Sarah looked embarrassed. “Well, I only ride Midnight on even days,” she said. She scuffed at the ground with her foot.
Just then Jack called Sarah again. The Pony Tails looked at each other as she raced around to the back of the trailer.
“That’s the strangest thing I ever heard,” Jasmine said. “How can a girl think her own pony is bad luck?”
“I know,” Corey agreed. “I …” She stopped talking and drew in a breath as Sarah led Midnight down the ramp.
Midnight was one of the prettiest ponies Corey had ever seen. The pony was a gray, as Sarah had said, with dark eyes and a silvery mane.
“Easy, boy,” Corey said as Sam shuffled his feet nervously. “It’s just a pony. Her name is Midnight.”
“Wow.” May was staring at Midnight, too. “She’s beautiful.”
“She looks so familiar,” Jasmine said thoughtfully. “I know I’ve seen that pony before.”
A few minutes later, Sarah led Midnight over to the Takamuras’ barn. “See you later,” she said, smiling as she passed the Pony Tails.
The girls waved. Corey was about to turn Sam back to the Grovers’ ring when something strange happened.
Suddenly Sam bucked. A surprised Corey flew off his back and landed on the ground with a thud.
“Whoa, Sam!” she yelled as her pony took off.
“We’ll get him!” Jasmine cried. She and May sprang into action, chasing after Sam on their ponies.
Corey stood up, brushing the dust off the seat of her riding pants. Luckily she wasn’t hurt. The really scary part was how suddenly Sam had acted up—his bad behavior had come as a complete surprise.
A few minutes later, May led Sam back and then handed his reins to Corey.
“I guess Sam was being too good,” May said with a grin. “He had to misbehave at least once today!”
“I guess so,” Corey agreed as she took the reins. “You’re a naughty pony,” she started to scold him. Then she noticed the wild look in Sam’s eyes.
Sam wasn’t being naughty—he was scared!
4 Sarah Listens In
“It was the strangest thing,” Corey told her mother as she served herself mashed potatoes at dinner that night. “I’ve never seen Sam act like that.”
Doc Tock listened carefully while Corey described her pony’s behavior earlier that afternoon.
“Sometimes animal behavior is mysterious, Corey,” Doc Tock said with a shrug. “As a vet, there are plenty of times when I can’t figure out my patients’ behavior.” Then she sighed. “That goes for human behavior, too.”
“What do you mean, Mom?” Corey asked.
Her mother shook her head. “There’s a new vet helping out at CARL. The director asked me to show him around so he can get to know the shelter.”
Corey nodded. CARL was short for County Animal Rescue League, a local animal shelter that helped lots of sick and abandoned animals. Part of her mother’s job as a vet involved taking care of the sick animals at CARL. Doc Tock had been doing it for as long as Corey could remember.
“Does the new vet misbehave like Sam?” Corey asked. “Is that why you can’t figure him out?”
Doc Tock smiled. “No,” she said. “In fact, as far as I can tell, Jeff Helmer is a very good veterinarian. The problem is me.”
“You?” Corey said, surprised. “Why are you the problem?”
“This doesn’t make me feel like a very nice person,” Doc Tock admitted. “This guy hasn’t really done anything wrong, but I just can’t stand him. Everything he does gets on my nerves. He always wants to do things his way. If I have to spend one more day telling him why I do things a certain way, I’m going to scream.”
Corey raised her eyebrows. It was strange to hear her calm, patient mother sound so frustrated. She had seen Doc Tock take care of all kinds of difficult animals and deal with their difficult owners. Only once or twice had Corey heard her mother lose her temper or act impatient while doing her job. It was very unlike her to say she disliked someone she worked with.
“Let’s change the subject,” Doc Tock said a minute later. “So how are the plans for the Haunted Hayride going?”
“Great, Mom,” Corey said eagerly. They spent the rest of the meal talking about the Pony Tails’ party plans.
“Hi, Mr. Grover,” Corey said into the phone. After dinner, Corey had called a few more riders to invite them to the party. Now she was calling May. “Is May there?”
