Jade's Summer of Horses

by Amy Brown

  Sean, 28, Canada

  ‘Isn’t that lovely? And then there are all the cute little messages from the kids. This is what I think of when the riding school seems like too much work or the clients are frustrating. This is what gets me through my day.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Nellie said. ‘That Canadian man seemed a bit creepy.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Flora cut in. ‘He wrote a nice comment and had a good time. That’s the important thing. And he had a point, didn’t he? A lot of people think riding schools are old-fashioned and poncy or cruel to the animals. I liked hearing someone else say that what we do is worthwhile. Don’t you agree that it’s more than just about riding?’

  ‘I don’t know. I don’t think about it,’ Nellie mumbled. ‘I just enjoy it, I guess.’

  ‘It’s done you a world of good, Eleanor,’ Casey said. ‘I remember when you first came here, all sullen and sulky; now you’re only a bit sullen and sulky.’

  Nellie glared at him, but it was the sort of glare that could give way to a smile at any moment.

  ‘Stop embarrassing my second-in-command,’ Flora scolded Casey. ‘And don’t complain about people taking your photograph. If you become a tourist attraction, the council might keep overlooking the fact that your container is on their land.’

  ‘What sort of life will it be?’ Casey moaned. ‘Living like a creature in a zoo. Like Rilke’s panther.’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, so I am going to stop listening,’ Flora said cheerfully. ‘Anyway, we’ve got a busy afternoon ahead of us. No rest for the wicked.’

  There was rest eventually, but not until seven o’clock when the last riders had been farewelled, the tack put away and the horses returned to their paddocks. To the relief and delight of the riding-school workers, Jade’s dad, Andy’s mum, Rhian and Casey had already made a start on the shared barbecue. There was a mouthwatering aroma of driftwood smoke and cooking sausages coming from the backyard.

  To make up for the lack of fireworks, Rhian had hung the Christmas tree lights along the fence between the garden and the beach. She had also lit two braziers and many candles.

  ‘Everyone be very careful,’ Flora said, not reacting as Rhian had hoped to the decorations. ‘All these flames make me nervous when the grass is as dry as tinder.’

  ‘We got a permit for a bonfire: I thought it would be all right,’ Rhian objected.

  ‘It’ll be fine so long as no one gesticulates wildly and knocks over a brazier. I am looking at you, Casey,’ Flora said. Casey was pouring himself a generous mug of cask wine. ‘But, yes, you’ve done a beautiful job, Rhian. Thank you. Now, how about some music?’

  ‘I have confiscated that awful Christmas CD,’ Andy’s mum announced, ‘and replaced it with something I hope everyone will enjoy.’

  But Joni Mitchell did not go down as well as Andy’s mum had planned — Nellie immediately removed it from the CD player. ‘Please can we listen to Patti Smith?’ she begged. ‘It’s appropriate: “The waves were coming in like Arabian stallions” — you’d love it, Flora.’

  At this moment, Mata and Ngaire arrived, with not just a bucket of fresh fish, but also a wallet of CDs.

  ‘In the nick of time,’ Flora said. ‘We were just about coming to blows over the stereo. Can you find something crowd-pleasing, Mata?’

  They settled, in the end, on U2. Those who didn’t enjoy it were at least amused by Sam the stallion’s reaction — there was a good view of his paddock from the backyard. ‘Are you a fan of Bono, Sam?’ Nellie asked, laughing at the chestnut’s theatrical trot along the fence line, tail fanned out, nostrils flared. ‘I think he’s trotting in time with the bass line. What do you think, Casey?’

  ‘I think that it has nothing to do with the music,’ Casey replied.

  ‘Well, that’s easily tested.’ Nellie stood up and paused the stereo. Sure enough, the stallion settled down and started grazing.

  ‘Ha! See?’ Nellie said.

  ‘It might be a coincidence,’ Casey persisted.

  Nellie pressed play again. As ‘In the Name of Love’ blared out from the speakers, Sam threw his head in the air and pricked his ears. He began his extended trot again.

  ‘That horse is almost human, I swear,’ Ngaire said. ‘Now, let’s see if there’s room for these fish on the barbie.’

  Every dinner at Samudra had been delicious, but this one, Jade thought as she helped herself to some more barbecue potatoes and sauce, was the best.

