Terry happily gave him the final directions, unable to believe her good fortune.
Captain Riskin stopped at the end of Terry’s driveway. “Hurry now. I’m sure your parents are waiting.”
“Won’t you come in and meet them?” Terry invited as she stepped out of the car.
He glanced at his watch. “I should not. Mrs. Riskin will have supper ready. But …” he relented before she closed the door. “I do want to meet them, so I will stay for just a minute.”
Terry grinned at him. “Thanks.”
Mr. and Mrs. Allen both met them at the door. “Is everything alright?” her mother asked with concern when she saw Captain Riskin beside Terry. “You’re late and we were beginning to worry. Who knows what might happen with those horses?”
“There is no reason to worry,” the Captain assured her. “Terry is very capable.”
“Mom and Dad, this is Captain Riskin,” Terry proudly introduced.
Her father shook the Captain’s hand. “Dick Allen. Good to meet you after all Terry has told us about the stable.”
“Won’t you come in?” Mrs. Allen invited.
Captain Riskin shook his head. “Thank you, but I must say no if I wish to keep my happy home. Already I am late. But, I wanted to meet you. I hope you will soon find time to visit Briar Hill. I think you would very much enjoy watching Terry ride. She is developing into a good horsewoman.”
“Me?” Terry thought with astonishment. “He never told me that before.”
“Well, we’ve always been proud of her. Glad to hear she’s doing such a good job,” Mr. Allen told Captain Riskin as he returned to his car. “Thanks again for bringing Terry home.”
He put his arm around Terry’s shoulder as they watched him drive away. “The Captain is an alright guy. Guess I was wrong about him.”
Terry hugged him happily. “I knew you’d see it once you met him.”
He winked at her. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“What?” Terry asked curiously.
“Your mom and I are proud of you,” he began. “You’ve kept at your job like a real trooper. I know it’s been tough, but you’ve proven you could handle it. Still, that barn work is no job for a girl even if she is my tomboy.” He affectionately rumpled her hair. “So, how about a compromise?”
Terry eyed him cautiously. “Like what?”
“I realize how much riding means to you,” he continued. “And, now that I’ve met Captain Riskin, I like him. So, if you want to keep riding at Briar Hill, I say go ahead.”
Terry smiled, relieved that he was no longer opposed to the stable. “Thanks, Dad, but what’s the compromise?”
“If you agree to quit that barn job and promise to do some additional chores around the house, I’ll take care of your lessons next fall,” he offered. “I think our budget can handle it.”
Terry hesitated. Only that afternoon, she would have given anything for this opportunity, but Captain Riskin’s encouragement as well as the prospect of exercising horses had renewed her determination to keep at the job.
She shook her head. “It’s really neat that you want to help, Dad, but I think I want to do it on my own.”
“That’s ridiculous,” her mother protested. “There’s no reason for you to continue that difficult job. You should take your father’s generous offer to quit and enjoy your summer like a normal child.”
“That’s just it. I’m not a child,” Terry reasoned. “I want to do this on my own. Besides, I got promoted today.”
“What do you mean?” Mrs. Allen asked.
“”Captain’s going to try me as an exercise girl,” she proudly explained. “After class, I’ll ride some of the privately owned horses while their owners are on vacation. It’s a real chance to learn more.”
Mrs. Allen looked doubtfully at her husband. He shrugged. “I don’t think we should force her to quit if she’s happy. Besides, the job isn’t doing her any damage and she’s certainly learning responsibility.”
“Be reasonable, Terry,” her mother urged. “Isn’t it dangerous riding strange horses?”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll only be riding the easy ones and the Captain will supervise,” Terry assured. “Karen rides the tough ones. I’ll be careful, I promise.”
Mrs. Allen thoughtfully rubbed her hands together in her lap. “I’m sure I need my head examined for this, but all right,” she finally agreed.
“Why don’t we go out to dinner to celebrate this big promotion?” Mr. Allen suggested. “How long will it take my two gorgeous girls to get ready?”
