Pony Jumpers 4- Four Faults

by Kate Lattey

  “Squib, you are such a weirdo. You’re lucky he didn’t bite your face off!”

  On the contrary, Misty seemed to be won over by his new friend. He snuffled at Squib’s face almost tenderly for a moment before turning his head to the side, curling his lips back and biting Squib firmly on the cheek.

  “You can’t say you weren’t warned,” AJ told her pony as he leapt backwards in surprise, and I scolded Misty for being so rude. “Don’t worry, Squib was kind of asking for that one.”

  The steward’s voice rang out across the warm-up. “Next to go will be Hashtag, followed by Primetime, Squirrel Nutkin, Misty Magic, and Black Prince to finish us off.”

  “I better get moving,” AJ said. “Squib hasn’t even cantered yet!”

  She rode away as I did my best to ignore Misty’s indignant protests about being left behind. I shortened my reins and turned him around, then let him start to canter the other way, forcing myself to stop thinking about anything other than the course. At least Hayley wasn’t here to yell at me. She was still sulking in the truck after her disastrous sixteen-fault round this morning, which she blamed entirely on Jonty having ‘ruined’ her horse. Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact she’d tried to bully the sensitive horse over the jumps, which was entirely the wrong approach to take with Copper. But nobody could tell her she was wrong, and we hadn’t even tried to argue the point.

  In no time at all, AJ was called into the ring and I was at the gate, watching her start her round. Misty fidgeted, shifting from one foot to the next and pawing the ground, desperate for his turn in the limelight. Susannah was watching me from the corner of her eye, making me even more nervous until Jonty came to stand by my side. He lay his arm across Misty’s broad back behind his saddle, and pointed to the one-stride double as Squib approached it.

  “Watch that turn,” he warned me. “Heaps of people have had it down, and Katy said it rides really short.”

  Katy winced as she watched Squib come in deep to the first fence, but he scraped cleanly over both fences and bowled on cheerfully towards the next one. She looked over her shoulder at me. “It really does. Susannah’ll tell you.”

  Susannah elbowed her in the side. “Shut up.”

  “I did warn you,” Katy smirked. “Not my fault you ignored my warning. At least AJ does as she’s told.” Just as she spoke, Squib spooked at a spectator on the turn, lost his rhythm, and took the back rail off the triple bar.

  “You were saying?”

  “Misty Magic, you can go in,” the steward said officiously, ticking me off on his clipboard.

  I took a deep breath and felt Jonty’s hand on my lower back. “You can do it. Just relax, okay? Breathe.”

  “Easy for you to say,” I told him, but I was smiling as I let Misty walk into the arena. He stepped lightly, his hooves springing off the short grass, his small ears pricked eagerly forward. I headed slowly towards the start flags, keeping an eye on Squib to make sure I didn’t get in AJ’s way as she jumped the last couple of fences on the course.

  “Yet another four-fault round, this time for Squirrel Nutkin and AJ Maclean,” the announcer said. I had no idea how many people had even managed to go clear – not many, judging by her tone. “Next to jump will be Misty Magic, ridden by Tessa Maxwell.”

  Breathe. Relax. Breathe. I kept Misty walking, running over the course in my head as I waited for the start bell to ring. There it is. I felt Misty bunch up beneath me, and I forced myself to breathe out, then slid my outside leg back and asked him to canter. Just like in the paddock the other day, he stepped smoothly into his stride, and I made a careful turn through the start flags and straight towards the first fence.

  Jonty and I had made this plan before I got on to warm up. Ride the course the way I was schooling Misty at home, trying to always take him by surprise and keep his attention focused so he didn’t have a chance to be naughty. That meant concentrating on every stride, cutting the corners as much as possible and not giving him too much space to think or get distracted.

  Misty bounded over the first fence, and I dug my knees into the saddle as we cut the corner slightly to the second. He flew over that one too, and I looked left as we landed, focusing on the yellow vertical that was fence three. I fought the temptation to steady him up on the approach, knowing that would only make him fight me. Hands low, eyes up, leg on. Be still, let the fence come to you. We were going fast, a little faster than I’d have liked, but Misty found a good stride and cleared the fence easily. As we made the turn towards the fourth, I felt Misty steady himself under me.

