Show Judge

by Bonnie Bryant

“Replace you?” Max smiled. “It’s that very attitude that makes you such a fine choice.”

  Carole could hardly believe it. She had expected to be completely humiliated by confessing her failure, and now she was being congratulated instead.

  Max rubbed his hands together. “I think we’re finally making some progress here. I’m gratified to see this improvement in your attitudes. In fact, I am so pleased that I’ve decided we will finish up our rally today after all.”

  With that announcement the room descended into chattering chaos. Some kids were delighted, others reluctant.

  When the room had calmed down a bit, Max resumed speaking. “Many of you had already completed your final event before we were interrupted by May’s accident yesterday. Nonetheless, I want all the contestants to saddle up your ponies and put on your show outfits. We will meet in the ring for the end of the jumping event as soon as you can get ready.”

  Class was excused and everyone scattered in different directions, frantic to get ready.

  “I guess that kind of puts a damper on our trail ride,” Lisa said wistfully.

  “Not necessarily,” Carole said. “The jumping event won’t take long. We can go right after.”

  “I’m afraid we’re going to be too busy right after,” Stevie told her.

  “Doing what?” Carole asked.

  “Attending your funeral,” Stevie crowed, grinning. “ ’Cause all the losers are going to kill you!”

  Lisa sidled closer to Carole. “By the way, nice try back there at getting off the hook, but …” She swatted her on the back. “Tag, you’re still it!”

  Lisa and Stevie sprinted away, laughing.

  ONCE AGAIN CAROLE found herself standing in the center of the ring, judging the young riders as they tried their hand over the small jumps. Today, however, she was finding the experience much more to her liking. She was still anxious about having to choose the winner, but knowing that Max had complete confidence in her gave her confidence in herself.

  Before the event began, the larger jumps were turned against the outer railing in order to avoid any possibility of another accident like May’s.

  There was also another difference: the attitude of the people watching. A loud cheer and a hearty round of applause greeted each and every rider as they entered and exited the arena, regardless of how they had performed. Consolation and suggestions were offered to those who had a rough time of it, and heartfelt congratulations were handed out to the more successful.

  After the final rider had completed the event, Carole was left alone in Max’s office to figure out the winner of the rally. When she eventually emerged, she found all the riders mounted on their ponies and waiting for her in the ring. Max ordered them all into a tidy line, like a ribbon presentation in a real show.

  Taking a deep breath, Carole entered the ring, raised her chin, and strode forward with all the authority she could muster. Max gave her a little bow, which she acknowledged with a regal nod of her head. Then she addressed the riders. “First of all, I would like to congratulate each and every one of you for all the hard work you have put in for the past two weeks. You have all made great progress and have every right to be proud of yourselves.”

  The young riders beamed with pleasure at her praise.

  “However,” she continued, “you have made it impossible for me to do the job I was assigned.”

  The line of riders in front of her looked confused and disappointed.

  Carole opened her folder. “My problem is this: I’ve been asked to give out one prize to an overall winner, but many of you are deserving of individual prizes. Reuben, for instance, kept his pony’s stall immaculate at all times. Jasmine’s records were flawless … as was her penmanship,” she added, winking at the girl. “Corey is so good at braiding she could practically rent her services out, and I’ve never seen a more consistently or better groomed pony than Jessica’s. You all deserve your own first prize.” Carole lowered her list and looked at the row of competitors. “According to the rules, I’m supposed to select one of you as our champion, but after thinking it over, I’ve come to the conclusion that you are the ones who should be making that decision.” From the corner of her eye, Carole could see Max watching her curiously.

  “What did you have in mind, Madame Judge?” he asked.

  “Could I have all the senior Pony Partners come out here?” she called, waving at them where they were leaning on the fence, listening. When they were gathered around her, she explained. “As much as I’ve been observing you all over the last two weeks, it occurred to me that you have all been watching each other equally as closely.” She saw rueful smiles. “So I think each of you knows who he or she thinks really deserves this prize. That’s why I am giving everyone a vote. I’m going to come over to each of you now and let you tell me who you think is the most deserving.”