“Just one moment, Corey,” Mr. Grover said. He put down the phone. Corey could hear him talking to May’s older sister. “No, Dottie,” he said. “Believe it or not, it isn’t a boy, and it isn’t for you.”
Corey giggled. May’s older sister, Dottie, was as boy-crazy as the Pony Tails were pony-crazy. Dottie spent most of her time on the phone talking to boys—or talking about them.
A second later, May picked up the phone. “Hello?”
Corey quickly told her about the calls she’d made so far. “Everybody can come,” she reported. “But I still haven’t reached Jackie Rogers. Her line was busy.”
“Joey Dutton is coming, too,” May said. “And so is Erin Mosley.” She groaned. “I was hoping she’d say she had other plans.”
Corey laughed. Erin Mosley was just about the only rider at Pine Hollow Stables the Pony Tails didn’t like. Erin was stuck-up and liked to make trouble for the Pony Tails. Still, the Pony Tails had decided to invite her. It wouldn’t be right to leave her out when all the other younger riders were invited.
May told Corey that Mr. Grover had said he’d be glad to lend them both Hank and the wagon. “Dad even said he would drive,” May added.
“That’s great!” Corey exclaimed. Mr. Grover was so nice—he would be a perfect wagon driver. And Hank was the perfect horse to pull the wagon. Even though Hank was semiretired now, the old gray was very steady.
“Hank loves being around kids,” May said. “And nothing scares him, except for bad storms,” she added.
The two girls talked about the party for a few more minutes. Then, as usual, their conversation turned back to their ponies.
“How was Sam when you put him in his stall?” May asked.
Corey sighed. “Well, he was glad to see Alexander,” she began. Alexander was supposed to be Corey’s pet goat. But by now everybody thought of him as Sam’s pet. Ever since the little goat had moved into the stable, Sam had seemed content.
“But Sam was not happy about being untacked and put away for the night,” Corey went on. “As soon as I shut the stall door, he started pawing the ground.”
“Sam’s still a young pony,” May reminded her. “He’s much better behaved now, but he’s going to act up from time to time.”
“I guess,” Corey replied. “But …” She thought back to the way he’d bucked that afternoon. His eyes had looked so wild.
“I still think something scared him today,” she went on. It was almost as if … Midnight spooked him or something.”
“Corey Takamura!” May scolded her gently. “You’re the most sensible member of the Pony Tails—remember? Don’t tell me you really believe Sarah’s pony is bad luck?”
“Nooo,” Corey said slowly. “But don’t you think it was a little strange that Sam bucked like that? It was right after Midnight passed by. And don’t you think the way Sarah talked about Midnight is strange? She only rides her on even days!”
“I think it’s silly,” May said. “Gray ponies are beautiful—not unlucky.”
By the time Corey hung up a few minutes later, she felt a lot better about Sam. Yesterday she’d heard footsteps in the barn. That had turned out to be Sarah helping Jack. She would find the explanation for Sam’s odd behavior, too.
Corey looked down at her list for Jackie Rogers’s phone number. She was about to try Jackie again when she noticed someone standing in the doorway.
“You’re right, Corey,” Sarah said softly as she stepped into the kitchen. “Something did spook Sam today. It was Midnight.”
5 Is
Midnight Bad Luck?
“What?” Corey jumped and dropped the phone receiver.
An embarrassed look crossed Sarah’s face. “I didn’t mean to listen to your conversation,” she said. “I came inside to wait for Uncle Jack to finish up his chores. Then I heard what you were saying to your friend May.”
An uneasy feeling settled in Corey’s stomach. Had Sarah heard everything she’d been saying to May? Including what she’d said about Sarah’s acting strange?
“I thought you should know,” Sarah went on. “Midnight did spook Sam this afternoon.”
Corey shook her head. “Midnight didn’t spook Sam,” she said, remembering May’s words. “Sam’s still young. Sometimes he acts up.”
