Crown Prince Challenged (30 page)

Prince continued to move slowly in his paddock, searching out the best morsels of grass. As Sarah watched, he stopped grazing and pawed the earth with a front leg. He paused momentarily and then lowered himself to the ground. Instead of rolling to scratch his back as he usually did, he stretched out on his side and lay still.

It looks like he's going to take a nap,
Sarah thought.
The sun probably feels as good to him as it does to me.
She watched her horse for several minutes before quietly slipping through the paddock fence and going to him. He lifted his head as she came closer, but made no move to rise. When she was close enough, she sat down in the grass beside him, gently stroking his neck and speaking to him softly. “Good Prince, good boy,” she repeated. Prince partially closed his eyes, loving her voice and touch.

Sarah wasn't sure how long she had been sitting on the grass beside her horse when a voice behind her broke the quiet. “I wish I had my camera.” It was Derek, grinning at her.

Sarah smiled back. “Have I died and gone to heaven?” she asked. “The sun feels so warm. Prince and I are both loving it.”

But Derek's presence had caught Prince's attention. Sarah moved quickly out of the way as he scrambled to his feet. Shaking his head, he ambled to a clump of thick grass and resumed grazing. Sarah went to where Derek was leaning on the fence. “I suppose you've heard about what happened to Quarry yesterday,” she said.

“Yeah, it's all over the barn. Paige is walking him in the courtyard now. Tough luck.”

Sarah bent down to pull up a long shaft of Timothy from the taller grass. She leaned against a fence post and chewed the stem.

“What will happen to the team?” Derek asked.

“Jack wants Prince and me to fill Quarry's slot.” Sarah looked thoughtfully at Derek, as he considered what she had told him.

“Are you going to do it?” he asked.

“Jack says he will help us prepare. We have only a month before the event, but he thinks we can do it. I was undecided until I talked to Mrs. DeWitt. She said I must have faith in Jack and confidence in Prince. We're going to compete.”

Derek smiled broadly. “Awesome! Your horse is going super, and Jack is a fantastic instructor. You guys will kick butt!”

As Sarah biked home that afternoon, she considered how she would break the news to her parents. She had related yesterday's events to them in great detail, and she knew her mother felt uneasy about Prince's fast gallop on the beach. How would they react to having her ride in the Wexford Hall competition? Sarah decided to wait until after dinner to bring it up.

After the table had been cleared and the dishes placed in the dishwasher, Sarah checked the kitchen wall clock. She had fifteen minutes before one of her parents' favorite programs,
60 Minutes,
would begin. Her father was already in the den when she approached her mother in the kitchen. “There's something I want to talk to you and Dad about. Can we do it now?” Her mother frowned, sensing something serious, as she followed Sarah.

Once they were all seated, Sarah spoke. “After his injury, there's no way Quarry can be part of the Brookmeade Farm team that's going to compete at Wexford Hall,” she began. “Jack spoke to me today. He thinks Prince and I can do it, and he wants us to take Quarry's place.”

Her mother drew in her breath sharply before looking at her husband and then back at Sarah. “Is this the competition you told us about, where the horses have to jump all kinds of solid jumps on a cross-country course?” her mother asked.

Sarah nodded her head. “There are also dressage and show jumping phases. Except for the cross-country part, it's all the things my Young Riders class has been working on all year. Everyone says Prince is awesome. Sometimes he does better than the horses that have been in that group for a long time.”

Sarah knew she had some convincing to do. “The event lasts three days, and we'll be staying in a dorm at the Belmont School. Jack's going to coach the team. There have to be four riders on a team, so Kayla, Rita, and Tim really need me. Jack says Prince will be ready.”

“But you need our permission,” her father reminded her.

“Of course, Dad,” Sarah replied. “But this is so exciting! I'll get to take Prince to Wexford Hall and ride on those beautiful grounds. Because we're representing Brookmeade Farm, the DeWitts are paying our entry fees. I'll stay in a dorm with the other kids. It will be a blast! I've been riding Prince for almost a year, and with Jack's help we've learned so much. We've worked hard, and now here's a chance for Prince to show everyone what he can do and what an amazing horse he is.”

