able to ride her?” Carole asked.
“She’ll be ready in another week or so. Which works out fine, because that’s when the doctor says I’m allowed to get on her again.”
“Excellent!” Lisa said. “We should plan something special for that day.”
“Absolutely,” Carole agreed. “Trail ride? Picnic?”
Stevie grinned. “How about both? Then TD’s and a Saddle Club sleepover! We’ll make it a real celebration.”
The girls laughed in happy anticipation.
On the way out of the stable, they swung by Sunset’sstall to take a quick look. As usual, the mare was pacing restlessly. Carole called to her and offered her a friendly hand to sniff, but the horse would have none of it.
“Do you think she’s okay?” Stevie asked.
Carole shrugged. “I guess so, but her behavior bothers me. I thought she would have settled down by now. She should be feeling more at home after the last couple of weeks, but she seems just as restless as when she arrived.”
“Do you think her restlessness means she’s getting ready to foal?” Lisa asked.
“Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t,” Carole answered, moving into the stall.
“Gee, could you vague that up a little?” Stevie cracked.
Carole smiled over her shoulder. “What I mean is that the signs vary from animal to animal. When their time gets near, some horses become restless while others refuse to move at all unless forced to.” She brought the mare to a halt.
Stevie watched, intrigued, as Carole examined Sunset more thoroughly. “Are there any absolute signs she’s about to go into labor?”
“As a rule, yes,” Carole told her. “I’m checking for them now.”
Stevie and Lisa fell silent, not wanting to distract their friend. After a few moments Carole seemed satisfied.
“I’m sure she’s not ready yet,” Carole announced, joining them outside the stall.
Sunset resumed her restless pacing.
“So what
are
the signs?” Lisa asked. Even though all three girls had participated in births before, Carole was the only one who knew all the details about what to look for—and what to expect.
“Walk me to the bus stop and I’ll fill you in,” Carole offered.
“Are we about to have an ‘ick’ moment?” Stevie asked.
Carole grinned. “Remember The Saddle Club credo. If you’re going to love horses, you have to love
everything
about them.”
“Yep, we’re going to have an ‘ick’ moment.”
Lisa grimaced. “Come on, Stevie, maybe if we walk fast enough she won’t have time to get to the really gross parts.”
With that the three girls headed for home at a brisk pace. As far as Stevie was concerned, it wasn’t fast enough.
I T WAS EARLY morning on the day of the show and most of the participants were still arriving. Since Stevie wasn’t competing, she could easily have gotten to Pine Hollow later, but she was eager to spend as much time in Phil Marsten’s company as she could.
She watched as Phil carefully unloaded his horse, Teddy, from the rusty but sturdy red-and-white trailer. “Teddy looks like he’s in good shape, but I’m not so sure about his rider,” she quipped.
Phil smiled good-naturedly. He was used to her sense of humor. In fact, he always said it was one of the things he liked the best about her. “I think I can manage to hold my own.”
“That should be good enough, since I won’t be riding today.”
“As I recall, it was me who snagged the blue ribbon the last time we competed,” he reminded her.
“I was having a bad hair day. A girl can’t do anything right on a bad hair day.”
Phil tied his horse to a rail. “Are you sure you didn’t throw yourself off Belle and bump your head in order to avoid the possibility of losing to me again?”
Stevie bristled. She truly adored Phil, but they were both extremely competitive when it came to riding. “Believe me, leaving Belle’s saddle was definitely not in my plans,” she assured him grimly.
Phil came over and took her hands. “I’m
“She’ll be ready in another week or so. Which works out fine, because that’s when the doctor says I’m allowed to get on her again.”
“Excellent!” Lisa said. “We should plan something special for that day.”
“Absolutely,” Carole agreed. “Trail ride? Picnic?”
Stevie grinned. “How about both? Then TD’s and a Saddle Club sleepover! We’ll make it a real celebration.”
The girls laughed in happy anticipation.
On the way out of the stable, they swung by Sunset’sstall to take a quick look. As usual, the mare was pacing restlessly. Carole called to her and offered her a friendly hand to sniff, but the horse would have none of it.
“Do you think she’s okay?” Stevie asked.
Carole shrugged. “I guess so, but her behavior bothers me. I thought she would have settled down by now. She should be feeling more at home after the last couple of weeks, but she seems just as restless as when she arrived.”
“Do you think her restlessness means she’s getting ready to foal?” Lisa asked.
“Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t,” Carole answered, moving into the stall.
“Gee, could you vague that up a little?” Stevie cracked.
Carole smiled over her shoulder. “What I mean is that the signs vary from animal to animal. When their time gets near, some horses become restless while others refuse to move at all unless forced to.” She brought the mare to a halt.
Stevie watched, intrigued, as Carole examined Sunset more thoroughly. “Are there any absolute signs she’s about to go into labor?”
“As a rule, yes,” Carole told her. “I’m checking for them now.”
Stevie and Lisa fell silent, not wanting to distract their friend. After a few moments Carole seemed satisfied.
“I’m sure she’s not ready yet,” Carole announced, joining them outside the stall.
Sunset resumed her restless pacing.
“So what
are
the signs?” Lisa asked. Even though all three girls had participated in births before, Carole was the only one who knew all the details about what to look for—and what to expect.
“Walk me to the bus stop and I’ll fill you in,” Carole offered.
“Are we about to have an ‘ick’ moment?” Stevie asked.
Carole grinned. “Remember The Saddle Club credo. If you’re going to love horses, you have to love
everything
about them.”
“Yep, we’re going to have an ‘ick’ moment.”
Lisa grimaced. “Come on, Stevie, maybe if we walk fast enough she won’t have time to get to the really gross parts.”
With that the three girls headed for home at a brisk pace. As far as Stevie was concerned, it wasn’t fast enough.
I T WAS EARLY morning on the day of the show and most of the participants were still arriving. Since Stevie wasn’t competing, she could easily have gotten to Pine Hollow later, but she was eager to spend as much time in Phil Marsten’s company as she could.
She watched as Phil carefully unloaded his horse, Teddy, from the rusty but sturdy red-and-white trailer. “Teddy looks like he’s in good shape, but I’m not so sure about his rider,” she quipped.
Phil smiled good-naturedly. He was used to her sense of humor. In fact, he always said it was one of the things he liked the best about her. “I think I can manage to hold my own.”
“That should be good enough, since I won’t be riding today.”
“As I recall, it was me who snagged the blue ribbon the last time we competed,” he reminded her.
“I was having a bad hair day. A girl can’t do anything right on a bad hair day.”
Phil tied his horse to a rail. “Are you sure you didn’t throw yourself off Belle and bump your head in order to avoid the possibility of losing to me again?”
Stevie bristled. She truly adored Phil, but they were both extremely competitive when it came to riding. “Believe me, leaving Belle’s saddle was definitely not in my plans,” she assured him grimly.
Phil came over and took her hands. “I’m
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