“Sam was behaving perfectly until Midnight showed up,” Sarah said. Her brown eyes looked very serious. “Listen, Corey,” she added. “Sam’s a great pony. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to him.”
Suddenly Corey felt worried. “What do you mean?”
Sarah sighed as she sat down at the table. “My parents bought Midnight for me about six months ago,” she began. “Everything was great at first, but then at a Pony Club event I started having trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Corey asked.
“Lots of different things,” Sarah answered. “Finally I called Midnight’s old owner, Mrs. Lily. She’s the one who told me that …” Tears sprang into Sarah’s eyes. “She said Midnight is bad luck,” she finished in a hoarse voice. “Mrs. Lily also said Midnight spooks other ponies and horses.”
Corey stared at the other girl. Did Sarah actually believe what she was saying?
“Come on, Sarah,” Corey said finally. “That’s just a silly superstition about gray ponies.”
Sarah shook her head. “It’s true, Corey. That’s why I only ride Midnight on even days. That’s what Mrs. Lily told me to do.”
“If Midnight’s this much trouble, why do you keep her?” Corey asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Sarah looked Corey straight in the eye. “I love her,” she answered.
That stopped Corey short. She loved her pony, too, even though Sam did lots of naughty things.
Outside, Corey heard Jack start his pickup truck.
Sarah heard it, too. “I’d better go.” She stood up from the table, then glanced down at Corey. “If I were you, I’d watch Sam closely,” she warned. “A few months before I bought her, Midnight spooked a Thoroughbred so badly, he never let another rider on his back. That’s why Mrs. Lily had to sell Midnight.”
“Come on, Sarah,” Corey said, shaking her head. “That can’t be true. And even if it was true, what could I do about Midnight’s spooking Sam anyway?”
“Mrs. Lily says there’s one way to protect a pony that’s being spooked,” Sarah answered. “Tie seven heads of garlic together and throw them around the pony’s neck.”
That was even crazier than the idea of a haunted pony!
Corey was about to tell Sarah that. But when she looked up again, Sarah was gone.
The next morning after breakfast, Corey went out to the barn to feed Sam. She also wanted to say good-bye to him. After school she was leaving to stay at her father’s for a few days.
As she went into the barn, Dracula howled a greeting at her.
“Morning, Dracula,” Corey answered. She patted his head while his tail wagged.
As she approached Sam’s stall, Corey could hear her pony stamping and shuffling around nervously.
“What’s the matter, boy?” Corey asked. She reached out to stroke his nose, but Sam turned away. He wouldn’t even take his favorite treat, a juicy red apple.
Alexander bleated softly and scampered over to Corey.
“What’s the matter with Sam?” Corey asked the goat.
The baby goat nuzzled her hand in reply. If Sam didn’t want the apple, then he was going to take it. She let Alexander have it. He munched happily.
Corey stared at her unhappy pony. A hollow feeling grew in the bottom of her stomach. She was pretty sure that Sarah had been talking nonsense the night before. But now Sarah’s words played back inside Corey’s head.
Sam’s a great pony.… I wouldn’t want anything to happen to him.…
There’s no such thing as a pony who spooks other ponies, Corey reminded herself.
Corey spent the next few minutes calmly talking with Sam. By the time she was ready to leave, he had relaxed a little, and so had she.
On her way out of the barn, Corey spotted Midnight standing alone in her stall. The pony gazed at Corey with her big dark eyes.
“Corey?” May yelled into the barn.
“Are you in here?” Jasmine called.
“Over here,” Corey answered.
When May and Jasmine approached, they saw Corey staring at Midnight. Corey told her friends what Sarah had said the night before.
“Don’t tell me you believe it, Corey!” Jasmine said. “First Sarah says Midnight’s bad luck because she’s gray. And now she’s saying her pony spooks other ponies and horses?”
“I never heard anything so crazy!” May chimed in.
“It sounds crazy,” Corey agreed. “But Sam was still acting nervous this morning, and I can’t figure out why.”
All three members of the Pony Tails looked at Midnight.
