The Palomino Pony Wins Through Read online

  Pushing the awkward conversation with Dan to the back of her mind, the more Georgia thought about her work experience at the yard, the more excited she became. Alongside her mum and Dan, there was one other person she wanted to share the news with – and that was Emma. She and Emma had been best friends since they’d first met at school when they were very young. Emma loved horses and ponies too, though not quite as much as Georgia did!

  So that evening Georgia cycled over to Emma’s house to tell her everything. It wasn’t long before the two of them were busy looking up the Smalleys’ yard on the Internet.

  “Wow! It says they’ve got three outdoor arenas as well as an indoor school,” Emma exclaimed, brushing her dark-brown hair out of her eyes and peering at the laptop perched on her knees. “Look, Georgia!”

  Georgia gazed at the rows and rows of beautiful ponies that flashed across the screen, alongside reels and reels of rosettes and championship results.

  “Hey, she’s got a daughter,” Emma said, reading from the list of results on the Smalley show team website. “Alice. Hmm, that’s weird,” she commented, frowning at the screen.

  “What?” replied Georgia.

  “Well,” said Emma, “Alice’s results only go up to last year, when she was champion at the Horse of the Year Show. Nothing since then. I wonder why she isn’t competing now?”

  Georgia shrugged. “Could be a million reasons, Em,” she said, not really thinking about it too much. “Look at Sophie and how she went off riding.”

  “True,” said Emma.

  Melanie and Simon’s daughter had gone through a phase last summer – around the time she had gone to university – when all she’d wanted to do was hang out with boys. Riding had taken a very definite second place. Georgia couldn’t imagine ever being like that! Sophie was really into horses again now though, and when she was home the first thing she ever wanted to do was ride Wilson. Georgia even had to text her photos of him!

  “So what do you say to a hot chocolate, Gee?” Emma said finally, popping down the laptop and heading for the door.

  “I’d say that was a great plan!” Georgia replied, jumping to her feet and following her friend downstairs to the kitchen.

  School seemed to drag by that week, now that Georgia was so looking forward to the Easter holidays. As the end-of-day bell rang on Friday, Georgia and Dan hurried down the school steps together, ready to go to Redgrove.

  “Hey, Dan!”

  A sugary, tinkly voice stopped them in their tracks.

  Ugh, Georgia thought to herself. It was Becky Hanbury, the biggest flirt in the year. She was also the most annoying girl in the school!

  “How are you doing?” Becky continued.

  “I’m good, thanks.” Dan smiled pleasantly enough. He hadn’t seemed to notice the way that Becky was batting her eyelids at him. But then that was Dan all over. He didn’t seem to have any idea that pretty much all the girls liked him. He wasn’t the same as the other boys – into girls or hanging around in town. And he was very handsome!

  “Off to the farm to feed your sheep, Dan?” Becky asked, flicking her long blonde locks.

  Blimey, Georgia thought, rolling her eyes.

  Dan laughed, but not in a mean way. “They’re cows actually, Becky, but yeah, I’m off to the farm once I’ve helped Georgia with the ponies.”

  “Oh.” Becky wrinkled her nose as if there was a bad smell in the room. Then she turned to Georgia. “You’re always busy with those ponies. Don’t you get a little bored?”

  “No-ooo,” said Georgia, frowning and wishing she could walk right past Becky.

  Turning her attention away from Georgia, Becky placed a hand on Dan’s arm.

  “Well,” she purred, fluttering her mascara-laden eyes at him. “If you fancy hanging out over the holidays, just message me! I’m sure you can’t play with the ponies all the time.”

  “Pathetic!” Georgia muttered under her breath as Becky headed off.

  She was still feeling grumpy about it on the journey home. It wasn’t that Dan had done anything wrong, really. He hadn’t encouraged Becky, but he hadn’t shrugged her off either.

  As Georgia stared out of the bus window, she wondered why Becky had annoyed her so much. After all, Georgia and Dan were just friends, weren’t they? She knew that Dan had liked her, but maybe he didn’t think about her like that any more. And Georgia wasn’t really sure how she felt about him!

