First published in 1998 by Usborne Publishing Ltd, Usborne House,
83-85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT, England.
www.usborne.com
Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2003, 1998 Usborne Publishing Ltd.
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This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Epub ISBN 9781409555117
Kindle ISBN 9781409555124
Batch no. 01491-01
CONTENTS
Maps
1. Ponies and cricket!
2. The perfect solution
3. The Ash Hill sale
4. A deal is struck
5. One very sick pony
6. Tiresome days!
7. Turning point
8. A ride to remember...
9. Jumping practice
10. The Benbridge Show
11. Jump-off
12. The truth is out
13. A brave face
14. Borrowed time
15. Goodbye Puzzle
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1
PONIES AND CRICKET!
“There must be something I can do to raise the money. What about a car washing business? I could charge a fiver a car!” Alex Hardy followed his sister in and out of each of the stables at Sandy Lane.
“Sounds great,” Kate answered, but Alex could tell she wasn’t really listening. “Look, can you help fill these water buckets,” she went on. “The horses will be back from the ride any minute. They’ll be thirsty.”
“Yeah, yeah all right. On second thoughts, maybe car washing isn’t such a good idea,” Alex said. “There’s that new garage opened over by Colcott. It’s got a spray jet and it’s only £3 a go.”
“Look, Alex.” Kate stopped still in her tracks and put down her water bucket. “If I hear you go on about the money for this cricket tour one more time I’ll go mad!” She scooped up her long, blond hair and tied it into a pony tail. It was a warm summer’s evening, and she was looking hot and bothered. “I couldn’t care less if you robbed a bank to get the money.” She picked up her bucket and went into the next stable.
“Robbed a bank? Now that’s a thought!” Alex’s eyes flashed as he followed her.
“What are all the other boys doing?” Kate asked.
“Will’s doing a sponsored parachute jump, Harry’s organizing a roller-blading evening, oh, and Jim’s working at Thorne Park for the summer.”
“A lot more exciting than car-washing!” Kate exclaimed.
“I guess you’re right,” Alex said, feeling frustrated. The more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed he’d get to go on the cricket tour to South Africa.
“When do you need to get the money by, anyway?” Kate asked.
“15th October,” Alex replied.
“And how much is it you need?” Kate asked.
“Another £350,” Alex said gloomily. “The whole trip’s £850. Mum and Dad said I could use the money I won on that premium bond, but getting the other £350 isn’t going to be easy.”
“You’re lucky Mum and Dad are letting you spend the money,” Kate said. “I thought you were supposed to be saving that for university.”
“Yeah I know, but they realize how important this tour is,” Alex shrugged.
“It sounds more like a holiday if you ask me,” Kate muttered under her breath. “Hang on, I’ve got an idea.” Kate’s eyes lit up. “Maybe you could make this money. Maybe you could organize a sponsored ride. We made loads last time we did one of those. You could do something a bit different – like making it fancy dress or something.”
Alex groaned and made a face. “Too girly.”
“I might have known I’d get a comment like that from an older brother – where’s your imagination?” Kate raised her eyebrows.
But Alex wasn’t paying any attention. “What if I sold my stereo?” he murmured.
“What, that clapped-out heap of junk?” Kate laughed. “Who’s going to buy that?”
“If you’re not going to make any helpful comments, don’t bother,” Alex stormed.
“Oh Alex, look, I’ll have a think about it later, OK?” Kate shoved a bundle of hay into one of the nets. “Right now I have to sort out these ponies – and you said you’d help me.”
“All right, don’t nag.” Alex brushed his messy, brown hair out of his eyes. “Where shall I start?”
“You could start by filling up the rest of the water buckets. Then Pepper and Blackjack need grooming. They’re lame at the moment, so they haven’t gone out on the ride. Oh and Hector’s about too.”
“OK, I get the picture,” Alex moaned. The work seemed never-ending. There was always some job to be done at Sandy Lane. Where were the rest of the regular Sandy Lane riders when they were needed? Tom, Rosie, Jess – all of them used the stables more than he did these days. The only reason he was here at all this evening was because his cricket practice had been cancelled and Kate had bullied him into it. It wasn’t that he disliked being at Sandy Lane – a few years ago, you wouldn’t have found him anywhere else. But there were other things that took up his time now – things that he was better at anyway – football, tennis, and now cricket. Ever since he’d been selected for the junior county squad there just hadn’t been any time for riding.
“Did you get all that?” Kate said.
Alex didn’t have a chance to answer his sister before she dashed off across the yard. He watched her disappear into the tack room. Kate hadn’t stopped since they’d got there, but then horses had always been her number one priority.
Bending down, Alex picked up a couple of buckets, and made his way across the yard to the water trough. As he turned on the hose, his mind went back to the problem of the money. He just had to get on that tour. He was so busy thinking that he didn’t notice the water rise to the top of the bucket and start spilling over.
“Oh blast.” Alex jumped out of the way and turned off the hose. The buckets were full to the brim. Tightly gripping the handles, he walked across the yard and slipped into Pepper’s stable. He deposited a bucket with the little piebald pony and then he made his way into Hector’s stable.