  Carole approached the first rider. “What do you say, Liam? Who should get the ribbon?”

  “May Grover,” he said without hesitation.

  “But she didn’t finish the competition,” Carole said carefully.

  “She didn’t have anyone to teach her the course,” he replied solemnly.

  “She didn’t have anyone to teach her at all!” declared Corey, who was next to him.

  Her statement was greeted by a chorus of agreement from almost all the other riders.

  “I bet if she hadn’t broken her wrist, she would have gotten back on Mac and finished,” someone else called.

  It didn’t take long for Carole to make her way down the line, but by the time she was halfway through, the winner was already clear. She returned to her place at the center of the group. “It is with the greatest pleasure that I tell you that the winner, by a nearly unanimous decision, is May Grover on Macaroni.”

  Everyone cheered, unsettling some of the ponies.

  “I bow to the wisdom of our judge,” Max said, “and to the decision of the majority. May has shown a lot of heart and determination,” he conceded. “It’s traditional for the winner to take a victory gallop around the ring. Since May isn’t here to do it herself, maybe her friends would like to take it for her?” he suggested to the mounted riders.

  Everyone let out another whoop.

  Carole watched happily as the small herd of ponies and riders pounded around the ring. She felt the tension of the last few weeks draining from her body. Her job here, finally, was done.

  After the victory lap all the young Pony Partners were excused. The older ones made themselves useful to Max by resetting the larger jumps in their normal positions, without being asked to do so.

  “It seems a shame May couldn’t have been here to collect her ribbon in person,” Stevie said to Carole as they struggled to maneuver an obstacle back into its place.

  “I know what you mean,” Carole agreed. “There’s nothing quite like the moment when you win your first ribbon. Actually I did talk to Max about that, and he said that at the very next meeting May is able to attend, we could do a little presentation ceremony for her.”

  Stevie eyed the position of the jump critically. “Do you think Veronica will actually grace us with her presence on that day?”

  “I don’t think anyone will miss her if she doesn’t,” Carole replied, giving her end of the jump a final nudge.

  Stevie gave a wicked smile. “Kind of like today?”

  Carole spotted Lisa across the ring and waved her over. “I have to say, it doesn’t surprise me much that she didn’t show up. I’m sure she figured May was out of the running, so why should she bother?”

  Stevie rolled her eyes in disgust. “She barely bothered showing up when she thought May was in the running!”

  Lisa caught up with them as they were heading through the gate. “Let me guess,” she said. “You two are talking about either the anniversary present or Veronica diAngelo.”

  “It was Veronica,” Carole confirmed. “How did you know?”

  “That’s easy. Stevie looks like she ate a lemon.”


  Stevie frowned. “I can’t help it. Even the sound of her name makes my hair stand on end.”

  “I have to admit, it’s much more pleasant when she’s not around,” Lisa said. “Did I ever tell you what she and Betsy said to Carole in TD’s?”

  “No, but I bet it was something mean.” Stevie sighed. “Veronica is unpleasant enough when she’s here at Pine Hollow,” she said, recalling the incident outside the ice cream shop. “But she’s even worse when she’s away from it! I should know.”

  The three girls entered the stable and were greeted by the sounds of happy, chattering riders.

  Carole stopped in the doorway. “Listen to that. Isn’t it so much more pleasant than all that squawking from last week?”

  “Absolutely,” Lisa agreed. “Still, nice as it is, what I could really use is some peace and quiet.”

  “Trail ride?” Carole said eagerly.

  “Trail ride,” Lisa confirmed.

  Stevie stood stock-still. Something was coming together in her head and she didn’t want to disturb it until it was complete.

  “Stevie? Are you okay?” Lisa asked.

