Chessy, the Welsh Pony by Kelly Wilson

Author:Kelly Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780143772644
Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand
Published: 2013-04-07T16:00:00+00:00

As Laura entered the ring, Amanda trotted Casper around the warm-up ring, bouncing to his huge trot. Every stride covered much more ground than the smaller ponies she was used to riding, and it even made her miss Magic’s short, choppy trot.

“Maybe riding big horses isn’t as much fun as I thought it would be,” Amanda sighed. She glanced over at Vicki and Magic, tempted to suggest they swap back. The bay mare was behaving better than she’d expected, and Amanda felt sure she’d have more fun on the smaller pony.

“You’re six competitors away,” Mum smiled, as she walked over to adjust the height of the practice jumps. “How are you feeling?”

“Like Casper needs to shrink in the wash,” Amanda joked nervously. They all paused to watch Laura and Charlie jump around the course, and Amanda felt a little envious of the pairs’ picture-perfect form.

“You’ll be fine,” Vicki reassured her. “Just point Casper at the middle of each jump; he’ll do the rest.”

Shaking off her doubts, Amanda squared her shoulders and aimed Casper for the practice crossbar. She’d begged for this chance, and she wouldn’t waste it second-guessing herself now.

Casper soared over the jump and Amanda’s confidence returned. She circled him around and approached the oxer.

“Amanda Wilson and Casper,” the gate steward called out. Amanda’s breath hitched as she entered the ring.

Glancing back at her sister, Amanda called out, “So what do I get if I win this time?”

Vicki laughed. “You’re not going to win.”

“Then you shouldn’t mind making a bet,” Amanda replied with a cheeky grin.

Vicki rolled her eyes. “I’ll let you decide Chessy’s training schedule for the next week, OK?”

Urging Casper into a canter, Amanda aimed him for the middle of the first jump, just as Vicki had told her. The experienced grey, used to competing over much higher jumps, flew over the small upright.

Amanda’s focus shifted to the second jump. In the middle. Next jump. In the middle. Next jump. Soon all the jumps lay behind them and Amanda’s mouth curved into a smile, unable to believe she’d jumped clear.

Circling Casper, she gradually slowed him to a walk and rode over to join her family. Her legs shook as she slid down from his back, hitting the ground with a thud and beaming from ear to ear.

“You did good, kiddo,” Dad said proudly, as he reached up to stroke Casper’s sleek muzzle.

“Thanks, but it was mostly Casper,” Amanda said. “I just closed my eyes and hung on tight.”

Next in the ring was Vicki on Magic, and they all lined up to see how the pony would behave.

“She’s good so far,” Amanda said, crossing her fingers for luck.

“A little spooky and inexperienced, but she hasn’t misbehaved,” Mum remarked with a satisfied smile, as the pair completed the course. “Gosh, Magic has an exceptional jump!”

Vicki rode Magic from the ring and trotted over. “So, do you think you will keep her, or are you going back to the always-perfect Charlie?” Vicki asked her little sister.

Amanda was torn. A month

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