“Are you okay, Paige?” she said softly. There was no response for several moments, but then Paige came toward the door and slid it open enough for Sarah to squeeze in. Paige was obviously distraught, her face wet with tears, her eyes red and puffy. Sarah instinctively gave her a hug.
Other boarders might be within hearing distance, so Sarah’s voice was low, almost a whisper when she said, “Is there anything I can do?”
Paige leaned back on the stall wall and covered her face with her hands, sobbing. Finally she pulled them away and met Sarah’s gaze. “Tim and I had an awful fight,” she murmured. “It’s the first one we ever had, but it was serious. It might be a deal-breaker.” Her head dropped, and she began to cry again.
Sarah was silent, wishing there was something she could say or do to comfort her friend.
When Paige could speak, she went on. “There’s a girl that lives near Tim, and he’s been giving her rides to school. Do you know Amy Campbell?”
Sarah nodded. “Not very well. You guys are a year ahead of me, but I know who she is.”
“Well, I saw them in the cafeteria together, and they were definitely flirting. Tim says it’s nothing. He says I’ve got a rich imagination, and that if I can’t trust him on this one…. Her voice broke off, and more sobs followed. She reached into her pocket for a tissue and blew her nose loudly.
Sarah wished she knew the right thing to say. Paige had been her friend since she started riding at Brookmeade. “Would it help if you talk to Tim some more about this?” she said. “Maybe he’s had a chance to think about it. Maybe he’s sorry.”
Paige shook her head. “He walked away from me. I’m not going to go crawling to him!” Quarry seemed to sense something was wrong and reached around to nuzzle Paige’s hair. She gently pushed his gray muzzle away and reached out to stroke him. “I think I’m going to take off,” Paige said. “I can’t ride today. Quarry was turned out this morning, so he’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to help?” Sarah asked again.
Paige shook her head. She hugged Sarah and then her horse one last time. “Bye, Quarry,” she said as the two girls left the stall. Paige slid the door shut and hurried down the aisle.
Sarah wondered if Tim was at the barn, but she saw no sign of him as she walked down the aisle on her way to the paddock to bring her horse in. Paige was such a knockout! How could Tim even think about another girl? Sarah wondered if his interest in Amy Campbell was for real.
When Sarah neared his paddock, she saw Prince on the far side, grubbing for bits of grass where the snow had melted thin. This was the first day in a long time he hadn’t worn a blanket when turned out. When she whistled softly, his ears shot forward and he raised his beautiful head to look her way, his large eyes watching her inquisitively. Against the backdrop of snow, he was like a noble statue.
Sarah slipped through the gate and went to her horse. He stretched his neck to lift the piece of carrot she held in her hand, chewing it as she attached the lead shank to his halter. His eyes were soft and wrinkled in the corners, showing he was glad to see her. “C’mon, buddy,” she said, and they started back to the barn.
Derek was on his way to the side door as Sarah led Prince into the barn. She halted her horse in the aisle and called to Derek, speaking as he walked back to her. “I’m glad I caught you before you left. You and Bismarck were amazing today!” she said. “I can’t imagine ever jumping fences that tall and wide.”
Derek grinned. “But that’s all we do,” he said. “Bismarck doesn’t have to do dressage tests or cross-country.” He thought a minute. “He’s a specialist.”
“I don’t know about that,” Sarah said. “You were doing as many dressage movements in your warm-up with Jack as we do in our lessons. With all the flatwork training he’s getting, Bismarck could be a fantastic event horse.” She steadied Prince, who was tugging on the shank to get closer to Wichita in his stall. “Bismarck is a wonderful horse, Derek. I’m sure your parents think so, too.”
“Yeah,” he said. “They’re looking forward to when we can start showing again. As for our flatwork, doing all the dressage stuff is entirely new to us. My instructor in Chicago didn’t bother with anything except some generic walk, trot, and canter before we started jumping. Bismarck is going so much better with Jack’s approach.” He stepped back to leave. “Thanks for coming to my lesson.”