  Georgia bit down nervously on her lip. Becky wasn’t really Dan’s type, was she? She was so silly and flirty, but then she was really pretty too. Ugh, it was so complicated. Why couldn’t boys be straightforward, like ponies!

  “I never knew horses could have so much stuff!” Dan laughed.

  It was a week later and Dan was helping Melanie and Georgia load up the ponies, ready to take them over to the Smalleys’ yard. Simon was going to drive Callie and Wilson in the horsebox with Dan, and Melanie was going to take Lily and Secret in the trailer with Georgia.

  “It’s mostly Wilson’s things,” said Georgia, hauling the thoroughbred cross’s bag of rugs from behind her and placing them carefully in the living compartment of the horsebox. “It’s because he’s on the circuit.”

  Dan made a face.

  Georgia stuck her tongue out in response. Wilson really did need a lot of things for competing!

  “Lily, Secret and Callie will be fine with just their tack, head collar and a grooming kit,” she said, playing with Lily’s worn red halter nervously. Josephine Smalley was so smart and famous, Georgia really hoped she wouldn’t feel out of place!

  “Now, Georgia, how are you feeling?” Melanie said, smiling at Georgia as she stepped out of the back door and on to the yard.

  “I’m fine!” Georgia said, trying to sound cheerful. “Totally fine.”

  Closing up the back of the horsebox, they walked over to the trailer. Earlier in the day, Georgia had shared a tearful goodbye with Emma.

  “It’s only three weeks, Ems, and I’m not staying there!” Georgia had chuckled as Emma wiped her eyes. “And you can come and watch me at the shows if you want to.”

  “I could come with Dan?” Emma had sniffed.

  “Well, there you go!” Georgia laughed before hugging her best friend.

  But now Georgia felt anxious and a little sick as they turned out of Redgrove Farm. What if she was useless, and let the Smalley yard down?

  “Are you sure they have room for all the ponies?” she asked Melanie for the hundredth time.

  “Yes, of course they do, Georgia,” Melanie reassured her. “You’ve seen the yard on the Web – it’s massive. When you see it for real, you’ll know what I mean.” She paused and looked at Georgia. “If at any time you feel worried, you know you can just ring or email me in France, don’t you?”

  Georgia nodded and Melanie gave her a smile. “It won’t be long before we’re all back at Redgrove. And this will be a brilliant experience for you!”

  “I know,” said Georgia, smiling back. She was excited and nervous all at the same time, her tummy churning like it was the morning of a big jumping competition! She gazed out of the window for the rest of the journey, watching the fields whizz by. Just what would the next three weeks hold for them all?

  When Melanie had said the yard was massive, she wasn’t exaggerating. Once the Redgrove ponies were settled into their stables, Josephine had given them all a whistle-stop tour. There were lots of stables, stalls and barns. Paddocks filled with beautiful horses surrounded the yard, and the yard’s fields stretched as far as the eye could see. Georgia couldn’t believe how many ponies and horses there were – Dartmoors, Exmoors and even a cute black Shetland who peered at them through the fuzziest forelock ever.

  “They’re all gorgeous!” Georgia was beside herself with excitement as they came to a halt in the middle of the yard. Josephine seemed much friendlier today, wearing old jeans and yard boots, and a navy sweater that had shavings stuck to it like snowflakes. She had a black Labrador by her side, whose greyi
ng muzzle and slightly stiff walk gave away her age. Her tail was constantly wagging and she kept offering Georgia her paw.

  “Down, Poppy,” Josephine gently scolded the friendly dog, who was now placing both paws on Georgia’s jeans.

  “It’s OK,” Georgia laughed. “I’ve got a spaniel myself at home. I love dogs – nearly as much as I love ponies.”

  “I can tell,” Josephine said warmly. “I always recognise a true animal lover. It’s clear looking at the way you are with Lily just how much you care. Everyone on the show circuit loves your story – you’ve done so well to get her to trust you.”

  Georgia felt herself blush at the compliment. “I couldn’t have done it without Melanie,” she said, thinking of the little yard as they drew alongside a box and looked inside.

