Read all the Saddle Club books!
Horse Crazy
Horse Shy
Horse Sense
Horse Power
Trail Mates
Dude Ranch
Horse Play
Horse Show
Hoof Beat
Riding Camp
Horse Wise
Rodeo Rider
Starlight Christmas
Sea Horse
Team Play
Horse Games
Horsenapped
Pack Trip
Star Rider
Snow Ride
Racehorse
Fox Hunt
Horse Trouble
Ghost Rider
I would like to express my special thanks to Ellen Krieger for her contribution to this story. Cheers! —B.B.H.
Copyright © 1991 by Bonnie Bryant Hiller
Cover art copyright © 1991 by George Tsui
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
“The Saddle Club” is a registered trademark of Bonnie Bryant Hiller.
“USPC” and “Pony Club” are registered trademarks of the United States Pony Clubs, Inc., at The Kentucky Horse Park, 4071 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, KY 40511-8462.
Visit us on the Web! randomhouse.com/kids
Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at RHTeachersLibrarians.com
eISBN: 978-0-307-82501-8
Originally published by Bantam Skylark in December 1991
First Delacorte Ebook Edition 2012
v3.1
Contents
Cover
Other Books by This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
About the Author
A CASE OF HORSE FRIGHT
Pepper had a wonderful rocking canter, but nobody would know that looking at Skye Ransom. He rode Pepper as if he were Ichabod Crane being chased by the headless horseman. There was a look of pure terror on his face.
“Cut!” Oliver cried out. “Something wrong, Skye?”
“No,” Skye said, but it was clear that there was.
“Is the horse going too fast for you?” Oliver asked.
“No,” Skye said. Lisa could tell that Skye was very uncomfortable about something, but she also knew that he was too much of a professional to let his problems cause trouble on the set. “Let’s try it again, Oliver,” he suggested.
Oliver agreed and the scene was set up again. Lisa returned to the stable, prepared to step out on cue. From the shadows, she watched Skye’s approach. The second time wasn’t any better than the first. The problem was that Skye was scared, pure and simple.
If only The Saddle Club could think of a way to help …
LISA ATWOOD PATTED the black colt reassuringly.
“Don’t worry, Samson,” she told him. “Everything’s going to be fine.”
He swished his tail. His ears flicked.
“That means he’s listening,” Carole Hanson told her friend.
Lisa could tell. The young horse had watched every move she’d made since she’d entered his paddock. He never even looked at his mother, a palomino camed Delilah, who was observing the training session intently from the other side of a fence.
Lisa moved around to face Samson, holding a bridle and a bit in her hands. She wanted him to be able to see and smell the tack so he wouldn’t be frightened when she put it on him. He glanced at the bit and bridle and took two steps back. She patted him again.
Although Lisa’s two best friends, Carole and Stevie Lake, were just a few feet away, Lisa was concentrating so hard on Samson that it was as if they were the only two beings in the world.
“It’s just me,” she said, speaking in a low voice, calmly stepping toward the retreating colt. He responded by stopping. “I’m going to teach you something, and you’re going to show me what a good pupil you are.”
The words flowed automatically. Lisa knew that what she was saying to Samson really didn’t matter. What was important was that he heard her voice and sensed the calm in it. If he heard uncertainty or fear, he’d flee.
As Samson stood still, Lisa stood on his left side. She held the bit of the bridle in her left hand and the crownpiece in her right. Without hesitation she put the bit by his mouth, poising the crownpiece to go over his ears when the bit was in place. Samson was surprised and opened his mouth to protest. Before he knew what had happened, she slipped the bit into his mouth and then very quickly slid the crownpiece into place over his ears. He was in a bridle and all that was left to do was to convince him he wanted to stay that way until she could get the thing buckled.
“It’s what all the well-dressed horses are wearing this year,” she said to Samson, imitating a fashion show emcee. “The modest mini, with a slight metallic accent—perfect for the afternoon outing or a morning in the field. No wardrobe would be complete without it.”
Lisa quickly buckled the bridle and then took the reins. Samson chomped curiously at the unfamiliar piece of metal in his mouth, but he stood willingly.
“Ta-dah!” Stevie called out from the fence where she and Carole sat.
“Nice job!” Carole chimed in. “You’re a natural-born trainer.”
“Oh, it wasn’t that big of a deal,” Lisa said, leading Samson over to the fence. “After all, he’s been wearing a halter for months now.”
“There’s a big difference between a halter and a bit, and Samson is smart enough to know it. You did a perfect job of introducing him to his new tack,” Carole said.
Lisa was almost embarrassed by Carole’s compliment. The three girls were best friends and they were all good horseback riders. They loved horses so much that they’d created The Saddle Club, which had only two rules: Members had to be horse crazy, and they had to be willing to help one another out. Lisa was the newest rider of the three, but she worked hard at it and had learned a lot in the short time she’d been riding. Lisa was a straight-A student in school and approached everything she did logically and analytically. It didn’t surprise those around her that she usually succeeded at things she tried. It always seemed to surprise Lisa, though.
