But Corey and Sarah were giggling too hard to answer her question.
13 Trick or Treat
“Thanks for the treats, Mrs. Beyer,” Jasmine said.
“You’re welcome, girls,” the older woman replied. “I’ve never had trick-or-treaters come on horseback before!”
“Ponyback,” May corrected her. “Horses are—”
But Mrs. Beyer wasn’t interested in hearing about the differences between horses and ponies. “Wait till I tell Mr. Beyer about this,” she went on. “He’ll be so sorry he missed you.”
The Pony Tails thanked their neighbor again. Then they turned their ponies around. The three of them, along with Sarah, had been trick-or-treating all afternoon. Luckily, they’d been able to talk Jack into driving Sarah and Midnight back over to Corey’s so that she could come with them.
“I can’t believe I’m riding Midnight on the thirty-first of October!” Sarah exclaimed. “Another odd day!”
Jasmine smiled. “It’s a shame your pumpkin costume got ruined in the rain,” she said. “But your new costume looks great, too.”
Jasmine’s mom had quickly put together another cowboy costume for Sarah. Now the four girls were dressed almost exactly alike. Corey gazed at her friends mounted on their ponies in their Western outfits. She couldn’t help smiling. Together they looked like a scene from the Wild West.
“I think we have time to stop at one more house,” Jasmine said. “How about the Beekmans’?”
The others quickly agreed. As Corey and Sam fell in line behind Sarah and Midnight, Sam suddenly lunged at Sarah’s pony.
Before Corey could tighten the reins, he managed to nip the other pony on the tail.
“No, Sam!” Corey said sharply. “That’s not nice!”
May grinned. “Sam’s still not happy about having Midnight around, is he?”
“No,” Corey said emphatically. “He’s so rude to her!”
“Your mom says he’s just being territorial,” Sarah added.
“Territorial?” Jasmine repeated. “What does that mean?”
“It means Sam doesn’t like sharing his space with Midnight,” Corey explained. “My mother also told me that Sam’s rude behavior has helped her figure out something—why she’s been rude to the new vet at CARL. She doesn’t like sharing her space, either.”
The Pony Tails and Sarah laughed.
“Sometimes animals are a lot like people,” May said.
“Well, I don’t care if Sam is rude to Midnight,” Sarah told Corey. “I’m just glad I don’t have to worry anymore about Midnight’s being bad luck. How could I have believed all that stuff Mrs. Lily told me?”
“I don’t believe in superstitions anymore, either,” Corey agreed. “Except for one, that is,” she added.
Jasmine looked surprised. “Which one?”
“The good-luck horseshoe at Pine Hollow,” Corey said, patting Sam. “So far it’s brought me great luck. I’m going to keep rubbing it forever.”
“Makes sense to me,” May said. “Just like Mrs. Reg told you, some superstitions are harmless.”
“Wow!” Jasmine pointed to something ahead of them. “Look at that!”
In the distance the huge autumn sun was setting. The girls stopped their ponies to watch.
As the sun sank over the treetops, streaks of gold and pink washed over the sky.
“It’s beautiful,” Corey declared.
A minute later May reminded them that it was getting late.
“Come on, pardners,” she said in her best cowboy drawl. “We’ve got to make it back to the corral before grub time.”
“Grub time?” Sarah repeated. “What’s that?”
“Cowboy talk for dinnertime,” Corey explained with a giggle.
One by one, the riders gave their ponies the signal to trot across the field. Then together the four cowboys rode off into the sunset.
COREY’S TIP ON TACKING UP YOUR HORSE
Mom always tells me that taking care of a pet is a way of learning responsibility. When it comes to taking care of Sam, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do. The best part of owning Sam is riding him, and every time I ride him, I have to take care of him in a special way. I have to tack him up.
Before I begin tacking him up, I have to be sure he’s not going anywhere without me. I cross-tie him in the aisle of our horse shed. After I’ve given him a good grooming and cleaned out his hooves, he’s ready to get into his riding clothes: his saddle and bridle.