Sarah's eyes sparkled as she talked, and when she had made her case, she sat quietly, gripping the arms of her chair, waiting to hear her parents' reaction. They looked at one another, and then back at Sarah.

Finally her father spoke. “We seem to have had conversations like this in the past, Sarah, always wondering if something you're doing with that horse might be too dangerous. We've worried you could be at risk. For a long time all has gone well, but now you're proposing to ride him in a competition over a demanding cross-country course, where you could be in harm's way.”

“This isn't an easy question,” Sarah's mother said. “You say Kayla and your other friends will be riding in this event.” There was a long pause as she and her husband exchanged glances.

“Give us a minute.” Mr. Wagner said. Sarah's parents got up and walked to the kitchen. From where she sat, she could hear a hushed conversation. Sarah found herself holding her breath. Were they arguing? Were they trying to figure out how to say no? She braced herself for what might be bad news.

After the Wagners came back into the den and sat down, her mother spoke. “When we've had to make similar decisions this past year, your dad and I talked about the fact that you are growing up. In a few years, you'll be on your own, making all your own decisions. We'll have to let go someday, and maybe this is the time. So as much as we'll worry about your safety, we must have faith in Jack's judgment. If you feel confident in your riding skill and your horse's ability, we won't hold you back from riding at Wexford Hall.”

Sarah looked at first one parent and then the other, smiling with tears in her eyes. “No kid could ever have parents as great as you guys are,” she said. “I will always remember this.”

A FEW YEARS BEFORE
Sarah rode at Brookmeade, when the DeWitts knew Jack O'Brien was coming from Ireland to take over the training duties at the farm, they had begun construction of a cross-country course on the property. With Jack at the helm, they envisioned Brookmeade Farm becoming an equestrian center where training sessions, clinics, and eventually competitions could be held. In addition to building a few jumps in the meadow close to the barn, others were placed on the network of trails around the farm, often taking advantage of existing resources such as stone walls, a gate, hedges, and logs. Other obstacles had required an investment in materials. Eventually more obstacles would have to be built if competitions were to be held at the farm, but for now, there were plenty to help the Brookmeade team prepare for the Wexford Cup.

The next Young Riders lesson was devoted entirely to cross-country riding, with Jack mounted on the chestnut Thoroughbred, French Twist. While Quarry was out of action, Paige would be riding school horses, and today she was on McDuff, the bay Morgan gelding. Even though she wouldn't be on the team, Paige still wanted to train with the class and keep riding fit.

Jack gathered the riders in the indoor to speak to them before they headed out. “Having a season's eventing experience under his belt, Tim has a definite advantage when it comes to cross-country riding. But the rest of you have a solid foundation of dressage and jumping in the indoor arena and on the hunt course, which should help immensely. I think with the work we'll be doing in the coming weeks, you'll be well prepared for the competition.” French Twist was getting antsy, anxious to be on his way, and Jack circled him before continuing.

“Brookmeade Farm doesn't come even close to having all the kinds of obstacles you'll be facing at Wexford Hall, but we have enough to cover the basics. We'll use the brook for training in water, and we've already schooled on the bank with a drop in the meadow next to the barn. We're lucky that stone walls abound here. Ditches appear on most cross-country courses, and sometimes people make the mistake of underestimating the challenge they pose. Today we're going to ride toward the north field so we can school over a white gate, a cordwood pile, a coop, and a table. Coming back on the loop, we'll jump a stone wall and a ditch.”

The six horses and riders filed out of the arena, with Jack leading the way toward the hayfield trail. Crown Prince was relaxed, happy to be with the horses he'd gone on hacks with many times. McDuff was almost always used in lessons in the outdoor ring or indoor arena, so he was excited to be going out on a trail for a change. Paige had to ask him to slow his pace several times, but she was used to riding a quick horse. “Do you have any idea what the Wexford Hall course is like?” Tim asked Jack, as they walked along the trail. “It was a little farther away than my dad wanted to travel to an event, so I didn't ride there last year.”

