The Palomino Pony Runs Free (2 page)

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G
eorgia was still muttering crossly to herself as she untacked Lily and rugged her up for the night. The little mare was calm again now and stood quietly, enjoying the attention, closing her white-lashed eyes. Carefully, Georgia wiped the pony’s face with a cloth. “It’s just lucky you’re so trusting now,” she murmured as she finished her grooming routine. “That stupid rider could have
really unnerved you!”

“Georgia!”

Melanie’s voice cut across her thoughts and she whirled round to see the owner of Redgrove striding across the yard, a terrier at each heel. Kind, caring and a brilliant rider, Melanie was Georgia’s absolute role model, and had taught her everything she knew about ponies.

“Hello Georgia, hello Lily…” Melanie paused to stroke the little mare. “Goodness she’s looking well, isn’t she? Anyway, G, I’m glad I caught you. I nearly didn’t get out of that Pony Club meeting alive – you know what Janey’s like, planning rallies left, right and centre!”

Georgia chuckled. She loved Janey, the Pony Club instructor, but she could be fierce, and she liked to talk – a lot!

“Anyway,” Melanie continued, raking her hands through her dark hair and securing it with
a tortoiseshell clip. “There’s something that I meant to tell you yesterday … but it all happened so fast, and it was a bit last-minute. You remember Sara, who used to live in the village?” Georgia vaguely recalled one of Melanie’s horsey friends and nodded.

“She’s the one who had Sophie to stay for a while when she was doing her university placement last term,” Melanie went on. “So I owe her a favour – and she’s asked if we can have her nephew and his pony here in the run up to the Horse of the Year Show – just to help him keep focused. He qualified like you did, but as a working hunter jumper, not a flat show rider.”

“Really?” At the mention of the Horse of the Year Show, Georgia was immediately interested!

“Yes, he’s come to train with Janey,” Melanie continued, stroking Lily. “He used to be in the Round Barrow Pony Club. I said we had a
spare stable.”

Georgia’s interest was definitely piqued. A new livery,
and
one that was also going to the Horse of the Year Show! Georgia hadn’t been on the competition scene for long and so she didn’t know anyone else who had qualified. Although Dan and Emma – her other best friend – shared her excitement, it was hard for them to understand the enormous scale of the event, so it would be great to have someone to talk to about it. She could ask him how he was dealing with his nerves. Or maybe he could even give her some help with her jumping. Although Lily was an excellent jumper, Georgia always felt more comfortable doing flatwork.

“So, what do you think?” asked Melanie.

“Sounds great,” said Georgia. “We can compare notes and it’ll be someone to ride out with as well.” She grinned enthusiastically.
“When does he arrive?”

“Well…” Melanie’s answer was cut short by a shrill whinny from Callie as the yard gates opened and a horse and rider clattered over the cobbled floor. “He’s actually already here!”

Georgia looked up and let out a gasp. Trotting towards her was the dark brown mare from earlier – the one that had nearly run them down out on the heath. Georgia’s eyes narrowed as Melanie continued talking.

“I know you’ll get along brilliantly,” she was saying. “You’re both as pony crazy as each other! Georgia meet Will. Will – Georgia! Oh, and Will’s pony, Santa.” Pausing, Melanie gave a sigh of exasperation. “Sorry, Will, I don’t mean to nag on your first day, but when you ride here, hard hats on, please.”

The rider, Will, had now dismounted and removed his baseball cap, revealing thick dark hair.
“Sure, Melanie. Sorry about that,” he apologised, speaking with a polished accent. “My brother’s habit.” Smiling at Georgia, he stuck out a hand to greet her.

“We’ve met,” Georgia said icily, reluctantly shaking his hand as Melanie raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Out on the ridgeback … when you nearly ran us over.”

“Ah, that was you! Sorry about that!” Will chuckled, not sounding sorry at all. “Melanie did tell me you rode flat in the show ring; I guess us jumpers are just used to cutting across each other in the warm up!”

“OK, guys, I’ll leave you to get to know each other,” Melanie said, glancing at her watch. “I need to get on and cook supper.” And with that she headed back into the house.

