Star Gazer

by Chris Platt

  As they walked into the corner, Jordan called out, “Star, come around, gee!” and gave a light pull on the right rein. Star bent her head to the right and made a circle around the cone, then went back on the rail and headed for the next one.

  Jordan felt like she was walking on air when they finished the final cone. She pulled Star to a halt and rewarded her with the sound of her voice and a short rest. “Good girl!” she said, letting the reins go slack so the mare could relax.

  Jacob entered the pen with an armload of the orange cones. “Great job!” he told Jordan. “Take it easy for a couple minutes while I set these up, then we’re going to have some real fun!”

  Jordan watched as Jacob reset the cones, this time in a straight line, many yards apart. Daniel joined his dad and the two of them jumped on the fence to watch.

  “What’s this?” Jordan asked, pointing to the line of cones down the center of the arena.

  “This,” Jacob said as he took the reins from her and got behind Star Gazer, “is the first step in learning to skid logs. Let’s go.”

  “Really?” A nervous tingle ran down Jordan’s arms. “But I’m not very good. I still run into things in the cart.”

  Everyone laughed. “You’ve got to start somewhere,” Mr. Miller said. “We’ll get you used to maneuvering around obstacles. By this time next year, you’ll be entering that pulling contest and giving the boys a run for their money.”

  Jordan thought again about the challenge she’d laid out to Mr. Sutton. She shook her head at her stupidity.

  Jacob stood several yards behind Star Gazer in the driver position. He motioned for Jordan to step in front of him, lifting one rein so she could slip between the two driving lines.

  She moved into position between the driving lines—and also between Jacob’s arms. Her heart rate kicked up a couple of beats.

  “Put your hands lightly on the reins, Jordie,” he said. “I’m going to run this course with Star, but I want you to feel what I’m doing with the reins and see how Star is moving her body. You just keep your hands lightly on the reins and let me do the work.”

  The sound of Jacob’s deep, steady voice over her shoulder made it hard to concentrate. What was going on with her? Jacob was just a friend who happened to be a boy. Why was she so jumpy? She took a step forward to put a little space between them. It made breathing a little easier, and, she reasoned, they’d need the extra space so their feet didn’t get all tangled together as they walked forward.

  Jordan was glad Nicole wasn’t here. Her friend would be making all kinds of monkey faces at her and shooting as many photos as she could to “capture the moment.” Jordan didn’t think she’d easily forget this moment for a long while.

  Jacob gave Star the walk-up command, and Jordan prepared for the sudden jolt forward as the big mare strode forward. Jordan fell into the rhythm, feeling Jacob’s big leather boots hit the ground just behind her. She kept her hands barely skimming the reins so she could feel what Jacob was doing without interfering in his communication to Star through the reins and bit.

  It surprised her to see how differently Star responded to the more experienced driver. The big mare moved forward confidently, picking her way in and out of the cones in a serpentine pattern, her ears swiveling back and forth to catch the sound of Jacob’s voice. Jordan could feel the lightness of his touch and the steadiness of his hands. She wished she had his confidence and ability!

  “See how Star kind of side-passes in and out of the cones while keeping a forward motion?” Jacob asked. “That’s what you’re going for. No big swings of movement, okay? You don’t want your logs bouncing around and knocking things over when you’re in a contest.”

  They finished the line of cones in one direction, then circled the end cone and headed back the other way. Jacob gave her control of the reins and joined the others on the fence. She could immediately feel the difference in the way Star responded. Jordan tried to do as Jacob had instructed, but her moves were awkward and Star swung wide on her passes through the cones. She even knocked a couple of them down.

  Jordan frowned as she turned Star, determined to make another pass through the cones. But Star Gazer had other ideas. She grabbed the bit in her teeth and took Jordan to the outside fence, where she promptly stopped to rest. No amount of urging could encourage the horse to budge.

  “What’s she doing?” Jordan asked, annoyed and frustrated. “Why won’t she go?”