Once Prince was on the cross-ties, Sarah got busy with her curry comb and brushes. He’d come to enjoy being groomed and was completely relaxed. His head drooped as she curried his rump in a strong, circular motion. While she was tacking him up, Sarah began to have second thoughts about what she and her horse would do that day. It was so warm and spring-like outside. Maybe she’d ditch her plan to work in the indoor and just hack Prince on the farm road instead. Yesterday’s lesson had been like all of Jack’s lessons—challenging—and perhaps Prince could use an easy routine today. The higher temps as of late had melted all the ice on the entry road, leaving the gravel surface soft and forgiving.
After putting on her helmet and grabbing her crop, Sarah led Prince from the barn to the mounting block in the courtyard. The afternoon sun was warmer than it had been for some time, promising spring and green grass around the corner. As they started up the entry road hill, she unzipped her jacket part way, soaking up the sun. At that moment she wished Derek was riding with her. They could talk about so many things, and after watching his lesson, she had a lot of questions.
Prince seemed content to walk without pulling to go faster, which was a blessing. She wasn’t in a mood to contend with a feisty horse, and was glad he was walking quietly on a longish rein. After rounding the top of the hill by the O’Briens’ bungalow, Sarah saw a car coming toward them, making its way along the road and over the bridge. It was Tim’s black Jeep. Fortunately Gus plowed the road wide enough so Tim would have plenty of room to pass her, in spite of the remaining snow banks. When he got closer, the Jeep slowed and stopped right beside her.
Sarah halted her horse as Tim rolled down his window, wearing his typical grin. “Has a little spring fever driven you outside?” he asked?”
He’s such a neat guy, Sarah thought. It’s no surprise lots of girls would put him in their sights.
“I guess you could say that,” she said. “After the winter we’ve had, the sun sure is nice. What are you doing today?”
“I’m not sure.” He paused a moment. “Do you know if Paige is riding Quarry?”
Before she could bite her tongue, Sarah blurted out the words. “She left for home a little while ago. She seemed pretty upset.” Sarah studied Tim’s face, waiting for a response.
Tim shook his head and then looked up at Sarah. “Look, she’s got this crazy idea that Amy Campbell and I’ve got something going. Amy lives a couple houses down from us. You know her, right?” When Sarah nodded, he went on. “Just because I give her a ride to school, Paige thinks I’m hitting on her.”
Sarah thought a moment. “Why can’t Amy take the bus like most of us do?” she asked. “Wouldn’t that solve the problem?”
“The problem is that Paige doesn’t trust me!” Tim said heatedly. He jerked his Jeep into gear and gunned off, spraying gravel back at them.
Prince shied at the car’s sudden takeoff and pranced as Sarah turned him in a small circle. She sighed when he resumed walking quietly. Had she put her foot into her mouth big time? Maybe Paige wouldn’t be thrilled she’d gotten involved. The last thing she needed was more drama at Brookmeade Farm! And this new development certainly didn’t boost their chances of sending a winning team to Wexford Hall in June.
CHAPTER 18
Spring at Last
THE COMING OF SPRING brought expected changes to Brookmeade Farm. The outdoor sand ring went back into use, and riders could once again hack on the trails connected to the farm. The horses rolled in the paddocks regularly as they shed their winter coats, and winter blankets were laundered and stored away. As Sarah rode he
r bike to the barn once again, she reveled in the smells of thawing ground and budding trees. It was great that she didn’t have to depend on anyone for a ride, and she could get to the barn on her own schedule.
The school break in April meant Sarah had a week of almost unlimited time with her horse. On their lesson day, she biked to the farm several hours in advance, thinking how nice it was not to be rushed. Prince would be turned out now, so after parking her bike by the side door of the barn, she first went to see if Paige was around. Quarry was on the cross-ties while Paige brushed his luxurious silver tail with a hairbrush just like the one Sarah had at home. Sarah grinned and shook her head as she pointed to it.
“It works better than anything I could get at a tack shop,” Paige said. “It’s gentle and doesn’t pull out a lot of hair.” She laughed. “Quarry’s getting ready for his first movie, you know.” Sarah was glad to hear Paige laugh again, something that had been rare lately.
