energy to ride Belle anyway.
“And tomorrow we’ve got to go back to school,” Lisa said. She slumped against the tabletop. She could barely move. She wondered when she’d ever have the urge to ride again.
Carole looked out the window at the cold, steady rain. What sounded best to her right now was an afternoon spent curled beneath her afghan with her cat, Snowball, and a stack of the latest horse magazines. “You know,” she said slowly, “it’s supposed to stop raining tonight. If we’re lucky, we can go on a trail ride tomorrow after school.”
Stevie and Lisa sat up straight. “Oh, good!” they said in a single breath.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BONNIE BRYANT is the author of many books for young readers, including novelizations of movie hits such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, written under her married name, B. B. Hiller.
Ms. Bryant began writing The Saddle Club in 1986. Although she had done some riding before that, she intensified her studies then and found herself learning right along with her characters Stevie, Carole, and Lisa. She claims that they are all much better riders than she is.
Ms. Bryant was born and raised in New York City. She still lives there, in Greenwich Village, with her two sons.
Don’t miss Bonnie Bryant’s next exciting Saddle Club adventure …
BROKEN HORSE
The Saddle Club #61
A sick, abused horse has been rescued and brought to Pine Hollow Stables. The local veterinarian is doing everything she can to save its life, but this horse has more than a broken body. Its spirit is broken, too. The girls in The Saddle Club know that it needs more than medicine, food, and a comfortable stall. It needs a reason to live. Lisa remembers the heartbreaking story of Sal, another abused horse that eventually died. She swears things will be different this time. But what will save this horse from a sad, lonely end?
Hobbyhorse Page 10