  Where to next? He seemed to be asking.

  This one, I told him. And it’s huge and terrifying, so please don’t kill me.

  It was a big bold oxer with a bright green fill in the front of it. Misty eyed it up and surged forward confidently.

  I’ve got this, he told me. Hang on!

  I grabbed a clutch of his mane as we cleared the oxer, but felt myself start to relax as we landed. We were actually doing it! I was actually getting around the course under control. I couldn’t believe it, but I had to concentrate, because here was the short turn to the one-stride that Katy had warned me about. Misty was going forward quickly, so I sat up and closed my fingers on the reins, trying to steady him without starting a tug of war. For once, it worked. Misty shortened his stride, met the fence perfectly, and bounded over cleanly, and then followed it up with a steady jump over the second.

  Nailed it! I rode him on down to the Swedish oxer that had made me quake in my boots when I walked the course but which now disappeared beneath us, effortless. Around the corner to the triple bar, and Misty was bowling on now but I let him, because it was a big fence and he was better at judging his own stride than I was. He jumped a little flat, but still left plenty of air over the jump.

  Three fences left… Over the blue and white vertical, clear.

  Two fences to go… Over the planks, still clear, and then we were cantering strongly towards the last jump and somehow we were over, and still clear, and through the finish flags, and I’d done it, I’d actually jumped a clear round on Misty and I’d even enjoyed it. I realised that I was smiling as I reached forward to pat his neck, and Misty kicked his heels up into the air, catching me off guard and catapulting me forward onto his neck. I lost both of my stirrups and he took off at a gallop, stirrups banging against his sides as I clung on around his neck for dear life. The whole ring turned to a blur, and I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

  Jonty told me later that it was the green oxer that Misty had spooked at, belatedly deciding that it was actually scary after all. I just felt him spin sideways, felt myself flying through the air. I opened my eyes just in time to see Misty’s kicked-up heels narrowly miss my face, then closed them again right before I hit the ground.

  “Hey, are you okay?”

  I looked up from my seat on our truck ramp to see AJ, Katy and Susannah standing in front of me with concerned expressions. Well, two of them were. Susannah looked antsy, and kept glancing up into our truck, clearly wondering whether Hayley was anywhere in close proximity. I knew my sister was sleeping in the truck, having been struck down by another headache. Mum had been summoned away to help write for one of the judges in Ring 1, leaving me to keep an eye on my sister while Jonty hosed Misty off for me.

  “I’m fine. Just a bit bruised.” I was going to have an almighty bruise on my hip, but I could still walk.

  Katy pulled a blue ribbon out of her pocket and held it out to me. “This is yours.”

  I just stared at her. “What?”

  “You came second.” She threw the ribbon at me, and it fluttered onto the ramp between us. “Tim Wilkes managed to beat you, but he just about killed his pony with some of his turns so you’ll smoke him when you move up in height. Oh, and here’s the prize money.” She added a crumpled envelope to the ribbon at my feet, and I leaned down slowly and picked them both up.

  “But I fell off.”

  “After th
e flags,” Katy grinned. “Doesn’t count then.”

  I still couldn’t quite believe it. I looked up at their smiling faces, trying to get my slightly scrambled brain to keep up. “Was it a speed class?”

  AJ burst out laughing, and even Susannah cracked a smile.

  “Did you not read the programme before you entered?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “Mum and Hayley entered for me.”

  Katy rolled her eyes and sat down on the ramp next to me, stretching her long legs out in front of herself. “Hayley really runs your household, huh?”

  I glanced over my shoulder at the door into the accommodation, which was shut. “Yeah, kinda.”

  Katy had followed my eyes, and lowered her voice. “Well, good on you for sticking with Misty. He’s not an easy pony. You’ve got guts to persevere.”

