Then there was Nina. She hadn’t ridden on Sunday because she’d gone to an art gallery opening with her mom instead. But she and her pony Bay Breeze, better known as Breezy, had ridden with some friends on Monday afternoon. Nina mostly did basic hunt seat riding in the ring at the stable where she boarded, but occasionally she got the urge to try something new, like setting up an obstacle course or trying her hand at saddleseat riding. Breezy sounded like a good sport about all of it, and Maddie could tell he was almost as special as Cloudy.
Brooke lived just a short drive from Chincoteague. She was the only one of the foursome who’d actually attended the world-famous pony penning and auction. That was where she’d bought her pony, Foxy, four years earlier. These days Brooke was busy teaching the young mare to jump, though the two of them spent most of their time trail riding or practicing their groundwork in the grass ring Brooke had created in her backyard.
Maddie always loved hearing about her friends’ adventures with their ponies. But today reading the posts gave her a pang of envy. Her friends never had to worry about having their ponies taken away. Meanwhile it had always been in the back of Maddie’s head that she could be separated from Cloudy if her mother was transferred to another Air Force base, though she’d tried not to think about that much. Now? She knew it might happen even sooner.
A new thought struck her as she scanned the others’ posts. If she lost Cloudy, would she lose her connection to her Pony Post friends too? They’d all bonded over their Chincoteague ponies, but if Cloudy was sold, Maddie would be left with nothing but her battered old copy of Misty of Chincoteague. What if the others decided they didn’t have anything in common with her anymore?
Maddie couldn’t stand the thought. It didn’t seem fair, especially since the Pony Post had been her idea in the first place.
She stared at the empty box for a moment, not sure what to say. Finally she started typing:
[MADDIE] Wow, sounds like u all did lots of fun stuff over the w/e! Me too—trip to SF was a blast, and I hung out w/Cloudy yesterday. We’re all signed up for the Snack & Swim ride next Sun—can’t wait! OK, gtg—just got home from soccer and I need a shower. Talk to u later!
She posted the message, then logged off. Maybe she’d tell them about the Richardson Situation later—after it wasn’t a Situation anymore. Because she was more determined than ever to make her plan work tomorrow.
It had to.
CHAPTER
6
MADDIE FELT A FLUTTER OF nerves as she coasted into the driveway of Solano Stables the next day. Could she pull this off?
Dropping her bike in the usual spot, she checked her watch. Almost an hour and a half before her lesson was scheduled to start. That gave her an hour until the time she’d asked Amber to meet her. The older girl had messaged her back the day before, saying she’d be there.
“No turning back now,” Maddie murmured as she hurried into the barn.
She made a quick stop in the tack room to grab a few grooming tools, then headed down the aisle toward Cloudy’s stall. The side door was open and Maddie paused to look out at the ring as she passed. Three little kids, maybe six or seven years old, were having their group lesson. At the moment, the girl on Wizard appeared to be trying unsuccessfully to convince him to step over a pole on the ground. Wizard kept stopping and dropping his nose to sniff at it, which caused his rider to break into uncontrollable giggles. The other two young riders were letting their ponies wander around on loose reins as Ms. Emerson focused on the first girl.
“It’s a madhouse out there, isn’t it?” a friendly voice commented.
Maddie glanced over and saw a woman standing in the shade of the overhang just outside the door. “Oh, hi, Mrs. Scott,” she said. “I didn’t see you there.”
Maddie didn’t know all the parents who brought the younger kids to lessons, but Mrs. Scott’s husband worked at the Air Force base with Maddie’s mother, and her older son played on one of the other teams in Maddie’s league. She was an energetic, outgoing woman with a nose ring and a stylish short Afro. Her daughter was the rider who was still trying to convince Wizard to step over the pole.
“Jada looks good out there,” Maddie added politely.
“No she doesn’t.” The woman laughed and glanced out at the ring as Wizard took a lazy step backward. “But she loves it, and that’s what matters, right?”
“Definitely.” Maddie smiled, preparing to move on.
But the woman stopped her with a hand on the arm. “By the way, congratulations, Maddie. Caleb told me you were selected to try out for the Cascade League. That’s big news!”