Stevie, on the other hand, was a schemer. When there was a problem to be solved, Stevie could always think of a way to solve it, and it usually involved getting everybody into hot water. Carole and Lisa didn’t mind that too much. Being anywhere with Stevie was fun—even hot water.
Carole was the most serious rider of the three. She’d been raised on Marine Corps bases, where her widowed father was a colonel, and had learned to ride the military horses as a very little girl. When she grew up, Carole was going to be a trainer, or a vet, or a championship rider, or a breeder—or all of them!
“Can I try leading him now?” Stevie asked. Lisa nodded and handed her the reins.
Samson seemed so preoccupied with the strange feel of the bit in his mouth that he just followed willingly. Lisa climbed up onto the paddock fence and sat next to Carole.
“He’s going to be a breeze to train with a saddle when the time comes,” she observed.
“Only if he’s got good trainers,” Carole said.
“He will, because he’ll have us,” Lisa reminded her.
“And we’re the best,” Stevie added, returning with Samson to where her friends sat on the fence.
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“Speaking of being the best, didn’t you guys promise to help me plan Dad’s surprise birthday party?” Carole asked.
“We did help you,” Stevie said. “We reminded you to send out the invitations, didn’t we?”
“Big help,” Carole said. “Tell you what, I’ll walk Samson in a circle now while you two figure out exactly what we’re going to do to make Dad’s fortieth birthday the best ever.”
Carole slid off the fence, landing on the soft earth of the paddock. Samson watched while Stevie handed the reins to Carole. He seemed vaguely aware of the fact that the reins were attached to the odd thing in his mouth. He chomped at it unsuccessfully.
“Forty!” Stevie said, climbing up next to Lisa. “It sounds awfully old.”
“My dad turned forty two years ago,” Lisa said. “He talked about it for months.”
“What did you do for a party?” Stevie asked.
“Nothing,” Lisa said. Then a thought occurred to her. “Maybe that’s why he talked about it so much! But he said he didn’t want us to do anything.”
“They always say that,” Stevie said.
“And they never mean it,” Lisa added.
“Well, Colonel Hanson is a terrific guy, and I want to help Carole make this his best birthday ever.”
“Me, too,” Lisa agreed.
Colonel Hanson was a favorite with all the riders at Pine Hollow Stable, where The Saddle Club rode and where he was one of the parent volunteers for the pony club, Horse Wise. He was a special favorite of Stevie’s because they shared a passion for 1950s trivia and old jokes. Sometimes Carole had trouble shaking her father from the phone when Stevie called. Stevie and Colonel Hanson seemed to have an unlimited supply of grape and elephant jokes to try on one another.
“You know,” Stevie began, “if we’re going to help Carole throw the party, we’re talking about decorating and cooking—”
“And cleaning up,” Lisa said sensibly.
“The trouble is, the only thing I know how to cook is Rice Krispies treats,” Stevie said.
“Well, then it’s a good thing Colonel Hanson really loves them,” Lisa told her.
“Lisa! Phone call!” Lisa looked to see Mrs. Reg. She was the mother of Max Regnery, the man who owned Pine Hollow. Mrs. Reg served as the stable manager. She didn’t like to think of herself as a telephone operator and usually refused to hunt down somebody to take a phone call. Lisa was concerned.
“Is it an emergency?” she called, running toward Mrs. Reg.
“Nope, but it’s long distance—from California. You’d better hurry.”
Lisa did. She ran so fast, she was totally breathless by the time she reached Mrs. Reg’s desk.
“Hello?” she almost gasped into the phone.
“Is this Lisa Atwood?” a voice asked. It was a gentle and familiar voice, but Lisa couldn’t quite place it.
“Yes, who’s this?” she asked.
“It’s Skye—Skye Ransom,” the voice informed her. “Remember me?”
“Really?” Lisa couldn’t believe it. Of course she remembered him. Skye Ransom was a famous teen movie actor whom she and her friends had gotten to know when they were on a trip to New York City to attend the horse show there. The girls had met him when he’d been trying to learn to ride horseback because he was starring in a movie that required him to ride. Skye hadn’t wanted to admit to anyone that he didn’t know a thing about horses. The Saddle Club had taught him everything he’d needed to know. They hadn’t really expected to hear from him again, although Lisa had written him a letter to say that she’d seen the movie eight times when it came out.
“You don’t recognize my voice after seeing my movie eight times?” Skye teased.
Lisa laughed. “I recognize it. I just don’t believe it! What are you calling for and how did you find me here?”
“I tracked you down,” he said. “See, I’m doing another horse movie.”
“You want more riding tips?” Lisa asked.
“Well, partly that,” he said. “I do need more riding tips.”
“Look, my friends and I would love to give you lessons, but wouldn’t it make more sense to find an instructor in California?”
“I could do that, I suppose,” he said. “But if I did, I’d have to take lessons long distance. See …”
“STEVIE! CAROLE! GET this!” Lisa shrieked as she dashed back to Samson’s paddock. “You’re never going to believe it! Never!”
