up riding entirely. Remember?”
The others nodded somberly.
Lisa pulled the hood of her jacket closer around her face. The wind was still chilly, and the look on Kate’s face made her colder still. “Wanting to win isn’t bad,” she said. “When I’m at a show, I want to win. I’m sure Nigel wants to win.”
“I know I do,” Stevie added, and the others laughed.
“Yes, but it isn’t the
only
thing you think about, Stevie,” Kate countered. “It always becomes the most important thing to me. Take this morning. I’m in second place, right? So if Karen has a clean show-jumping round, I can’t beat her. At horse inspection, I was thinking it wouldn’t be so bad if her horse had maybe just a little cut on its leg from hitting a fence yesterday. Nothing that would hurt it permanently, you understand—just a little cut, something to keep it from passing the inspection today.”
Kate’s voice broke and her eyes filled with tears. “And that’s a horrible thing to think!” she said. “Why would I ever want any horse to fail inspection? And you heard what I said to her yesterday before dressage. She’s a very nice person—she loaned me the clothes I’m wearing, and yet I’m lying to her to try to break her confidence. It’s no good. I used to do stuff like that all the time, and now, after only one horse trials, it’s all coming back. Parts of thisevent were fun. I love Southwood, and I think he’s a great horse. But I’ll never do this again.”
Kate wiped her face and looked up at her friends with a determined expression. “I gave up competing for good reasons, and I’m not going back.”
Lisa, Carole, and Stevie felt stunned. “B-But,” Lisa said, stammering a little, “we wanted you to ride in the Olympics!”
Kate stared at her. Her stern expression softened into a smile, and she began to laugh gently. “Me!” she said. “So that’s why you kept drawing Olympic rings in things!
You
can ride in the Olympics if you want to. I’ll stick to cow ponies. The Saddle Club helped make riding fun for me again, and I’m not about to give that up.”
Carole frowned. “Why is it so hard for you, Kate?”
Kate shrugged. “I wish I knew. I don’t understand it myself.” She paused, then continued, “I’ve tried to change and I can’t, so I guess it’s just the way I am. I don’t have the right kind of heart to be an Olympic rider. In the end, I’m just not cut out for it.”
Carole leaned forward to give her friend a hug. She realized that Kate was making the right choice for herself. “I keep expecting you to think the same way I do,” Carole said. “I’m sorry. I can see now why you stopped competing in the first place.”
“I’m sorry that our Olympic plans for you won’t work out,” Lisa added. “But I guess they were
our
plans, notyours, and I know we all understand. I love horses, but I’m not ready to spend my whole life around them, either.”
“Me either,” Stevie agreed. “I don’t like waking up at five every morning. I don’t even like six-forty-five.” She winked at Lisa.
They laughed. “We still have this competition to finish,” Carole said. “I mean, you do, Kate.”
Kate shook her head. “ ‘We’ is right,” she said. “When I saw the way you three looked at me after I was such a snot to Karen, I knew I had to change my attitude. I’ve been thinking about myself ever since. You really helped.”
“Even if we didn’t mean to?” Stevie asked.
“Even then.”
“It’s too bad,” Lisa said, “because, you know, we practically had our bags packed for Australia. We were going to go watch you bring home the gold.”
“Maybe if Southwood goes, we can all go watch,” Kate suggested. “He’ll be a great horse, no matter who rides him. Let’s go get him ready for show jumping.”
United in spirit, they headed for his stall.
S TEVIE , HER CAMERA in her hands, stood by the fence that separated the show-jumping arena from the warm-up
The others nodded somberly.
Lisa pulled the hood of her jacket closer around her face. The wind was still chilly, and the look on Kate’s face made her colder still. “Wanting to win isn’t bad,” she said. “When I’m at a show, I want to win. I’m sure Nigel wants to win.”
“I know I do,” Stevie added, and the others laughed.
“Yes, but it isn’t the
only
thing you think about, Stevie,” Kate countered. “It always becomes the most important thing to me. Take this morning. I’m in second place, right? So if Karen has a clean show-jumping round, I can’t beat her. At horse inspection, I was thinking it wouldn’t be so bad if her horse had maybe just a little cut on its leg from hitting a fence yesterday. Nothing that would hurt it permanently, you understand—just a little cut, something to keep it from passing the inspection today.”
Kate’s voice broke and her eyes filled with tears. “And that’s a horrible thing to think!” she said. “Why would I ever want any horse to fail inspection? And you heard what I said to her yesterday before dressage. She’s a very nice person—she loaned me the clothes I’m wearing, and yet I’m lying to her to try to break her confidence. It’s no good. I used to do stuff like that all the time, and now, after only one horse trials, it’s all coming back. Parts of thisevent were fun. I love Southwood, and I think he’s a great horse. But I’ll never do this again.”
Kate wiped her face and looked up at her friends with a determined expression. “I gave up competing for good reasons, and I’m not going back.”
Lisa, Carole, and Stevie felt stunned. “B-But,” Lisa said, stammering a little, “we wanted you to ride in the Olympics!”
Kate stared at her. Her stern expression softened into a smile, and she began to laugh gently. “Me!” she said. “So that’s why you kept drawing Olympic rings in things!
You
can ride in the Olympics if you want to. I’ll stick to cow ponies. The Saddle Club helped make riding fun for me again, and I’m not about to give that up.”
Carole frowned. “Why is it so hard for you, Kate?”
Kate shrugged. “I wish I knew. I don’t understand it myself.” She paused, then continued, “I’ve tried to change and I can’t, so I guess it’s just the way I am. I don’t have the right kind of heart to be an Olympic rider. In the end, I’m just not cut out for it.”
Carole leaned forward to give her friend a hug. She realized that Kate was making the right choice for herself. “I keep expecting you to think the same way I do,” Carole said. “I’m sorry. I can see now why you stopped competing in the first place.”
“I’m sorry that our Olympic plans for you won’t work out,” Lisa added. “But I guess they were
our
plans, notyours, and I know we all understand. I love horses, but I’m not ready to spend my whole life around them, either.”
“Me either,” Stevie agreed. “I don’t like waking up at five every morning. I don’t even like six-forty-five.” She winked at Lisa.
They laughed. “We still have this competition to finish,” Carole said. “I mean, you do, Kate.”
Kate shook her head. “ ‘We’ is right,” she said. “When I saw the way you three looked at me after I was such a snot to Karen, I knew I had to change my attitude. I’ve been thinking about myself ever since. You really helped.”
“Even if we didn’t mean to?” Stevie asked.
“Even then.”
“It’s too bad,” Lisa said, “because, you know, we practically had our bags packed for Australia. We were going to go watch you bring home the gold.”
“Maybe if Southwood goes, we can all go watch,” Kate suggested. “He’ll be a great horse, no matter who rides him. Let’s go get him ready for show jumping.”
United in spirit, they headed for his stall.
S TEVIE , HER CAMERA in her hands, stood by the fence that separated the show-jumping arena from the warm-up
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