by Kelly Wilson
VICKI’S BIGGEST CHALLENGE YET … TO TRANSFORM A DANGEROUS PONY!
When Vicki hears about a difficult Arabian that no one wants, she will stop at nothing to save him. Years of misunderstanding have left Casper wayward and mistrustful, but Vicki senses a gentle soul beneath the pony’s rough exterior.
Vicki must learn the importance of patience and compromise to have any chance of winning over the high-strung gelding. Will Casper ever trust humans again? And will Vicki be able to uncover the potential she sees in the spirited Arabian?
This story of self-discovery and second chances, in which Vicki, Kelly and Amanda Wilson first help a misunderstood pony to trust again, is inspired by the Wilson Sisters’ early years.
The Wilson Sisters are leading figures on the equestrian scene, show jumping to Grand Prix and World Cup level. They have become widely known for their work with wild horses, making Kaimanawas a household name in New Zealand and raising awareness of the plight of the American Mustangs and Australian Brumbies.
Contents
1. Nightmare Pony
2. First Impressions
3. No More Ponies
4. The Money Plan
5. The Final Dollars
6. Home Sweet Home
7. Less is More
8. Bareback Pony
9. Taking a Tumble
10. Slow Progress
11. Sleepover Shenanigans
12. Moonlight Madness
13. Colic Crisis
14. Odds and Ends
15. Show Time
16. Complete Trust
17. Straight from the Horse’s Mouth
18. A Completely Different Pony
19. Pony Club Trek
20. Tougher Stuff
21. Fun and Games
22. Dressage Divas
Characters
How-tos
Glossary
This book is dedicated to our horses and ponies, both past and present, especially the difficult ones. Every single horse that has crossed our paths has taught us something new, and we wouldn’t be the same without them.
Thank you for constantly challenging us to learn more, to always question how we can improve our horses’ quality of life, and for loving us even with our imperfections. Some of our best friends over the years have been horses, and almost all of our favourite adventures have included our four-legged partners in crime.
Also in this series:
Growing up, we Wilson sisters — Vicki, Amanda and me (I’m Kelly) — were three ordinary girls with a love of horses and dreams of Grand Prix show jumping, taming wild horses and becoming world champions.
In Showtym Adventures, we want to share stories based on our early years with ponies, to inspire you to have big dreams, too! I hope you enjoy reading about the special ponies that started us on our journey …
Love,
Kelly
Chapter 1
Nightmare Pony
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY DANGEROUS?” Vicki asked, glancing over at her friend Stella in concern. The girls were discussing their favourite topic during school break: ponies. Stella had been looking for her dream pony for months now, and Vicki was always eager to hear how the search was going. But even Vicki, who had been obsessed with horses and riding for all of the eleven years of her life, found it hard to keep track of the ponies her friend had tried. “That’s the grey Arabian, right?”
“Yeah,” Stella sighed. “We couldn’t even enter his paddock.” She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and nibbled at a sandwich. “As soon as he saw us, he laid his ears back and charged. I was so glad we were on the other side of the fence.”
“So not the pony of your dreams, then?” Vicki said with a laugh.
“Maybe one from my nightmares,” Stella giggled, just as the bell rang. “The owner doesn’t want much money for him, but even so, no one’s interested. I can understand why!”
Grabbing her lunch-box and stuffing it back into her bag, Stella rose to her feet. “His name is Casper, but he’s not a friendly ghost. He’s the most unfriendly pony I’ve ever met.”
“It certainly sounds like he’s got himself a bad reputation,” Vicki replied.
A few days later, Vicki went from job to job on their little farm, with her younger sisters, trying to keep busy. First they cleaned out the bird aviary and laid clean hay in the rabbit boxes, then they mucked out their ponies’ paddocks and cleaned their gear.
Since the show season had finished a couple of weeks earlier, their ponies were having a month’s holiday from being ridden. Vicki missed riding so much — she couldn’t help but feel that there wasn’t much fun to be had on the weekends now. Her thoughts drifted back to the last time she’d ridden at an event.
“What are you smiling about?”
Vicki, jolted from her thoughts, turned to see that her six-year-old sister Amanda had paused in the act of scrubbing her pony’s bit, and was looking at her inquisitively.
“I’m just reliving my last hunter class event on Dandy at the Royal Easter Show. I still can’t believe we won Champion!”
“It was the best show,” nine-year-old Kelly reflected as she cleaned her pony’s saddle. “I was so proud of how well Cameo went. She jumped like she’d been competing for years! No one even guessed she’d only been ridden for the first time at the start of the season.”
“Charlie was great, too,” Amanda grinned proudly, showing off her missing front tooth. “No riding on the lead rein for me!”
“All our ponies were amazing, which makes me miss competing even more.” Vicki sighed, and hung up her well-oiled bridle. “We have four months until the show season starts again. We need to plan an adventure soon, otherwise the winter is going to seem endless.”
“What do you have in mind?” Kelly asked, clearly just as keen for some fun.
“Something to do with horses obviously, but that’s the problem — I can’t think of anything. Well, anything that doesn’t involve spending a heap of money that we don’t have.”
