Charlie and Charm (8 page)

Those two did great until … Tam fell off over the tyres! Shine stopped suddenly, then did a big leap and sent
Tam flying over her head. We all went GASP! like we did when we were watching the Burghley DVD, but amazingly Tam was fine and she got back on and finished the course. Go, girl!
8 penalty points
.

Millie + Tally

Those two got eliminated for going the wrong way! Sally shouted out, “Millie, how many times have you done this course?” Millie was grinning, going, “I know, but it wasn’t me who decided to race over to the other side of the field!” I don’t think cheeky Tally’s ever going to win her any prizes, but she loves him all the same!
Eliminated (whoops!)
.

Skye + Fisher

Skye took it really slow and steady, going into trot between jumps, and if only they hadn’t had the gate down, they would have gone clear. But it
was
very fragile! She got a bit flustered after that, but we all cheered her on and she collected her reins and trotted a circle round the tree before taking off towards the tyre jump. Fisher flew over that
and
the ditch, and when they came to a stop Skye was absolutely beaming! She kept saying she just couldn’t believe they’d jumped the whole course. Especially when at the beginning of the week she never even thought she’d come out here!
4 penalty points
(they did brilliantly!)
.

And what about me?

Well, I wish I could write that I had ZERO faults and I WON, but that would be a BIG FIB!!

Charm went like a dream over the log pile and we got a lovely straight central approach over the double. We turned quite late after that (my fault – I was too busy thinking
phew
! about us
getting over the double without knocking the second half down). Thank goodness the hedge was next so we could brush through it. If it had been the gate we’d definitely have had it down. I pulled myself together then and looked ahead, past the gate, and Charm just got on and jumped it without me ‘helping’ (ahem!).

Then we romped round the tree in a balanced canter, like the one we had going on the beach ride. We were nicely lined up for the tyre jump, but for some reason Charm put in an extra stride at the last minute and jumped a really long way over it, so we weren’t quite right for the ditch and he just suddenly stopped in front of it.

The crowd at the fence all gasped as I nearly went flying over his neck, but I managed
to hold on, just! My heart was pounding – we’d whizzed over the ditch in the morning lesson, so I just hadn’t been expecting a refusal! But I shook off my disappointment and circled Charm round again.

Looking back now, I know what I did wrong on my second go, but I didn’t realize it at the time. I tried to take charge and bobbed up too soon, just the thing Sally had warned me not to do! It unbalanced Charm and he clattered to a stop in front of the ditch again. One more refusal and we’d be eliminated.

I was about to get really frustrated, but then I stopped myself. After all, me and Charm were a team and we weren’t going to go to pieces at the last hurdle (and it actually
was
the last hurdle – hee hee!). I imagined us jumping the driftwood on the beach and tried to feel like I had felt then. The thought made me smile, and when I relaxed Charm did, too.

I trotted on, rode a circle and picked up canter as I turned in front of the tyre jump. I kept Charm really collected so we’d have lots of impulsion and he’d know that we could easily clear the ditch. I looked up and ahead like it was no big deal, gave Charm a final squeeze to urge him on … and then we were landing. We were over! Instead of sitting forward too soon, I’d just naturally left my seat and hinged at the hips at the right time without even thinking about it. I had felt like I was part of the movement. Like I was part of Charm!

So in the end I had 12 faults, the same as Jemima, meaning that we came joint last apart from Millie!!

Oh well, never mind!!

We all got rosettes, though, so I’ve still got something to put on my wall! Mum took pix of us all after the prize-giving, but I haven’t printed them out yet so here’s my drawing:

When Sally presented me with my rosette, Mum and Dad were clapping and cheering just as much as if I’d come first! I didn’t really mind being second to last – especially because Jemima put her arm through mine and called out, “We’re joint nearly last! Take a bow, Charlie!” We both took a bow at the same time and everyone laughed and clapped for us. We were in fits of giggles and I said, “I can’t
believe it! I really thought you’d win!”

Jemima’s eyes widened and she said, “
Did
you? I really thought
you
would!”

After we’d taken our ponies back to the barn and untacked them, we got drinks and watched Group A playing their gymkhana games. It was great fun clapping and cheering for them and when the last race came round I didn’t want it to end! Soon it was time to bring our stuff downstairs. We went into the older girls’ room to swap addresses, and all nine of us ended up piling together in a special Pony Camp hug! When Sally came up to see where we’d got to, we’d toppled over and were lying on the floor in total hysterics!

Skye held up her rosette and said to Sally, “I still can’t believe it!”

Sally grinned. “You did it one step at a time, that’s all it takes! Isn’t that right, Charlie?”

I sat up and gave her a puzzled look. I didn’t know what she was talking about at first. But then I realized she meant that I’d got over Apple by just taking one step at a time.

Getting back on to a yard and joining in with the girls was one step, and so was making friends with Charm. Having a go at the cross country was another step, and our teamwork on the beach ride was a step, too. And finally, trusting each other to tackle that ditch was a
big
step (well, a giant leap actually!).

It was so hard to say goodbye to the girls, and even when we’d brought our stuff down we kept hugging and taking photos and then hugging more, until Ricosha’s mum said she really had to head off because it’s quite a way to Croydon. It was time to say goodbye to the ponies then (boo hoo!).

I made a great big fuss of Charm, my fabulous pony for the week, and told him
how wonderful he was. Also, I said sorry again for being such a grouch at the start of Pony Camp and whispered about 24 thank yous in his ear for teaching me so much.