Mystic and the Midnight Ride by Stacy Gregg

Author:Stacy Gregg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2009-08-16T04:00:00+00:00

If you happened to see Issie that afternoon playing her natural horsemanship games you would think she looked pretty silly: jumping up and down in front of her horse, waggling her arms and legs like a crazy puppet on a string; doing star jumps in front of Blaze with a pair of plastic shopping bags billowing in her hands, followed by another set of star jumps, this time with a raincoat in one hand and an old umbrella in the other. There were moments when it all seemed so ridiculous that even Issie fell about laughing.

But Avery would glare at her and remind her that this was serious business. “These games are designed to make Blaze ‘bombproof’. Do you know what that means?”

“I think so,” Issie said. “It means a horse who behaves well no matter what.”

“Exactly. We want Blaze to have so much faith in you that nothing can scare her.”

And with that, he gave Issie a leg up on to Blaze’s back. “That’s enough groundwork. Time for you to put your faith in Blaze for once,” he said. Avery reached up and undid the throatlash and noseband, lifted the reins forward over Blaze’s ears and then slipped the bridle off her head.

“But…what are you doing? How am I supposed to ride if she hasn’t got a bridle on?” Issie squeaked.

“You don’t need one,” Avery insisted. “Just hang on to a handful of mane and sit there. We’re going to let Blaze steer. She can go anywhere she wants. I just want you to sit tight and let her have her head.”

Avery stood with his arm around Blaze’s neck, calming the mare while Issie got comfortable. She gripped a thick hank of mane in her hands and wrapped her legs tightly around Blaze’s sleek body.

“No, no, don’t grip up with your legs. Relax a little,” Avery instructed. “If you relax, your horse will relax too. Now, I’m going to let her go and I want you to just sit there. That’s right. Stay perfectly still and let her decide for herself where to go.” He kept talking as he released his grip on Blaze. “Horses are used to being told what to do by their riders. So naturally, if you ask one to think by itself for a change, suddenly their brains start to work and, well, who knows what could happen.”

“I could fall off again, that’s what could happen…” Issie muttered.

“The rails of the dressage arena will keep her from going too far,” Avery pointed out. “Now, just sit there and relax totally.”

Issie tried to relax but it wasn’t easy. Blaze was all excited by the weight of a rider on her back. Her ears were pricked forward and her head was held high. She launched herself into a high-stepping trot and let out a shrill whinny as she charged down to the far end of the dressage arena. Issie forgot about relaxing and concentrated on hanging on as Blaze turned sharply and trotted back up the side of the arena.

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