Just then the Brookmeade Jack Russells came barreling down the aisle to play with Sarah. Spin and Cameo raced around her while she clapped her hands and spun in circles. She stopped and petted them as Mrs. DeWitt came closer.
“I have some news, girls,” she said. “Athena has finally had her foal, a filly. I’m heading up there to see her. Would you like to come along?”
“Of course!” Paige said. “I’ll put Quarry back in his stall.” Sarah was equally excited. The other two mares had foaled over a month before, and everyone had been wondering why Athena was so late. They piled into Mrs. DeWitt’s Mercedes for the ride to the carriage shed.
“Jack had a feeling last night would be the night,” Mrs. DeWitt said, as she drove up the hill. “Athena was waxing, which is a good sign foaling is about to happen soon. Jack has a surveillance system set up so from the bungalow he can see and hear anything going on in the foaling stall. That, plus making regular checks, allows him to keep on top of things.”
“What’s waxing?” Sarah asked, leaning forward to hear her better.
“That’s when the mare begins secreting milk from her udder,” Mrs. DeWitt said, “usually just before foaling.” When they pulled into the driveway, Jack stepped out of the bungalow on his way to the carriage shed. He waved.
“Aren’t we lucky! Jack can tell us all about it,” Mrs. DeWitt said.
The girls and Mrs. DeWitt found Jack looking into the roomy foaling stall at Athena and her filly. The chestnut filly with a large white star looked at them curiously, but Athena’s ears were pinned back. She was by nature very protective, and quickly moved between the visitors and her baby.
“The foal’s legs are so long!” Paige exclaimed. They watched as the filly took a few steps before reaching under her dam to nurse.
“It’s nature’s way of helping her flee from any predators,” Mrs. DeWitt said. “Flight is a horse’s primary defense against them, and a foal can run with its dam when just a few hours old.” She looked to Jack. “I heard from Kathleen that you both were here for the birth.”
“Yes. Fortunately there weren’t any complications, and Athena would have preferred we mind our own business. About three this morning, I heard the sound of the mare moving in the straw on the intercom. I immediately checked the surveillance monitor and saw she was walking in the stall. When I came out, Athena was down, and the filly was born within minutes. Both mare and foal were on their feet not long afterward. At first the filly walked with little wobbly steps, but a few minutes later she could have been running, if need be. We’re lucky everything went so smoothly. It was warm enough that we didn’t need to use the infrared heat lamp.”
“Things haven’t always gone so well,” Mrs. DeWitt said. “We lost both a foal and the mare in a difficult foaling a few years ago. It was a breech birth, when the foal wasn’t positioned properly, and the mare had gone into an early labor unnoticed in the field. Dr. Reynolds came as fast as he could, but he wasn’t in time.”
“Fortunately, most foalings go smoothly,” Jack said. “I love to hear the mare nicker to the little one shortly after birth, as Athena did.” He pushed his tweed cap higher off his forehead. “My father was an excellent foaling man. He could help a mare that was in trouble better than many a veterinarian.”
At that moment, the filly turned from her dam and with awkward steps began making her way toward the visitors standing close to the bars. Athena quickly interceded, rushing to get between her foal and the people looking in at them.
“Athena is a sweet and friendly mare, except when she has a new foal by her side,” Jack warned. “Then ’tis best to keep your distance.”
A short time later Mrs. DeWitt drove the girls back to the barn so they could get their horses ready for their lesson. With school vacation, Tim was at the barn earlier than usual, and Rita and Kayla also showed up well ahead of schedule. Derek was tacking up Bismarck when the girls came to Prince’s stall.
Rita walked around Derek’s horse, studying his conformation. “How did you find your horse in Germany?” she asked.
“Actually my Chicago trainer tracked him down,” Derek said as he continued putting the saddle on his horse. “Bismarck had a show record, so we were pretty sure of what we were getting. Of course we had a vet go over him with a fine-tooth comb over there.”