As Vicki helped her sisters finish the last of their chores, her mind whirled. She was feeling restless and bored. The problem with Dandy having a holiday, she realised, was that she didn’t know what to do with herself if she couldn’t ride.
“I’m missing you,” Vicki whispered to the chestnut gelding, as she covered him for the night. “We need to come up with a new project to make the winter go quickly.”
Vicki’s mum noticed that she was unusually quiet at dinner.
“Vicki, what’s on your mind?” she asked.
“I’m trying to plan an adventure,” Vicki said, as she moved the food around on her plate. “With the ponies on holiday, the weekends have all been the same lately. Kelly, Amanda and I were trying to think of something fun we can do.”
“Well, we can’t go too far afield, but what about a day trip?” Dad suggested.
“Where would we go?” Amanda asked.
“Anywhere you like. We could visit the waterfalls, or go hiking in the bush, or even go caving?”
“I was hoping it could be something to do with horses,” Vicki admitted with a sigh.
“If you can think of somewhere that’s under an hour’s drive and involves horses, then we’re all ears,” her dad said.
All of a sudden, a thought began to form in Vicki’s mind. She smiled and sat up straighter in her chair.
“Each weekend, Stella’s been trying different ponies to buy, and it sounds really fun. How about we look at horses for sale in the local paper, and we go and try the first one listed? We don’t have to buy it, but it’ll be fun looking. And we might even get to ride!”
“I know that people often visit houses for sale, but I’ve never thought of
doing it with horses for sale!” Mum laughed. “That actually sounds like fun.” She reached for the newspaper. Flicking through the pages, she found the Horses for Sale section and read out the first listing. “14.2hh 6-year-old grey Arabian gelding. Needs experienced home. $250.”
Vicki’s breath caught. Surely this must be the same pony Stella had looked at?
“Shall I give them a call?” Dad asked.
With a nod from all three girls, he reached for the phone and dialled the number.
“Hi, I’m ringing up about the pony you have for sale.”
Vicki listened as her dad asked a few questions, and noticed the growing frown on his face. Now she was sure it must be the same pony.
“Would it suit you if we came out to look at him tomorrow?” Dad asked at last. Jotting down an address, he disconnected the call and looked at his daughters. “She’s expecting us at 2 p.m.”
“Really?” Vicki said in delight. “Was the pony called Casper, by any chance? It might be one Stella tried.”
“I’m not sure, I never asked the pony’s name.” Looking at his wife, Dad shook his head. “You sure picked a winner. It sounds like a real terror.”
“Just as well we’re not looking to buy,” Mum replied with a shrug. “Between us, four ponies are more than enough!”
Chapter 2
First Impressions
“I’D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU to Casper,” the lady said, pointing to the far corner of the muddy paddock.
Vicki’s eyes settled on a noticeably dirty and skinny grey pony. The gelding cocked an ear when he saw them, then snorted and took off at a gallop around the field. With his mane and tail flying in the wind he looked majestic, and Vicki couldn’t help but see past his poor condition to admire the Arabian’s dished head and refined features.
“He’s beautiful,” she said softly, as the pony dropped back to an expressive trot and danced his way towards them.
“If only he had the personality to match,” the lady sighed. “I bought him almost a year ago, but he’s been much more difficult than I anticipated. I don’t feel safe handling him anymore, let alone riding him.”
“What does he do?” Mum asked, as she eyed the approaching gelding.
“Wait and see.”
Sure enough, Casper’s disposition rapidly changed as he drew closer to them. His ears, which had been pricked forward, now pinned back against his skull, and his muzzle pinched as he swiped his teeth towards them in warning.
“He’s a real charmer,” Mum said dryly. “How does he behave with other ponies?”
“He’s the only horse I have on the property, but he was paddocked with others before I got him and seemed fine,” the lady was quick to reassure. “He’s a little better once the halter’s on. Let me catch him for you.”
Vicki watched as the pony’s owner slung a halter over her shoulder and entered the paddock. As she quietly approached, murmuring softly, Casper half-reared and bared his teeth again.
“Cut it out,” she growled softly, as she reached out a hand to stroke him.
Tensely, the Arabian stood as the halter was secured on his head, then begrudgingly followed as he was led from his paddock.
“He threatens, but he hasn’t actually bitten me yet,” the lady said.
“In the wrong hands I’m sure he could turn really aggressive, though,” Dad said quietly to Mum.
“He seems really angry,” Amanda whispered as she watched Casper drag on the lead rope, his ears flattened.
“I wonder what’s happened to make him so unhappy,” Vicki mused as they followed the gelding back to his yard. The gorgeous grey had lost most of his fire; now that he was caught, he walked slowly, dragging on the lead rope. “What was he like before he came to you?”
“I bought Casper from the Arabian stud that bred him. They’d broken him in as a four-year-old and he’d been ridden for about a year. He was a little difficult when I tried him, but I just thought he was young and inexperienced. I hoped he’d improve with time, but sadly it hasn’t worked out that way,” the lady replied as she tied Casper up.