  ‘You’re going to miss it here, aren’t you?’ her dad said, sitting down beside her with a second helping of food.

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘It’s a shame we’ll be heading home tomorrow. I’m going to miss it, too. It’s like paradise out here, eh?’

  ‘Dad, Flora was saying that, with the riding school being all popular now, she might need more help.’

  ‘Did she?’

  ‘Yeah. She asked Andy and me if we’d mind staying until the end of the school holidays.’

  ‘And what did you say?’

  ‘We said we’d love to. Is that OK?’

  Her dad looked a bit sad as he said that, yes, it was certainly OK. ‘I’m going to miss having you at home with me, but I can see how good this place has been for you. You’re to keep in touch, though — a phone call every now and then to let me know you haven’t fallen off a horse. Speaking of which, how long has it been since you fell off Tani?’

  Jade grinned. ‘Months!’ Just last winter, falling off her young bay gelding had been an almost daily event.

  ‘Good for you, Jade,’ her dad squeezed her shoulder. ‘You’ve finally tamed the sea monster.’

  ‘It’s like riding Pip used to be,’ Jade said, only realizing it then. ‘I’m not scared of him anymore.’

  ‘Well, that’s a relief.’

  ‘He’s going to be a top endurance pony, that one,’ Flora said, eavesdropping again. ‘And you, young lady, could be a top endurance rider. It’s a shame you have to go back to school. I could use your help here all year round. Wouldn’t you enjoy learning about breeding and breaking in?’

  ‘I don’t mind Jade staying another few weeks, but she is definitely returning to Flaxton before school starts,’ Jade’s dad said firmly. ‘No arguments.’

  ‘I know,’ Flora said. ‘I was just wishing out loud. She’s good with horses, though, Simon. No doubt about it.’

  ‘She’s good at lots of things,’ Jade’s dad said. ‘It’s a wonderful hobby and I’m very proud of Jade’s success and hard work, but I don’t want her to forget about what the rest of the world has to offer.’

  It was as if the adults had forgotten Jade was there. ‘It’s not just a hobby, Dad. Flora has made it into her job.’

  ‘I know, I’m sorry,’ her dad said, realizing that he might have offended the horse breeder and riding-school owner.

  ‘I know what you mean,’ Flora agreed, eventually. ‘Your dad’s right, Jade. Don’t narrow your possibilities yet — but remember that you have a talent.’

  By the time everyone had finished dinner, the evening was warm, clear and dark, and the stars seemed to be closer and brighter than usual. It made the girls want to swim. They could hear the sea lapping gradually closer to the backyard as the tide crept in. It was an inviting sound.

  ‘Just paddle,’ Andy’s mum insisted. ‘It’s too dark to go out far. I don’t want anyone drowning.’

  ‘You worry too much,’ Rhian complained.

  ‘That’s what mothers are for,’ Jade’s dad interjected. ‘And dads, too, for that matter. I agree: only go in up to your knees.’

  Andy’s mum looked at Jade’s dad gratefully. ‘It’s nice not to be the only one ruining the fun.’

  Up to the knees was more than enough depth for splashing, which is what Andy did to Rhian immediately upon entering the water.

  ‘Hey!’ Rhian shouted, kicking back but getting Nellie instead.

  ‘Oi, grow up, you two!’ She kicked, too. It was a good splash that
managed to get everyone wet.

  ‘Leave me out of it!’ Jade cried unconvincingly. She was enjoying every minute of it.

  By the time they made their way back to the adults, the girls were wet from head to toe.

  ‘I thought we said only up your knees?’ Andy’s mum said, looking at the dripping girls.

  ‘We had a splashing war,’ Andy admitted. ‘Can I have a marshmallow?’

  While the girls had played in the sea, the others had started the bonfire on the beach in front of Samudra. It was rapidly growing — when Casey had said he would find plenty of driftwood, he had meant it. In the firelight, his grin was almost demonic.

  ‘That’s it — grow, fire, grow!’ he said, poking at it with a stick. ‘Should we add some diesel? I think there’s a can in my container.’

  ‘No!’ Everyone shouted in unison.

  ‘Marshmallows are up on the table. You’ll need to find yourselves a long stick.’