Jack twisted in the saddle to reply to Tim. “I've not been there either, but I'm told the terrain has some steep hills. That's why 'tis so important for our horses to be well-conditioned. It takes a fit horse to gallop on hills.” Jack slowed French Twist and then turned back to Tim. “As for the kinds of obstacles, I suspect they'll have the typical things like water, banks, drops, and ditches in various forms. We'll get a look at everything when we walk the course before the competition.

Kayla was close enough to overhear the conversation. “The horses don't get to see the obstacles ahead of time, right?”

“Correct, so it requires a real partnership, with horse and rider trusting each other,” Jack replied. “But
you
can walk the course as many times as you'd like. I recommend walking it several times, once to get an overview, and then at least once more so you can analyze each obstacle. As your coach, I plan on walking the course with you.”

After they'd ridden a few minutes longer, Jack halted French Twist and pointed to a good-sized obstacle of neatly stacked cordwood in the distance. “We're going to jump the cordwood you can see down there. I'll go ahead and will be waiting on the other side so I can watch you.” He paused to scan the five riders in front of him. “Let's go in this order: Tim, Kayla, Rita, Sarah, and Paige. I checked this trail yesterday and removed a little windfall on the ground, so the footing should be good.”

Soon Jack and French Twist were cantering toward the cordwood, jumping it easily. The riders could see where Jack had halted in a small clearing on the side of the trail. One by one they followed Jack's example. When it was Sarah's turn, Prince approached the obstacle with a lot of confidence, jumping it easily. She pulled him up before they reached the other horses and listened to Jack's critique of her ride. “Good pace coming into the obstacle, and Prince jumped it in good form. Excellent.” Paige followed her on McDuff, who also jumped it well.

The group continued walking along the trail until Jack stopped them again. “The white gate that's at the entrance to the north hay field is farther along the trail. Let's proceed as we did for the cordwood. I'll be waiting in the field. Your horses may be eager to get to the open field, but don't let them rush coming into the gate.” After Jack had left them to jump the gate into the field, all five horses followed him in order and all five jumped the white gate in good form. They gathered with Jack in the field where he critiqued each ride.

Sarah was so proud of Prince! He had never seen any of the obstacles they had jumped that day, and yet he was fearless and forward! Afterward they checked out a table jump and a large gray coop that awaited them on opposite sides of the field. While the jumps were good-sized and the table had width to contend with, they were in open, inviting locations with straightforward approaches.

Jack addressed the group before they went any farther. “Don't forget you'll receive penalties at Wexford Hall if you don't complete the course in the time allowed. Your horses will have to move consistently at a hand gallop, and you will have to know how to rate them along the way. So let's jump these two obstacles while circling the field at a good clip.”

There were no problems until Paige approached the table on her horse. McDuff was used to jumping much smaller fences in the riding school's program, and he was intimidated by this obstacle. When Paige sensed his hesitation, she sat deeply, using her seat and legs to urge him forward. It wasn't enough, and McDuff came to an abrupt stop in front of the table.

Jack immediately trotted French Twist closer. “Please come away from the table and out into the field,” he said to Paige. “I want you to trot a figure-eight, making sure your horse bends properly and moves forward with impulsion. He needs to be listening to you.” Paige followed Jack's directive, and once McDuff was moving correctly, Jack spoke again. “Now I want you to pick up left lead canter and come off the circle straight toward the table. The instant you feel McDuff hesitate, use your crop behind your leg and continue strongly to the table. If he loses impulsion a second time, use your crop again.”

Paige asked McDuff for canter and came in a straight line toward the obstacle. As soon as McDuff knew they were heading for the table, he attempted to slow his pace. Paige reacted immediately by sitting deeply and reaching back to smack him behind her leg with her crop. McDuff leaped forward. With no more hesitation, he approached the table and jumped it with plenty of room to spare. He continued cantering and easily jumped the gray coop ahead of them before turning back to the class. The riders clapped and cheered.