He was still munching noisily when she led him out into the schooling ring. She was about to climb into the saddle when Jasmine arrived, leading Outlaw. He was munching on a carrot, too.
“I brought a carrot for Macaroni,” Jasmine said.
“And I’ve got one for Outlaw!” May told her.
Each girl gave the other’s pony a treat. Then it was time for the best fun of all.
In just a few minutes, the girls were in their saddles and circling the ring together. They always walked their ponies first, to let them warm up. The ponies had to be properly warmed up before they trotted or cantered, or they might hurt their muscles. At the end of each ride, the girls had to walk them again, to let them cool down before they returned to their stalls.
May could feel Macaroni’s stride becoming more comfortable as he walked around the ring. By the time he’d circled it three times, Macaroni was ready to go. So was Outlaw.
“Let’s try those exercises Max told us about last week,” May said. Jasmine nodded.
They began trotting in a pattern. First they circled the ring. Then they crossed through the center, changing directions. After that they made circles that got smaller and smaller and then changed directions and made circles that got larger and larger.
“I think I’m getting dizzy,” May said.
“I think Outlaw’s getting dizzy,” Jasmine joked. “Let’s go see Samurai now.”
“Okay,” May agreed.
The girls opened the gate to the schooling ring and rode to Samurai’s stable.
Corey’s house looked dark and empty. So did the stable. They tied their ponies to a post and went inside.
“Hello!” May called into the darkness. Samurai answered with a gentle snort.
“It looks like Samurai misses Corey, too,” said May when they reached the pony’s stall.
Jasmine looked at Samurai. She could see what May meant. The pony was standing in the back of his stall with his head down. His eyes looked dark and sad.
Jasmine opened the stall and walked in. Sam lifted his head and eyed her curiously. She gave him his carrot. He liked that. He sniffed her shirt pocket for another treat.
“Here,” said May, pulling out the last carrot for Samurai. He liked that one, too.
They both agreed that he looked better now that he’d had a treat, but something was missing. He didn’t have anyone to ride him.
“Oh, yes, he does,” May said suddenly. “He’s got us!”
Jasmine knew exactly what she meant. Just because Corey wasn’t there, Samurai didn’t have to stay in his stall. The two members of the Pony Tails who were there could tack him up and ride him themselves!
Quick as could be, they fetched his tack and saddled him up. Then they took him back to the ring at May’s house.
May walked Samurai around the ring two times while Jasmine rode Outlaw. Then Jasmine trotted on Samurai while May trotted on Macaroni. After that May took Samurai through all the exercises that Max had taught them. Finally Jasmine walked Samurai to cool him down.
“There, that’s a good workout for you,” Jasmine told the pony as she dismounted from the saddle.
Samurai took a deep breath and then blew out. It seemed like a sigh of contentment.
“Good job,” said May. Corey hadn’t asked them to exercise her pony, but May was glad they’d done it. That was part of taking care of their friend’s pony while she was gone. Actually, it was a big part of taking care of Sam.
Now, though, it was getting late. It was time to groom all three ponies and put them back in their stalls for the night.
They shared the work on Samurai. May gave his coat a brushing while Jasmine put his tack away. Then May brought him water and Jasmine put fresh hay in his manger. They both patted him. He went back into the corner of his stall.
“He looks lonely again,” May said. “I wish there were something else we could do for him.”
“We could open up the door to his yard,” Jasmine suggested.
May wondered why she hadn’t thought of that herself. Samurai’s stall had a door in the back that opened onto a small yard. In good weather, Corey opened the yard door so that he could come and go as he pleased. Today was a nice day. Sam would probably love the fresh air.
Jasmine stepped into the stall and opened the door to the yard. Samurai sniffed at the breeze that came in. Then he stretched his neck out and peered into the yard.
“See, that brought him right out of the corner,” said Jasmine, pleased with her idea.
“He looks much happier,” May agreed.
“See you early tomorrow morning!” Jasmine told Samurai as the two of them left, fastening the stall door securely behind them. They’d be bringing Sam to Pine Hollow tomorrow for their Pony Club meeting. Corey would be thrilled to see her pony, and he would be thrilled to see her.
May waved good-night to Jasmine and raced back to her own stable, ready to groom Macaroni and settle him down for the night. She had a good feeling inside. She and Jasmine had worked hard on their lessons, and they’d done something nice for Corey’s pony. That was what being best friends meant, and the Pony Tails were definitely best friends!
Buy Corey’s Pony Is Missing Now!
About the Author
Bonnie Bryant is the author of over one hundred forty books about horses, including the Saddle Club series and its spinoffs, the Pony Tails series and the Pine Hollow series. Bryant did not know very much about horses before writing the first Saddle Club book in 1986, so she found herself learning right along with the characters she created. She has also written novels and movie novelizations under her married name, Bonnie Bryant Hiller. Bryant was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives today.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1995 by Bonnie Bryant Hiller
Cover design by Connie Gabbert
ISBN: 978-1-4976-5352-8
This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com
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Table of Contents
Title Page
1 May’s News
2 Jasmine’s Model Horse
3 A Very Bad Day
4 Riding Class
5 Untacking
6 Samurai Makes Trouble
7 Samurai Goes to School
8 May Goes to School
9 Samurai’s Homework
10 Saturday Morning
11 The Scavenger Hunt
12 Time-out
13 A Change for the Better
14 The Rewards of Hard Work
15 Getting Even
16 The Final Lesson
Preview: Corey’s Pony Is Missing
Abou
t the Author
Copyright Page
Pony Tails 02- May's Riding Lesson Page 6