Pony Club Cup (Woodbury Pony Club Book 1) by Josephine Pullein-Thompson

Author:Josephine Pullein-Thompson [Pullein-Thompson, Josephine]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Jane Badger Books
Published: 2020-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

7

Clear The Course

On Friday morning, Alice and Hanif, trotting down the track from Four Cross, found Sarah waiting for them on the road.

“Hullo,” she said. “I thought I’d wait and tell you the news. My mother’s determined to get a team to the Area Cup. She and Mrs Blacker were plotting all day yesterday and Julia agrees that we’re good enough. They’ve got the rules and some copies of the dressage test and some new quiz books and they’re all going to work on David today.”

“Poor David,” said Hanif. “I really do pity him. All this stupid fuss about teams.”

“I hope everything was all right at the hospital and they didn’t say we had been wearing him out too much. Has anyone heard?” asked Alice.

“Yes, Mummy telephoned to ask last night. He said they were pleased with him and said he was to carry on and do bit more each day.”

James was waiting for them at his gate. “I’ve got your clothes,” he told Hanif. “My mother would wash and iron them. I kept telling her that I’d only worn them for hours, but she’s got a phobia about dirty socks. It’s great about the team, isn’t it Sarah? I read the whole of the Pony Club Manual last night, in case I have to go in for the quiz, but I’d rather not. I’m not as good as the rest of you answering questions; I’d rather do the other sections. Jennifer coming today?”

“Yes, I think so. But I don’t think Mummy’s dared to tell David yet.”

They found Mrs Rooke already in the field at Coppice Hill, unloading biscuit tin dressage markers from her car and making a cross and reluctant Oliver arrange them round the school.

“He’s doing it all wrong,” James pointed out immediately. “He’s jumbled all the quarter markers up. K should be on this side, Ollie!” he shouted.

“Go and sort them out,” said Mrs Rooke. “Here’s a copy of the test. I’ve brought one for each of you, but of course only the team have to learn it by heart. David’s going to have it commanded this morning.”

The pony club members read their dressage tests through gloomily. “You and I will lose three points straight away for not having snaffles,” Alice pointed out to Hanif.

“That’s not many, look what I’ll lose when Jupe refuses to halt.”

“Oh dear, there’s a serpentine,” wailed Lizzie.

“Do we really have to?” asked Rupert, “I’ll never remember all this.”

“You don’t have to remember it, it’s going to be commanded,” Lesley snapped at him. “Someone stands at A and shouts the next movement just before you get to the marker where it begins.”

By the time David arrived, the prospective team members had arranged the arena properly; James had even paced out all the distances. But the people who had never ridden a test before had worked themselves into a panic and, without even answering his ‘Good morning all’, they crowded round him asking questions.

“Must we do it?”

“What happens if your pony won’t stand?”

“How do

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