From Rita’s face, Sarah could tell she wasn’t happy to see a horse at the farm that might challenge Chancellor’s status in her mind as the most superior horse. Even though they probably wouldn’t face each other in horse shows, since Derek competed only in the jumpers, Rita really didn’t like any horse that could conceivably beat hers in competition. A few minutes later, Rita left them, mentioning she was going to check in with Tim. Kayla stayed a few more minutes before going back to get Fanny ready.
The Young Riders lesson that day included jumping a course of fences Jack had set up in the indoor, and when they were finished, he had the class come to the center. “The fields and woods have thoroughly dried out,” he said, “so we can use them for schooling without chopping the ground up unnecessarily. I plan for us to work on cross-country obstacles next week, weather permitting, so you should have your horses’ legs wrapped with polos or protected with galloping boots, both in front and behind. The Wexford Hall event isn’t that far away, so we’ll be doing a goodly amount of cross-country schooling between now and then.”
Sarah had received mostly horse equipment from her parents at Christmas, and now she had a nice set of galloping boots and new polo wraps in her tack trunk. The cooler she had hoped for had also been under the tree.
Rita spoke up. “What about saddles? Should I use my all-purpose or my jumping saddle?”
“For cross-country, I suggest you use your jumping saddle,” Jack replied.
Sarah noticed Kayla’s raised eyebrow. Both knew what the other was thinking. Rita is the only one in the class with more than one saddle. She couldn’t resist reminding us of that.
“And one last thing,” Jack continued. “You’ve all worked hard over the winter to make your horses better jumpers, doing gymnastics and jumping courses here in the indoor. Consequently, you should all see marked improvement in their cross-country jumping, as well. I will also remind you that none of the cross-country obstacles are to be used for schooling unless it’s under my supervision.”
Sarah gave Prince a pat on his neck. He’d done very well in the lesson, and she was so proud of him. She followed the other riders out of the arena.
Jack walked with them as they filed out. “The old orchard trail is dry enough for riding,” he said, “in case you want to cool out your horses that way.”
“Anyone want to hack to the old orchard?” Tim asked. This would be the first time anyone in the class had hacked there since the snow came.
“I wish I could,” Kayla said, “but Mom will want to truck Fanny home. Maybe we can bring her over one of these Saturdays, and ride to the beach. It won’t be all that long before the tourists come back.”
Sarah wondered what Paige would say about going to the ol
d orchard. It had now been a few months since she and Tim had parted ways, and while they were supposedly still friends, they didn’t hang out as they had before. Paige never made any negative comments about Tim, but she spent more time with Sarah at the barn these days. Kayla told Sarah confidentially that she thought they would both like to get back together, but were too stubborn to make the first move.
“Are you up for a trail ride, Sarah?” Paige asked.
Sarah had cleaned Prince’s stall before the class, thinking they might go for a hack afterward. “Sure,” she said. “You, too?” Paige nodded.
“How about you, Rita?” Tim asked.
Rita looked at her watch and then smiled broadly at Tim. “Of course!” She was elated to get what she perceived to be an invitation to ride with him.
Sarah was sorry Derek hadn’t been around for her lesson that day. She knew he had to take his mother for an eye appointment right after he rode Bismarck, but she found herself wishing he was there. Riding was so much more fun when Derek was along. At the same time, she didn’t harbor any hope their relationship would ever extend beyond seeing him at the barn or going for an occasional ride. His girlfriend, Meredith, was always in the background, and Derek’s invitation to his school’s winter carnival months ago—that Sarah had, of course, turned down—was his last overture.
The four horses made their way across the parking lot and disappeared into the forest on the old orchard trail. Tim led the ride, with Sarah following and Rita next in line. Sarah noticed that Paige purposely held Quarry back so she would be at the rear of the ride.
Parts of the trail looked bare without any leaves on the trees, although the pines and other conifers provided their year-round greenness. Buds on the other trees promised leaves before long. The horses seemed happy to be back on the trail after so many months being ridden inside, but they had to step carefully over downed limbs and other windfall that lay on the path. Prince had been on a number of group trail rides last fall, and now he was behaving like a seasoned campaigner, with no jigging or pulling to go faster.
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