  ‘I know!’ Andy said, eyes lighting up.

  Flora read her mind. ‘No, not my lunging whip. Absolutely not!’

  ‘Oh.’

  The rosemary bush ended up providing the best branches: once the leaves had been stripped off, the stems were perfect and they had the added bonus of smelling nice when held over the fire.

  ‘That scent reminds me of being a little girl at church,’ Mata reminisced. ‘Catholic parents, you see.’

  Burning her tongue on the charred outside and liquid inside of the toasted marsh mallows, Jade listened to the stories and jokes that only came out on such a night. Casey was starting a tale, which he swore was both true and interesting, about a woman who once lent him a pair of shoes so that he could attend a wedding, when Andy looked at her watch. ‘It’s nearly mid night,’ she interrupted.

  Not being quite sure of the time, they began the countdown anyway. As they got to ‘three’, Jade heard a cheer go up from further down the beach. Far away, down near the rock pools, a sky rocket went off.

  ‘Two, one — Happy New Year!’ they all chanted quickly, catching up with the rest of the beach. As they all gave each other a kiss, Casey started singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’. To Jade’s surprise, her dad joined in. Soon everyone was singing.

  Cold in her wet clothes, but warming from the fire, and almost overcome with sleepiness, Jade had the strange feeling that she was going to cry. She didn’t really know why. It had been a lovely night. Perhaps it was the thought of having to leave Samudra eventually.

  It was a relief to see Andy yawning. ‘Are you tired, too?’ Jade asked.

  ‘Really tired,’ Andy said, yawning again.

  ‘Ready for bed, young workers?’ Flora asked. ‘A sleep-in tomorrow morning, I think. But another busy afternoon.’

  Nellie, who seemed to need less sleep, and Rhian, who didn’t have to work in the morning, stayed by the fire, sipping from mugs and chatting, while everyone else said good night. Jade’s dad went with Mata and Ngaire, and Casey wandered off in the opposite direction, back to his container, leaving Flora, Jade, Andy and her mum to make their way up to the yellow glow of the house.

  ‘Don’t get too close to the fence line,’ Jade warned a child riding Pikelet.

  ‘But that horse wants to say hello,’ the small girl retorted.

  ‘That horse is called Sam. He is a stallion. Because Pikelet is a gelding, Sam might be a bit mean. You don’t want that, do you?’

  For the last week of her time at Samudra, Jade had been given her own beginners’ class to teach. She grumbled about her pupils afterwards, as Nellie always did, but secretly enjoyed the job.

  ‘Sam is a mean horse,’ the small girl said to herself.

  ‘No, he isn’t. He is just very clever and sometimes impatient with the ponies. You know that he can count?’

  ‘Really?’ Jade’s five beginner riders were suddenly interested.

  ‘Yes, really.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘With his hoof.’

  ‘I don’t believe you,’ said a serious boy, who was riding Pip. ‘Prove it.’

  ‘Just a moment.’ Jade could see Nellie walking towards the mares’ paddock. ‘I’ll be back in a sec.’

  Climbing through the fence, Jade called to Nellie. ‘Can you get Sam to count, please? My group don’t believe me.’

  Nellie rolled her eyes. ‘They always want to see the circus horse, don’t they? Look, it is an easy trick. You’re leaving soon, so I may as well tell you. Just call him over to the fence, make sure he’s looking at you, and say “one plus four, Sam”, or something like that. Then, raise your eyebrows slowly five times. He’ll be watching your face. Each time you raise your eyebrows, he’ll paw at the ground. Remember to take some pieces of carrot to reward him.’

  ‘Thank you!’ Jade was elated. Even Andy didn’t know the secret.

  Back in the beginners’ paddock, with all the ponies and riders a safe distance from the fence, Jade tried the trick.

  ‘Sam,’ she called ingratiatingly. ‘Time for some maths.’ Obligingly, the chestnut stallion approached the fence. Jade presented him with the first piece of carrot.

  ‘Let’s start with something easy,’ Jade said. ‘One plus one, Sam.’ She repeated the words, even though they meant little to the horse. This time she used her eyebrows.

  If he hadn’t co-operated, Jade wasn’t sure what she would have said to her pupils, but his hoof pawed the ground twice.

  ‘What a good boy!’ She gave him a piece of carrot.