  Lily was standing quietly in the stable with Secret next door. He was nearly as tall as his mum now, so he could easily reach over and say hello. Wilson was in the box next to Secret, pulling at his hay net and making faces every time a horse looked his way. Callie was staring curiously across the yard at another Exmoor who eyed her with interest.

  Callie gave a small whinny before turning back to her own hay net and tucking in.

  Melanie stroked Wilson’s long ears. “I’ll miss you, boy,” she whispered into his neck.

  “I’ll look after them,” Georgia said.

  Melanie smiled. “I know you will,” she said, giving Wilson a final pat goodbye. “I don’t know what I would do without you sometimes!”

  “Now, let me show you the kitchen,” Josephine said to Georgia and Dan as they collected Georgia’s rucksack and waved Melanie off in her four-by-four. “In my opinion, it’s one of the most important rooms on the yard. Nothing like a cup of tea after a ride!”

  “Great!” Georgia said, still feeling shy as she followed her into the large kitchen of a whitewashed farmhouse.

  She peered around her. The room was filled with red rosettes and sashes, which were strung along the low wooden beams, jostling for space with brightly coloured mugs hanging from hooks. A large black cat with yellow eyes was sprawled across a scrubbed wooden table and there were photos of ponies everywhere you looked – ponies in the spotlight, jumping huge rustic fences, or headshots in bridles, festooned with rosettes. The result was a chaotic but cosy space, and horsey heaven, as far as Georgia was concerned.

  Georgia’s eyes were instantly drawn to a photo of a young girl riding a palomino pony who was not dissimilar to Lily. The girl in the picture was probably just a little bit younger than Georgia, and she had a look of pure happiness on her face.

  “What a gorgeous photo!” Georgia said, but instantly regretted it as a look of pain flashed across Josephine’s face.

  Josephine closed her eyes for a moment, before quickly regaining her composure, and smiling. “Yes, that’s Alice, my daughter,” she said in a bright voice, but Georgia detected a slight waver.

  “Oh,” Georgia said, not wanting to ask any more.

  Josephine continued. “Alice is at school right now – she’s a day pupil at a boarding school and she goes on Saturdays, you see,” she said. “You’ll meet her later.”

  Georgia cleared her throat. “I heard she’s a brilliant rider,” she commented.

  “She is.” Josephine smiled sadly, and was silent for a few seconds. “Or rather was. Very much like you, she understands horses—”

  But before she could continue there was a crash as the cat jumped off the table, knocking over a cup, and the moment was broken.

  “Now, let me show you the tack room,” said Josephine, looking relieved to be able to change the subject.

  Later that afternoon, after meeting almost all of the yard’s ponies, Georgia and Dan stood waiting for Georgia’s mum to pick them up at the gates to the Smalley yard.

  “See you tomorrow,” Shelley, the groom, called over as she filled hay nets for the evening feed. She was nineteen and was wearing smart yard boots and a light blouson jacket, her short dark hair pinned to the side with a hot-pink grip. Georgia had liked her instantly after she had given all of the Redgrove ponies a hug and said that Lily was beautiful!

  As Georgia and Dan waited, a school bus pulled up outside the yard, and a small blonde figure leapt out, rucksack in hand, before tearing through the yard and letting herself into the house.

  “Hey, Alice!” Shelley called after her, but the girl was gone.

  “Was that Josephine’s daughter?” Georgia asked, glancing at Shelley.

  “Yeah.” Shelley nodded sadly. “She used to come and see the ponies the minute she jumped off the bus, until…” Her voice tailed off.

  “Until what?” Dan asked curiously.

  Shelley shook herself. “Until she had the accident. You must have heard about it? It was all anyone talked about for weeks.”

  “No.” Georgia shook her head. “Josephine was going to tell us, but then we got interrupted. And I haven’t been showing for very long,” she explained. “I don’t know many people on the circuit, only Melanie really.”

  Shelley looked sad. “It’s not really my place to explain,” she said. “But Alice doesn’t ride any more, not since Honey.”

  “Who’s Honey?” Georgia asked, puzzled.

  “Honey was Alice’s pony,” Shelley explained. “A palomino, just like Lily. She died in a terrible accident. We all miss her so much.”