“What?” Carole asked.
“It’s incredible!” Lisa said.
“What’s incredible?” Stevie asked.
“You won’t believe it!” Lisa repeated.
“If you won’t tell us what it is, we won’t have a chance to believe it,” Stevie said sensibly.
Lisa brought herself to a halt, and gulped. She couldn’t get the words out.
“Who was calling?” Carole asked. She thought maybe if she could just get Lisa started, she might learn what was going on.
“It was Skye,” Lisa began.
“Ransom?” Carole and Stevie asked in a single voice. Lisa nodded.
“Yeah, Skye Ransom. He was calling me. From California. Where he is—”
“This could take all day,” Stevie said.
Lisa ignored it. She concentrated on getting her news out. “—but he won’t be in California for long. See, he’s making another horse movie. It’s a sequel to the one he was making in New York. Only this time it’s going to be shot in … in …”
“Virginia?” Carole asked.
Lisa nodded. “Yeah, somewhere in Virginia. Anyway, he wanted to know if I—and you two—could help him some more. Can you believe it? See? I told you you wouldn’t believe it. Isn’t it incredible?”
“Wow,” Carole said.
“Outstanding!” Stevie added, but then her face fell. “Virginia’s a big state, you know. He could be miles from here.”
“Wherever he is in Virginia, it’s closer to us than California, isn’t it?” Carole reasoned.
“Oh, yeah,” Stevie said. “That’s definitely true.”
Carole felt a tug at her hand, then. She had almost forgotten that she was holding Samson’s reins. Before she could do anything about it, Samson tugged them out of her hand and began darting around the paddock, dragging the reins. He nearly stepped on them several times.
“Oh, no!” Carole said. She realized right away that Samson was so unaccustomed to the leather straps that he might very well trip himself.
Nobody needed to say anything. The Saddle Club immediately knew what to do. Working quickly and wordlessly, the three of them cornered Samson in the paddock. Lisa began speaking to him in her soft, reassuring voice. His ears flicked curiously. She approached him slowly from his right side. She kept talking as she neared him. She held his attention so that he never noticed that Carole was actually much closer, on his left side. Just as he was about to dart away, Carole reached out and grasped his reins.
“Good boy,” Lisa said. She patted him. He seemed a little disappointed that the excitement was over so fast. The Saddle Club was relieved they had kept him from creating more excitement.
While Lisa patted Samson some more, Carole unbuckled the bridle and released the bit from his mouth. He shifted his jaw around cautiously and seemed satisfied that everything was normal. Carole patted his flank and Stevie opened the gate to let Samson back into the paddock with his mother.
“What a team!” Lisa remarked.
“We’re really something!” Carole said. “We can train colts, we can even instruct famous movie stars!”
“And cater birthday parties,” Stevie added.
“Let’s face it, girls,” Lisa said. “We’re The Saddle Club. We can do anything.”
“WHAT’S ALL the noise out here?” Max Regnery demanded, storming from the stable to where the girls were still celebrating their own brilliance. “The horses are all nervous and edgy, and you three are giggling and shouting. I can’t have—”
The girls glanced
at one another. It was true that they’d been making some noise, but it didn’t seem that the horses had been in the least bit upset until Max marched through the stable, swinging his arms and bellowing at them.
Max was a wonderful teacher and a good friend to all the riders. Most of the time he was pretty relaxed and understanding. The exception to that was when it came to horses. Riding and caring for horses always came first with Max. That included classes, too. He was a no-nonsense instructor. When Max said no talking, he meant it. More than one chatty student had found herself ousted from Max’s class until she was prepared to concentrate the way Max wanted her to. Now he had that same no-nonsense look on his face, but the girls hadn’t been breaking any of his rules.
“I’m sorry, Max,” Carole said. “We got a little carried away, but I didn’t realize the horses were upset by what we were doing.”
“Just what were you doing?” Max asked, calming down a little bit.
“We were putting a bit on Samson,” Stevie said. “He was really good, too. And then, when we took it off, he almost seemed to miss the feel of it in his mouth.”
“He was so cute, Max. You just wouldn’t believe it,” Lisa said, patting the colt through the fence.
Max looked at Samson and smiled. It was almost impossible to watch the gentle colt and not smile.
“You three are doing good work with him,” Max said. “I’m sorry. I think maybe it was the fact that I’m upset that upset the horses.”
“What are you upset about?” Carole asked.
“I have a decision to make,” he said. Then he looked around at the interested faces of his three most eager riders. “Maybe you can help me.”
“We’d be glad to try,” Lisa said.
“Well, we can talk while we work,” Max said. “The farrier will be here later today, and I want to make sure we check all the shoes before he gets here. Help me round up some of the horses in the north paddock, okay?”
That was just like Max. He could talk and ask the girls for advice, but he couldn’t bear the idea that anybody might just stand and talk while there was work to do.
The girls agreed to his terms and followed him to the north paddock, where six horses were enjoying the freedom of the pasture.
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