Comet and the Champion's Cup

by Stacy Gregg

Issie needed to talk to Stella and Kate urgently–and she knew exactly where they would be, since today was rally day. She would find them at the pony club.

  Some things never changed at Chevalier Point Pony Club. Take Natasha Tucker for instance. You would have thought, after all Issie and Natasha had been through together as stunt riders on the set of The Palomino Princess, that Natasha would have finally wanted to be friends. But no. From the moment the girls had arrived back at pony club this season, Natasha had become her same old super-snobby self. In fact, she was worse than ever. Issie had been really upset at first when Natasha had stopped speaking to her. Now she just tried to avoid her–which wasn’t always easy.

  “They must be here somewhere,” Issie said, staring out of the window as her mum manoeuvred her car through the pony-club gates and into the parking area. Issie was so busy looking for her two best friends that she hardly noticed where her mum was driving until it was too late.

  “No, Mum! Not here!” Issie shrieked as Mrs Brown pulled to a stop right next to the Tuckers’ flashy blue and silver horse truck.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “That’s Natasha’s truck!” groaned Issie.

  “I thought you and Natasha were friends now?” Mrs Brown said.

  “So did I,” Issie sighed, “but it turns out that Natasha doesn’t think so.” Issie didn’t know why Stuck-up Tucker was so against her, although Stella insisted that it was because Natasha was jealous.

  “Jealous?” Issie didn’t understand. “Jealous of what?”

  “You and Dan!” Stella said. “She has got, like, a huge crush on him and you’re always hanging out with him, which makes her blood boil.”

  It was true. Issie and Dan were pretty tight–but big deal! Stella and Kate and Ben were her friends too! Dan was most definitely not her boyfriend. Still, if Natasha wanted to be jealous of Issie’s non-boyfriend then she guessed there wasn’t much she could do about it–except stay out of Natasha’s way.

  “Mum? Do we have to park here? Can’t we move?” Issie pleaded again. But it was too late because at that moment, a blonde girl with hair braided into ramrod-straight plaits emerged from behind the corner of the blue and silver horse truck. She was leading an elegant rose-grey gelding.

  Issie attempted a cheery greeting. “Hi, Natasha!”

  Natasha didn’t smile back. “What are you doing here?” she said flatly. “It’s a rally day and you don’t have a horse to ride, do you?”

  “Ummm…I’m looking for Stella and Kate,” Issie faltered. “Have you seen them?”

  “Why?” said Natasha. “What do you want them for?” Natasha’s frosty stare made Issie start to babble and before she knew it she was telling Natasha all about Aidan’s phone call.

  As soon as she started, though, she wished she had kept her mouth shut. Natasha’s face was like thunder. Even though she would never admit it, it was obvious that in some weird way Natasha was upset that Issie wasn’t asking her to join them this time. Issie sighed. If she had actually asked her, Natasha would certainly have said no. Now, because she hadn’t asked her, Natasha was in a total huff. You just couldn’t win.

  “So Aidan is looking for some pony-mad slaves to rope in to do all your aunt’s donkey work yet again,” Natasha harrumphed. “I hope you’re not thinking of asking me this time because I’ve already done dung duty for her once and I’m not planning on falling for that again.”

  “It’s not like you were her slave! Aunty Hess paid us to work on The Palomino Princess!” Issie said indignantly.

  “What-ever!” said Natasha. “Anyway, I’d rather be riding my own horse than trying to teach some snot-nosed brats how to keep their hands steady. You probably won’t even get a chance to ride. You’ll be too busy mucking out the stalls and grooming all their ponies for them.”

  Natasha smirked at this put-down, then made a vague gesture across the club grounds to the far paddock. “Anyway, if you’re looking for Stella and Kate, I think I saw them over by the main arena.” And with that, she turned her back on Issie and began to busy herself with attaching Fabergé’s bell boots.

  Issie didn’t care what Stuck-up Tucker said. Maybe the riding school would be a lot of hard work and not much actual riding. But it would still be fun just being near the horses, helping to groom them and look after them. She just hoped that Stella and Kate would both feel the same way. Aidan needed all three of them.