  Died! The words hammered in Georgia’s head, but at that moment a car drew up and Georgia’s mum wound down her window. “Hop in,” she said.

  Georgia nodded and, giving a small wave to Shelley, opened the passenger door. As they drove back through the country lanes, Georgia couldn’t stop thinking about what Shelley had said. A terrible accident? She couldn’t imagine ever losing a pony. What could be more horrific than that?

  Georgia was at the yard bright and early the next morning. When she arrived, Shelley was already there, feeding the stabled ponies, and nothing more was mentioned about their conversation the previous evening. Georgia was just happy to see the Redgrove ponies were relaxed and contented as she led them from their stables to the paddocks. They were used to living out so were going to be in the fields during the day. Secret was trotting behind Lily and kept pausing to investigate things along the path towards the little paddock. Once turned out, all four kicked up their heels and cantered about before settling down to graze.

  “They’re such lovely animals.” Shelley was turning another pony out in the paddock next to them and paused to admire the small herd.

  “I know,” Georgia said proudly. “I’m so lucky to ride at Redgrove.”

  “Lily’s a rescue, isn’t she?” Shelley asked as she tied up the head collars that she was holding.

  “Yes,” nodded Georgia, before telling the story of Lily’s journey from the Carlamu Show Stud in Wales to Redgrove Farm. Shelley was frowning as she finished.

  “Carlamu?” she said, sounding curious. “So that was where she came from?”

  “Yes, it was where she was bred,” explained Georgia. She wondered, nervously, if she was going to ride any of Josephine’s ponies today and suddenly felt a little sick.

  Shelley must have picked up on her nerves, because she smiled in a kind way. “Don’t worry, Georgia,” she said reassuringly. “All of Josephine’s ponies are really nice and well schooled. You’ll be just fine.” She led her into the tack room.

  Reaching for a bridle, Georgia took another look around her. It was immaculate and smelled like a high-end saddler’s. Josephine had told her that the whiteboard in the corner detailed the horses’ feeds and turn-out routines. Squinting slightly Georgia looked closely at it. A little note written at the bottom caught her eye; the writing was loopy and purple.

  “Gone for a ride with A – see you later! Lucy X” It was accompanied by a smiley face.

  Without thinking, Georgia asked, “Is Lucy the girl who used to ride for Josephine?”

  Instantly she regretted it as Shelley’s face changed and she stood very still, nearly droppi
ng the pile of fleeces in her hand. “How do you know about her?” she asked, nervously glancing around.

  “It’s there – up on the whiteboard,” Georgia mumbled.

  Shelley looked over and quickly rubbed it out. “Oh. That must have been there for ages. Well, whatever you do, don’t mention that name – not on the yard, not around Josephine, and never near Alice.”

  “Sure.” Georgia felt a bit embarrassed as Shelley left the tack room, trying to make sense of what had just happened. What had she done wrong exactly? She’d only asked a question. Shaking her head, she pulled on her boots and chaps and followed the groom back into the yard, totally confused.

  For the rest of the day, Georgia tried to put the incident out of her head. It wasn’t that hard – not when she was around such amazing ponies. Shelley was right when she’d said that they were well schooled. Georgia was used to the floating paces of Wilson and Lily, but Josephine’s ponies were in another league entirely. Under Josephine’s watchful eye, Georgia got to school three of the ponies that afternoon – a Dartmoor mare, a pretty black Fell and a dun Highland gelding that oozed charisma.

  “I hope Lily doesn’t get jealous, watching me,” Georgia joked as she jumped off the dun and gave him a pat.

  Josephine laughed. “I’m sure Lily will still know she’s your favourite,” she said as the palomino mare ambled over towards the fence to say hello. “But it’s always good to get experience, especially if you want to have your own yard one day.”

  “Oh, I do,” replied Georgia.

  At that moment, the conversation was brought to an abrupt halt as a small figure appeared round the corner of the stable yard.

  “Alice?” Josephine’s voice was gentle and a little concerned. “Are you OK?”

  Georgia couldn’t help but stare as the little girl she’d seen in the photos stepped out of the shadows. She had an expression like a frightened deer with huge eyes, and an angry red scar that ran across one cheek.