“You could have caused an accident back there!” Georgia burst out once Melanie was out
of earshot, struggling to stay calm. Then she took a deep breath – after all, this was a family friend of Melanie’s and he would be staying here until the championships, so she had to try to be polite! “Next time you ride on the heath just slow down if you see another horse, OK?” She knew she sounded patronising but she still couldn’t believe how badly Will had behaved earlier.

“Yessir!” Will clicked his heels together and pretended to salute.

Ugh, he was worse than Harry Blake, one of the few boys in the Round Barrow Pony Club, and Harry was annoying enough! Giving Will an icy smile, Georgia turned her attention back to Lily, who was gazing at the new arrival. She whinnied gently and the dark brown mare whickered back, a kind expression in her eyes. Georgia had to admit that Will’s pony was a beauty, even if
he
was a complete idiot. The brown mare had some
native in her, New Forest perhaps, but also some Arab lines or thoroughbred as well, and she was obviously bred for speed and jumping.

Concentrating on brushing Lily down, Georgia tried to stifle her bad mood. They’d got off on the wrong foot, but maybe he wouldn’t turn out to be so bad after all!

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“H
e’s awful, totally awful!”

It was a couple of days later at school, and Georgia was complaining loudly to Emma and Dan, stabbing at her yoghurt pot with her spoon in frustration.

Emma raised an eyebrow, looking up from her book. She hadn’t met Will yet, but had heard plenty about the new arrival already! “Is he really
so
bad?” she said mildly. “I can’t imagine Melanie letting anyone that terrible stable at Redgrove.”

Georgia snorted and shook her head. “You have no idea what he’s like!”

Still, she wasn’t
really
sure what Emma would make of Will. She’d probably think he was OK! After all, Will was totally charming towards everyone else – Melanie, her husband Simon… Even Georgia’s mum had laughed along at his stupid jokes when she’d come to the stables with her weekly bag of carrots for Lily. But Will was always messing around, winding Georgia up and spoiling her enjoyment of the yard. And he was arrogant too, going on about the number of classes he’d won, and how he rode at the highest level. Georgia knew she had to be polite as he was Melanie’s guest and livery, and it certainly wasn’t up to her who stabled at Redgrove. But it was hard, particularly when he kept referring to her
beloved Lily as Barbie’s pony!

“So what’s he like to look at then?” Emma asked.

Georgia groaned. “Oh Em, is that all you can think about? He’s got dark hair, kind of wavy, and er … blue eyes, I think.”

“So you mean he’s good-looking?” Emma raised an eyebrow.

“No … well, yes,” Georgia said grudgingly. “I suppose so – if you like that kind of thing.”

Emma grinned, but Georgia huffed and turned away. She really couldn’t stand Will. And yet, she had to admit that he was dedicated to his horse. He was totally driven – more so than any rider Georgia had ever met. She was used to the older members of the Round Barrow, who, with the odd exception, mostly only rode for the social side of the club. And there were others who only rode because their parents wanted them to. But Will was completely different. When he wasn’t
jumping huge fences and complicated-looking grids in Melanie’s school, he was out running – sometimes by five in the morning, according to Melanie. Despite his jokes and messing around, there was a steely determination to the boy.

“Come on, G, he’s OK,” Dan chimed in. He was sitting on the other side of her and until now had been quietly flicking through a tractor catalogue and eating his sandwiches. Dan had been pleased to find that the new livery was a boy about his age, and had even kicked a football about with him at Redgrove the previous night, while Georgia swept the yard.

“Dan!” Georgia was hurt. “You’re meant to be on my side!”

“Oh, come off it, Georgia.” Dan looked a bit grumpy. “I know you’re stressed at the moment, but give it a rest!”

Georgia swallowed hard as tears pricked her
eyes. She knew her worries over the Horse of the Year Show were getting to her but, until now, she hadn’t realised that she’d been annoying her friends as well.

“Hey – it’s all right, G.” Dan softened, as he saw her looking upset. “I’m not having a go at you. I’m just saying that we know Will got off to a bad start with you when he upset Lily that time on the heath, but honestly, he’s OK! You should give him a chance.”