  Issie found Stella and Kate with their horses, under the shade of the plane trees by the main arena. The girls had finished riding for the morning and were watching the other riders in the showjumping arena.

  Stella was lying on the grass next to Coco, her little chocolate brown mare. She had taken off her riding helmet and her wild red curls were sticking out at funny angles with a flat patch on the top of her head where the helmet had been. Kate was standing next to her holding the reins of her rangy bay Thoroughbred, Toby. She was taller than the other two girls, even though they were all in the same form at Chevalier Point High School. Kate still had her helmet on and she wore her blonde bobbed hair tucked up neatly out of the way in a hairnet–which was actually a rule for club days although Stella clearly hadn’t bothered. Stella wasn’t very big on rules. Issie noticed that she wasn’t even wearing her club tie underneath her navy vest.

  “Issie! Ohmygod. What are you doing here?” Stella shrieked when she saw her best friend. She shrieked even louder when Issie told her about Aunt Hester’s riding school.

  “Us?” Stella shrieked. “Riding instructors!”

  “Uh-huh,” Issie said. “The kids are novices so we’ll just be teaching them the basics. Plus, we’ll have to help Hester to run the camp, doing all the other stuff like cooking meals and grooming the horses. She can’t afford to pay us, but we get room and board. Plus you get to bring Toby and Coco with you and we can hack out across the farm after we finish schooling each day.”

  Stella grinned. “Cool. If I can bring Coco then I’m totally there!”

  Issie knew it would be easy to convince Stella–she was mad keen on anything horsey. But sensible, practical Kate was a different story.

  “Why is Hester running a riding school? I thought she trained movie horses,” Kate said.

  “Ummm…the movie business is having a few hiccups,” Issie said. “Anyway, it’s not just a riding school, it’s like a camp for horsey kids like us. The riders come and stay at Blackthorn Farm for three weeks over the school holidays and learn to ride…” She saw Kate’s hesitant expression. “Come on! It will be really good fun…”

  “When do we go?”

  “We need to spend the week before the kids arrive getting the camp ready. Aidan is coming with the horse truck to pick us up on Tuesday.”

  “That’s only two days!” Kate boggled. “Issie, I don’t know if I can. Mum will flip out if I tell her I’m going away for a whole month!”

  “Please, Kate!” Issie begged. “I know it’s short notice, but Aunty Hess needs us straightaway.”

  Issie had been desperately worried that Kate would say no. Of course she would be put off by the idea of suddenly changing her holiday plans and going all the way to Gisborne for a month. The problem was, she couldn’t imagine going without Kate. Cool, calm Kate was a really good riding instructor; she was brilliant with kids and had loads of patience. All the junior riders at Chevalier Point totally adored her and Kate was always Avery’s first choice to fill in and teach the younger kids if an instructor failed to turn up for a practice session.

  Kate looked thoughtful. “Issie, do you think you could get your mum to ask my mum? If your mum has OKed it, she’d have to say yes. Besides, I’ve stayed at Hester’s before and she let me go that time, didn’t she…?” Kate was smiling now. “And if I can take Toby with me, how excellent would that be?”

  Issie squealed and threw her arms around Kate.

  “I knew you’d say yes! Oh, this is going to be so cool!”

  The only thing left to organise now was Storm. Issie would miss
him so much, but she was sure that Avery would take good care of the colt and Blaze while she was away. Avery had looked after Blaze when she was in foal and Issie was away working on The Palomino Princess. She knew that Avery would be more than happy to take care of Storm and Blaze while she was gone. She saw him over by the clubhouse and set off to ask him.

  “I can’t,” Avery told her. Issie couldn’t believe it.

  “Issie, you know that normally I would do it,” Avery continued. “The problem is, I was planning to go to Gisborne myself in a week. It’s the Horse of the Year Show. I’m taking Dan and Ben down to prepare their horses to compete in the showjumping. This is the first time Dan will have a chance to compete on his new horse. We’ve been planning it for ages.”

  Of course! How could Issie have forgotten? The Horse of the Year was the biggest event on the equestrian calendar.

