Crown Prince Challenged (8 page)

Prince didn't like standing still and was getting antsy, tossing his head and pulling harder on the lead shank. Now that she and her horse had the boarders' area all to themselves, Sarah resumed walking Prince. He continued to be distracted by the many horses in the arena, jigging occasionally and pulling on the shank, but she was able to get in the fifteen minutes of walking Jack had prescribed. It wasn't pleasant dealing with a totally uptight horse, but Sarah realized the experience might make Prince calmer on another, similar occasion. When she finally turned him toward the gate, she was glad to be leaving the hubbub behind.

Once they were back in his stall, Sarah stood close to her horse, talking softly and stroking his neck. Gradually she felt the tension leave him. She thought about what had happened in the indoor, knowing the humiliation of falling from her horse would make Kelly even more resentful.
Would it help if I apologized?
Sarah wondered. She decided to bite the bullet and give it a try.

At the other end of the barn, Midnight Jet was on cross-ties in the aisle with Kelly and Nicole standing beside him, deep in conversation. Kelly's gray riding pants had a large dark stain on her right side where she had fallen. The girls saw her coming and turned to face her, silently glaring.
Ugh!
Sarah thought.
Two against one.

“Kelly, I'm really sorry for what happened,” Sarah said. “I hope you're okay.”

Kelly put her hands on her hips. “You've got some nerve, bringing that crazy Thoroughbred into the indoor arena when it was crowded. He's an accident waiting to happen!” she said, glowering.

Sarah wasn't surprised by Kelly's words, but that didn't make them any easier to take, especially when Kelly's riding had caused the incident. There was no doubt in Sarah's mind that Kelly had purposely tried to frighten Prince. Sarah took a deep breath and shook her head. She'd been an idiot not to realize this conversation would be a waste of time. She turned to walk away.

“And don't even think of riding him in our class, either,” Nicole called after her. “Your horse is a menace!”

Sarah winced. She stopped short and spun around to face them. “Excuse me?”

“It's all over the barn that you're supposed to start riding in our class,” Nicole continued with a sneer. “After what your horse did today, we don't want him anywhere near our horses. He's dangerous!”

Sarah bit her lip and decided not to argue. She started back to her stall, her mind racing.
How do those jerks know Jack wants me to ride in their class?
Perhaps Paige had mentioned it to someone, and then the boarding-barn rumor mill had kicked in.
I wonder if Kelly and Nicole plan to use what happened today against me,
she thought.
Will they try and convince people Crown Prince is vicious because he kicked out at Jet?

Sarah needed to share this latest incident with Kayla, and she texted her friend.
Call me ASAP. Important!
She put her phone in her pocket and went to get a wheelbarrow and manure fork from the shavings shed, dodging rain drops along the way. With Prince on cross-ties, she got to work on his stall, but it wasn't long before her cell vibrated. It was a text message from Kayla.
“What's up, kid?”

Sarah called and told Kayla the whole story, ending with the choice remarks the girls had made to her after she apologized. “This totally freaks me out!” she said. “I can't have people saying my horse is dangerous—what if my parents hear these rumors?”

“They're dorks!” Kayla said. “Your horse isn't vicious or dangerous! But you've got to be careful. If those losers are trying to keep you out of their class, they're going to complain to Jack. I wouldn't put it past them to make up some crazy story.”

Sarah shut her eyes and gripped her phone tighter. “You're right, Kayla. They're going to exaggerate what happened and blow it all out of proportion.”

“You know, it's a no-brainer that those two jerks are jealous of you. If they really want to ride better, they should think about losing a few pounds. Did you give them a piece of your mind when they opened up on you with both barrels?”

Sarah was quiet for a moment. Kayla had a point. When Kelly and Nicole were spewing all their venom, she should have set the record straight. Instead she'd just walked away. “You know I'm not good at that. I'm not fast on my feet, and I never know what to say.”

“Well, I wouldn't have let them get away with it. I'd have told them off and then some. You're going to have to grow some backbone, kid. But Mom's yelling for me—gotta go. Don't forget. You need to tell Jack what's going on before they do!”

