Pony Club Secrets 09- Flame and the Rebel Riders by Stacy Gregg
Author:Stacy Gregg [Gregg, Stacy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: YA, E
ISBN: 000729929X
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Published: 2010-02-04T05:00:00+00:00
Chapter 10
When Issie arrived at the stables the next morning and saw that Flame was the first horse on her roster she felt sick at the prospect of trying to jump him again. She was hoping that maybe theyâd be exercising the horses on a forest ride instead. But according to the roster theyâd be working in the arena, where the jumps were set up at a substantial height ready for training.
Ginty hadnât managed to get another rider to replace Verity yet, but she did have two of the groundskeepers from Dulmoth Park on hand that morning helping out with the jumps. The two boys knew next to nothing about horses, but they had been given a brief explanation of what to do and now they stood by in position ready to lift the poles as Issie, Natasha and Penny began to warm their horses up, trotting round the arena.
âOK,â Ginty called out to the riders. âCan I have you one at a time, please, over the jump where the boys are?â
Natasha went first. She was on Tokyo and the big bay mare picked her feet up neatly on the first try, but the boys had really yanked the pole up. They hit her hard, scraping the wood against her cannon bones and Issie saw Tokyo flinch as she tucked her legs up even higher.
Suddenly Issie knew that she couldnât go through with it. It was her turn, but how could she ride Flame over the jump knowing that the boys were going to hit him no matter what? Instead, she rode straight up to Ginty.
âI think these guys are hitting the horses too hard,â she told her. âTheyâve never done this before. They really bashed Tokyo with the rail just then.â
âThatâs exactly what theyâre supposed to do,â Ginty said flatly. âIt was Tokyoâs fault. She didnât lift her legs enough.â
âBut she did lift them.â
Ginty ignored her. âItâs your turn,â she told Issie. âTake Flame in at a canter.â
Issie didnât move.
âIs there a problem, Isadora?â
Issie nodded. âItâs just that Iâve been talking to someone and this person told me that rapping is really cruel.â
Ginty sighed. âThis âpersonâ wouldnât be Tom Avery, would it?â
âUmmmmâ¦â Issie hesitated.
âItâs all right,â Ginty said, âIâm not expecting you to compromise your loyalty to him. I know that Avery is your friend. And I have nothing against him and his methods â but he seems to be obsessed with me!â
Gintyâs expression looked sorrowful, as if she were deeply hurt by Averyâs accusations. âWhat can I say? Averyâs a pony-club instructor and Iâm a professional. He probably canât stand the fact that Iâve had more champion showjumpers than heâs had hot dinners. For some reason he seems to think that must mean that Iâm doing something naughty.â
Ginty held Flameâs reins and reached out and stroked the chestnutâs glossy neck. âIsadora, I am the best in the business. And that isnât just because of my methods, itâs also about instincts. I have an eye for a good horse.â Then Ginty reached her bony hand out and grasped Issieâs hand in her own.
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