Read Online Season of Ponies by Zilpha Keatley Snyder - Free Book Online

galloping pony’s back seemed pretty scary even with a harness. “But the ponies can’t be ready,” she hedged. “They have to be trained for a long time.”
    “Not my ponies,” Ponyboy said. “Watch!”
    He led Nimbus and Luna into the ring. He clapped his hands, and they began the slow rhythmical gallop of ring horses, their lovely heads tucked down sharply; their manes rippling gently to the softly rocking gait.
    “Oh-h-h,” Pamela breathed, lost in admiration.
    “Well, let’s get started,” Ponyboy said briskly. “Do you want to be first?”
    “No! I mean, you go ahead. I don’t mind.”
    “All right. I just thought you might want a head start. After all, I’m sure to learn much faster than you.”
    He ran to Luna and vaulted onto her back. He caught the practice harness and strapped it around him. Very slowly he raised himself to a squat. He grinned at Pamela triumphantly as he went by. Then he very slowly began to stand up. Suddenly he waved one arm in the air wildly and then one leg and went sailing into space, dangling upside down in the harness. Luna snorted, as he sailed past kicking wildly.
    That was the way it went for some time. Pamela sat on a rock and watched and tried hard not to laugh. Finally Ponyboy unfastened the harness and stopped Luna. He got down and put Nimbus into the ring. “Your turn,” he said. “I want to laugh at you for a change.”
    “You know I can’t jump on her when she’s galloping,” Pamela complained. Looking exasperated, Ponyboy stopped Nimbus and helped Pamela up. Then he handed her the harness.
    As he sat down at the edge of the ring he remarked loudly, “This ought to be good.”
    Pamela let Nimbus gallop around the ring once or twice while she got up her courage. “Well, I might as well get it over with,” she thought. She put her hands flat on the pony’s back and started to lift herself into a squat. To her complete surprise, her muscles suddenly seemed to know what to do. Confidently she lifted to her feet, keeping her knees relaxed, giving with the pony’s action. Then she stood with outstretched arms as Nimbus rocked on, around and around the ring. Ponyboy stared in astonishment, but he was scarcely more surprised than Pamela was herself.
    She was so amazed and delighted at being able to stand erect on the galloping pony’s back, as though she had done it all her life, that it wasn’t until the fourth or fifth trip around the ring that she noticed the look on Ponyboy’s face. She stopped Nimbus quickly and got off. She couldn’t help feeling a little triumphant, but she really didn’t want to hurt Ponyboy’s feelings.
    She led Nimbus up to him. “I don’t know how I did it,” she said. “I guess it was just an accident.”
    Ponyboy was generous with his congratulations; however, Pamela noticed that he sent her home rather early on Nimbus, and he didn’t go with her as he usually did. In fact, he stayed away for three days; and when he came for her again, she found he was quite good at riding standing up. So she was fairly certain that she knew just about how long it had taken him to learn.
    She never tried to explain to him how she had learned so easily, partly because she didn’t think he wanted to talk about it, but mostly because she couldn’t begin to understand it herself.

The Circus Game
    T HE CIRCUS GAME SOON absorbed most of their time together. After they had both practiced for several evenings, they moved the ring out to the center of the meadow and made it much larger. They harnessed the two white mares, Neige and Nuage, together and learned to ride them standing with one foot on each pony. They taught all the ponies to gallop in formation, to whirl and turn in unison, and to walk on their hind legs.
    Sometimes they would have a complete show with all the acts planned and scheduled just as if they were performing before a huge audience instead of a few rather indifferent birds and squirrels.
    The ponies would be decorated