  Mr. Miller walked over and took Star by the bridle, leading her away from the fence. “Looks like this might have been what she was doing at the Sutton place. Sometimes horses figure out how to get out of work. Let me see her for just a minute.” He took the reins from Jordan and steered the mare back to the course. Star tried to get out on him several times, but Mr. Miller was firm with her and guided her through the course.

  When they finished, he signaled for Jacob. “Bring King in here, please. And, Daniel, go get the team driving lines. We’re going to hook these two as a team and see if we can get Star to remember her manners.”

  “How will that help?” Jordan asked.

  Mr. Miller smiled. “King is bigger than Star and outweighs her by a couple hundred pounds. He’s also very good at obeying his driver. The next time Star tries to make up her own routine, King will hold her to the set course.”

  When Jacob brought King into the paddock, Star Gazer lifted her head and nickered a greeting. She stood quietly while Jacob and Daniel changed the equipment and hooked them together as a team. “Well, let’s see how well they work together,” Jacob said, taking up the reins. He drove them around the paddock several times, then motioned for Daniel to open the gate.

  “Where are you going?” Jordan asked.

  “If it’s all right with you, I thought I’d hook them up to a set of logs and see how Star pulls. Is that okay?”

  Jordan nodded vigorously. It was more than okay. She couldn’t wait! Star’s feet had been holding up well. This would be a good test to see how sound she’d be after a tougher workout. The load was heavy, but the soft dirt in the pulling field would be easy on Star Gazer’s feet. Jordan ran ahead and opened the gate.

  Jacob guided the horses into the back pasture where he and Dan always practiced log skidding. The poles were already attached to the long piece of equipment called the “evener,” so he backed the horses into place just in front of the load. Star stood quietly with King while Jacob hooked the harness tugs to the doubletrees on the evener. After a quick check of the equipment, they were ready to go. When Jacob gave the command to pull, the big mare grunted and leaned into her collar, pulling the logs forward with King.

  Jacob made a pass up and down through the cones. Several times Star tried to quit and leave the area, but King faithfully plodded onward, taking Star with him. “That’s enough for today,” Jacob said. “We don’t want to put too much strain on Star’s feet at first. We’ll let her build up to heavier work.” He held the horses still while Mr. Miller unhooked them from the load.

  Jordan ran ahead to open the gate and followed them back to the harnessing station, where she helped untack the two horses. Sweat dotted Star’s black coat. She’d need a bath before being put out to pasture with King.

  Jacob pulled some carrot bits from his shirt pocket and offered them to the horses. He patted Star’s thick neck. “She tried to quit on us a few times, but outside of that, she did pretty good today,” he said. “When she dug in and started pulling her share of the load, I could tell she’s really got a lot of potential.”

  Mr. Miller and Daniel gave each other a look, obviously agreeing with him.

  Jacob fed the mare another piece of carrot. “If it’s okay with you, Jordan, I’d like to work Star with King some more and see if we can get her up to speed.”

  Jordan felt a surge of relief. She was just a beginner. No way could she correct Star’s bad habits at this point. “That would be great,” she said. Star turned her head and nuzzled Jordan’s cheek as if making an apology. Jordan rub
bed the big white star in the center of the Percheron’s broad forehead. “I know you don’t mean to make me look bad,” she said.

  Mr. Miller placed the harness in the wheelbarrow to return it to the tack room. “Don’t think you’re going to get off easy just because Jacob will be driving your mare with King. You’ll still be warming her up and driving her single before Jacob takes over,” he warned Jordan.

  “And I’ll let you step in and drive the two of them with me, just like you did when we started off today’s lesson with Star,” he added.

  Jordan cheeks grew warm thinking about standing between Jacob’s arms. It was totally unnerving.

  Jacob handed her Star’s lead rope. “Keep this up, and next season you might just be the first girl to win the pulling contest.”

