and Skye returned to their starting point for another try. This time Pepper had decided it was time to quit. As soon as Skye signaled him to canter, he began galloping so he could get back to Pine Hollow in a hurry. The look on Skye’s face was anything but exhilaration.
“Cut!” Oliver cried, now very frustrated. “This isn’t working, Skye,” the director said, holding the horse’s reins while Skye dismounted. “Is there something wrong with the horse?”
Skye shrugged and looked to Lisa for an answer.
“He could just be misbehaving,” Lisa said. “I’ll try riding him around for a minute to see if he calms down.”
Lisa had learned that horses have moods just like people do, and sometimes when things start to go wrong, they get annoyed and misbehave. If that was what was wrong with Pepper, all she had to do was change his mood. She climbed into Pepper’s saddle and began walking him. Right away she could tell he was in a bad mood because he was ambling slowly and reluctantly. It was almost as if he were trying to pick a fight. She signaled him to trot. He kept on walking. She tried again. He refused. No wonder Skye was having such a rough time with him! Pepper had been taking advantage of him from the start. It was hard to look exhilarated and happy when a horse was taking you for a ride instead of the other wayaround. Lisa tapped Pepper on the flank with a riding crop. He kept on walking. She did it again, a little harder, and he finally broke into a lumbering trot.
A riding crop wasn’t meant to hurt a horse, and she certainly hadn’t hurt Pepper. It was just supposed to remind him who was giving the orders. She tapped him again, and Pepper began to get the message. His trot perked up. For about five minutes Lisa rode Pepper around the paddock, changing gaits and directions. She wanted to fill his mind so full of her commands that he didn’t have time to rebel. Pretty soon he was doing everything she told him, responding instantly to the slightest leg pressure or weight change. That was the way Pepper usually behaved.
“I think he’s better now,” Lisa said to Skye and Oliver. “He just needed to get a few kinks out.” She dismounted and held the reins.
“Are you sure he’s gotten
all
his kinks out?” Skye asked. “I wasn’t having much fun, you know.”
“Yes, we know,” Oliver said stonily. “We have a couple of thousand dollars’ worth of outtakes to prove it. And if we don’t finish up today, we’re going to have to hold over until tomorrow. We’re supposed to be packed up and out of here by tonight, Skye. Are you ready to try again?”
Skye didn’t like being reminded that these mistakes cost money. Lisa could see him wince at Oliver’s testiness.He turned toward Pepper with a look of grim determination on his face.
“Hi-yo Silver,” he said, trying to put on a bold face. He took the reins from Lisa, tightened up on them, and then grabbed hold of the saddle, putting his left foot in the stirrup. He shifted his weight onto his left foot and swung upward.
Pepper was as glad to have Skye returning to the saddle as Skye was to be there. The horse took several steps forward. Lisa grabbed for the bridle, barely getting hold of it and bringing Pepper to a stop before the horse took off with the star of the movie dangling by a leg. Skye’s foot slid back out of the stirrup, his hands released their grip on the saddle, and he landed unceremoniously in the dirt. He glared at Pepper.
The tension was thick, and Lisa felt as if she were in the middle of it. After all, she was supposed to be Skye’s riding coach, and she was the one who had said Pepper would behave. It seemed that Skye was about to start yelling at Pepper, and Oliver was about to start yelling at Skye. Lisa looked around desperately, hoping to find something like touching the good-luck horseshoe to break the mood.
Mother Nature suddenly came to the rescue. There was a tremendous gust of wind, bringing a chill to
“Cut!” Oliver cried, now very frustrated. “This isn’t working, Skye,” the director said, holding the horse’s reins while Skye dismounted. “Is there something wrong with the horse?”
Skye shrugged and looked to Lisa for an answer.
“He could just be misbehaving,” Lisa said. “I’ll try riding him around for a minute to see if he calms down.”
Lisa had learned that horses have moods just like people do, and sometimes when things start to go wrong, they get annoyed and misbehave. If that was what was wrong with Pepper, all she had to do was change his mood. She climbed into Pepper’s saddle and began walking him. Right away she could tell he was in a bad mood because he was ambling slowly and reluctantly. It was almost as if he were trying to pick a fight. She signaled him to trot. He kept on walking. She tried again. He refused. No wonder Skye was having such a rough time with him! Pepper had been taking advantage of him from the start. It was hard to look exhilarated and happy when a horse was taking you for a ride instead of the other wayaround. Lisa tapped Pepper on the flank with a riding crop. He kept on walking. She did it again, a little harder, and he finally broke into a lumbering trot.
A riding crop wasn’t meant to hurt a horse, and she certainly hadn’t hurt Pepper. It was just supposed to remind him who was giving the orders. She tapped him again, and Pepper began to get the message. His trot perked up. For about five minutes Lisa rode Pepper around the paddock, changing gaits and directions. She wanted to fill his mind so full of her commands that he didn’t have time to rebel. Pretty soon he was doing everything she told him, responding instantly to the slightest leg pressure or weight change. That was the way Pepper usually behaved.
“I think he’s better now,” Lisa said to Skye and Oliver. “He just needed to get a few kinks out.” She dismounted and held the reins.
“Are you sure he’s gotten
all
his kinks out?” Skye asked. “I wasn’t having much fun, you know.”
“Yes, we know,” Oliver said stonily. “We have a couple of thousand dollars’ worth of outtakes to prove it. And if we don’t finish up today, we’re going to have to hold over until tomorrow. We’re supposed to be packed up and out of here by tonight, Skye. Are you ready to try again?”
Skye didn’t like being reminded that these mistakes cost money. Lisa could see him wince at Oliver’s testiness.He turned toward Pepper with a look of grim determination on his face.
“Hi-yo Silver,” he said, trying to put on a bold face. He took the reins from Lisa, tightened up on them, and then grabbed hold of the saddle, putting his left foot in the stirrup. He shifted his weight onto his left foot and swung upward.
Pepper was as glad to have Skye returning to the saddle as Skye was to be there. The horse took several steps forward. Lisa grabbed for the bridle, barely getting hold of it and bringing Pepper to a stop before the horse took off with the star of the movie dangling by a leg. Skye’s foot slid back out of the stirrup, his hands released their grip on the saddle, and he landed unceremoniously in the dirt. He glared at Pepper.
The tension was thick, and Lisa felt as if she were in the middle of it. After all, she was supposed to be Skye’s riding coach, and she was the one who had said Pepper would behave. It seemed that Skye was about to start yelling at Pepper, and Oliver was about to start yelling at Skye. Lisa looked around desperately, hoping to find something like touching the good-luck horseshoe to break the mood.
Mother Nature suddenly came to the rescue. There was a tremendous gust of wind, bringing a chill to
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