Summer Rider by Bonnie Bryant Page A

the earlier riders take their turns.
    Carole had checked Starlight’s tack as soon as the hunters had finished. When he was ready to go, she left him in his stall and went outside to watch the first few riders. The crowd around the ring was bigger than ever—everyone wanted to find a spot with a good view for this event. Carole heard someone calling her name, and she turned to see Stevie, Phil, and Todd waving at her. She joined them and congratulated Todd on his ribbon, which he was wearing clipped to the neck of his shirt.
    “It’s a new fashion statement,” he explained. “If you want people to think you’re a winner, you’ve got to dress like one, right?”
    Stevie rolled her eyes. “What number did you get?” she asked Carole.
    “Five,” Carole said. “How about you?”
    “I got number twelve,” Stevie said. She jerked a thumb at Phil. “He’s seven.”
    Todd glanced at the ring, where the first rider waswarming up. “Look, it’s your friend Melissa from the woods,” he commented. The girls had told him and Phil about the couple they had mistaken for Barry.
    “Very funny,” Carole said. “Hey, where’s Lisa? I don’t think I’ve seen her since she finished her round in equitation.”
    “She’s around somewhere,” Todd said. “I saw her outside the stable a few minutes ago. I wonder what number she got?”
    Before they could discuss it any further, the event began. Melissa and her horse, a large, muscular chestnut, started at a strong canter. The horse seemed to fly over the first obstacle with no effort at all, and the rest of the round followed suit. The pair finished with no faults.
    “Wow,” Phil said with a low whistle as Melissa rode out of the ring to the crowd’s applause. “Talk about setting the pace. That was beautiful. If anyone else does that, it’s going to mean a jump-off.”
    Carole felt her stomach flip with excitement. She glanced at Stevie, who looked just as thrilled.
    “Fantastic,” Stevie said. “The more riders in the jump-off, the more fences people have to pay for.”
    Carole stayed to watch the next couple of riders. Number two knocked down two rails, including a formidable-looking oxer near the end of the course. Number three rode clean but too slowly, which meant a time penalty. As the fourth rider entered the ring, Caroletook a deep breath. “I’d better go get ready,” she said. “Wish me luck.”
    Carole rode Starlight toward the ring just in time to see the rider ahead of her bring down the final rail after an otherwise clean round. The crowd groaned sympathetically, and Carole did the same. Then it was time to forget about everything else and concentrate on her own ride.
    Starlight felt alert and strong under her as she entered the ring and warmed up. She nodded at Betty, who was the timekeeper for the event, and prepared to start.
    When Betty gave the signal, Carole was ready, and so was Starlight. He leaped forward, breaking into a smooth, fast canter immediately. Carole aimed him at the first fence, which looked very large as they approached it. But they had practiced this often enough, and their approach was flawless. Starlight soared over the fence, and though there was no way for Carole to know for sure, she would swear that there were at least six inches of daylight between his hooves and the top rail.
    He snorted a little as she brought him around and steadied him for the approach to the second fence. Carole almost laughed out loud at the sound. She could tell her horse was fired up and enjoying himself. But she forced herself to focus as they neared the obstacle, a post-and-rail fence.
    The jump flew beneath them as easily as the first. So did the next one, and the in-and-out combination thatfollowed that. Even the monster oxer couldn’t stop them. By the time they reached the final jump, a brush fence, Carole was grinning ear to ear. Starlight landed the last jump as perfectly as he had the first. She glanced at the clock, saw that they