First comes the saddle pad and saddle. The pad protects his back from the saddle. I put them on by setting them straight down on his whithers and then sliding them along his back and into place. That does two things. First, it smooths his fur down and second it gives me a chance to make sure the pad is smooth under the saddle. If it’s rumpled or lumpy, it will be very uncomfortable.
Once the saddle is in place, I check both sides of my pony to be sure that the pad under the saddle is still smooth and that the saddle is properly centered. When I know everything’s okay, then I’m ready to buckle the girth. I make sure it’s not tangled and I tighten it gently—but not as tight as I know it’s going to get. That’ll come later. The next step is the bridle.
Before I put the bridle on, I unbuckle his halter and rebuckle it just around his neck. It’s a way of reminding him that there’s still something holding him. Then I put the reins over his neck. I stand on his left side with my right shoulder next to his head. I hold the crown piece of the bridle in my right hand and the bit in my left. Then I raise the crown piece over his face. As quickly and smoothly as I can, I slip the bit into his mouth. The bit’s got to go over his teeth and if he won’t open up I tuck my thumb into the corner of his mouth and wiggle it until he opens up. Before he knows it, the bit is in his mouth, behind his teeth. Sam’s good about taking the bit because I always put it in gently. I’d never hurt Sam for anything.
Once the bit is in, I slide the crown piece over his ears and then I start buckling. As soon as the buckles are all done, the bridle is on. Then I unhook the cross ties and unbuckle the halter.
Now, I have to get back to the saddle and tighten the girth more. This is the part where Sam sometimes gets fussy because he doesn’t like the way the girth squeezes. The thing about tightening the girth is that some ponies and horses try to fool you. They take a huge breath of air. This is called bloating. Once the girth is tightened, they let out the air and the girth is loose. Sam fooled me like that once. I thought the saddle was secure. I stepped into the stirrup. The whole saddle slid around until it was hanging upside down on his belly and I was flat on my back on the ground!
I said he fooled me like that once. He’ll never fool me like that again! Now I wait until I see him breathe out and that’s when I tighten the girth. Sometimes he gives me a dirty look, but I don’t mind. I know he loves me as much as I love him. More important, I know that he may fuss a little bit when I tighten the girth, but it doesn’t hurt him and in the end, we’re both a lot more comfortable when the saddle is secure. When the girth is tight, I lower the stirrups, and lead Sam to the paddock.
That’s when he knows that we’re ready for the best part. We’re ready to ride.
Turn the page to continue reading from the Pony Tails series
1 A Growing Family
“Will you slow down, May?” said Corey.
“I think I’ll go faster,” May said. She urged her pony into a flat-out gallop.
“Stop!” Jasmine said.
“Watch this!” May said. Her pony jumped the ruler, and then the eraser, and then Jasmine’s diary.
Corey and Jasmine looked at each other and rolled their eyes. These model ponies were turning May into a maniac.
“It’s good to ride safely at all times,” Corey said, but then she giggled. “Even if your pony is only six inches tall.”
Corey jumped her model pony over a fuzzy bedroom slipper and up onto the window seat.
“Your turn,” Corey said to Jasmine.
But
Jasmine was looking at the door. “I hear something,” she said. Two days earlier the doctor had said that Jasmine’s mother was about to give birth. Now whenever Jasmine heard a noise, she was sure the baby was coming.
From downstairs came the sound of a door slamming.
“The baby’s coming. I’ve got to boil water,” Jasmine said. She jumped up.
“Wait a second,” said May. “Could that be the slamming of an oven door?”
From downstairs came a sweet, buttery smell.
“Could we be smelling fresh-baked cookies?” asked Corey.
Jasmine sat back down. “It is cookies,” she said. “Rats.”
“It could be worse,” May said with a grin. “After all, your mother’s cookies are—”
“—the greatest,” Corey said.
They went back to playing with their model ponies. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door of Jasmine’s room. The door was open, but one of the nice things about Mrs. James was that she never came into Jasmine’s room without knocking.