“Ten minutes,” Terry announced as she sprinted for her bedroom.
Her mother hurried after her. “Twenty minutes,” she corrected. “Take a bath. You smell like a stable.”
“Aw, Mom,” Terry grumbled. “I do not.”
Her father peered into her bedroom, turning up his nose as he sniffed the air. “Terry, did you bring Tic-Tac home with you?” he asked mischievously. “I know I smell him. Where did you hide him? Under the bed?”
Grabbing her pajama bag from the closet, Terry heaved it at him. As he ran down the hall to dodge her throw, she snatched up the bag to try again, but he ran into his bedroom and closed the door.
“Just remember, if you insist on bringing Tic-Tac to dinner, he’ll have to settle for a horsy bag in the car,” he teased through the door.
“Okay, okay,” Terry laughed, going into the bathroom to fill the tub. “I can take a hint.”
After the Friday lecture, the students trudged into the tackroom. It was only nine-thirty, but already the barn was muggy with the summer heat.
“Why did Captain have to talk about something so heavy like diseases today?” Mary complained to the others who leaned lazily against the saddle racks.
“Yeah,” Liz agreed. “It’s too hot to concentrate on all those medical terms – founder, shipping fever, spavins. Who remembers what colic is?
“Colic is a belly ache,” Paula reminded them with annoyance. “If not properly treated, it can result in death. If you ever have a horse with colic, you’ll wish you’d concentrated. Try listening next time. It’s not that hard.”
Liz’s face was bright red as Paula left the tackroom. “I can’t stand her. She so conceited. Thinks she knows everything!”
“Relax,” Bobby urged, picking up a grooming kit.” She does know a lot. She just likes to make sure everyone knows it.”
“She’s still obnoxious,” Liz muttered.
Donna closed her eyes, smiling dreamily as she slouched over the cleaning rack. “Wish I were swimming right now.”
“Where’s your spirit?” Bobby kidded. “Thought you wanted to be a rider?”
Donna shook her head. “Not today. It’s just too hot. I’m sweating and I haven’t even done anything yet but listen to the lecture.”
Liz sat down on an overturned bucket. She wiped the perspiration from her forehead with her sleeve. “I agree. We still have to clean our horses, bounce around on them and give them baths before we’re done.”
Karen poked her head into the tackroom. “Get moving! There’s a barn full of dirty horses waiting just for you!”
The students quickly grabbed grooming kits and scrambled for the door. “Perk up,” Karen advised as Terry passed. “Today’s your big debut.”
“Debut?” she asked.
Karen nodded. “Being elevated to exercise girl is a pretty big jump from tack cleaner.”
“It’s not for sure yet,” Terry reminded. “I think this is just a trial.”
“Don’t worry,” Karen assured. “You’ll do fine. You’ve got a natural knack for riding. Captain recognized it right from the beginning.”
“What horse will I start …?” Terry began, but just then Captain Riskin came out of his office. She scurried down the school aisle and into Tic-Tac’s stall before he could scold her for not working.
As she fell into the familiar rhythm of currying Tic-Tac, she forgot about the heat. She took pride in topping he
r previous day’s work so the sun would reflect dappled halos off his rich brown coat.
She had just begun brushing his haunches when a cold stream of water hit her in the back of the neck. “Hey!” she screeched, spinning toward the stall door.
Most of the other students were now in the aisle, looking around for the guilty suspect. “What’s going on?” Terry demanded.
“Who shot water at me?” Lois chimed in.
“And me too!” Donna added.
Liz’s voice rose above the commotion. “Where’s Whitney? He’s got a squirt gun. I saw it on the bus.”
Just then Flip’s stall door mysteriously slid shut. Mary ran across the aisle and peered through the bars. “He’s hiding in here!”
“Get him!” Liz yelped.
All of the students except Paula crowded around the stall while Bobby slid back the door. A stream of water shot out as soon as the door was open a few inches.
“Get away!” Whitney warned. “You’ll be sorry!”
“Rush him!” Liz commanded. “He can’t get all of us!”
