The others had giggled at Beanie, but all the joking around had stopped the instant Lily Simpson had appeared. They’d watched, captivated, as she and Firestorm jumped as one over the enormous brushes, ditches and the water complexes. The pair had gone round clear, and were sitting in first place going into the show-jumping phase on the final day of the competition.
Now the girls could barely watch as they counted down her strides to the final show jump – it was all that stood between her and a place in the history books.
“And she’s done it! She’s cleared the last fence!” the commentator screamed over the deafening roar from the crowd. “Lily Simpson has become the youngest ever rider to lift the Burghley trophy!”
The girls leaped up and danced round the room, whooping and high-fiving. They collapsed back onto the squishy sofas just as Lily was interviewed. She was crying and laughing at the same time, holding onto Firestorm with loose reins as everyone walking past hugged her or congratulated her. She talked about how thrilled she was and how amazingly lucky she was to have a horse like Firestorm. When asked who she wanted to dedicate the win to, she didn’t hesitate.
“First, to my little sis, Amber,” Lily said, looking directly into the camera. “I know she’ll be at home watching. She’s given up loads to come to the UK with me. I hadn’t realised till this week just how hard it’s been for her, and I hope this makes up for it just a little bit!”
“Sounds like Lily’s forgiven Amber,” Mia said.
Lily continued, “I want to dedicate this victory to the most wonderful pony ever, Foxy, who helped me get where I am today. He means the world to me and I want to say a huge thanks to everyone at Dovecote Hall Pony Camp who rallied round to help find Foxy when we thought he’d gone missing. You know who you are – thanks, guys!”
The Pony Detectives looked at each other like they might burst, and erupted into cheers.
“She meant us!” Charlie giggled. “I can’t believe Lily Simpson thanked us!”
“On live television!” Rosie added, hiccupping through excitement.
“Our first celebrity case successfully solved!” Mia beamed. “Tick!”
They watched as Firestorm received a huge wreath round his neck, and tried to eat it.
“Just think,” Charlie grinned, “one day that’ll be Holly up there, winning Burghley.”
“And we can say we know her!” Alice giggled.
“Er, aren’t you forgetting another talent that might soon be charging round there?” Rosie said.
“Why, who else is there?” Charlie frowned. Alice and Mia tried to think who she meant.
Rosie pointed to the rosette pinned to her T-shirt. “Er, you don’t get a special achievement for nothing,” she said. “This year, Pony Camp – next year, Burghley! There’s no stopping me and Dancer now!”
The Pony Detectives collapsed into another fit of giggles. As they settled back down to watch the trophy presentation, the four best friends grinned at each other. They were already looking forward to next summer, when they could go to camp all over again.
How to be a
Cross-country Star
Follow Charlie’s tips to become a cross-country champ!
Aim to get your pony into a good rhythm right at the start of the course.
Try to keep out of the saddle in the cross-country position between fences. It might make your legs ache afterwards, but it’s more comfy for your pony over a long distance.
Prepare your pony for the fence ahead by changing his speed on the approach. He’ll need to pick up speed to clear a spread, or steady up for a tricky drop or bounce!
Remember to keep the red flags on the fences to the right, and the white flags to the left when you jump a cross-country fence.
If your or your pony aren’t confident about riding in a cross-country competition, you could enter a ‘pairs’ class, where you ride round with a friend.
Destiny’s Laminitis Fact File
What is laminitis?
It’s a seriously painful condition which affects horses and ponies’ hooves. If the sensitive tissues inside the hoof, called laminae, are starved of blood, they swell up and become really sore. If it’s not treated, these laminae can die, causing the pedal bone to come away from the hoof wall and rotate.
What causes it?
It’s most often caused by guzzling too much lush grass, which has lots of sugar in it. Overweight ponies are at particular risk, especially if they become obese. But there are other causes, too, like concussion from riding on hard ground or severe infection.
What are the symptoms?
A pony with laminitis may sit back onto his hind feet. He’s likely to have heat in his front hooves, and he may not want to put weight on them. Your pony’s hooves will have rings around them if he’s had laminitis in the past.
How can you prevent it? Keep a close eye on your pony’s diet. If he’s prone to laminitis, restrict his access to lush grass and keep him fit, so he doesn’t become overweight. But make sure that you don’t starve him. Every pony needs to eat little and often to keep his gut happy.
A TEMPLAR BOOK
First published in the UK in 2013 by Templar Publishing,
an imprint of The Templar Company Limited,
The Granary, North Street, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1DN,
UK
www.templarco.co.uk
This ebook edition first published in 2013 by Templar Publishing
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2013 by Belinda Rapley
The right of Belinda Rapley to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
www.pony-detectives.co.uk
Cover design by Will Steele
Illustrations by Paul Nobbs, Dave Shephard and Debbie
Clark
Cover photograph by iStockphoto.com
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
ISBN (ePub) 978-1-84877-982-2
ISBN (Mobi) 978-1-84877-983-9
Foxy: Rivalry at Summer Camp Page 14