  “Yes!” she shouted. “Yes, yes, yes!” Her two friends were looking at her like she had lost her mind. But she didn’t care. She had finally figured out the answer to her problem.

  “Yes, you’re okay, or yes, you want to go on a trail ride?” Carole asked, eyeing her doubtfully.

  Stevie was jubilant. “Both!” she cried. “Look, do me a favor and saddle Belle for me. I’ll meet you two outside.” She started to hurry away.

  “Stevie, where are you going?” Lisa called after her.

  “To make a phone call,” she answered.

  Carole started to protest. “But Mrs. Reg won’t—”

  Stevie stopped and faced them, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s an emergency!” she shouted joyfully.

  STEVIE SAVORED THE dappled sunlight on her face and took a deep breath of fresh air. Beneath her, Belle moved eagerly and surely along the familiar trail that would take the three riders to Willow Creek.

  “Doesn’t it feel like forever since we’ve been on a trail ride?” Lisa asked from her position behind Stevie.

  “I know what you mean,” Stevie said, speaking over her shoulder. “I love our riding classes with Max, but sometimes I think I love this even more.”

  Carole, who had been trailing the other two, urged Starlight up alongside Lisa. “I can’t believe we haven’t been out here for two weeks,” she said. “What were we thinking of?”

  Lisa smiled ruefully. “Pony Partners.”

  “Judging duties,” Carole admitted.

  “Anniversary presents,” Stevie finished.

  “That reminds me,” Carole said, “aren’t you going to let us in on this mysterious phone call of yours back at the stable?”

  “I can’t believe Mrs. Reg actually let you use the phone again,” Lisa teased.

  Stevie smiled triumphantly. “Well, she did. As for the rest of it, you two are going to have to wait until we get to the creek. Right now Belle wants to canter.”

  Stevie nudged her horse with her heels. That was all the encouragement Belle needed. With a snort, she bounded forward, seemingly as eager as her rider to feel the wind in her face. Stevie sat easily in the saddle, keeping an eye out for low-hanging branches and relishing the rhythmic rocking of her mount. She could hear the pounding of Lisa’s and Carole’s horses as they followed.

  All too soon they approached the turnoff that would lead them down to the water, and Stevie reluctantly reined Belle to a halt. She waited as the others brought their horses to a stop next to her.

  “Gosh, that felt good,” Lisa gushed.

  Carole was smiling. “I think the horses enjoy that as much as we do.”

  “Let’s get off and walk them the rest of the way,” Stevie suggested. They all dismounted and she led them down the slope, picking her way carefully so that there would be no danger of the horses slipping.

  Once they had reached their favorite spot, the three girls removed their horses’ bridles and slipped on the halters they had brought with them. Then they tied the long lead ropes to the nearby trees so that the animals would be free to graze while the girls soaked their feet in the stream.

  “Carole, could you help me?” Stevie asked, struggling to remove her footgear. English riding boots were notoriously difficult to remove without a bootjack.

  Carole did the honors, helping both Stevie and Lisa, and they, in turn, pulled off hers. The whole thing nearly ended up with Lisa falling in the creek when Carole’s boot came off more suddenly than expected. Luckily she managed to catch her balance in time. Laughing, the three of them settled down on the bank to dangle their toes in the cool water and chat. Inevitably, the subject of the pony rally came up.

  “So, Carole, when did you come up with the idea of letting everyone vote on the winner?” Lisa wanted to know.

  “Not until I was sitting in Max’s office reviewing all my notes.”

  “Phew, you cut that close,” Stevie observed.

  “It was a stroke of genius, if I do say so myself,” said Carole, pretending to be self-satisfied.

  “More like the last act of a desperate woman,” Stevie said, kicking water at her. “But I have to admit, it was the perfect solution.”

  “And the fairest,” Lisa added warmly. “Max said you have all the qualities that make a good judge. Would you ever consider doing that as a career?”

  “Not a chance!” Carole replied emphatically. She started to giggle. “I guess I’m just a Cobweb after all.”