Bobby threw open the door and the students ran into the stall to grab Whitney. Terrified by the sudden commotion, Flip squealed and kicked the stall boards. His fear set off a chain reaction until most of the other horses were kicking and snorting in their stalls.
Whitney tried to squirt his gun, but the students wrenched it away. They dragged him out of the stall, pinning him on his back
in the center of the aisle. Liz sat on his stomach while Bobby, Greg and Jerry held his arms and legs.
“Can’t you take a joke?” Whitney pleaded, trying to squirm out of their grasp.
“Sure,” Liz sneered, pointing the squirt gun in his face. “We liked it so much, we’re gonna give it back to you.”
“That’s …,” he began, but as soon as his mouth opened, Liz shot a stream of water into it. He sputtered and gagged until his captors released him.
“What is going on here?” Captain Riskin’s voice roared above the students’ laughter.
They looked up with a start to see him striding angrily down the aisle. “I hear all this noise and think there is an accident. But, what do I find? Misbehaving students! Who will explain this?”
Mary poked Liz. “You started it. You tell him.
“Me!” Liz squawked. “It’s all Whitney’s fault!”
“I just squirted a couple people,” Whitney admitted meekly. “I didn’t think anybody would mind ‘cause it’s so hot. But, they all got mad and jumped me.”
Captain Riskin frowned. “Where is Karen?”
“She’ll be right back,” Paula told him. “Sonny needed help.”
“You are here to learn about horses, not to cause trouble,” Captain Riskin scolded the class. “I do not want to see this happen again.”
Just then Karen ran into the aisle. “What’s wrong? Billy said he heard shouts.”
“Everything is fine,” the Captain assured her. “There was a misunderstanding with Whitney’s squirt gun.”
“Sorry I wasn’t here,” Karen apologized. “I just stepped away for a minute.”
Captain Riskin shook his head. “It is not your fault. I also thought they were responsible enough to be left alone, but now I am not so sure.”
He thoughtfully scratched his chin. “I think we must set an example. Since Whitney likes water so much, we will have him sit in some.”
Whitney backed away. “But, it was just a joke. Honest!”
“Susie, fill up a bucket with water,” the Captain ordered.
She ran off and quickly returned, lugging a full bucket that she set at the Captain’s feet.
Whitney looked mournfully at the bucket. “I can’t ride with wet pants.”
“If the pants are not wet, you will not ride at all,” Captain Riskin assured him. “Quickly now. We do not have all day.”
Whitney reluctantly held the sides of the bucked and slowly lowered himself down. “E-e-e-h!” he wailed as his pants hit the cold water.
The class burst into laughter as the water sloshed over the sides of the bucket. Even the Captain smiled when Whitney stood up to reveal a dripping, wet circle across the seat of his breeches.
Captain Riskin eyed the other students. “Is there anyone else who cannot behave and wishes to sit in the bucket as well?”
Terry held her breath as his eyes passed over her. She had visions of him ordering them all to sit in the bucket. She shuffled her feet uncomfortably at the thought of riding with wet pants.
“No volunteers?” the Captain asked with disappointment. “Then I hope you have learned a lesson and there will be no more trouble this morning.”
He turned and walked briskly up the aisle. “In ten minutes I want the Jumpers mounted in the ring with Karen and the Hunters in the back field with me. Quickly now before the morning escapes!”
The Hunters trotted single file around the grassy, five-acre back field. It was Terry’s favorite place to ride. She loved the swishing sound of Tic-Tac’s hoofs cutting through the ankle deep grass.
She felt free here as opposed to riding in the arena which seemed so much more formal. In the arena, she felt her every movement was on trial by Captain Riskin or Karen, but the field was different. She relaxed with all the open space and, as a result, rode much better. The Captain was never as strict in the field. His theory was that too much hard ring work soured even the best horse and rider.
The class circled twelve large, solidly constructed fences. Although they had jumped similar fences in the outdoor arena, they had yet to jump in the field. Captain Riskin had promised a week ago that soon they would.
