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Authors: Linda Chapman
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it. She would make him better.
When the alarm clock went off the next morning, Ellie blinked her eyes open and a single thought filled her head. Spirit . She sat up in bed as the events of the day before came rushing back. She caught her breath. It had all really happened.
Jumping up, she pulled on her clothes and ran down the stairs, hair unbrushed. As she burst out of the door into the dark winter morning, a few horses heard her and whickered hopefully, thinking it was breakfast time. Ellie took no notice. She raced to Spirit’s stable. He jumped nervously as she opened the door, but then his nostrils quivered in a nicker and he stepped towards her, moving like a ghost through the dim light. Ellie felt like throwing her arms round his neck but she didn’t want to startle him. Restraining the impulse, she made herself wait until he reached her and then she gently touched his face.
‘You’re real,’ she whispered in delight. ‘Oh, Spirit. You’re real!’ He lifted his muzzle to her face, blowing out. She breathed in and then gently breathed back. Her mum had told her it was the way horses greeted each other.
Spirit’s rug had slipped slightly in the night, so she straightened that and then refilled his water bucketand kicked the straw back from the door. She’d muck him out later after feeding. She was going to be on the yard all day because there was a teacher-training day at school. ‘I’ll start grooming you later this morning,’ she promised him. ‘I’m going to make you look beautiful.’
But her uncle had other plans. When she heard him come on to the yard with Luke and Joe, she went to help them with giving out the feeds. Len pointed at her. ‘I want you in the ring with Luke and Joe at nine o’clock. You can ride Merlin to start.’
Ellie bit back the desire to argue. She couldn’t afford to annoy her uncle now. Instead she nodded.
He strode away and started dealing out the buckets of feed.
Just before nine, Ellie led Merlin into the ring and mounted up. His bay coat had been quick to groom and he had seemed to enjoy the attention. Luke was to ride Gabriel and Joe would be on Picasso. Gabriel was calm, but Picasso was fidgeting, moving constantly, staring in all directions.
‘Merlin will look after you,’ Joe said to Ellie as he fastened Picasso’s girth and only narrowly avoided the pony stepping on his feet. ‘Not like this nutter.’ He patted Picasso’s neck as he said it, and swung quickly into the saddle. Picasso leapt forwards but Joe moved with him, pulling him up and getting himback under control. ‘Come on,’ he said, touching the pony with his heels. ‘Let’s get you working in.’ Picasso walked off with quick short strides.
Luke had already mounted Gabriel and was trotting round on a loose rein. Pip was sitting at the side of the ring, her eyes never leaving him, her pink tongue hanging out.
Ellie checked her girth and mounted. It was four months since she had last ridden but it didn’t feel strange at all. If she was honest, it felt like coming home.
She walked Merlin on. For a small pony, he had a long stride and was very well schooled. He didn’t ever go faster than he needed to, but he was obedient to Ellie’s aids and when she asked him to trot and canter he obliged cheerfully. By the time Len came into the school, she was trotting and cantering circles.
He strode into the middle and watched her for a few moments. ‘Looks like you can sit on a horse, anyway,’ he commented.
From having watched him coaching Luke and Joe the past few weeks, Ellie knew that was about the most of a compliment she could expect. Still, at least it was better than him criticizing. She patted Merlin’s solid neck.
Len got them all riding round together. It was basic stuff – circles in walk, trot and canter, transitions through all three paces, serpentines and loops. Elliehad done everything before in lessons with other teachers, but she had never known anyone as demanding as
When the alarm clock went off the next morning, Ellie blinked her eyes open and a single thought filled her head. Spirit . She sat up in bed as the events of the day before came rushing back. She caught her breath. It had all really happened.
Jumping up, she pulled on her clothes and ran down the stairs, hair unbrushed. As she burst out of the door into the dark winter morning, a few horses heard her and whickered hopefully, thinking it was breakfast time. Ellie took no notice. She raced to Spirit’s stable. He jumped nervously as she opened the door, but then his nostrils quivered in a nicker and he stepped towards her, moving like a ghost through the dim light. Ellie felt like throwing her arms round his neck but she didn’t want to startle him. Restraining the impulse, she made herself wait until he reached her and then she gently touched his face.
‘You’re real,’ she whispered in delight. ‘Oh, Spirit. You’re real!’ He lifted his muzzle to her face, blowing out. She breathed in and then gently breathed back. Her mum had told her it was the way horses greeted each other.
Spirit’s rug had slipped slightly in the night, so she straightened that and then refilled his water bucketand kicked the straw back from the door. She’d muck him out later after feeding. She was going to be on the yard all day because there was a teacher-training day at school. ‘I’ll start grooming you later this morning,’ she promised him. ‘I’m going to make you look beautiful.’
But her uncle had other plans. When she heard him come on to the yard with Luke and Joe, she went to help them with giving out the feeds. Len pointed at her. ‘I want you in the ring with Luke and Joe at nine o’clock. You can ride Merlin to start.’
Ellie bit back the desire to argue. She couldn’t afford to annoy her uncle now. Instead she nodded.
He strode away and started dealing out the buckets of feed.
Just before nine, Ellie led Merlin into the ring and mounted up. His bay coat had been quick to groom and he had seemed to enjoy the attention. Luke was to ride Gabriel and Joe would be on Picasso. Gabriel was calm, but Picasso was fidgeting, moving constantly, staring in all directions.
‘Merlin will look after you,’ Joe said to Ellie as he fastened Picasso’s girth and only narrowly avoided the pony stepping on his feet. ‘Not like this nutter.’ He patted Picasso’s neck as he said it, and swung quickly into the saddle. Picasso leapt forwards but Joe moved with him, pulling him up and getting himback under control. ‘Come on,’ he said, touching the pony with his heels. ‘Let’s get you working in.’ Picasso walked off with quick short strides.
Luke had already mounted Gabriel and was trotting round on a loose rein. Pip was sitting at the side of the ring, her eyes never leaving him, her pink tongue hanging out.
Ellie checked her girth and mounted. It was four months since she had last ridden but it didn’t feel strange at all. If she was honest, it felt like coming home.
She walked Merlin on. For a small pony, he had a long stride and was very well schooled. He didn’t ever go faster than he needed to, but he was obedient to Ellie’s aids and when she asked him to trot and canter he obliged cheerfully. By the time Len came into the school, she was trotting and cantering circles.
He strode into the middle and watched her for a few moments. ‘Looks like you can sit on a horse, anyway,’ he commented.
From having watched him coaching Luke and Joe the past few weeks, Ellie knew that was about the most of a compliment she could expect. Still, at least it was better than him criticizing. She patted Merlin’s solid neck.
Len got them all riding round together. It was basic stuff – circles in walk, trot and canter, transitions through all three paces, serpentines and loops. Elliehad done everything before in lessons with other teachers, but she had never known anyone as demanding as
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