“OK,” Georgia mumbled. She suddenly felt a bit silly for going on about Will so much. She smiled weakly at Dan. “I should be concentrating entirely on Lily, anyway.” She took a deep breath. “I promise to give Will a break.”

Later that afternoon, after school, Georgia remembered her promise and attempted to make conversation with Will while they were grooming
their ponies. Santa stood quietly on one side of the tie bar, with Lily on the other. The dark brown mare lazily swished her tail, and the palomino arched her neck over towards her new friend. The two ponies had similar temperaments – both kind and willing – and, unlike Will and Georgia, had adored each other at first sight.

“So…” Georgia tried to think of something to talk about. “Aren’t you missing loads of school to train here?” she asked eventually, thinking about all the lessons she’d had that day.

“No,” Will chuckled. “I’m home-schooled. I’m a G&T, you see!” Laughing at Georgia’s puzzled expression he carried on. “G&T – it stands for gifted and talented. My brother home-schools me so that I can concentrate on my jumping.”

“Oh, right.” Georgia was amazed – she had never met anyone her age that didn’t have to attend school. Will must be really good at competing if
that was the case! She cleared her throat. “So does your brother ride as well?” she asked.

Will laughed loudly, making Georgia blush. “Yes!” he chortled. “Haven’t you heard of him? Jasper Bowen?”

Georgia thought hard. She tried to keep up with who-was-who on the showing scene, but still didn’t really know that many people – only Melanie and the riders from Josephine Smalley’s yard where Secret now lived. It was easier to keep up with if you were from a horsey family, which she wasn’t, and she’d only been riding competitively for a year. “No, I’m afraid I haven’t heard of him,” she said carefully, not wanting to offend Will in case his brother really was very well-known.

“Well, he’s
only
one of the most famous show riders around,” Will said, sounding boastful. “He’s a brilliant rider, has an amazing yard, top ponies, and a super-luxurious horsebox, and he’s
still only twenty-five. He’s sponsored by Diamond Horses.
Pur-lease
tell me you’ve heard of them at least?”

Georgia looked blank.

Will laughed. “Man, you really are new to the competition world, aren’t you? Diamond Horses? You know – they make the jackets that
every
cool show rider wears if they know what’s what. They’re huge. Everyone wants to be sponsored by them!”

“Oh, right,” Georgia said, thinking of her old but perfectly smart tweed jacket that used to belong to Sophie.

“He usually trains me,” Will went on. “Only he can’t at the moment. That’s why I’m here – Janey used to teach us at Pony Club,” Will continued, “so she seemed the most obvious person to stand in.”

“Oh, right,” Georgia said again. She sounded
so young and amateurish compared to Will. She asked, curiously, “Why can’t your brother train you?” then immediately wished she hadn’t as Will’s face clouded over.

“He just can’t, not at the moment,” he said shortly, looking away.

“Oh, OK,” Georgia replied, not knowing what to say to that. This conversation hadn’t exactly gone the way she had hoped!

The two of them continued to groom their ponies in awkward silence for a while. After a few minutes, Georgia decided to try again. “Santa’s so lovely,” she said, reaching out a hand to stroke Will’s pony on her soft muzzle.

“Yeah, she is, isn’t she?” Softening, Will smiled, patting the dark brown mare on her neck. “She’s the best. She’s been in our family for years. My brother used to ride her.” He paused, and the tone of his voice suddenly changed again. “It’s just a
shame…” He glanced quickly at Georgia before looking away again. “Oh, never mind.”

“Never mind what?” Georgia had detected a note of sadness in Will’s normally upbeat, arrogant voice. She looked at him. He was still stroking Santa’s dark brown neck, but now there was a serious expression on his face that had replaced his usual carefree one.

“Nothing,” he said quickly. The familiar teasing tone had returned to his voice. “So how do you rate Barbie’s pony’s chances in the ring anyway?”

Georgia frowned. Lily was
not
a Barbie pony, and she was tired of Will calling her that! She opened her mouth to defend Lily, but he had already walked off. She thought hard. What had Will been about to say? And why was he so defensive about his brother? Clearly something was going on, and Georgia was determined to get to the bottom of it…