beloved horse sadly. “I hope so.”
Lisa shuddered. “ ‘Open up’ sounds awful.”
Carole closed her eyes as if she were feeling Starlight’s pain.
“It won’t be awful at all,” Stevie said cheerfully. “Judy’ll just make a tiny hole to let the infection out. Starlight will feel a lot better then.”
Unless it’s navicular
, Carole thought.
Maybe navicular made horses’ hooves feel hot, too.
She moaned.
“It’ll be okay,” Stevie said reassuringly. “He’s going to be fine.”
Carole laughed a little shakily. “I know, Stevie, but if it were Belle—”
“—I’d be feeling awful, and you’d be saying, ‘Stevie, she’s going to be fine,’ ” Stevie finished for her. They all laughed.
“I’m going to wait to soak his foot until you guys are riding,” Carole said. “It’ll give me something to do. Say, Lisa, where’s Amelia?”
“Who cares?” Lisa asked.
“Well,” Stevie said, “it’s probably better to keep an eye on her.”
“You’re right,” Lisa said gloomily. “She’s probably telling the Pony Tails about her wonder horse, Star. Or else she’s mooning over Prancer. Let’s go get her.”
Amelia wasn’t with the Pony Tails or in Prancer’s stall. The Saddle Club peeked into Belle’s stall, too, and Delilah’s, but didn’t find her. Quite a few of the other riders had arrived for camp, and the stable was full of busy people, but they didn’t see Amelia anywhere.
As they approached the locker room, Lisa heard Ameliatalking inside. She held up her hand to silence her friends, and the three girls crept closer to the open door.
“See, I’m just going to go get Prancer and I’m going to ride her,” she was saying. “Once Max sees how well I do with her, he’ll let me keep riding her. Don’t you think so, Veronica?”
“Um,” they could hear Veronica say. “I don’t know. I think perhaps you’re overestimating Prancer. She’s a nice-looking horse, but of course she can’t be that valuable, or Max wouldn’t let Lisa ride her. And she behaved very badly at a horse show once. Not like my Danny. Now there’s a horse.”
“Prancer’s a registered Thoroughbred,” Amelia said.
“Umm, yes, of course she is,” Veronica said. “Step aside, Amelia. I need to put on my good boots. Did you happen to notice them the other day? They’re custom-made—the very finest.”
“I’m going to get boots soon,” Amelia said. “And I’m
not
riding Delilah today.”
Lisa started to walk into the locker room. She’d heard quite enough. Amelia continued, “I’m having a miserable vacation, and it’s all Lisa’s fault.” Lisa froze. Stevie and Carole bumped into her, then stopped, too. “If Lisa had acted nice to me, then Stevie and Carole and everybody else would have liked me, and then I could have ridden Pranceryesterday instead of Delilah,” Amelia said. “Don’t you think so, Veronica?”
“Umm … maybe.” Veronica sounded distracted, as if she wasn’t listening. “Look at this mud on my boots! I told our handyman to be sure to get the heels clean this time!”
Max walked up behind The Saddle Club just in time to hear Amelia say, “So I’m just going to go ride Prancer right now.”
“You can’t do that,” Veronica said. “You’re too little. Really, it’s a bad idea. It would be dangerous.”
“Amazing,” Stevie whispered. “Veronica, doing the right thing?”
Carole shook her head. “She’s a jerk, but she does know about horses. She knows Amelia would get hurt.”
“I’ll stop this,” Max said quietly. He started to walk into the room, but Amelia had already said, “Yes! I’m going to! I’m tired of people telling me what to do!”
“No, you can’t! I’ll tell Max!” Veronica said.
“Ahhhh!”
The Saddle Club heard a terrific crash.
“Stop that! My boots!” Veronica shouted furiously. Something else crashed. Max and The Saddle Club rushed into the locker room just as one of Veronica’s expensive
Lisa shuddered. “ ‘Open up’ sounds awful.”
Carole closed her eyes as if she were feeling Starlight’s pain.
“It won’t be awful at all,” Stevie said cheerfully. “Judy’ll just make a tiny hole to let the infection out. Starlight will feel a lot better then.”
Unless it’s navicular
, Carole thought.
Maybe navicular made horses’ hooves feel hot, too.
She moaned.
“It’ll be okay,” Stevie said reassuringly. “He’s going to be fine.”
Carole laughed a little shakily. “I know, Stevie, but if it were Belle—”
“—I’d be feeling awful, and you’d be saying, ‘Stevie, she’s going to be fine,’ ” Stevie finished for her. They all laughed.
“I’m going to wait to soak his foot until you guys are riding,” Carole said. “It’ll give me something to do. Say, Lisa, where’s Amelia?”
“Who cares?” Lisa asked.
“Well,” Stevie said, “it’s probably better to keep an eye on her.”
“You’re right,” Lisa said gloomily. “She’s probably telling the Pony Tails about her wonder horse, Star. Or else she’s mooning over Prancer. Let’s go get her.”
Amelia wasn’t with the Pony Tails or in Prancer’s stall. The Saddle Club peeked into Belle’s stall, too, and Delilah’s, but didn’t find her. Quite a few of the other riders had arrived for camp, and the stable was full of busy people, but they didn’t see Amelia anywhere.
As they approached the locker room, Lisa heard Ameliatalking inside. She held up her hand to silence her friends, and the three girls crept closer to the open door.
“See, I’m just going to go get Prancer and I’m going to ride her,” she was saying. “Once Max sees how well I do with her, he’ll let me keep riding her. Don’t you think so, Veronica?”
“Um,” they could hear Veronica say. “I don’t know. I think perhaps you’re overestimating Prancer. She’s a nice-looking horse, but of course she can’t be that valuable, or Max wouldn’t let Lisa ride her. And she behaved very badly at a horse show once. Not like my Danny. Now there’s a horse.”
“Prancer’s a registered Thoroughbred,” Amelia said.
“Umm, yes, of course she is,” Veronica said. “Step aside, Amelia. I need to put on my good boots. Did you happen to notice them the other day? They’re custom-made—the very finest.”
“I’m going to get boots soon,” Amelia said. “And I’m
not
riding Delilah today.”
Lisa started to walk into the locker room. She’d heard quite enough. Amelia continued, “I’m having a miserable vacation, and it’s all Lisa’s fault.” Lisa froze. Stevie and Carole bumped into her, then stopped, too. “If Lisa had acted nice to me, then Stevie and Carole and everybody else would have liked me, and then I could have ridden Pranceryesterday instead of Delilah,” Amelia said. “Don’t you think so, Veronica?”
“Umm … maybe.” Veronica sounded distracted, as if she wasn’t listening. “Look at this mud on my boots! I told our handyman to be sure to get the heels clean this time!”
Max walked up behind The Saddle Club just in time to hear Amelia say, “So I’m just going to go ride Prancer right now.”
“You can’t do that,” Veronica said. “You’re too little. Really, it’s a bad idea. It would be dangerous.”
“Amazing,” Stevie whispered. “Veronica, doing the right thing?”
Carole shook her head. “She’s a jerk, but she does know about horses. She knows Amelia would get hurt.”
“I’ll stop this,” Max said quietly. He started to walk into the room, but Amelia had already said, “Yes! I’m going to! I’m tired of people telling me what to do!”
“No, you can’t! I’ll tell Max!” Veronica said.
“Ahhhh!”
The Saddle Club heard a terrific crash.
“Stop that! My boots!” Veronica shouted furiously. Something else crashed. Max and The Saddle Club rushed into the locker room just as one of Veronica’s expensive
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