There’s definitely something different about Sarah’s pony, Corey thought. Midnight stood there calmly, and carefully watched the Pony Tails’ every move. In the dark barn, her gray coat was so light, it almost seemed to glow.
“We’d better get going,” Jasmine said a minute later. “The bus will be here soon.”
With a sigh, Corey reached down to pick up the backpack she was bringing to her father’s. She hated to leave Sam behind—especially when he was acting so odd.
The only good part about leaving was knowing that May and Jasmine would check on Sam and take good care of him. Still, Corey wished she could stay and take care of Sam herself.
6 “Good Job, Corey!”
On Saturday morning Corey’s father dropped her off at Pine Hollow for the Pony Club meeting. Inside the tack room, Max was starting the meeting. He opened every meeting by saying the same thing.
“Horse Wise, come to order!”
Horse Wise was the name of Pine Hollow’s Pony Club. Corey was glad today’s meeting was a mounted one. That meant the members would be riding their horses or ponies instead of talking about them. Unmounted meetings were always interesting, but they were never as much fun as mounted ones.
Corey sat on the floor next to Jasmine and May. They smiled at her, then quickly turned to face Max. They didn’t want their riding instructor to catch them talking.
“We’re going to be working with cavalletti poles,” Max explained. “Everybody’s familiar with them, right?”
Erin Mosley’s hand shot up into the air.
“Oh, great,” May groaned softly. “What does Miss Know-it-all have to say today?”
“Cavalletti are one of the most popular training tools,” Erin said, tossing her curly blond hair proudly.
“That’s right, Erin,” Max told her. “These poles are a great tool when you’re schooling horses. Today we’re going to be using them in our trotting exercises to help our ponies keep long and even strides. Outside we’ll break up into small groups and …”
Corey was glad to hear that the riders would be working on trotting. She and Sam had been working on this gait for the last few weeks. She knew the extra practice would be a big help.
When Max was finished with his instructions, everybody stood up.
“Sam’s waiting for you in his usual borrowed stall,” May told Corey. “We’ll meet you in the outdoor ring.”
Corey hurried off to collect Sam, thinking about how lucky she was to live next door to the Grovers. Mr. Grover was the one who brought the girls’ ponies to the mounted meetings. When he was too busy to drive the ponies over in his trailer, the girls could ride stable ponies. But it wasn’t the same as riding their own.
When Sam was tacked up, Corey led him to the outdoor ring. Most of the other riders were already there.
First Corey and Sam practiced walking over the cavalletti poles. Then she asked Sam to trot. Gradually, she added more poles.
To her delight, Sam performed perfectly.
Even Max noticed.
“Good job, Corey,” he complimented her. Then he made the rest of the riders stop what they were doing to watch Sam and Corey.
“This is exactly what I like to see,” Max said to the members of Horse Wise. “Corey has been very patient with her pony. She’s worked up to the trot very slowly. She’s also been careful not to add extra poles too soon.”
Corey blushed. Max had complimented her before. But he had never made her an example in front of everyone.
“In other words,” the riding instructor went on, “she has the good sense to respect her pony and his special training needs.”
“While showing him that she’s in charge,” May called out. She gave Corey a thumbs-up.
“That’s right. Good job, Corey,” Max said again.
Max’s words made Corey feel very proud.
Inside the stable, Corey hugged Sam.
“I’m going to give you an extraspecial grooming today,” she promised. “That’s because you did such a good job. Then you can rest while May, Jasmine, and I help with some stable chores.”
A tradition at Pine Hollow was that the riders pitched in. There were a lot of jobs that needed to be done around the busy stable. Asking riders to help was one way Max and his mother, Mrs. Reg, managed to keep the riders’ costs down.
Corey untacked Sam, then found her grooming pail. She pulled out her hoof pick and went to work. She knew that picking out a pony’s hooves was an important part of a grooming. If a stone got stuck in Sam’s hoof, it could injure him, or even worse, make him lame.
Corey and the Spooky Pony (Pony Tails Book 9) Page 2