a shame you canât go and work for your mom, isnât it?â she sneered.
As a result Georgie found herself being extra snuggly and attentive to the horses in Blackwellâs stables. She was starting to get to know them by now, and each of the horses had their own quirks. Cameo, the bay Hanoverian Grand Prix mare was her favourite. She had a sweet, even nature and would close her eyes and doze blissfully as Georgie groomed her around her bridle path and down her white blaze. Polaris was a gentle giant, a seventeen-two hand chestnut that whinnied as if he was starving whenever Georgie dished out his hard feed and nickered gratefully as he shoved his nose into the feed bucket.
The only horse in the stables that Georgie didnât like handling was Maxi. The big grey Holsteiner could be bullish and unpredictable. Twice now Georgie had to fling herself to the far side of his loose box to get out of the way of a sudden strike from his front hooves.
Georgie was doing exactly what every good groom should do, getting to know each of the horses in her care, understanding their individual needs and what made them tick. But none of it seemed to impress her boss. By the end of the first week, Blackwell was solely focused on wangling an invitation from Kennedy to join the Kirkwoodâs next summer holidays in the Bahamas. As for Georgie, he gave her about as much attention as he gave his horses and she was almost resigned to changing her name to Julie.
âNo, no make him halt, Alice!â Allegra Hickman shook her head in disbelief. âWhat on earth is wrong with you today?â
Alice had arrived at Allegraâs yard that afternoon feeling confused. She was in awe of Allegraâs skill as a Grand Prix dressage rider, and yet she felt conflicted. Georgie and Daisy had both been adamant that rollkur was wrong but should she trust her friends or the woman who was fast becoming her mentor?
âYou are so tense up there your whole position in the saddle is falling apart,â Allegra said, striding over to take Virtuosoâs reins. âSomething is clearly bothering you, so why donât you tell me whatâs wrong?â
âThereâs nothing bothering me,â Alice replied feebly.
âAlice,â Allegra shook her head, âyour words are telling me one thing but your body is telling me another.â
Alice looked extremely uncomfortable. âI donât know how to say thisâ¦â
âCut to the chase, Alice,â Allegra was losing patience.
Alice took a deep breath. âOK, I saw you riding⦠on Friday⦠you were in the arena schooling Esprit and you were⦠ummmâ¦â
Allegra frowned, âI was what? Come on, Alice, spit it out!â
âYou were doing rollkur!â
âOh. I see,â Allegra said. âAnd I take it that youâre opposed to rollkur, is that right?â
Alice didnât know what to say. âI guess.â
âThe way that I ride is challenging for those who do not understand, Alice,â Allegra said, âbut I had hoped that you would be smart enough to grasp my methods.â
Aliceâs heart was racing. âI know youâre a great rider, Allegra, but the way the horse was bent over like that seemed really unnaturalâ¦â
âWhat is natural?â Allegra asked. âThink about human athletes, and the way they train. If you are a runner you donât just run, do you? You lift weights to build muscle and do stretches to get limber.â
Allegra paused. âMy horse is an athlete and rollkur helps to train every muscle in his body. Yes, the techniques might possibly be dangerous in the wrong hands but Iâm not some rank amateur!â
Allegra Hickman looked disappointed with her pupil. âAlice, where are these accusations coming from? Youâve seen me ride. My horses look happy, donât they?â
âUm, I suppose so,â Alice said. She wanted to mention
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