“Hi, Mom,” Jasmine said.
“Hi, Mrs. J.,” May said. May had known Mrs. James forever. Actually, she had known Mrs. James before forever because Mrs. James and her mom had been friends when they were pregnant with Jasmine and May.
“Hi, Mrs. J.,” Corey said.
Mrs. James walked awkwardly into the room. Normally she was thin and delicate, just like Jasmine. Now that she was pregnant, her stomach was enormous.
Mrs. James put one hand in the small of her back. Her other hand held a tray.
“Are you okay, Mrs. J.?” May asked.
“I’m fine,” Mrs. James said. “Except sometimes I have the feeling I’m going to tip over.”
She walked to the rug where the girls were sitting and looked down at them with a worried expression.
May knew right away why Mrs. James looked worried. She was trying to figure out how to put the tray down without tipping over.
May hopped up. “If there’s anything I’m good at, it’s holding trays,” she said. “Besides, I’m starving.”
With a grateful smile, Mrs. James handed the tray to her. “Thanks, May,” she said. “There’s oatmeal cookies and apple juice.”
May found that holding the tray was not easy. It took both hands to keep it steady, and even then the glasses wobbled. Being very careful, she lowered the tray to the rug.
“Just the thing for ponies,” Corey said. “Oats and apples.”
“My mom knows,” said Jasmine proudly.
They picked up their model ponies and pretended to let them take a drink of the apple juice. The girls made the ponies sip and snort with pleasure.
“Do you think they’d like cookies?” Jasmine said.
“Anyone would like your mother’s cookies,” said May.
They let the ponies nibble the cookies.
May couldn’t help thinking that it was a good thing model ponies didn’t actually eat or drink. She was hungry and thirsty and needed all the cookies and juice she could get.
The three girls leaned against the foot of Jasmine’s bed.
“Yummm,” they all said at the same time.
They turned to each other, ready to say “Jake” and give high fives, which was what the Pony Tails always did when they said the same thing at the same time. Then they saw that each of them had a cookie in one hand and a glass in the other, so slapping high fives wasn’t a great idea. Instead, they grinned and just said, “Jake.”
The Pony Tails weren’t a club, just best friends. Jasmine James, Corey Takamura, and May Grover rode their ponies together, took classes at Pine Hollow Stables together, and belonged to the same Pony Club. They were even next-door neighbors.
“You don’t know how lucky you are,” said May.
“Urmf,” said Jasmine, her mouth full of cookie.
“You’re getting a younger sister—or brother.” May took a sip of her apple juice. “Older is very bad. I can’t tell you how totally bad it is.”
“I wonder if I’ll be like Dottie and Ellie,” Jasmine said. Dottie and Ellie were May’s older sisters.
“You’ll never be like them,” May said. “They’re so dumb they don’t even like horses.”
The three of them shook their heads. May’s father was a horse trainer, and the Grovers always had a stableful of horses, so Dottie and Ellie could have ridden as much as they wanted. But did they want to? No way. Instead, they sat around and talked about boys and soccer. It didn’t make sense to May and her friends.
“You’re lucky your family is growing,” Corey said.
Corey’s parents were divorced. Sometimes the new house where Corey and her mom lived felt empty without her father. It helped that Corey got to see her father a lot. It also helped to have the world’s nuttiest pets, like Bluebeard the parrot and Dracula the dog. Still, she wished she had a baby brother or sister.
“I’ve got this baby thing all planned,” Jasmine said. “First I’m going to put pictures of ponies around the baby’s crib.”
“Good thinking,” May said.
“And then I’ll tell pony stories,” said Jasmine.
“The best kind of stories,” said Corey.
“And then I’ll give the baby a few all-important riding tips. Like to keep her heels down.”
“You can’t start keeping your heels down too soon,” May agreed.
The three of them enjoyed the crunchy cookies in silence for a moment.
“I heard there’s a new foal at Pine Hollow,” May said then.
“A new foal!” said Jasmine. She loved foals. “Tell me about it.”