  “I’m not, though. I mean, he’s going to be sold at Christmas,” I explained, feeling my chest lighten at the very thought of it. “Unless I change my mind, but that’s not likely.”

  “Why not?” AJ sat down on the other side of me and leaned back on her hands, her clear blue eyes watching me intently. “You’ve improved so much since we last saw you ride, just think how well you could get him to go.”

  “He jumps better for you already than he ever did for Hayley,” Susannah said, keeping her voice soft and her eyes on the closed truck door. I pulled a face at that, but she insisted. “He looked great today. You should stick with it.”

  “Maybe.” I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Luckily, Jonty’s timing was impeccable and he chose that moment to bring Misty back to the truck, which distracted them from their questioning.

  “Hey, it’s gymkhana boy.”

  Jonty grinned, unoffended by Katy’s greeting, and I grabbed up Misty’s ribbon and prize money, shoving them into my pocket before Jonty saw. I was going to tell him about my success, but I didn’t want to do it with all these girls watching. I wanted the moment to be just between us, because it was as much his ribbon as it was mine. I wondered how much the prize money was, and whether he’d let me split it with him. I had a feeling his pride wouldn’t allow it, but maybe I’d buy us both lunch.

  He was chatting to Katy as he tied Misty up, still reminiscing about their childhood gymkhana days.

  “I never did mounted games,” AJ said during a brief pause in their conversation. “Reckon Squib would be any good at it?”

  “Please no,” Katy said immediately. “If you start racing that pony you’ll blow his brains right out of his head.”

  AJ stuck her tongue out at her friend as Susannah perched uneasily on the edge of the ramp, clearly still nervous that Hayley might abruptly appear. I was sure that they’d all vanish as soon as that happened, and I wished my sister was a million miles away, because it was nice having other people to talk to.

  “I never did mounted games either,” Susannah was saying. “Once I was off the lead-rein it was straight into the show jumping ring.”

  “You guys missed out,” Jonty told them. “It was real fun.”

  “It was okay,” Katy shrugged, and he flicked the water residue off the sweat scraper at her, making her squeal.

  I got slowly to my feet and went into the truck to find Misty’s cooler. It was in the overhead rack underneath one of Copper’s heavy rugs, and I couldn’t quite reach. I grabbed one protruding corner and pulled, causing a rug avalanche that just about knocked me to my knees.

  I swore, Katy snorted with laughter and AJ jumped up the ramp to help me as Jonty slammed the outside tack compartment, making the whole truck shake. AJ had just pulled me to my feet when the internal door swung open, and Hayley stuck her head out, looking furious.

  “Can you keep it down out here?! I’m trying to sleep,” she snapped.

  Her hair was mussed up from sleeping and her strappy top was all twisted around to the side. I didn’t usually see her in such a state of disarray, and I knew from the way that AJ was looking at her that she didn’t either. Hayley realised they were all staring at her and raised a hand towards her hair to smooth it down. But she missed, swiping at the air next to herself.

  “I’m trying…” she said, her words coming out slurred and slow. “Trying to sleeee…”

  Hayley’s eyes turned glassy, and my sister vanished, leaving just an uninhabited shell behind. I froze in place, unable to make myself move or think, just staring at her as she blinked so rapidly that I knew she couldn’t be doing it voluntarily.

  “Is she okay?”

  I looked at AJ for a second, and she must have seen the fear in my eyes because her own expression sobered up fast. Then Jonty came up behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder as he passed me and walked up to Hayley.

  “Hey Hays, you okay?”

  My throat was dry, but I forced myself to speak. “No she’s not,” I squeaked, and he looked over his shoulder at me, his voice still calm.

  “I know. Go get your mum, eh?”

  I nodded, reassured that Jonty was taking charge, and started backing up towards the top of the ramp. Hayley was still standing, still frozen in place with one hand gripping the door frame tightly, her entire body rigid. She was trying to talk, but nothing intelligible was coming out, and I choked back a sob.

  “I’ll go. You can’t run. Where is she?” Katy said quickly.

  “Um…” I couldn’t remember. I cursed my mind for going so blank, then Jonty answered for me.