“All right in here?” Alex clapped Hector’s solid, brown shoulder and put the other water bucket down on the ground. Hector started slurping greedily. At 16.2 hands, Hector was the largest horse in the yard and, though some riders complained that he was stubborn, Alex liked him the best. He was solid and stable – not like some of the more flighty mounts. Alex gave Hector a quick rub-down and ran the body brush over his back. As he bent down to pick out Hector’s feet, he heard the crunch of hooves on the gravel and the sound of excited voices. Alex looked out over the stable door. The ride was back and Nick Brooks, the owner of the stables, was dishing out instructions.
“How are you getting
on, Alex?” Kate called across to him from Feather’s stable.
“Not bad. I’ve filled the water buckets and I’ve almost finished grooming Hector,” Alex answered, drawing back the bolt and stepping out into the yard.
“Is that all?” Kate cried. “I’ve groomed Pepper and Blackjack and filled all the haynets!”
“Oh no, it’s not a competition, is it?” Alex rolled his eyes.
“I’ve missed hearing the Hardys argue.” Nick grinned as he walked over to where Alex was still standing. “Hello stranger. Haven’t seen you around much. How’s it going?”
“Not bad...not bad at all,” Alex said nonchalantly. “Just thought I’d come and lend a hand down here tonight.”
“Great!” Nick scratched his head. “So what’s the news? I hear you’ve made the county cricket squad.”
“Well, just the junior side,” Alex replied. “What’s been going on here?”
“Oh, the usual,” Nick answered. “Kate’s probably told you about Pepper and Blackjack going lame, and I’m afraid we’ve had a bit of a crisis this afternoon as well. Minstrel took a kick to his right foreleg out on the hack. I’ve had to call the vet out.”
“What’s this?” Kate called, having overheard half the conversation. “Who’s injured?” She walked over to join the group.
“Minstrel.” Nick nodded back across the yard. “He got kicked this afternoon. It’s quite a deep cut.”
“Oh no!” Kate looked worried. “So Sandy Lane’s three horses down now.”
“I know, it’s not good news,” Nick said despondently. “I’ve been trying to think of ways of replacing the ponies. I don’t want to buy any as Pepper and Blackjack will only be out of action for about a month. Still, we’ll just have to manage. So you guys break up from school tomorrow, right?” he said, changing the subject. “I expect you’re looking forward to it.”
“You bet,” Alex answered him. “Six weeks of freedom.”
Nick laughed.
“And Izzy’ll be back from boarding school this weekend,” Kate joined in. “It’ll be good to see her.”
“Yes – she’s booked Midnight in at Sandy Lane from Sunday,” Nick said. “So at least we’ll be able to use him in lessons.”
Izzy was Kate’s best friend. She’d been at boarding school for a year now, and her horse, Midnight, had gone with her. When she came back for the holidays, she stabled him at Sandy Lane and Nick used him at the yard in return for his board.
“Why don’t you two head off home now?” Nick suggested. “You’ll be spending enough of the holidays here as it is, Kate, and I can finish up tonight.”
“Are you sure?” Kate asked.
“Positive,” Nick replied. “You’re around on Saturday, aren’t you?”
“Definitely.” A big grin spread across Kate’s face.
“Good,” said Nick. “I thought I might find time to give you and Feather a bit of training in the outdoor school – by way of a thank you for all the extra work you’ve put in here lately.”
“Really? That would be great!” Kate said.
“We’ve got high hopes for you and Feather this summer.” Nick looked across at the little grey pony. “If you don’t come back with a bunch of rosettes from the shows there’s going to be trouble.”
“I get the hint,” Kate grinned. “Are you ready, Alex?” She turned to her brother.
“Yup,” Alex answered, getting onto his bike. “All set.”
“So will you be around on Saturday too, Alex?” Nick asked.
“Well, I don’t know; I’ve got a lot of cricket practices now,” Alex said. “But we’ll see.”
And with that, Alex and Kate cycled out of the yard, leaving Nick waving them off at the front gate.
2
THE PERFECT SOLUTION
“Hmm, three lame ponies is bad news.” Kate looked thoughtful. “I wonder what Nick’ll do.” She spread a thick layer of peanut butter over her piece of toast and took a bite.
Alex pushed back the kitchen bench and got up from the table. Feeling disgruntled, he looked out of the window of the converted mill where they lived, and out onto the darkening garden.
“I hope it won’t mean Feather’ll get overworked in lessons now,” Kate frowned. “I know it’s selfish, but I’d sort of been hoping Nick might ease up on using her now that I’m training her.”
“So I take it you haven’t had any great ideas then?” Alex started.
“What?” Kate looked puzzled, and then a dawning realization crossed her face. “Oh Alex, you’re not still going on about this cricket tour, are you?” she said, burying her head in a pony magazine.
“Yes, believe it or not, I am.” Alex picked up the local paper and started flicking through it. A new dog rescue centre, the local swimming club, St. Michael’s Church bazaar – nothing much of interest. What was on at the cinema?