  Jordan spent the next month in a constant state of busyness. When she wasn’t mowing lawns, walking dogs, or pulling weeds, she was riding with Nicole or taking lessons at the Miller place. She’d even had a chance to ride to the lake with Mary and Kathy from the stable. Kathy made a snide remark about Star’s size, but Jordan counteracted it by riding up beside Kathy and looking down at her shorter horse while they spoke. Jordan suspected that Kathy was secretly impressed with Star—maybe even a bit jealous.

  Mrs. Cannon made an offer of five hundred dollars on Star, but Jordan’s mother turned it down. Now that Star was showing a lot of potential, it was obvious they could get a better offer. Mrs. Cannon wasn’t giving up, though. She said they’d look at their finances and see if they could come up with a little more money.

  Star Gazer loved getting out and doing things, but she still had a mind of her own. One day when the mare decided to take Jordan on a detour, Nicole showed Jordan a secret.

  “Pull on that rein and make her turn in a tight circle!” Nicole hollered when Star tried to wander off the trail. “My trainer tells us that horses don’t like doing extra work, especially small circles,” Nicole said. “Star has to follow where her nose goes, so pull on that rein and tip her nose to the inside. She’ll have to follow and that will keep her from getting her own way.”

  Jordan tried it several times and it seemed to work. It was difficult for a horse as big as Star Gazer to move in a tight, nose-to-tail circle. After a while, Star gave up trying to get her way—most of the time. There were still moments when Star got the drop on Jordan and moved like a bulldozer, plowing toward a big clump of sweet Michigan grass. But things were getting better and Jordan was feeling more confident. She vowed to remember Nicole’s trainer’s theory: “Make the right things easy and the bad things difficult.”

  Lessons at the Miller place had really intensified since Jacob and Daniel both planned to enter the pulling contest at the fair at the end of the month. Jordan worked hard, too, and she loved every minute of it. Her dream was finally coming true.

  On lesson days, Jordan drove Star to warm her up, and to get in some driving practice. Under Jacob’s competent hands, Star Gazer worked well. She wasn’t able to pull her tricks on him. It amazed Jordan that Jacob could get those two big draft horses and the logs through the obstacle course without knocking down any cones.

  He let her drive the pair for a short time each session, even helping Jordan work them through the log-skidding course. At first Jordan had to pick up a lot of tipped-over cones when they were through, but as summer wore on, she knocked over fewer and fewer of them.

  Now and then, Jordan would see Tommy Sutton standing across the street watching her and the boys practice. She wondered if maybe he wanted to hang out with them, but he never got close enough to talk to them. Once when she waved, he picked up his bike and rode away.

  Jordan got to the point where she didn’t feel quite so self-conscious about having people watch her. She even relented and invited her mother to come watch. She didn’t even complain when her mom took tons of photographs. Her mother seemed to be thrilled with their progress. Several times Jordan caught her looking at Star Gazer with new respect.

  After the photo session, Mrs. McKenzie stood by the fence with Jacob, watching Jordan guide the mare through a series of cones. “They make a good team,” Mrs. McKenzie said.

  “I keep trying to tell her that she’s doing well, but she doesn’t want to believe me,” Jacob said.

  When Jordan finished the lesson, she came to join Jacob and her mother at the fence.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to enter the contest yourself?” Jacob asked her. “There’s a category for beginners. You can use a single horse and pull just a single log. You’re doing really well, and Star Gazer’s feet are holding up just fine. I think you should enter. It would be a good experience.”

  “And it will give people a chance to get a good look at Star,” her mother added. “It might make it easier to find a good buyer.”

  In her mind’s eye, Jordan could see Star taking off for the outside of the arena and the whole crowd laughing at her. “Thanks, but no thanks,” she told Jacob with a laugh. “Not yet, anyway.” She turned Star toward the barn and motioned for her mom to follow them.

  But as Jordan led Star Gazer through the gate, the idea of entering her horse in the beginner’s class and competing with the other kids in town suddenly seemed less scary.

