Keeker and the Horse Show Show-Off (3 page)

When Plum was all tacked up, Jane Louise gave Keeker a leg up (for luck), and they all walked over to the warm-up ring.

There were a zillion ponies there—Keeker had never seen so many ponies and kids all in one place in her life!

But even in the crowd, it was easy to spot Tifni. She had blue velvet ribbons on the ends of her braids and blue yarn braided into Windsong’s mane.

Keeker began to feel very sad. She didn’t have any ribbons in her hair, and she wasn’t wearing any new stuff.

Plum’s mane wasn’t even braided—it was just sticking out like it normally did.

“Everyone looks better than me,” Keeker thought miserably.

“These ponies look ridiculous,” thought Plum. “Everyone here could use a good roll in the dirt.”

Suddenly, the announcer called, “Number thirty-six, you’re on deck!” That meant Tifni and Windsong were up next. They rode into the starting gate, and
DING!
the starting bell clanged.

Off they went. Tifni and her pony jumped the first jump perfectly. Then the second, then the third, then the fourth, then the fifth.

The sixth jump was right in front of the judge’s stand. Tifni turned sideways in her saddle to give the judges a BIG smile.

But, turning sideways in your saddle isn’t always such a good idea. Windsong turned sideways, too, and missed the last jump entirely.

“Ohhhhhhhhh,” the crowd groaned. Tifni’s mother gasped and clutched her purse. She looked like she might faint. Tifni burst into tears.

“BAD pony!” she said as she rode out of the ring, even though it really wasn’t Windsong’s fault.

That made Windsong VERY mad. So mad, in fact, that she nipped Plum on the nose as they rode by.

Plum had had enough. It was one thing to miss your breakfast and have your leg fall asleep; it was quite another to get bitten by a snotty pony you didn’t even know.

“Time to teach those two a lesson,” she thought.

Keeker and Plum rode into the starting gate. Plum snorted and pawed and swished her tail—
she was ready! Keeker sat in a slumpy way. She felt like crying. She wished she were at home, riding in the field. She couldn’t even remember why she had wanted to come to the horse show in the first place.

The starting bell clanged, and Keeker and Plum were off. Plum flew over the first jump, then the second, then the third. Keeker stopped slumping. She sat up and pushed her heels down and stretched her neck up tall, just like Jane Louise had said.

They jumped the fourth jump and the fifth, then SAILED over the last jump like they were in the Olympics. Even the judges cheered!

Had they won? It seemed too good to be true. The loudspeaker crackled with static, and the announcer’s voice came on loud and clear: “Our winner is … number thirty-seven!”

That was Keeker’s number—they HAD won! Keeker was so surprised she forgot all about her acceptance speech.

Plum wasn’t surprised at all. She stood perfectly still and puffed her chest out proudly as the judge pinned the blue ribbon onto her bridle.

That night Keeker and her parents and Jane Louise all went out for burgers, to celebrate. Keeker saved her pickles for Plum.

Plum LOVED pickles. Keeker brought them down to the barn, and Plum nibbled them gently out of her hand.

After that, everyone was full and sleepy. Keeker went back to the house and got under her delicious cool covers and drifted off immediately. Plum pushed her hay into a pile and fell asleep on top of it.

Even the barn owl couldn’t stay awake.

The stars in the sky glittered like silver trophies. The whole night long they winked and blinked, all the way till morning.