  “Ring One, in the judge’s truck.”

  Katy sprinted away as Hayley’s legs stopped holding her up and she crumpled to the ground in a heap. Jonty stayed with her, crouching down by her side and watching her carefully. I made myself walk towards them, and Jonty stood up and stepped back towards me as Hayley started groaning and her limbs flailed as she started seizing. I could feel the tears streaking my cheeks and then Jonty’s arm was around me and I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his shoulder, unable to look at my sister.

  “It’s okay,” Jonty murmured to me. “She’ll be okay. Just gotta wait it out, that’s all.”

  He didn’t say that it wasn’t okay because we had no idea why any of this was happening, and we didn’t really know that it was okay because it wasn’t supposed to happen at all, but I let him comfort me because I didn’t have anyone else.

  Mum came running up the ramp and I yanked myself free of Jonty’s arms. She pushed past me without even looking, staring only at her daughter with a hand over her mouth.

  “Hayley? Hayley!” She crouched down and grabbed Hayley’s shoulder, and Jonty stepped in.

  “Just let her be until she’s done,” he told her, and she glared up at him, not knowing that he’d seen this before in someone else and he was the only one here who had even the remotest idea of what to do. Instead her eyes skated past him and onto AJ and Susannah, who were still standing in shocked silence, with Katy at the foot of the ramp, puffing slightly.

  “What are they doing? Get them out of here! We don’t need an audience. Shut that door!” she ordered Jonty. He obeyed, giving me a questioning look. I knew I should be in there with them, but I couldn’t make my feet move. Jonty gave me a slight nod and pulled the door shut, leaving me on the other side.

  “Do you want us to go?” AJ asked, shifting towards the ramp and looking rattled by Mum’s yelling. I shook my head, and she stopped.

  Katy had her breath back. “Has that ever happened before?”

  I hesitated, then nodded. I was sick of hiding the truth, and they looked so worried and sympathetic. Besides, it was pretty hard to hide or ignore it now, after what they’d just witnessed.

  “Just recently,” I said quietly, moving towards the ramp so that Mum didn’t overhear, although I was pretty sure she was fully occupied right now. “Only once that badly, but there’s been other...”

  I looked over my shoulder as the door opened and Jonty stepped out, then closed it behind him.

  “Gonna go find the ambos,” he told me, making me start crying again. “Hey, it’s oka
y. It’s over now and she’s resting but she needs to be checked out. And your mum wants you to ring your dad to come pick the truck up.”

  “Okay.” I didn’t know how I was going to manage to talk to him, but I forced myself to calm down. “I can do that.”

  “Atta girl.” He squeezed my shoulder again then let go and started walking away, and I just wanted to fling myself after him and make him hold me again because the only time I’d felt remotely calm in the past ten minutes was when he had his arms around me. But he had to go and get the ambulance, so I just stood and watched as he jumped off the ramp and jogged away, wondering what on earth I’d have done if he hadn’t been with us today.

  “He’s going the wrong way,” Katy said, watching him too. “Ambos moved down to the Show Hunter after some kid fell off this morning. I’ll go tell him.” She headed after him to turn him around, and I sank down on the ramp and felt for my phone in my pocket to ring Dad.

  It wasn’t there, and it wasn’t in my other pocket either. I was about to panic when Susannah handed me hers. It was an iPhone in a bright pink case, and I stared blankly at it for a moment before tapping in our home number and listening to it ring.

  I managed to hold myself together while I talked to my father, stripping the emotion out of my voice so that I wouldn’t start sobbing hysterically, then returned the phone to its owner.

  “Thanks.”

  “Sure. Is there anything we can do?” Susannah asked, and I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes again, because they were being so nice and Hayley didn’t deserve it. Then I felt like a horrible person for thinking that way, and I couldn’t think straight at all so I just shook my head and put my head on my knees.

  AJ sat down next to me and put her arm around my shoulders, and moments later, Susannah sat on the other side. We sat in silence, their quiet support holding me together as we waited for the ambulance to arrive.