Vicki stepped a little closer to the pony. “Life hasn’t been easy on you, has it?” she whispered to him.
Snorting, the gelding tossed his head away and eyed Vicki warily.
“Do you mind if I groom him for a while?” Vicki asked the lady, spying a brush.
“If it’s all right with your parents, then I’m fine with it.”
“Do you want me to hold him?” Dad offered.
“Oh no, Casper’s much better one on one,” the lady rushed to reply, holding up a hand. “He’ll be easier if it’s just the two of them.”
For the next ten minutes, Vicki quietly brushed the mud from Casper’s hairy coat while her parents talked to the owner. Occasionally he would flick an ear forward, or lean into the brush, and although his disgruntled expression didn’t change, Vicki was convinced the pony was enjoying the grooming session.
“I don’t think you’re as naughty as you pretend to be,” she said, stepping closer to Casper. “It’s all an act, isn’t it?”
Reaching out to stroke him between the eyes, Vicki kept a close eye on Casper’s expression. She didn’t want to do anything to make the pony bite her. As her hand settled on his head she swept his forelock out of the way, then traced the double swirls on his forehead.
Blinking sleepily, Casper sighed.
“I don’t think he wants to be bad,” Vicki said, turning to her parents. “He seems sweet.”
“Not the word most people would use to describe him,” the lady laughed, a little despairingly. “Would you like to see him saddled, or try riding him?”
“He’s probably not what we’re looking for,” Mum replied quickly, seeing a good chance to escape. “But thank you for your time.”
Visibly disappointed, the lady nodded. “I’ve had more than twenty people look at him, and everyone’s said exactly the same thing. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with him. I can’t keep him forever.”
“Come on, Mum,” Vicki begged. “Let’s at least give him a proper chance. Please, Dad?”
Dad hesitated. “I guess we could see him saddled,” he said with an apologetic glance at Mum, “but then we really should get going.”
As soon as the lady approached with the saddle, Casper was wide awake again. Tugging on the lead, he backed up, spinning away to avoid the saddle being placed on his back. When it was time to do the girth up he was even more agitated.
“Is he always that bad?” Vicki asked as she watched the miserable pony.
“Worse, sometimes,” his owner replied, her face creased in concern. “And he’s just as bad to bridle. Sometimes I wonder if he’s even safe to re-home.”
“Oh, no, surely you’ll find someone to love him?” Vicki gasped.
“That’s what I’m hoping for,” the lady said. “But if I can’t find someone willing to give him a chance soon, I’m going to be out of options.”
Chapter 3
No More Ponies
THE CAR RIDE HOME was much quieter than their drive to view the pony, and it was Amanda who eventually broke the oppressive silence.
“That was the saddest pony I’ve ever seen.”
“Me too,” Kelly whispered. “I hope someone saves him.”
Looking out the window with a heavy heart, Vicki thought back over her encounter with the stroppy Arabian. She knew what she had to do.
“Mum, Dad, please can we buy him?”
Her mother whipped her head around and gasped, “Vicki, you can’t be serious. We had an agreement that we were just going to look at ponies, not buy one.”
“Mum, I know we did, but he might be put down if nobody takes him. And there’s good in him, I know it. He just needs someone to believe in him.”
“What would you even do with him? There’s no guarantee he’s going to improve, and even if he does, it’s unlikely he’ll be any good for competing, or be safe to sell on.”
“Your mum’s right,”
Dad said. “Besides all those things, we can’t afford to look after another pony.”
Frustrated but undeterred, Vicki fell silent, thinking hard.
“What would it take,” she began again, “for me to convince you that Casper is worth saving?”
“Vicki, we don’t need another pony,” Mum sighed.
“What about as a good deed?” Vicki said. “What if, by our giving him a chance, he’s able to enjoy life again? That would be reward enough.”
“But it’s not going to pay the bills,” Dad said, as he steered the car into their driveway. “Owning an extra pony costs money, and you know there’s not a lot to spare at the moment.”
That night as Vicki lay in bed, her mind flashed back to Casper. She didn’t know what he’d been through in his short life, but she was sure she could win his trust and offer him a better future. The only ones standing in the way were her parents.
“I’m willing to take a chance on him,” Vicki begged her mum, as they drove to school the next day. “But I need you to take a chance on me.”
“It’s not that I doubt your good intentions,” Mum said, stopping the car outside the school entrance. “But we can’t save every sad pony we come across.”
“But he’s only one pony,” Amanda pointed out, as she slung her school bag over her shoulder and climbed out of the car.
“Yes,” Mum said, now sounding exasperated, “but in all my years with horses I’ve never seen one that difficult. You need to stop thinking with your heart, Vicki, and think with your head. Buying Casper just doesn’t add up. With Dandy you’re already winning Champions and jumping to 95 centimetres. If you get another pony, it should be one that’s capable of doing more with you, not less. Casper will never be the type of pony to make any of your riding goals come true.”
But Vicki wasn’t going to let Casper go. The Arabian had crept his way into her heart. Every day that week, she hounded her parents in the hopes they would change their minds.