After Sarah had finished cleaning Prince's stall and returned the wheelbarrow to the shavings shed, she met Derek and Bismarck on their way back from the indoor arena. She studied the horse as Derek led him by. Bismarck had a lot of Prince's refinement, plus other qualities that would serve him well, specifically as a show jumper. His legs had substantial bone and a larger foot, and like Chancellor, he had massive hindquarters for pushing over large fences.

“It was a zoo out there!” Derek complained. “Is the indoor arena always this busy?”

“No, thank goodness,” Sarah said. “They usually don't hold two classes at the same time. How did Bismarck handle the mass confusion?”

“He was a little nervous, but not bad.” Derek led Bismarck into his stall and removed the lead shank from his halter. “If only people wouldn't ride so close. We're not dealing with bicycles here.”

“Tell me about it,” Sarah replied. She considered revealing what had happened with Prince in the arena earlier to Derek, but decided against it.
Derek's new here. He doesn't need to hear about all the drama.

“Bismarck's been exposed to a lot,” Derek continued. “The shows in Germany can be really big. After doing that a couple years, it would take something pretty wild to get him totally unglued.”

“You probably can't wait to show him,” Sarah said.

“I love doing the jumpers and sailing over big fences. We have a few wrinkles to work out, though. That's where Jack comes in.”

Sarah watched him head for the tack room with his box of grooming equipment.
What a cool guy!
she thought.
But why would he ever be interested in me? Anyway, I've got more important things to think about right now.

Sarah left to give the horses their evening feed, and after making the rounds distributing the grain and filling the plastic pails with the next morning's rations, she climbed the stairs leading to the hay loft. She was lost in thought as she picked up flakes of hay with the pitchfork and tossed them down into each horse's stall. After her confrontation with Rita, now she had to deal with Kelly and Nicole. Why couldn't things just go smoothly? All she wanted was to ride and care for her beautiful horse. If Kelly claimed that Prince had maliciously kicked out at her horse, would Jack believe her?
I know what happened,
Sarah thought.
I saw the whole thing.
She had to tell Jack her side of the story before Kelly and Nicole got to him.

When every horse and the two ponies had been fed, Sarah started down the stairs from the loft to return to her horse. She needed to reapply his bandage before she headed home. She had almost reached the foot of the stairs when she saw Jack approaching.

“Hello, Sarah. I was just coming to find you,” he said, his voice carrying a somewhat steely edge. “When you have a moment, I'd like to talk to you in the office.”

For a moment she froze, her hand gripping the banister. “Sure. I can come right now,” she said. With a sinking feeling, she followed her instructor the short distance to the stable office, which was unoccupied. Jack closed the door and turned to face her.

“Are you aware of what's going on with Kelly Hoffman?” he asked.

Sarah took a deep breath. “Yes, I am. I think she's upset with me because she fell off Midnight Jet in the indoor this afternoon. Prince kicked out at her horse. When Jet swerved sharply to miss the kick, Kelly lost her balance and hit the dust.”

Jack's face was serious. “So Prince
did
kick out at Jet?”

Sarah nodded. “I know that's bad, Jack. But Midnight Jet was coming up behind Prince very fast, and it seemed like he would miss us only by inches, if at all.” Sarah clenched her fists. “Prince was just trying to protect himself!”

“Well, Mrs. Hoffman called here a little while ago. She's upset. It's her understanding that Prince actually
kicked
Midnight Jet, and she doesn't want Prince in the same class with her daughter.” Jack hesitated a moment, looking at Sarah sharply, and asked again, “Are you
sure
Prince didn't hit Jet?”

Sarah stood tall, her expression resolute, and looked Jack straight in the eye. “I was looking back when it happened. I saw the whole thing. Kelly's horse was coming up behind Prince very fast, and I think she was doing it on purpose, trying to make Prince totally freak out. But his kick didn't touch Midnight Jet.”

Jack stepped past her and opened the office door. “Let's go have a look.” Together they walked to Midnight Jet's stall. Most of the riders had gone home, and the barn was quiet except for the sounds of horses eating, some rattling their feed tubs as they cleaned up the last kernels of grain. Jack picked up a lead rope from a hook beside the door to Jet's stall.

