exclaimed. “She doesn’t think she should buy him. Can you believe it? I mean, I know Stevie has been driving us all a little crazy by talking about Stewball all thetime, but that’s only natural. They’re perfect for each other. Don’t you think?”
Lisa sat down on the bunk next to Carole. “I’m not sure,” she replied quietly.
Carole’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean, you’re not sure? What is everyone around here thinking?”
“If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll tell you what I’m thinking,” Kate replied. “You didn’t let me finish what I was trying to say.”
Carole’s mouth snapped shut and she nodded. “Sorry. Go ahead.”
“When I said Stevie and Stewball weren’t a good match, I wasn’t talking about their personalities,” Kate said. “I know they get along great. Stewball is a wonderful, responsive horse, and Stevie is a terrific rider. But the fact is, Stevie’s interests and talents are in English riding. And Stewball just isn’t an English riding horse.”
Carole shrugged. As much as she normally respected Kate’s opinion on anything having to do with horses, she remained unconvinced. “He’ll learn. They’ve got a good relationship, and that’s one of the most important things.”
“True,” Kate said. “But it’s not the
only
important thing.”
“You’ve said yourself that there’s really not that much difference between Western and English riding,” Lisa pointed out.
“That’s true too, up to a point,” Kate said. “There isn’t anything Stewball couldn’t learn and do pretty well for Stevie. The problem is that he’ll be a pretty good Englishhorse instead of an outstanding Western horse. That just seems like a waste to me.”
“I don’t know,” Carole said. “I still think the most important thing is for Stevie to have a horse that makes her happy. Stewball makes her happy. She makes him happy. And that’s the way it should be.”
Kate paced the small room. Then she stopped and turned to face Carole and Lisa. “I didn’t want to go into this, because you know how I feel about competition,” she began.
“What?” Carole asked curiously. She and Lisa both knew that the reason Kate had dropped out of the horse-show circuit was because she didn’t like the way the competition had made her forget what was fun about riding. Carole couldn’t imagine what those feelings could have to do with Stevie and Stewball.
“Stevie is a fine English rider and she’s getting better all the time,” Kate said. “She’s probably capable of going on to win plenty of ribbons. It’s possible she could even make a career for herself if she wants to, especially in dressage.”
Carole and Lisa nodded. Even though Stevie was impulsive and rather scatterbrained most of the time, the riding sport she was best at was dressage, which required precision and perfect concentration from both horse and rider.
“But that’s not going to happen on Stewball,” Kate continued. “He’ll never be good enough to help Stevie compete at a high level in dressage. He’s a terrific horse, but he just won’t be. He’ll hold her back every time. And that’s not fair to either of them.”
Carole thought about that for a moment before replying. She had to admit that Kate had a point. It took an exceptional horse to compete in the dressage ring. The horse had to be well trained, first of all, but it also had to have the right kind of temperament and conformation. Topside, the horse Stevie usually rode at Pine Hollow, fit all those requirements. Stewball, Carole realized now, didn’t. She couldn’t imagine the compact, stocky skewbald in a show ring with a bunch of tall, elegant Thoroughbreds like Topside.
She glanced up at Kate. “I guess you may be right,” she admitted quietly. “Sorry I snapped at you without letting you explain.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Kate said, waving away her apology. “The important thing is figuring out how to convince
Lisa sat down on the bunk next to Carole. “I’m not sure,” she replied quietly.
Carole’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean, you’re not sure? What is everyone around here thinking?”
“If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll tell you what I’m thinking,” Kate replied. “You didn’t let me finish what I was trying to say.”
Carole’s mouth snapped shut and she nodded. “Sorry. Go ahead.”
“When I said Stevie and Stewball weren’t a good match, I wasn’t talking about their personalities,” Kate said. “I know they get along great. Stewball is a wonderful, responsive horse, and Stevie is a terrific rider. But the fact is, Stevie’s interests and talents are in English riding. And Stewball just isn’t an English riding horse.”
Carole shrugged. As much as she normally respected Kate’s opinion on anything having to do with horses, she remained unconvinced. “He’ll learn. They’ve got a good relationship, and that’s one of the most important things.”
“True,” Kate said. “But it’s not the
only
important thing.”
“You’ve said yourself that there’s really not that much difference between Western and English riding,” Lisa pointed out.
“That’s true too, up to a point,” Kate said. “There isn’t anything Stewball couldn’t learn and do pretty well for Stevie. The problem is that he’ll be a pretty good Englishhorse instead of an outstanding Western horse. That just seems like a waste to me.”
“I don’t know,” Carole said. “I still think the most important thing is for Stevie to have a horse that makes her happy. Stewball makes her happy. She makes him happy. And that’s the way it should be.”
Kate paced the small room. Then she stopped and turned to face Carole and Lisa. “I didn’t want to go into this, because you know how I feel about competition,” she began.
“What?” Carole asked curiously. She and Lisa both knew that the reason Kate had dropped out of the horse-show circuit was because she didn’t like the way the competition had made her forget what was fun about riding. Carole couldn’t imagine what those feelings could have to do with Stevie and Stewball.
“Stevie is a fine English rider and she’s getting better all the time,” Kate said. “She’s probably capable of going on to win plenty of ribbons. It’s possible she could even make a career for herself if she wants to, especially in dressage.”
Carole and Lisa nodded. Even though Stevie was impulsive and rather scatterbrained most of the time, the riding sport she was best at was dressage, which required precision and perfect concentration from both horse and rider.
“But that’s not going to happen on Stewball,” Kate continued. “He’ll never be good enough to help Stevie compete at a high level in dressage. He’s a terrific horse, but he just won’t be. He’ll hold her back every time. And that’s not fair to either of them.”
Carole thought about that for a moment before replying. She had to admit that Kate had a point. It took an exceptional horse to compete in the dressage ring. The horse had to be well trained, first of all, but it also had to have the right kind of temperament and conformation. Topside, the horse Stevie usually rode at Pine Hollow, fit all those requirements. Stewball, Carole realized now, didn’t. She couldn’t imagine the compact, stocky skewbald in a show ring with a bunch of tall, elegant Thoroughbreds like Topside.
She glanced up at Kate. “I guess you may be right,” she admitted quietly. “Sorry I snapped at you without letting you explain.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Kate said, waving away her apology. “The important thing is figuring out how to convince
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