  Some of the children in the group clapped and laughed. The boy on Pip remained unimpressed. ‘That was an easy one. Does he know his times tables?’

  ‘An “easy one”?’ Jade asked. ‘How many horses do you know who understand English and addition?’

  ‘None. This is my first time on a horse,’ the boy replied logically.

  ‘Okay, we’ll try multiplication,’ Jade said. ‘Sam, three times three.’

  She nearly lost count as she raised her eyebrows the ninth time, but in the end Sam pawed correctly.

  ‘Wow!’ the sceptical boy said. ‘Now, that’s amazing. Can he do anything else?’

  ‘He can do just about anything, but he’s not a circus performer,’ Jade said, hoping that she sounded like Nellie. ‘Now, say thank you to Sam, everyone.’ They chorused ‘thank you’ and Jade fed the stallion his last piece of carrot.

  ‘Thanks, Jade; see you on Saturday,’ one of the girls said, as she dismounted from Dumpling.

  ‘You won’t actually,’ Jade replied. ‘This is my last day at Samudra.’

  ‘Why?’ The girl was touchingly concerned.

  ‘I have to go back to Flaxton. School starts next week and I have to do boring things like buying stationery.’

  ‘Oh, well. See you next summer, maybe?’

  ‘I hope so.’ Jade meant it. She couldn’t think of any where she would rather spend the next Christmas holidays. But that was a long, long way off, and meanwhile the prospect of a whole school year stretching out ahead of her wasn’t appealing.

  Mata and Ngaire, back at work this week, weren’t there to see Jade and Andy off, Nellie was busy with an afternoon group, and Casey preferred to simply wave from his container. So the farewell was anti-climactic.

  Having said goodbye to each of the Samudra horses, Jade was now faced with the hardest goodbye. Tani neighed a few times as Jade led him up the ramp of the truck, but Pip didn’t look up. She had been moved into the youngsters’ paddock now, to act as schoolmarm, and was busy grooming Viv’s neck.

  ‘You’re going to miss her, too, aren’t you, boy?’ Jade said, burying her hot face in Tani’s mane briefly, trying to stop her own tears. ‘She’s been a good sister to you, but she’s starting a new life now. She’ll be happy here.’

  ‘Are you ready, Jade?’ Flora called from outside the truck.

  ‘Just one more thing.’ She had already said goodbye to her beloved first pony when she had given Pip her breakfast, but Jade couldn’t bear to leave now without one more hug.

 
Running down through the long paddock, tears drying on her cheeks in the warm breeze, Jade squeezed through the wire, pushed past Viv and grabbed Pip’s familiar old neck.

  ‘Sorry, Viv,’ she muttered through quiet sobs. ‘Sorry.’

  Pip turned and nuzzled Jade’s shoulder, gently pulling at her T-shirt with what remained of her front teeth.

  ‘I’m going to miss you, too. Tani and me, we’re both going to miss you heaps. But I know you’ll be happy. And we’ll see you again next year, I hope.’ It was possible that Pip wouldn’t be there next year, and this thought didn’t make it any easier to let her pony go. Jade was sick of things ending, and, she thought as she walked slowly back to the truck, wiping her face as best she could, it would just keep happening in life. One day she wouldn’t have Tani either. One day she wouldn’t have her dad. There were lots of things that would have cheered Jade up, but right then she couldn’t think of a single one.

  In the cab of the truck, Andy patted her back, but had more sense than to say anything. Jade just wanted to sit quietly.

  ‘You know I’m going to Flaxton High, too?’ Andy asked, when she couldn’t bear the silence any longer.

  ‘No?’ Jade brightened a little. Somehow, with all the riding, they hadn’t considered talking about school.

  ‘Yeah. Rhian asked to leave the boarding school, and I told Mum I wouldn’t want to stay without her, so we’ll both be there this year. I might even be in your class. No, wait — you’re a year younger than me, aren’t you? I keep forgetting.’

  Jade smiled.

  ‘That’s better,’ Flora said, glancing away from the road for a moment. ‘It’s not the end of the world after all, is it, Jade?’

  ‘I guess not.’

  ‘You know I’ll take good care of her. And, obviously, you’re welcome back whenever you like.’

  ‘I know. Thanks.’