Read Online A Winning Gift by Catherine Hapka - Free Book Online

halt.
    â€œYou’re a natural,” Maddie told her.
    Bridget smiled. “I don’t know about that. But it’s amazing how my dance training is coming in handy.”
    â€œYes, it is,” Ms. Emerson agreed. “You have excellent balance and body awareness, which are both very useful in riding as well as in dance. Do you think you’d like to try a short trot now?”
    Bridget’s smile faded, a nervous expression taking its place. “A trot?”
    â€œShe did great at trotting yesterday,” Maddie told Ms. Emerson. “She just started posting like she’d been doing it forever!”
    â€œReally?” Vic sounded envious. “It took me about a million years to catch on to posting properly.”
    â€œMe too,” Val put in. “I still pick up the wrong diagonal sometimes and have to switch.”
    â€œDiagonal?” Bridget looked mystified.
    â€œNever mind that right now,” Ms. Emerson said. “Let’s talk about the trot. . . .”
    She went on to describe the gait and give Bridget some tips on riding it. She also had all four girls demonstrate the proper position for a posting trot—also known as a rising trot—at the halt and walk. Then she asked if Bridget was ready to move on to trotting.
    â€œI’m not sure.” Bridget bit her lip and shot a worried look toward Maddie. “Maddie led Cloudy around yesterday. Can we start out doing it that way?”
    â€œI suppose so.” Ms. Emerson put her hand on Wizard’s reins. “Go ahead, you three—I want to see you trot halfway around in two point, then go to rising trot.”
    Maddie nodded, nudging Cloudy into a brisk trot. She stood in her stirrups, keeping her weight out of the saddle as the pony settled into the faster gait. At the same time, she glanced back over her shoulder at Bridget.
    Ms. Emerson was urging Wizard into a trot. Unlike Cloudy, the little gray pony preferred to keep things as slow as possible. But after a moment, he let out a groan and broke into a lumbering trot.
    Maddie could see her friend bouncing around in the saddle. “Oh!” Bridget exclaimed. “He feels a lot different from Cloudy.”
    â€œThat’s true,” Maddie murmured under her breath. She’d ridden Wizard herself a number of times. Even though his trot was slower than Cloudy’s, it was a lot bouncier.
    â€œUp, down, up, down,” Ms. Emerson said. “That’s it—find the rhythm.”
    â€œThis is hard!” Bridget’s face was turning red with effort. But she eventually figured out how to rise and fall with the pony’s gait.
    â€œGood!” Ms. Emerson said. “Now I’m going to let go, okay? Just close your legs when you sit to keep him moving.”
    â€œWait!” Bridget exclaimed.
    But the teacher was already backing away. Wizard’s gait faltered.
    â€œSqueeze with your legs!” Ms. Emerson called.
    Bridget looked panicky. “He’s going too fast!” she exclaimed, hunching forward and yanking back on the reins.
    That brought Wizard to an abrupt halt. Maddie gasped as she saw Bridget wobble and her foot slip out of the stirrup.
    â€œSit up!” she cried. “Hold on!”
    It was too late. With a cry of dismay, Bridget tumbled off over Wizard’s shoulder.

♦ CHAPTER ♦
6
    â€œHOLD STILL!” MS. EMERSON ORDERED, rushing over. “Don’t try to move yet.”
    â€œOw!” Bridget wailed, rolling over and rubbing her hip, which had hit the ground first.
    Ms. Emerson kneeled beside her as Wizard wandered off to nibble at the grass growing under the fence line at the edge of the ring. Maddie jumped off Cloudy and went over to grab Wizard’s dangling reins. Once she had both ponies in hand, she looked over at Bridget again. She wanted to call out to her, ask if she was okay. But she forced herself to stay quiet and let Ms. Emerson handle it.
    When