  Avery looked concerned. “I’m sorry, Issie. I can look after Storm and Blaze for the first week, but then we’re trucking Madonna and Max to Gisborne to start training there and I’m afraid that leaves you stuck–unless you figure out a solution.”

  Issie was devastated. This completely ruined their plans. She couldn’t leave Storm behind with no one to check on him and care for him each day. And she couldn’t take the colt with her. There was no way he was old enough to travel all the way to Blackthorn Farm. The trip to Gisborne took most of the day in the horse truck, much too far for a three-month-old colt. There was only one solution, Issie decided. She couldn’t go.

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Mrs Brown said when Issie met her back at the car and broke the bad news. “Of course you’re going. It’s all arranged.”

  “But, Mum, I can’t leave Storm and Blaze alone.”

  “I’ll look after them,” Mrs Brown said confidently.

  “You? But, Mum, you don’t even like horses…”

  “Oh, for goodness sake, Isadora,” Mrs Brown said. “OK, I think we’re all aware that I’m not exactly Pippa Funnell, but it’s not like you’re asking me to ride at Badminton, is it? I’ve been around them for long enough now and I think it’s perfectly within my capabilities to go and check on your ponies each day. I’ll make sure they’ve got food and water and that Storm hasn’t got himself tangled in the electric fence!”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely,” Mrs Brown smiled. “They will be just fine, I promise you.”

  Aunt Hester was thrilled that evening when Issie phoned her with the good news. “Aidan’s quite convinced that this riding-school plan will save our bacon–and I certainly hope he’s right,” Hester said. “Is your mum OK about you coming here for the holidays? I haven’t ruined any family plans, have I?”

  “Mum’s been great!” Issie said. “And she talked to Mrs Knight and convinced her to let Kate come. She’s even looking after Blaze and Storm while I’m away.”

  “Well, well,” Hester said. “It might not be too late for that sister of mine to turn horsey after all.”

  “I know!” Issie said. “I can’t believe it’s all organised and we’re really coming. By this time tomorrow we’ll be at Blackthorn Farm.”

  Chapter 3

  “We’re nearly there!” Issie pressed her face up against the window at the back of the truck cab and mouthed the words through the glass at Stella and Kate.

  “What’s she saying?” Kate was frustrated. “I can’t hear her through the glass!”

  “Issie!” Stella shouted back. “We can’t hear you! What are you saying?”

  The cab of Aunt Hester’s horse truck wasn’t big enough for all the girls to fit up front so it had been decided that Issie would travel in the cab with Aidan while Kate and Stella rode in the back.

  The girls didn’t mind riding in the back. The truck was fitted out a bit like a camper van, with a shower, kitchenette and bunk beds, and it was comfy enough travelling on the bench seats. Plus, from where they sat, Stella and Kate could keep an eye on Toby and Coco who were travelling at the very back of the truck in their stalls. The girls could see Issie and Aidan too by peering through the little window with very thick glass at the back of the truck cab.

  Issie tapped on the glass and tried again. “I said…We’re nearly there!”

  “Oh, give up, Issie!” Aidan grinned. “They’ll figure it out for themselves soon enough. We’re about to reach the turn-off.”

  The six-hour drive to Blackthorn Farm had somehow seemed shorter this time. That might have been because she and Aidan hadn’t stopped talking from the moment Issie got into the truck. There was so much for them to catch up on.

  “I haven’t seen Nightstorm since he was two days old,” Aidan said, “so that would make him…”

  “Three months old!” Issie said. “He’s already almost thirteen hands. Avery reckons he’ll grow to sixteen-two, and he’s so beautiful. He’s losing all his foal fluff and he’s got the most amazing deep bay coat, with a thick black mane and tail and black points. He looks so cute with his white blaze. He’s exactly like his mum in some ways, but he’s kind of like Marius too. He has his own personality though–he’s really smart. I taught him to wear a halter in just one day.”

  Aidan pushed his long, dark fringe out of his eyes and looked at Issie. “It must have been hard to leave him.”

  “Uh-huh,” Issie said. She didn’t want to tell Aidan that she had been in floods of tears when she said goodbye to the colt last night. She knew it was only a month, but it seemed like such a long time to be away from him when he was so young.

