Pony Jumpers 5- Five Stride Line by Kate Lattey

Author:Kate Lattey [Lattey, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: E, YA
Published: 2015-08-19T04:00:00+00:00

I don’t think I got properly dry at any point that day. By the time the ponies were settled in their yards again, we’d barely had time to grab a quick lunch in Katy’s truck before the Mini Prix was due to start. Both of my friends had scratched from the class, and they stayed sitting in Katy’s truck as I headed out to get Squib tacked up, my show clothes pulled on over still damp skin. I could feel the goosebumps rising on my arms, and I swung them as I walked, trying to warm myself up.

I had Squib groomed and was buckling on his tendon boots when Katy and Susannah finally dragged themselves out of the truck and came to see how I was getting on.

“You’re going to have to be careful out there,” Katy warned me yet again, giving Squib a doubtful look. “Just go real slow on the turns, and don’t even worry about riding for time…”

“Would you shut up for five seconds?” I snapped as I lifted Squib’s saddle onto his broad back. He laid his ears back at me, deeply affronted by my intention to ride in this kind of weather. I was hoping that when he saw the jumps he’d rise to the occasion, but I knew my warm-up was likely to be a bit rough.

“Is that your saddle?” Susannah asked me, staring at my Wintec in thinly veiled horror.

“Yeah,” I muttered, slipping the running martingale over Squib’s head and threading it through the girth. “At least it won’t matter if it gets wet,” I told her, trying for a smile.

But she was still frowning. “How do you jump in that? It’s completely the wrong shape.”

I was grumpy from all the rain and my own doubts, and I lost my temper for a moment. “Well not all of us have parents willing to spend thousands of dollars on us at the drop of a hat,” I said snarkily, then felt bad. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

Susannah looked a little hurt, but she shrugged. “Well, it is true.” She stepped to the side, looking at Squib appraisingly. “Hang on, I’ve got an idea. Don’t go anywhere.” Turning on her heel she hurried away, leaving me and Katy shrugging at each other.

“As if you’re going anywhere in this,” Katy said, leaning on the railing and staring morosely out at the rain. “I wish it would just stop already.”

Squib went over to chew on her hair while I extracted his bridle from my grooming bucket, and then Susannah reappeared, hurrying up the aisle with a gorgeous tan leather jumping saddle over one arm.

“Try this on him.”

“What?” I stared at my friend. The saddle in her arms must’ve cost at least as much as Squib himself, if not more. It looked fancy and European, and from the way that Katy was cooing jealously over it, I knew that my impressions were correct. “I can’t borrow your saddle.”

“Why not? I’m not using it.” She ducked into Squib’s yard and unbuckled his girth with one hand.

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