  “Huh?” said two voices at once.

  Carole told them about Mrs. Reg’s story.

  “I wonder why Mrs. Reg never comes right out and tells you what she wants you to know?” Stevie asked, puzzled.

  “I think she’d tell you it’s not her nature. Like it wasn’t Cobweb’s to like pulling carts or mine to enjoy judging others.”

  “And how it is Veronica’s nature to be useless,” Lisa added.

  Stevie threw a small pebble into the lazy creek and watched the ripples spread. “It turns out Veronica isn’t completely useless, Lisa.” She enjoyed her friends’ incredulous stares. “Well, she did help me come up with the perfect present for my parents’ anniversary. In fact, all three of you did.” She rolled casually onto her stomach.

  “Lisa, me, and Veronica?” Carole asked doubtfully.

  Stevie nodded.

  Lisa frowned. “I don’t remember making any suggestions. Do you, Carole?”

  Carole shook her head. “Not me, and I certainly can’t picture Veronica offering anything if she thought it would be helpful to Stevie.”

  Stevie sat up abruptly. “That’s just it. She didn’t know she was being helpful. Veronica told me the best thing my brothers and I could do would be to run away with the circus.”

  Carole was clearly horrified. “Stevie, you’re not seriously considering that, are you?”

  Stevie laughed. “Of course not. What Veronica was implying was that things would be more peaceful around our house for my parents if my brothers and I weren’t around.”

  “I hope you realize your mom and dad would never trade one moment of being with you guys for a lifetime of quiet,” Lisa said solemnly.

  Stevie smiled wryly. “Well, I don’t know, they might like one moment. Anyway, last night before we went to sleep, Lisa said, ‘Some of the best presents don’t come with wrapping paper,’ remember?”

  Lisa shrugged. “So?”

  “And then a little while ago as we all came into the stable after the rally, Carole made the comment about how nice it was to hear laughter after all the squabbling of the last couple of weeks.”

  “Did I?”

  “Something like that, anyway. So you see? Between Veronica and you guys, that’s where I got the idea for the present!” she finished.

  “No, we don’t see!” cried Lisa.

  “Oh,” Stevie said casually.

  Carole started to t
ickle her. “What’s the present?”

  “Tell us!” Lisa pounced, joining in.

  “Okay, okay!” Stevie gasped between giggles. “Uncle!” Her friends relented. “The present is the reason I had to go make that phone call. I needed to clear it with my brothers first. We’ve all agreed. Starting today there will be no arguments, practical jokes, or name-calling for an entire week.” She looked at her two friends. “In other words, we’re giving my parents exactly what they asked us for when you guys spent the night two weeks ago,” she said triumphantly. “Peace and quiet!”

  “Stevie, you’ve done it again,” Lisa said, shaking her head in wonder.

  Carole looked skeptical. “It’s a great idea, but do you think you and your brothers can actually do it?”

  “It won’t be so hard,” Stevie assured them. “A couple of sleepovers at your house, Carole … a few dinners at Lisa’s … avoiding my brothers at all costs …”

  “Sounds like a Saddle Club project to me,” Carole said to Lisa.

  Lisa nodded. “Maybe the hardest one yet!” she replied.

  “Awww, come on, guys,” Stevie coaxed. “The time’s gonna fly. Trust me!”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  BONNIE BRYANT is the author of more than a hundred books about horses, including The Saddle Club series, The Saddle Club Super Editions, the Pony Tails series, and Pine Hollow, which follows the Saddle Club girls into their teens. She has also written novels and movie novelizations under her married name, B. B. Hiller.

  Ms. Bryant began writing The Saddle Club in 1986. Although she had done some riding before that, she intensified her studies then and found herself learning right along with her characters Stevie, Carole, and Lisa. She claims that they are all much better riders than she is.

  Ms. Bryant was born and raised in New York City. She still lives there, in Greenwich Village, with her two sons.