“He's not going to like leaving his hay, but I'm going to bring Jet out into the aisle where the light's better. You can hold him while I check him over. Mrs. Hoffman said he was kicked on his side, and by now there would be some heat and swelling at the point of impact.”

Jack led Midnight Jet from the stall and handed the lead rope to Sarah. She studied the bay horse with a snip of white on his muzzle. After being around Crown Prince, the 15.2-hand gelding seemed small. Except for a slightly Roman nose, he had a pretty face and seemed pretty easygoing. Jet nuzzled her sweatshirt looking for treats, and Sarah stroked him lightly.
Kelly should realize she's lucky to have such a nice horse,
she thought.
She needs to find better things to do than give me a hard time!

Jack moved to the horse's right side and scrutinized the area near where a saddle would sit. Not a hair was out of place. Next he ran his hands gently over the entire area, searching for any place that might feel slightly warm or swollen to his touch. He repeated the process on the opposite side, before inspecting the horse's legs and chest for any sign of injury. At no time did Jet flinch or show any sensitivity to pressure from Jack's hands.

When Jack straightening up and spoke to Sarah, his words were clipped. “There's nothing wrong with this horse. Let's put him away.” He took the lead rope and led Midnight Jet back into his stall. Jack looked troubled when he stepped back into the aisle. He slid the stall door shut, and without another word, headed back to the office. Sarah stayed for a few minutes, watching Midnight Jet. The horse was content, eating his hay and occasionally going to his water bucket. He certainly didn't act like a horse experiencing any discomfort.

Why do some people have to go out of their way to make trouble?
Sarah thought. She headed to her own horse's stall, where Prince was also busy eating. Derek must have left for the day. She felt a twinge of disappointment as she walked to the tack room to get the things from her trunk she needed to wrap Prince's leg. Upon returning, she put him on the cross-ties in the aisle and brushed the injured area lightly with a soft brush. The cut was lightly scabbed over, and following Jack's instructions, she dabbed it with Furoxone ointment before applying the bandage. She stepped back to survey her work, noticing that her bandaging job didn't look nearly as good as Jack's.
I hope it won't slip down,
she thought.

Sarah suddenly remembered that Mr. DeWitt had suggested she try riding Prince in a different bit. Maybe someone in the barn had one she could borrow just to try it out. She decided to call Jack.

His phone rang twice before Jack answered. “Sorry to bother you, Jack, but there's something I forgot to ask you,” Sarah began. She told him about her conversation with Mr. DeWitt and his suggestion of switching to a stronger bit. “What do you think, Jack? If it's a good idea, I could try to get one before I take Prince into the woods the next time.

There was no hesitation in Jack's response. “Sarah, a stronger bit is not the way to go with your horse. You want him to respect the bit you put in his mouth, and he must respond to what you ask, but at the same time he needs to go forward into that bit, to take it willingly. Do you understand what I'm saying?”

“I think so,” she said, feeling her cheeks warm at the correction. “You've told us it's bad for a horse to be behind the bit. Is that what you mean?”

“Exactly. When a bit makes a horse uncomfortable, he'll bring his head back too far in an effort to evade it. You certainly don't want that. I believe training and experience are the keys here.”

“Thanks,” Sarah said quickly. “I thought I should ask, and thanks for explaining it to me. I've got so much to learn!”

Biking home from the barn, Sarah's thoughts were on her horse. As soon as his leg healed sufficiently, she'd be able to ride him again, and not just in the indoor or sand ring. They were going on another trail ride, and she and Prince would have their chance to convince her parents and everyone else that her horse was as level-headed and well-behaved as he was beautiful.

SATURDAY DAWNED MORE LIKE SUMMER
than fall, with a warm breeze skimming over the grass in the fields at Brookmeade Farm. As Sarah biked along the farm road that morning, she watched the three Thoroughbred foals with their dams turned out in the acres of green pasture on her left. The two colts and a filly had grown a lot in the last month, and before long they'd be weaned from their dams and shipped to Hank Bolton's farm in Florida. If all went well, someday their speed would be tested on the racetrack.