“Maybe today,” Terry hoped with excitement as she surveyed the fences. “They look so big, but I know Tic-Tac can do it.” To reassure herself, she patted his sleek neck.
Tic-Tac seemed to love the field as much as Terry. Even in the hottest weather, when the other riders had to kick and crop their horses to respond, Tic-Tac never tired when he was ridden in the field.
When the class was sufficiently warmed-up, Captain Riskin called them to him in the center of the field. “Today we jump here.”
“Here?” Jerry gasped. “The jumps are so big! I don’t know if we’re ready.”
The Captain chuckled. “They only look bigger because they are solid. But, you will find this makes the horses jump more carefully.”
“Do we ride to these fences differently?” Terry asked.
“Not much different than in the ring,” he explained. “You may have to squeeze a little extra just before the fence to encourage your horse. Just remember to throw your heart over the horse will follow.”
He pointed toward a red-board chicken coop. “The first time we ride the fences singly. Paula will begin and then follow right down the line.”
They peeled off so quickly that before Terry had time to get nervous, it was her turn. As Tic-Tac cantered toward the coop, she had a moment of doubt. “It’s so solid. What if he hits it? Or misses his stride and falls through it?”
But, when she saw how his ears pricked forward and felt his eager pace, her confidence returned. Three strides before the fence, she squeezed with her legs. Tic-Tac responded with a powerful thrust of his hindquarters that launched them easily into the air.
Terry held her breath as they soared over the fence. He had never jumped so big. She felt like they were truly flying. Then, just as suddenly, it was over. Tic-Tac landed easily, tossed his head and joyfully bucked. Caught off guard, Terry was thrown forward, but regained her balance and control before he could buck again.
“Next time I give you a parachute!” the Captain laughed as she trotted back into line.
He turned to Paula. “The stone wall is next. Begin, please.”
After the wall, the class jumped a wide pile of telephone poles, a white picket fence, a stack of straw bales covered by a green tarp and a log pile followed by a hedge, a small water jump and a blue gate. The tenth fence was an Irish bank, a squared-off block of hard packed dirt
supported on the sides by logs. The horses jumped up on the bank, took two strides then jumped down. The final fence was a brush aiken, a pile of evergreen branches topped by a telephone pole.
Terry’s confidence grew with each fence. No matter how difficult, she knew Tic-tac would clear them. He truly proved himself at the water jump. While four of the other horses were frightened by their reflection and refused to jump the water on the first try, Tic-Tac popped over it without the slightest hesitation.
The Hunters jumped all the fences without casualty. Even Jerry, who fell off nearly every week, managed to stay aboard Irish Mist. As soon as Captain Riskin dismissed the class, everyone began talking at once.
“That must be what it feels like to have wings,” Terry exclaimed.
“Did you see Flip take that wall?” Whitney demanded.
“What about my bank?” Liz added.
“I was so embarrassed when Irish stopped to eat the brush instead of jumping it,” Jerry laughed.
“The logs were the hardest,” Liz declared.
“Naw, the aiken,” Whitney disagreed.
“How about the water?” Bobby asked. “You both refused.”
“Who’s that over there?” Jerry asked, pointing toward two adults watching from the edge of the field.
“It’s my Mom and Dad!” Terry exclaimed with surprise, recognizing her parents.
With a wave, she trotted Tic-Tac across the field to join them. “What are you doing here?” she asked with surprise.
Terry’s father patted her leg. “You and Tic-Tac were terrific!”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m so glad you watched. But, you’re both supposed to be at work.”
“Darn right we watched,” her father assured her.
Mrs. Allen nodded. “We decided to take the Captain up on his invitation, so we took an early lunch. We didn’t tell you because we thought you might be nervous and try too hard if you knew we were coming.”
She smiled sheepishly at her husband. “I have to admit that I was a little scared when you started jumping. At first, I didn’t think I could watch.”
Mr. Allen pulled a sugar packet from his coat pocket. “Where did this come from?” he asked with surprise. “Is it okay if I feed it to his majesty?”
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