Shadow Horse by Alison Hart

Author:Alison Hart [Hart, Alison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-375-89674-3
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 1999-08-27T04:00:00+00:00

Shadow’s rough orange hair was falling out in clumps. Jas ran the currycomb against the grain of his coat. Underneath, the new hair was a shiny chestnut color.

She wrapped her arms around the big horse’s neck. “You’re going to be beautiful! Soon that white exclamation point on your face will stand for WOW!”

He turned to look at her, a hunk of hay hanging from his mouth. Since Shadow was out of quarantine, he’d been moved to the big barn.

“Okay, maybe not beautiful,” she teased. “You’re too big and gawky. But if you keep eating like a pig, you’ll soon be as fat as Lassie.”

It was the end of June, fifteen days since Jas had been at Second Chance Farm. Eight days since Shadow had been on the thyroid treatment. Already he looked better. His back was still bony and his hind legs stiff, but Jas could tell by the gleam in his eyes and the arch of his neck that he was feeling like a new horse.

Sighing, she rested against his shoulder. Thank goodness she’d been busy the past week. In addition to yard work and taking care of Shadow, the farm had hosted a dozen kids’ groups over the weekend. So she didn’t have that much time to dwell on the meeting. But whenever she did have a moment’s rest, like right now, the disappointment made Jas frustrated. How can I prove Hugh is guilty when there is no evidence?

Suddenly, someone shouted and completely interrupted Jas’s thoughts. Curious, she walked over to the stall’s back window and looked outside.

Lucy was riding a fat pinto in one of the paddocks. Although she wasn’t a horrible rider, she did flap and flop around like a duckling learning to fly.

“Lucy, relax and go with the horse’s movement,” Miss Hahn was saying patiently. Miss Hahn was leaning on the paddock fence with her back to Jas. Chase was standing next to Miss Hahn.

“I’m trying, but this horse has a killer trot!”

“If she was bouncing like that on my back, I’d try to throw her off, too,” Chase said to Miss Hahn from behind his hand.

Jas stifled a laugh. Patting Shadow, she went into the aisle and closed his stall door. She dropped the currycomb in the grooming box, then walked outside to join them.

“What’s Lucy doing?” Jas asked as she came up beside Miss Hahn.

“You had trouble figuring that out, too?” Chase joked.

Miss Hahn blew out a breath of frustration. “We’re trying to get Spots ready to adopt. He’s pretty hardheaded, and I don’t want someone taking him home and immediately getting bucked off.”

“Where did he come from?” Jas asked.

“He was living in the woods like some wild animal,” Chase said. “When he started raiding cornfields, the farmers complained to the police. We had to rope him to catch him.”

“That’s it!” Lucy yelled in complete frustration. Halting Spots in front of them, she jumped off. “I’m never riding this horse again.”

Jerking the reins over the horse’s head, Lucy thrust them at Miss Hahn.

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