“That’s all I know,” May said. “Maybe Corey knows more.”
Corey’s mother was a veterinarian. Everybody called her Doc Tock. She didn’t work with horses, but she knew everything there was to know about the animals of Willow Creek.
“What’s the foal like?” Jasmine asked.
“He’s average,” said Corey with a shrug. “Nothing special.”
An average foal! There was no such thing. Jasmine and May looked at each other in amazement.
“Since when did you think a foal was average?” Jasmine asked.
“This one is,” Corey said casually. “Now if you want to see something truly amazing, come to my house and see the baby dachshunds.”
But Jasmine wasn’t about to be distracted. “What does the colt look like?” she asked. “What are his markings?”
“Average markings,” said Corey. “Now about those dachshunds.”
“Is he frisky?” May asked. “Does he like to kick up his heels?”
“Will somebody let me tell about the dachshunds?” Corey asked.
May and Jasmine looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Why was Corey acting so strange?
“Okay, tell us about those whatchamacallits,” May said grumpily.
“What is a dachshund, anyway?” asked Jasmine.
Corey looked relieved to have their attention at last. “You know those dogs that look like long, furry hot dogs?”
“The ones that are two inches off the ground?” asked Jasmine.
“That’s it,” Corey said. “Well, the mother hot dog has six little hot dogs.”
“Cocktail franks!” said May. When her mother had a party she often served tiny hot dogs.
“They’ll be staying at my place for the next couple of weeks,” Corey said. “You have got to see them.”
There was a knock on the door. Mr. James poked his head into the room. His blue eyes were twice as big as usual, and his curly hair was a mess. He looked happy and scared at the same time.
“It’s …,” he said. “I mean … now. It’s coming.”
The Pony Tails looked at each other.
“Mom’s in labor,” Jasmine gasped. “She’s going to have the baby.”
The three Pony Tails jumped to their feet.
“Zowie!” May said.
2 Keeping Busy
May and Corey stood at the sink rinsing the glasses and t
he cookie plate from their snack. They put them in the dishwasher and wiped off the tray. Jasmine was at the stove boiling water for the nurse-midwife, who had gotten to the house a few minutes earlier to help her mother.
May didn’t want to leave. “We could help you boil water,” she said to Jasmine. “What I don’t know about boiling water isn’t worth knowing.”
“That’s okay,” Jasmine said. “My father and I practiced. I know what to do.”
“But we could help you do it even better,” May said as she dried her hands and hung up the dishtowel.
“Ahem,” Corey said.
May turned to look. Corey was pointing at the back door.
“I could write an article for the school paper,” May said. “It would make a great story. ‘Mrs. James Gives Birth. Jasmine Gets New Sister.’”
Gently Corey took May’s arm and pulled her toward the door.
“It would be on the front page,” May said.
Corey pulled May into the mudroom, which was behind the kitchen.
“Gee,” said May, “why do I get the feeling that you think it’s time to go?”
“Because it is time to go,” said Corey. “Bye, Jasmine,” she called through the doorway.
“See you,” said Jasmine.
As May and Corey put on their riding boots, May said, “I still think the Jameses could use our help.”
“It’s just a wild guess—but I think the nurse-midwife can handle it,” Corey said.
Corey opened the back door. A sweet smell hit them. It was a combination of flowers, warm earth, and grass.
“Spring!” May said. “An outstanding time of year. An ideal time to be born.”
“Just like you were,” Corey said with a smile. May was called May because she had been born in May.
They headed to the back of Jasmine’s yard and onto the Pony Trail. This was a trail that led between the three houses of the Pony Tails.
“Wait until you see the baby dachshunds,” Corey said.
They ambled into the Takamuras’ barn. In the tack room was a box with very low sides so that the mother dachshund could get in and out. She was lying in the center with a happy look on her face. Around her were six tiny brown babies with their eyes closed. They were making tiny birdlike peeps as they wriggled toward their mother.
Corey and the Spooky Pony (Pony Tails Book 9) Page 5