“Oh.” Maddie gulped. Somehow, she hadn’t realized people knew about that already. Then again, why wouldn’t they? Once Coach Wu had told the other Pelicans, it was only a matter of time before the whole league knew. Including Caleb Scott. And now his mother. And soon everyone in about a twenty-mile radius, given the way the local gossip mill worked . . .
“So when is your tryout?” Mrs. Scott asked eagerly. “You must be so excited!”
“Yeah.” Maddie forced a smile. “I’m not sure yet when the tryouts start. Not for a week or two, I think.”
Mrs. Scott nodded. “Good, good. That will give you plenty of time to get nice and nervous, right?” She winked. “Just kidding. I know you’ll do great, Maddie. We’re all rooting for you.”
Just then a cheer went up in the ring. Glancing over, Maddie saw that Jada Scott had finally gotten Wizard over the pole. The little girl was grinning proudly as her two friends whooped and pumped their fists.
“Good job, J!” Mrs. Scott called out.
“Um, see you later,” Maddie said quickly, taking advantage of the woman’s distraction to make her escape.
Soon she was in Cloudy’s stall. The pony nudged her for a treat, but Maddie ignored her for a second, scanning the bedding. Good. There was a fresh pile of manure in the back corner.
When Cloudy nosed her again, Maddie fished a peppermint out of her pocket. “Okay, girl,” she said, rubbing Cloudy’s face as the pony crunched the treat. “Time to get ready. . . .”
She pulled a small comb out of her grooming bucket, then cast a slightly guilty look out at the aisle, hoping nobody passed by and noticed what she was doing. Because for once, she wasn’t going to try to make Cloudy look better before her lesson. She wanted her to look worse. Much worse.
First the mane. It was long and silky and white, and normally Maddie loved combing it out so it lay flat and sleek against the pony’s neck.
Not today. Grabbing a chunk of mane, she teased it with the comb until it was a snarled mess—creating what Ms. Emerson called a “witch’s knot” because when ponies came in from the fields with them, it looked as if a naughty witch had tangled the hair during the night.
“Yuck,” Maddie murmured as she wove a couple more knots into the mane.
She turned to Cloudy’s tail next, creating another snarl halfway down. Next she dipped the end of the tail into Cloudy’s water bucket, then sprinkled shavings over it. Some of the shavings stuck to the wet hair, and Maddie kneaded them in even further with her hands.
Cloudy’s pale-gold-and-white-spotted coat looked pretty clean—but not for long. Maddie rubbed dirt and manure onto the pony, focusing particularly on her white legs and the big white spot that covered most of one side.
When she finished, Maddie stepped back and looked the pony over. “You’re a mess!” she whispered.
She checked her watch. It was almost time for Amber to arrive. Grabbing the lead rope she’d left hanging over the stall door, Maddie clipped it to Cloudy’s halter. She led her out and headed for the crosstie area.
On the way, she passed Vic and Val. The twins stopped short when they saw Cloudy.
“Whoa!” Vic exclaimed. “Did Cloudy find a mud puddle to roll in or something?”
Maddie shrugged. “Guess she’s just a messy girl today.” She hadn’t told the twins about her plan, not wanting to jinx it. Besides, Val wasn’t v
ery good at keeping secrets—she tended to get nervous and blurt things out. “I’d better get started grooming her.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Val shook her head. “Good luck. You’ll need it.”
“Thanks.” Maddie continued on her way as the twins headed off in the opposite direction. She clipped Cloudy in the crossties, then walked all the way around her, wanting to get a better look in the bright light of the grooming area.
Just then she heard the chatter of voices from the end of the aisle. It was the Richardsons—Maddie recognized Filly’s high-pitched, excited laugh right away.
“Okay, Cloudy,” she whispered. “It’s showtime!”
She grabbed a brush and ran it lightly over one of the dirty spots, being careful not to actually dislodge any of the carefully applied dirt. When the Richardsons’ voices came closer, Maddie cleared her throat and started talking loudly to the pony.
“Oh, Cloudy,” she exclaimed. “You’re such a messy girl! One of these days my arms are going to fall off from having to do so much grooming before every single—Oh!” She pretended to interrupt herself as the Richardsons reached her. Amber was there, of course, along with Filly, Frank, and their mother. “Um, hi,” Maddie added. “I didn’t realize you guys were here already.”