  She tied Star to the hitching post and pulled the reins from the guide rings on the harness. She knew her mom was dead set on selling Star Gazer. But maybe if she could keep the mare in line and do well in the beginner’s class at the fair, her mom would see what a great team they made and let her keep her.

  twenty

  Mrs. McKenzie went to sit on the porch with Mrs. Miller while Jordan helped the boys put the horses away. When Star was bathed and brushed and fed, Jordan signaled to her mother that she was ready to leave. They said good-bye to their friends and climbed into the car. Her mom had promised to take her to the feed store today. Star needed vitamins and Jordan wanted to get some more horse cookies. The mare loved the oats and molasses treats. Jordan rolled down the window, letting the wind blow in her face. After making such a big deal about not entering the contest, she had to figure a way to tell her mom that she’d changed her mind. Also, money was tight and they’d have to come up with the entry fee. She rolled the window back up and squirmed in her seat, trying to rearrange the seatbelt on her shoulder.

  Her mother glanced at her while she waited to pull onto the main road. “You’re awfully fidgety. Is everything okay? Did something go wrong with your lesson? It looked to me like things were going well.”

  Jordan cleared her throat. “Mom…I’ve been thinking about that beginner’s class Jacob talked about. I think maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to enter Star Gazer at the fair this summer. That is, if we haven’t sold her by then,” she added with a frown.

  “I don’t know if that would be a good idea, Jordan,” her mother said. “Star still likes to disobey you occasionally and take you to the outside fence. If we’re trying to sell her, it might not be good to have potential buyers see that. Let me think about it.” Her mother was silent all the way to the feed store.

  As they slowed to make the turn into the parking lot, Mrs. McKenzie took up the conversation again. “You know, if you do have a good showing, it might help us find a good home for Star. It would be nice if she went to someone local here so you could go visit. But still, if anything went wrong…”

  Jordan turned her head to look out the window. She didn’t want her mom to see the tears gathering her eyes. It wasn’t fair that she’d spent the whole summer working with Star Gazer just to turn her over to someone else. Couldn’t her mom see how much she loved that horse?

  As they pulled into a parking space, Jordan saw the Sutton Farm truck and cringed. She hadn’t even thought about the possibility that Tommy would be working. She would hurry. Maybe they could get in and out without seeing either Tommy or his dad.

  When Jordan opened the door, the first thing she heard was Mr. Sutton’s voice booming out, bragging to others in the shop that he would win the big pulling contest agai
n this year. Didn’t he ever get tired of bragging about the same thing? He might not be talking so big after the competition, Jordan thought, if Jacob and Daniel have anything to do with it.

  When her mother stopped to scratch the ears of the store cat sunning itself in the front window, Jordan slipped behind a big shelf in the vitamin section, trying to make herself as small as possible.

  Jordan spotted Tommy stacking salt blocks in the back corner. He had his back to her. She quickly picked out some vitamins and found Star’s favorite horse cookies. She had almost made it to the counter when Tommy spotted her.

  “Hey, McKenzie!” His snarky voice carried across the feed store. “Kill any more of those orange cones lately? I hear they’re on the endangered species list because of you.” As usual, he seemed to get a kick out of his own attempt at humor.

  “Who’re you talking to, Tommy?” Mr. Sutton asked. Just then, he rounded the vitamin aisle and saw Jordan. “Ah, it’s the new girl.” He gave her a patronizing grin. “How’s that mare doing? Did you get her feet squared away? My son tells me that you’ve been harnessing her and doing a little pulling?”

  Jordan wished she could fade into the walls. She was sure Mr. Sutton remembered her challenge to him on the pulling contest. She was going to have to eat a little crow here, and the feathers were going to stick in her throat. She was about to answer when her mother joined them.

  “Well, hello, Mr. Sutton,” Mrs. McKenzie said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  Jordan looked back and forth between her mother and Mr. Sutton, hoping this didn’t get ugly and embarrass them both. But her mother seemed calm.

  “I hear Jacob Yoder and Daniel Miller have a very good team of horses this year,” Mrs. McKenzie said. “There’s speculation going around that you could get beat.” The smile on her face tightened. A few other people in the store chuckled.