had been as thrilled as The Saddle Club predicted about the new arrangement. An expression of pure relief had passed between them. “I hated to tell you girls, but I was getting nervous about filling that spot,” Mrs. Reg admitted. “Now I’ve no doubt you’ll have the best inspections at the rally. You couldn’t ask for a better stable manager. Not in the whole region.”
As for Stevie’s riding Prancer, Max couldn’t have been more pleased. He had actually given Stevie a hug! She was so shocked that she had stood there speechless while Max exclaimed, “Good for you! Good for you, Stevie Lake!” about ten times in a row. Finally he had stepped back, looked her in the eye, and said, “We might make a horsewoman out of you yet.” Stevie figured praise like that ought to keep her walking on air till the year 2025.
“Maybe more like the year 2050,” Carole commented when Stevie related the news.
On their way out the two girls stopped by Mrs. Reg’s office to pick up the completed forms that they had instructed everyone to drop off there. Tacked to her bulletin board was a note in Max’s handwriting.
Final Dressage-Rally Teams,
it said at the top.
Horse Wise team: Carole Hanson
(
Starlight
),
Betsy Cavanaugh
(
Barq
),
Polly Giacomin
(
Romeo
),
Stephanie Lake
(
Prancer
),
Lisa Atwood
(
stable manager
).
Riding on Mixed Team with Sunny Valley PC: Veronica diAngelo
(
Garnet
).
“But how do you think Max decided?” Carole asked. It went without saying that they could hardly believe their luck: With Lisa stable-managing, there was only one extra Horse Wise rider, and Max had chosen to put Veronica on the mixed team.
“I think Mrs. Reg had a hand in it,” Stevie answered knowingly. “Remember when she caught us fighting about the stable management? That was pretty bad, but there was one person who didn’t even show up to fight! And not coming is a whole lot worse, wouldn’t you say?”
“I most certainly would,” a voice behind them said.
Carole and Stevie whirled around to see Mrs. Reg standing at the door. “So Veronica is not going to be on the Horse Wise team. End of story.”
“But won’t she—” Carole began. She had been aboutto say, “Won’t she throw a fit?” but had stopped herself in the interest of club spirit.
Mrs. Reg answered her unspoken question anyway. “I doubt she’ll be upset. The Sunny Valley team is the home team—the host club—and they’ve won dressage rally two years in a row, you know. Veronica’s just lucky that one of their four top riders came down with the chicken pox yesterday, and their district commissioner called me this afternoon. The truth is she has a much better chance of winning on that team,” Mrs. Reg explained.
Stevie put her hands on her hips and eyed Mrs. Reg narrowly. “Them’s fighting words, ma’am,” she said in a Southern drawl.
“Good! A little healthy competition never hurt anyone,” Mrs. Reg replied. She leaned down and put an arm around each of them. Barely whispering, she asked, “Do you want to guess who I’m rooting for?”
Carole and Stevie grinned. They didn’t have to guess; they knew.
“E VERYBODY IN ?” Mrs. Reg asked. She was seated in the driver’s seat of the big Pine Hollow horse van. She looked at her watch anxiously. To everyone’s disappointment it was overcast and raining. The foul weather had required dozens of last-minute preparations, and they were running a little late.
“Almost!” Lisa called. She had shown up at Pine Hollow at five A.M. and had been scurrying around ever since. She had grabbed rain sheets, raincoats, boot rubbers, and every spare towel or cloth she could find to fight the mud with. While Veronica loaded Garnet into the diAngelos’ deluxe rig, Lisa had helped Max and Mrs. Reg load the four horses into the Pine Hollow van—including van-shy Barq, who had balked several times.Then she had personally checked over all of the equipment one last time. Now she jumped up into the
As for Stevie’s riding Prancer, Max couldn’t have been more pleased. He had actually given Stevie a hug! She was so shocked that she had stood there speechless while Max exclaimed, “Good for you! Good for you, Stevie Lake!” about ten times in a row. Finally he had stepped back, looked her in the eye, and said, “We might make a horsewoman out of you yet.” Stevie figured praise like that ought to keep her walking on air till the year 2025.
“Maybe more like the year 2050,” Carole commented when Stevie related the news.
On their way out the two girls stopped by Mrs. Reg’s office to pick up the completed forms that they had instructed everyone to drop off there. Tacked to her bulletin board was a note in Max’s handwriting.
Final Dressage-Rally Teams,
it said at the top.
Horse Wise team: Carole Hanson
(
Starlight
),
Betsy Cavanaugh
(
Barq
),
Polly Giacomin
(
Romeo
),
Stephanie Lake
(
Prancer
),
Lisa Atwood
(
stable manager
).
Riding on Mixed Team with Sunny Valley PC: Veronica diAngelo
(
Garnet
).
“But how do you think Max decided?” Carole asked. It went without saying that they could hardly believe their luck: With Lisa stable-managing, there was only one extra Horse Wise rider, and Max had chosen to put Veronica on the mixed team.
“I think Mrs. Reg had a hand in it,” Stevie answered knowingly. “Remember when she caught us fighting about the stable management? That was pretty bad, but there was one person who didn’t even show up to fight! And not coming is a whole lot worse, wouldn’t you say?”
“I most certainly would,” a voice behind them said.
Carole and Stevie whirled around to see Mrs. Reg standing at the door. “So Veronica is not going to be on the Horse Wise team. End of story.”
“But won’t she—” Carole began. She had been aboutto say, “Won’t she throw a fit?” but had stopped herself in the interest of club spirit.
Mrs. Reg answered her unspoken question anyway. “I doubt she’ll be upset. The Sunny Valley team is the home team—the host club—and they’ve won dressage rally two years in a row, you know. Veronica’s just lucky that one of their four top riders came down with the chicken pox yesterday, and their district commissioner called me this afternoon. The truth is she has a much better chance of winning on that team,” Mrs. Reg explained.
Stevie put her hands on her hips and eyed Mrs. Reg narrowly. “Them’s fighting words, ma’am,” she said in a Southern drawl.
“Good! A little healthy competition never hurt anyone,” Mrs. Reg replied. She leaned down and put an arm around each of them. Barely whispering, she asked, “Do you want to guess who I’m rooting for?”
Carole and Stevie grinned. They didn’t have to guess; they knew.
“E VERYBODY IN ?” Mrs. Reg asked. She was seated in the driver’s seat of the big Pine Hollow horse van. She looked at her watch anxiously. To everyone’s disappointment it was overcast and raining. The foul weather had required dozens of last-minute preparations, and they were running a little late.
“Almost!” Lisa called. She had shown up at Pine Hollow at five A.M. and had been scurrying around ever since. She had grabbed rain sheets, raincoats, boot rubbers, and every spare towel or cloth she could find to fight the mud with. While Veronica loaded Garnet into the diAngelos’ deluxe rig, Lisa had helped Max and Mrs. Reg load the four horses into the Pine Hollow van—including van-shy Barq, who had balked several times.Then she had personally checked over all of the equipment one last time. Now she jumped up into the
Similar Books