“Oh my.” Mrs. Richardson gazed at Cloudy with mild alarm. “She’s quite dirty today, isn’t she?”
“Yes, but don’t worry,” Maddie said. “She’s not usually quite this dirty. Well, only about half the time. Anyway, it usually only takes me about an hour to clean her up before most of my lessons. Well, except during the rainy season, of course. . . .”
“That’s weird,” Amber said. “I don’t remember her being that messy when we owned her before.”
Maddie shrugged. “I guess ponies can change. Excuse me—there’s a big gross stain on her other side that I should work on.”
She hurried over to the pony’s other side. Reaching into her pocket, she rustled the wrapper on a peppermint.
“Up,” she whispered, hoping only the pony could hear. “Up, up!”
She snapped her fingers, keeping them hidden behind the pony’s body. Then she held her breath, hoping Cloudy remembered how to do the trick.
The pony tipped one ear back as Maddie rustled the peppermint wrapper again. Then Cloudy lifted one foreleg, dangling it off the ground.
“What’s she doing?” Filly wondered, pointing to the leg.
“I’m not sure,” Maddie called to the younger girl over the pony’s broad back. “But you’d better stand back—just in case.”
“What do you mean?” Mrs. Richardson sounded a little nervous as she pulled her son closer to her. “Is she going to kick?”
“She just gets a little excited sometimes, that’s all,” Maddie said. “Cloudy, no! Naughty! No pawing!”
“She never did that before either,” Amber declared. “She must be getting tired of being a lesson pony. She’ll probably be glad to get out of here and not have to do lessons anymore.”
Maddie gulped. Uh-oh, she definitely hadn’t been expecting that response. She peeked over Cloudy’s back again. Mrs. Richardson had already let go of Frank. As Maddie watched, the woman pulled out her cell phone and started scrolling through it. The little boy headed off down the aisle toward a barn cat that had just wandered into view. Filly was sidling closer to Cloudy, not looking the least bit scared.
“Isn’t your lesson starting in like twenty minutes?” Amber spoke up. “Maybe we’d better help you get her cleaned up.”
Maddie gritted her teeth as Amber grabbed a brush. “Okay, I guess,” Maddie said. “Be careful, though.”
“Whatever.” Amber started scrubbing at a manure stain on the pony’s rump. Filly stepped forward and set to work on the tangles in Cloudy’s mane.
Maddie swallowed a sigh. Okay, so part one of her plan wasn’t working quite the way she’d hoped. Good thing there was a part two.
Twenty minutes later, Maddie led Cloudy into the ring right on time. Vic and Val were already there with their ponies. They looked surprised when all four of the Richardsons filed into the bleachers.
“Aren’t those the people who want to buy Cloudy?” Vic whispered, leaning closer to Maddie as their ponies touched noses. “What are they doing here?”
“Are they going to watch our lesson?” Val sounded nervous. She got self-conscious when her own mother stayed to watch her ride, let alone anyone else.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Maddie busied herself with Cloudy’s girth. Now that she was here, she wished she’d given the twins a heads-up. Maybe they could have helped with the plan. But it was too late to try to explain it to them now—especially since Ms. Emerson had just emerged from the barn.
“Everyone ready to ride?” she called out. Then she noticed the Richardsons. “Oh, hello! I didn’t know you were coming today. I’m afraid Cloudy is already scheduled to be in this lesson.”
“Oh, we know,” Amber replied. “Maddie invited us to watch.”
“She did?” Ms. Emerson glanced at Maddie with mild surprise. Or was that suspicion? Maddie wasn’t sure.
The twins looked surprised too. But there was no time for questions. Ms. Emerson immediately started getting them on their ponies, and soon all three of them were walking around the outside of the ring.
Their usual warm-up consisted of walking the ponies around once each way, practicing leg yields and some basic bending exercises. Cloudy was good at all that stuff.
But today Maddie gave her an extra kick with her outside leg, the one Ms. Emerson couldn’t see from the center of the ring. Cloudy lifted her head in surprise, but immediately veered toward the inside. When Maddie kicked again, the pony picked up a trot.
