going to get all dressed up.”
“Yes, you are,” Carole said, laughing. She grabbed Lisa’s hand and hauled her to her feet. “You might as well face facts—Stevie and I are going to make sure you look terrific.”
“Oh?” Meg inquired. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going to be late,” Lisa said, hurrying out of the locker room. Prancer at least never bugged her.
F OR THEIR LESSON , Max saddled up, too, and rode with them out to one of the trails, where he’d built several jumps among the trees. “Now that you’ve all had a chance to compete this weekend,” he said, “you’ve probably got a better idea of some of the problem spots you and your horse need to work on. So I want you to tell me what those spots are, one at a time,and we’ll see what we can do to make them better. Stevie?”
Stevie laughed. “Coop jumps, still. I’m not quite so afraid of them now, but I’d like to learn to jump them with my eyes open.”
“Excellent,” Max said. He found a hedge jump that looked very much like a coop and had them all practice it.
Carole noticed that Veronica was being ominously silent. She rode at the back of the group, stony-faced, and never said a word to Max, not even when he praised or corrected her. They worked on shadowed jumps for Betsy and jumps off a sharp turn for Meg. Lisa asked for a jump involving water. “Even though Prancer took the fence, I really had to get after her,” she said. “She still hates to get her feet wet, and she pulls back when she sees water coming.”
Max led them to a stream with a tiny log propped on one bank. They jumped into the water, all in a long, spread-out row. Prancer, true to Lisa’s word, didn’t like the water, but she followed the other horses in, and after she’d jumped the log back and forth several times, she seemed more at ease. Lisa patted her.
“Veronica,” Max said sharply, “aren’t you planning to jump this one?”
For the first time Lisa noticed that Veronica hadreined Danny in at the bank. “No, I’m not,” Veronica said haughtily. “I don’t see the point. I’d just get my breeches splashed, and it’s not like Danny has any problem with water.”
Danny, Lisa knew, really didn’t have a problem with water. Max seemed to agree, because he ignored Veronica’s tone and instead asked, “What would you like to jump, then? What problems would you like to work on?”
Veronica sniffed. “We don’t have any problems. If it weren’t for some people messing up our chances, we would have been perfect on Saturday.”
Max’s quiet voice concealed the annoyance Carole was sure he must feel. “No horse is perfect,” he said, “and every rider, no matter how skilled, still has plenty to learn.”
“Well, I don’t want to learn anything today.” Veronica seemed close to tears. Her voice was trembling. “I just can’t bear to be in this lesson with people who
cheat.”
Stevie started to speak, but Max held up his hand and Stevie was still. “We’ll take several jumps in order then, on our way home,” he said. “Everyone keep several lengths between you and the horse in front of you, and stop if anyone has a problem. I’ll bring up the rear. Go ahead, Veronica.”
Stevie couldn’t believe Veronica was getting off so easily. If she ever spoke to Max like that, she’d begrounded for a week. Plus, it burned Stevie up that Veronica kept calling them cheaters. She’d pointed out the dangling bridle rack to Veronica. She’d even offered to help!
They rode back quietly. As Max dismounted, he asked The Saddle Club to come to his office when they were finished taking care of their horses.
“Sure,” Lisa said. Max often asked for their help with different projects. She hoped it was something exciting this time.
When they went into the office, however, Lisa could see that Max wasn’t planning anything fun. With a very serious look on his face, he asked Carole to shut the door. She did. Lisa suddenly felt as if she
“Yes, you are,” Carole said, laughing. She grabbed Lisa’s hand and hauled her to her feet. “You might as well face facts—Stevie and I are going to make sure you look terrific.”
“Oh?” Meg inquired. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going to be late,” Lisa said, hurrying out of the locker room. Prancer at least never bugged her.
F OR THEIR LESSON , Max saddled up, too, and rode with them out to one of the trails, where he’d built several jumps among the trees. “Now that you’ve all had a chance to compete this weekend,” he said, “you’ve probably got a better idea of some of the problem spots you and your horse need to work on. So I want you to tell me what those spots are, one at a time,and we’ll see what we can do to make them better. Stevie?”
Stevie laughed. “Coop jumps, still. I’m not quite so afraid of them now, but I’d like to learn to jump them with my eyes open.”
“Excellent,” Max said. He found a hedge jump that looked very much like a coop and had them all practice it.
Carole noticed that Veronica was being ominously silent. She rode at the back of the group, stony-faced, and never said a word to Max, not even when he praised or corrected her. They worked on shadowed jumps for Betsy and jumps off a sharp turn for Meg. Lisa asked for a jump involving water. “Even though Prancer took the fence, I really had to get after her,” she said. “She still hates to get her feet wet, and she pulls back when she sees water coming.”
Max led them to a stream with a tiny log propped on one bank. They jumped into the water, all in a long, spread-out row. Prancer, true to Lisa’s word, didn’t like the water, but she followed the other horses in, and after she’d jumped the log back and forth several times, she seemed more at ease. Lisa patted her.
“Veronica,” Max said sharply, “aren’t you planning to jump this one?”
For the first time Lisa noticed that Veronica hadreined Danny in at the bank. “No, I’m not,” Veronica said haughtily. “I don’t see the point. I’d just get my breeches splashed, and it’s not like Danny has any problem with water.”
Danny, Lisa knew, really didn’t have a problem with water. Max seemed to agree, because he ignored Veronica’s tone and instead asked, “What would you like to jump, then? What problems would you like to work on?”
Veronica sniffed. “We don’t have any problems. If it weren’t for some people messing up our chances, we would have been perfect on Saturday.”
Max’s quiet voice concealed the annoyance Carole was sure he must feel. “No horse is perfect,” he said, “and every rider, no matter how skilled, still has plenty to learn.”
“Well, I don’t want to learn anything today.” Veronica seemed close to tears. Her voice was trembling. “I just can’t bear to be in this lesson with people who
cheat.”
Stevie started to speak, but Max held up his hand and Stevie was still. “We’ll take several jumps in order then, on our way home,” he said. “Everyone keep several lengths between you and the horse in front of you, and stop if anyone has a problem. I’ll bring up the rear. Go ahead, Veronica.”
Stevie couldn’t believe Veronica was getting off so easily. If she ever spoke to Max like that, she’d begrounded for a week. Plus, it burned Stevie up that Veronica kept calling them cheaters. She’d pointed out the dangling bridle rack to Veronica. She’d even offered to help!
They rode back quietly. As Max dismounted, he asked The Saddle Club to come to his office when they were finished taking care of their horses.
“Sure,” Lisa said. Max often asked for their help with different projects. She hoped it was something exciting this time.
When they went into the office, however, Lisa could see that Max wasn’t planning anything fun. With a very serious look on his face, he asked Carole to shut the door. She did. Lisa suddenly felt as if she
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