Show Judge by Bonnie Bryant

for the short drive to the hospital. They were somber as they watched the Grovers’ car disappear down the road. Although Pine Hollow had an excellent record and no rider there had ever been seriously injured, it was always upsetting when a rider got hurt at all, especially when it was someone as dedicated and careful as May.
    They all looked to Max for some consolation, but he didn’t have any for them. His face was stern, his eyes cold, and his lips were in a thin, straight line. He was angry and they knew it.
    “I want you all to take care of your tack and your ponies and be in my office in five minutes. We have something to talk about. In fact, we have a lot to talk about.”

“T HIS IS A VERY sad day for Pine Hollow,” Max began, his steely eyes glaring at everyone gathered in his office.
    All around him, riders exchanged looks. Some of them were confused. Stevie knew what was on their minds: Accidents happen. They weren’t fun for anybody, but they were accidents. How could Max be upset?
    Stevie also knew that wasn’t what Max was upset about.
    He continued. “Most of you probably think I’m talking about May’s fall. While there’s no question that that is a sad event, what led up to it and what I see all around me now is tragic.”
    Again, the riders looked at one another, most still wondering what was up.
    Mrs. Reg knocked on the door and gestured to Max. He left the riders alone and confused for a few minutes.
    Carole listened silently as whispers broke out in the office. She knew what was coming. The whispers weren’t intended for her ears, but the room was small and the messages were clear.
    “How could Carole tell how clean his coat was when you practically needed a Seeing Eye dog to get in his stall?” Brittany Lynn hissed to her friend, Polly, sitting two feet away. “We are talking zero light in there! It’s all her fault.”
    Stevie turned to Lisa. “You realize of course that we now have no chance of winning this thing, don’t you?” she asked.
    “Why do you say that?” Lisa asked.
    “Come on, Lisa. Carole never tried to hide the fact that May was her favorite. Now with the accident, she’s also got the sympathy vote.
    Lisa looked at the floor and said nothing.
    “Well,” said Betsy in another corner, leaning over to Meg. “If Natalie doesn’t care about winning, it’s no skin off my nose. I’m sure not going to do all the work for her!”
    Reuben turned to Mark, sitting behind him. “I could buff that old saddle until my fingers bleed and it’s still never going to look as good as Leslie’s new one. So what’s the point in even trying?”
    Carole listened to the riders around her, each one totally focused on themselves, and began to have an inkling of what was really bothering Max. She realized, too, that this griping had been going on for more than a week. It wasn’t always this loud or this furious, but it was always there. The only reason it was all hanging out now was because everyone was so upset about May. But the mood had been there all along. For the first time, it occurred to her to wonder what part she’d played in setting that mood.
    Max returned, glaring at the unhappy chatter that surrounded him.
    “That was May’s father calling to say they were at the hospital and May is being examined,” Max said. “Now, where was I? Yes, how could I forget. My original purpose was to give young riders confidence, garnered from the experience of the older ones—confidence in your growing abilities, confidence in the reliability of your mounts, and confidence in the unfailing support of your fellow riders. When I learned that some of the older riders thought their job was to watch, not teach, I thought, well, they’ll learn. WhenI heard some riders trashing others, I thought, well, they’ll find out that they do better when they help one another than when they put others down. When I saw that the only thing that mattered to some of the riders was winning ribbons, I