“Whoa, Cloudy!” Maddie cried loudly, leaning back in the saddle and pulling on the reins. “Easy, girl—don’t get excited!”
“Maddie? What’s going on?” Ms. Emerson asked.
“Nothing.” Maddie steered Cloudy back onto the rail. “She’s just raring to go, I guess.”
“Hmm.” The instructor raised an eyebrow. “All right, let’s pick up a trot, please. Stay in your two-point halfway around the ring, then start rising. Remember to pay attention to your diagonals.”
Maddie sent Cloudy into a trot again. But instead of releasing the pressure with her legs, she kept squeezing. Cloudy’s ears flicked back, as if she was trying to figure out what Maddie was asking. After a moment she shook her head and broke into a slow canter.
“Whoa!” Maddie yelled again.
“Maddie,” Ms. Emerson said sharply. “I asked you to trot.”
“I know, but she’s trying to run away with me!” Maddie exclaimed. She kicked with her outside leg again, causing Cloudy to speed up—and also veer in off the rail again. “Oh no, look out!” Maddie cried. “Aaah!”
She kicked her feet out of the stirrups and flung herself off the pony’s side, landing on her rear end with an “oof!” and a puff of beige dust from the arena footing.
“Oh!” Val cried, pulling her own pony to a halt. “Maddie, are you okay?”
Ms. Emerson hurried over. “Maddie,” she said. “What happened?”
“I—I’m not sure.” Maddie tried to sound shaken and scared, even though she was neither. In fact, she wanted to grin at how perfectly her fake fall had gone—just the way she’d pictured it in her head! “She was out of control, and then I guess she bucked me off.”
She made sure her voice was loud enough to carry to the Richardsons. Amber had already ducked into the ring and grabbed Cloudy by her flopping reins. The pony had stopped a few steps after Maddie had come off.
“Is she okay?” Amber called to Ms. Emerson. “Do you need me to get on and school Cloudy for you?”
Maddie gritted her teeth. Did Amber really think she could “school” Cloudy? Did she think she was a better rider than Maddie?
“Thank you, Amber, but that won’t be necessary.” Ms. Emerson sounded grim. “I think Maddie and Cloudy are finished for today.”
“What?” Maddie blurted out. “No! I mean, I’m fine—I can get back on.”
But Ms. Emerson was already marching over to retrieve Cloudy from Amber. She led the pony over and handed the reins to Maddie.
“Untack her and put her in her paddock,” the instructor said in a voice only Maddie could hear. “And while you’re at it, think about whether you really believe you should be allowed to go on the Snack and Swim ride after displaying this sort of childish behavior.”
Maddie’s face flamed. She might have fooled the Richardsons with her plan, and maybe even the twins. But she should have known better than to try to fool Ms. Emerson.
“Sorry,” she said, keeping her voice low so the others wouldn’t hear. “I just—Um, sorry. But please, can I still go on the ride? I’ll clean stalls every day for a month to make up for it!”
Ms. Emerson glanced over at the Richardsons. When she returned her gaze to Maddie, the barn owner’s expression had softened slightly.
“All right, we’ll need to talk about this incident later,” she said. “I suppose since this is your first offense, the Snack and Swim is still on. But don’t make me regret that.”
“I won’t—thanks. And sorry.” Maddie was relieved, though her face was still flaming.
As she headed for the door, she sneaked another look at the Richardsons. Mrs. Richardson was bent over her cell phone as if nothing had happened. Amber was leaning back in her seat on the bleachers, looking bored. Filly was over by the fence, calling out questions to the twins about their ponies.
Maddie sighed. The Richardsons seemed totally unfazed by Cloudy’s “naughty” behavior. All that had happened was that Ms. Emerson had ended up annoyed at Maddie.
“So much for that plan,” Maddie muttered as she led Cloudy into the barn.
A little over an hour later, Maddie was huddled with the twins in a shady corner of Cloudy’s paddock. The mare was nibbling at a pile of hay nearby.
“I can’t believe you tried to pretend Cloudy bucked you off.” Vic giggled and glanced at the pony. “She never does anything like that!”
Maddie’s Dream Page 5