Seven
ELLIE’S ALARM WENT OFF at 4 a.m. She and Helen dragged themselves out of bed in the dark to help prepare Wisp and Milly for the early classes. But when they reached the stables they found Len and Luke were already there. Len’s face looked like thunder. He marched past Ellie, almost knocking her over.
“What’s going on?” Ellie asked Luke.
Luke ran a hand through his hair. “It’s Wisp. He cut his ear in the night. It’s not bad, but it will need a few stitches.”
“Oh no.” Ellie’s face fell. Wisp couldn’t go in his class with a stitched ear.
“Great start!” Luke said.
Helen and Ellie went to see Wisp. The pony seemed unbothered by the wound on his ear, but it would definitely rule him out of the ring. “I’ll clean him up,” said Helen, patting him. “You get Milly ready.”
Ellie went into Milly’s stall. The chestnut pony whickered and came over, searching for treats. Ellie fed her a mint and then plaited her up. She would work her in, then wash her off and groom her properly. Their class was due to start at 9 a.m.
Without Wisp to get ready, the team had more time on their hands. While Ellie prepared Milly, Helen and Luke saw to the other ponies. They all worked hard, exercising, grooming, plaiting, each knowing what needed to be done.
At just before nine o’clock, Ellie was sitting on Milly by the entrance to the ring with the other ponies who were in her class. Luke did the final preparations, wiping over the tack, adding more fly repellant, oiling Milly’s hooves. Her coat shone like a chestnut fresh out of its shell; her flaxen mane was rolled into neat plaits. Ellie could feel the butterflies in her stomach as she caught sight of her uncle watching from the side of the ring.
The steward undid the rope stretched across the ring entrance. “Class 136!” he called.
“Good luck!” Luke told Ellie as she took a breath. “Remember you’ll be doing the gallop up the hill. It’s a long way, don’t start too early or she’ll run out of steam by the time she passes the judges. Equally, don’t let her just take off and get out of control.”
“OK,” Ellie said, taking it all in.
“You can do it!” he told her.
“Thanks!”
Buoyed up by the confidence in his eyes, she rode Milly into the ring. The short grass felt springy under the pony’s neat hooves. Milly walked out. The stands at the side of the ring were filling up with spectators. It was a perfect day. The ring was large with trees inside it, their dark green leaves casting shadows on the grass. Ellie kept a careful eye on the two judges and stewards. More and more ponies filed in. Ellie saw Sam from the night before. She was riding a striking dun pony. All the ponies there that day had won a class earlier in the year to qualify, so the standard was very high.
“Be good,” Ellie breathed to Milly as the pony moved her head up and down. She glanced to the center, hoping the judge hadn’t seen, and cursed inside as she saw both judges watching her. The steward called to them all to trot on.
As always, the ponies walked, trotted and cantered around the ring together and then galloped up the long side. There were so many ponies, the round seemed to go on forever. Ellie thought Milly had done well apart from a nasty moment where she had almost switched legs in the canter, which would have been a very bad mistake to make and one she would certainly have lost marks for.
The steward brought them all back to a walk and then pulled them into a line in a provisional order. Milly was lying fourth. Ellie patted her. Hopefully, they could make up any lost ground in the individual show. She waited her turn, then rode out to the judge and bowed.
As she started her show, she could feel the pony bristling with the joy of being in the ring. Ellie knew she’d have her hands full getting through the show without Milly deciding to pull or canter on the wrong leg. Concentrating hard, she just about managed to contain
ELLIE’S ALARM WENT OFF at 4 a.m. She and Helen dragged themselves out of bed in the dark to help prepare Wisp and Milly for the early classes. But when they reached the stables they found Len and Luke were already there. Len’s face looked like thunder. He marched past Ellie, almost knocking her over.
“What’s going on?” Ellie asked Luke.
Luke ran a hand through his hair. “It’s Wisp. He cut his ear in the night. It’s not bad, but it will need a few stitches.”
“Oh no.” Ellie’s face fell. Wisp couldn’t go in his class with a stitched ear.
“Great start!” Luke said.
Helen and Ellie went to see Wisp. The pony seemed unbothered by the wound on his ear, but it would definitely rule him out of the ring. “I’ll clean him up,” said Helen, patting him. “You get Milly ready.”
Ellie went into Milly’s stall. The chestnut pony whickered and came over, searching for treats. Ellie fed her a mint and then plaited her up. She would work her in, then wash her off and groom her properly. Their class was due to start at 9 a.m.
Without Wisp to get ready, the team had more time on their hands. While Ellie prepared Milly, Helen and Luke saw to the other ponies. They all worked hard, exercising, grooming, plaiting, each knowing what needed to be done.
At just before nine o’clock, Ellie was sitting on Milly by the entrance to the ring with the other ponies who were in her class. Luke did the final preparations, wiping over the tack, adding more fly repellant, oiling Milly’s hooves. Her coat shone like a chestnut fresh out of its shell; her flaxen mane was rolled into neat plaits. Ellie could feel the butterflies in her stomach as she caught sight of her uncle watching from the side of the ring.
The steward undid the rope stretched across the ring entrance. “Class 136!” he called.
“Good luck!” Luke told Ellie as she took a breath. “Remember you’ll be doing the gallop up the hill. It’s a long way, don’t start too early or she’ll run out of steam by the time she passes the judges. Equally, don’t let her just take off and get out of control.”
“OK,” Ellie said, taking it all in.
“You can do it!” he told her.
“Thanks!”
Buoyed up by the confidence in his eyes, she rode Milly into the ring. The short grass felt springy under the pony’s neat hooves. Milly walked out. The stands at the side of the ring were filling up with spectators. It was a perfect day. The ring was large with trees inside it, their dark green leaves casting shadows on the grass. Ellie kept a careful eye on the two judges and stewards. More and more ponies filed in. Ellie saw Sam from the night before. She was riding a striking dun pony. All the ponies there that day had won a class earlier in the year to qualify, so the standard was very high.
“Be good,” Ellie breathed to Milly as the pony moved her head up and down. She glanced to the center, hoping the judge hadn’t seen, and cursed inside as she saw both judges watching her. The steward called to them all to trot on.
As always, the ponies walked, trotted and cantered around the ring together and then galloped up the long side. There were so many ponies, the round seemed to go on forever. Ellie thought Milly had done well apart from a nasty moment where she had almost switched legs in the canter, which would have been a very bad mistake to make and one she would certainly have lost marks for.
The steward brought them all back to a walk and then pulled them into a line in a provisional order. Milly was lying fourth. Ellie patted her. Hopefully, they could make up any lost ground in the individual show. She waited her turn, then rode out to the judge and bowed.
As she started her show, she could feel the pony bristling with the joy of being in the ring. Ellie knew she’d have her hands full getting through the show without Milly deciding to pull or canter on the wrong leg. Concentrating hard, she just about managed to contain
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