Alex turned to the back pages and, as he looked down one of the columns, an announcement caught his eye. Alex stopped for a moment.
“Here, Kate. Take a look at this.”
“What?” Kate glanced over to where Alex was stabbing the paper with his finger.
“The Ash Hill Sale, Saturday 17th July.” She read the words aloud. “So what?”
“So I think I just might have got an idea,” Alex said excitedly.
“Uh oh,” Kate frowned. “Why do I suddenly get the feeling I’m not going to like it?”
“Like it?” Alex sat back down beside her. “You’re going to love it. It’s not just an idea, it’s a brainwave! I might just have solved all of my problems – and Sandy Lane’s – in one easy go.”
“Go on,” Kate said.
“Sponsored rides, car-washing...what rubbish ideas – the answer was staring me in the face. Why didn’t I open this paper before? I’m going to buy a pony.”
“A pony!” Kate looked perplexed. “Why?”
“Well, it’ll help Nick and Sarah out for starters,” Alex said, drumming his fingers on the table.
“And?” Kate asked.
“And it’s the perfect way of making that extra £350,” Alex grinned. “I buy a pony. Nick and Sarah use it. In the meantime, it gets trained up and I can sell it on for a profit at the end of the summer. I get the rest of the money for my tour and – there you go – everyone’s happy.”
“Hey, not so fast,” Kate said. “Mum and Dad might say you can spend the premium bond money on a cricket tour, but they’re not going to let you spend it on a pony.”
“Well, I won’t tell them,” Alex said simply. “Not until I’ve made the money anyway. Then – hey presto – I’ll announce I can go to South Africa and they’ll be as proud as anything.”
“Well, I don’t know.” Kate looked doubtful. “How do you know you’ll definitely be able to make a profit anyway? You know as well as I do that ponies are the most unpredictable of creatures. They’re...” She searched for the word.
“But if Nick’s training it, it’ll be all right,” Alex interrupted. “Look at Storm Cloud. She turned out great, didn’t she?”
“Storm Cloud’s different,” Kate said firmly, thinking about Sandy Lane’s star pony, bought at the Ash Hill Sale. She’d arrived at the stables a complete mess, but Nick had nursed her back to health. “She had real promise – anyone could see that. Look Alex, buying from a sale isn’t exactly safe, is it? You don’t know what you’re getting.”
“No, but at least I’ll know what I’m doing,” Alex said. “I’ve been to Ash Hill with Uncle Jack so many times, haven’t I?”
“Yes, I guess you have,” Kate replied.
Their Uncle Jack was a bloodstock agent over on the other side of Walbrook. Alex had spent the summer before last working for him.
“But what about looking after this pony?” Kate looked thoughtful.
“If it lived at Sandy Lane it could be just another of the ponies. It could be looked after by whoever’s about.” Alex wrinkled up his forehead.
“And what about its food?”
&nb
sp; “It can live off the summer grass,” Alex answered promptly. “I’ll sell it on before the winter so I won’t have to pay for extra feed. See? I’ve got it all thought out. It’s a brilliant plan, isn’t it?”
“Well, I reckon that Nick would be pleased with the help,” Kate said slowly. “Maybe it is a good idea. It beats car-washing anyway. See what Mum and Dad say.”
Alex grinned, totally taken up with his idea.
“So what are you going to look for?” Kate asked.
“I’m not quite sure,” Alex said. “You could help me decide...”
“You should be doing this for yourself, Alex,” Kate said crossly as she flicked through the Ash Hill Sale catalogue on Friday evening.
“I know, but I value your opinion,” Alex wheedled, not paying the least bit of attention as he sat in front of the TV and flicked through the channels.
“More like you can’t be bothered to read all the small print,” Kate growled.
Alex shrugged. “Go on, admit it, Kate. You like doing it. You can’t resist taking a look.”
“You’re right,” Kate agreed. “Anything to do with horses interests me which is more than can be said for you just sitting there. You’ll have to check with Nick and Sarah that it’s OK.”
“All right,” Alex interrupted her. “Now how are you getting on with the catalogue?”
“Well,” Kate took a deep breath. “This grey pony here sounds all right – lot number 60, and then there’s this dun pony here – lot number 52. Ooh, and there’s a nice-sounding brown pony.”
“Enough...enough.” Alex raised his hand in the air. “I said a couple of suggestions...not every pony in the catalogue.”
“OK, OK,” Kate giggled. “Here you go. I’ve put a cross by the ones I like. I’m sure you’ll be able to get one of those. You do know what you’re doing, Alex, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.” Alex looked faintly irritated. “It’ll be fine. What could possibly go wrong?”
3
THE ASH HILL SALE
Alex rolled over in bed on Saturday morning and stretched out his arms. It was going to be a warm day and he was excited at the thought of getting into the thick of things at Ash Hill. He wouldn’t have to check what he was doing with Uncle Jack either as he was spending his own money. Alex jumped out of bed and scrambled into his clothes. He’d already taken the cash out of his building society account – all £500 of it – and he was ready for action.
The Perfect Pony Page 1