  “Well, I’m really glad you came,” Aidan said softly. Then he realised he sounded mushy and tried to make up for it by adding, “Ummm…cos Hester really needs your help.”

  Issie smiled. “Hester says you’ve been schooling up a few of the Blackthorn Ponies that we caught when we were here last time.”

  The Blackthorn Ponies were a wild herd that roamed the hills around Blackthorn Farm. On her last holiday at the farm Issie and Aidan had saved the herd from a cull. Most of the ponies had been sent to new homes, but Hester had kept a few of them with her at the farm.

  “That’s part of the problem,” Aidan continued. “The cost of those extra ponies adds up fast. Hester has thirteen horses now–that’s a lot of farrier bills and hard feed.”

  “So the riding school will cover the bills?”

  “Uh-huh,” Aidan said. “We won’t make a fortune out of it, but hopefully we’ll make enough to keep the farm going until the next movie job comes along.”

  Issie looked worried. “And what if another film job doesn’t come along?”

  “Something will turn up soon,” Aidan said reassuringly. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”

  “But, Aidan, what if it’s not fine?”

  “Well, if things got really tight, I guess we’d have to sell some of the horses,” said Aidan quietly. “Diablo and Stardust are experienced stunt horses–they’re both worth quite a lot. But if that’s not enough…”

  “Then what?”

  “Then Hester will have to sell Blackthorn Farm.”

  For the first time since they had set off on this trip, silence settled over the truck cab. Issie stared out of the windows at the road ahead and couldn’t help wondering if this would be the last time she would be making this journey.

  By the time the horse truck came through the narrow Gisborne gorge and began to travel up through the green cornfields towards the high country, Issie had pulled herself together again. In fact, she was positively filled with resolve.

  “You’re right. Things will be fine!” she said firmly, smiling at Aidan. The riding school would make enough money–or they’d think of something else. No matter what, there was no way her aunt was going to lose Blackthorn Farm.

  Half an hour later, they reached the crest of a very steep hill. To the right, Issie could see the bright blue sea of the Gisborne coastline, and on the left was farmland and forest. Up ahead she could see a gravel road that veered to the left off the main highway.

  “We’re
here!”

  Aidan turned off down the private road, slowing down a gear as the truck struck gravel. Issie watched as the trees closed in around her and the truck became cocooned in the dense native forest that bordered the sides of the driveway that led to Blackthorn Farm. Low-hanging pohutukawa branches scraped against the roof of the truck.

  “I keep telling Hester we need to prune the trees back to get the truck through,” Aidan said as he heard the branches scraping the roof above him. “She just tells me to ‘add it to the endless list of things that need doing’!”

  A few more scrapes and bangs later and they had emerged into the bright sunlight once more. Issie’s heart leapt when she saw the familiar sight of the cherry trees, their white and pink petals falling in a snowy carpet on the circular lawn in front of Blackthorn Manor.

  The tumbledown mansion was just as she remembered. The enormous two-storeyed country manor must once have been very grand, but was, she noted with fresh eyes, definitely rickety and in desperate need of a new coat of white paint.

  “It must have been horrible being here over the past couple of months. You know, with all those movies cancelling at the last minute.”

  “Actually,” Aidan said, “this will sound weird, but it’s been great. I mean, yeah, it’s been stressful, especially for Hester. But having no film work has meant that I could spend more time riding. I’ve been doing loads of training sessions on Destiny.”

  “Like movie training?” Issie asked.

  Aidan shook his head. “Showjumping. Destiny’s a natural jumper. He picks his feet up really cleanly and never knocks the rails.”

  “How high have you been jumping?”

  “He can do about a metre twenty,” Aidan said. “Easily big enough to put him in the prize money.”

  “What prize money?” Issie was confused.

  “The Horse of the Year Show,” Aidan said. “I haven’t asked Hester yet, but I was thinking of entering him in the novice horse class.”

  “Do you think he can win?”

  Aidan nodded. “Yep–and it’s decent prize money too. The Horse of the Year is the richest competition in the whole Southern hemisphere. There’s half a million dollars in prize money. If Destiny and I win the novice class, that’s worth $10,000.”