June 2013 Story Contest Age 12 and older
NOTE: To be eligible for voting your entry must have a horse or pony in it somewhere.
Briarwood Academy
By sockylola1
Chapter two
I wake up, blinking. What was that buzzing? I look over to my bedside table. Oh, yeah. Alarm clock. I slap the off button and slip out of my bed.
Lily swoops down on me immediately. "Are you excited? For your test?"
"Wha? Test?" I groan, rubbing my eyes.
"Riding test," she sighs. "I only woke up to cheer you on!"
"Right." I pulled some breeches and a plum-colored shirt out of my drawer. "I'll be in the bathroom."
After I change, Lily walks me down to the snack bar in the cafe. I take a blueberry muffin and walk toward the stables as she gives me a long-winded pep talk.
"And DON'T use a martingale," she finishes. "Got that all?"
"Mmhmm," I say, finishing the muffin. "Why don't you wait in the arena while I groom Starlight?"
"Sure." Lily gives me one more smile before walking off.
With a sigh, I enter Starlight's stall. She blinks from her sleep and nickers to me.
"Hey, Star," I murmur. "Haven't seen you since Thursday." I took a curry and body brush from my tack box and began grooming her shoulders and neck.
"What are you doing here?" A voice comes from the isle. I look out over the stall's door. A girl with brown hair and green eyes stares back at me, her arms crossed.
"Um, grooming my horse?" I reply. "What does it look like?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you the new girl?" I bristled as she put stress on new.
"Yup. Abby. And you are?" I continued to brush Star.
"Brooklyn," she replied. "Brook to acquaintances."
"Hi, Brook." I finished Star's side and walked around to the other side.
"Hi," she said dryly. "Are you testing today?"
"Yeah. Mrs. Salder."
"Salder? She teaches Beginner and Intermediate teams," Brook snorted. "Mr. Harley teaches Advanced."
"That's nice," I reply. I finish grooming Starlight, run a mane/tail brush through her thick hair, then put away the grooming box. Brook steps aside as I lead her out towards the tie rail.
"I guess Lily has told you what team she's on?" Brook asked. I shook my head.
"Nope. We don't really care about that stuff." I noticed my reply had an effect on her. I tied Starlight to the tie rail and went into the tack room to get her tack.
Brook followed. "Oh, guess I'll spill, then. She's on advanced, with me."
I smiled. "Good job." I tacked up Starlight, Brook watching silently.
I finished adjusting Starlight's bridle and took her reins. "Thanks for talking to me. Gave me no time to get nervous." I smiled, then led Starlight into the indoor arena.
Mrs Salder was waiting for me. I mounted Starlight and took a deep breath. Don't. Make. A. Mistake!
I calmly (I think) walk Starlight forward. Mrs. Salder smiles. "Abby, hello. I'm Mrs. Salder."
"Hello." I tighten Star's reins.
"I'm just going to ask you to perform simple things as you go around the arena," she said. "Then we'll do some jumps. Okay?"
"Okay." I let Star walk over to the rail and waited for Mrs. Salder to call something out.
"Trot at A," she said. As we reached the letter, I squeezed my legs against Starlight's sides, and she willingly trotted forward.
"Canter when you reach C, then circle at M," Mrs. Salder called.
We trotted along the rail, then sped up at C. I pulled on the right rein as we cantered towards M. Star hesitated, then turned. I had to press my left leg against her side to make sure her circle finished at M.
After a few more directions, Mrs. Salder called me to center. "Good job!" I smiled and scratched Star's neck, which was damp with sweat.
"Walk her around as Gail and Jerry set up jumps," Mrs. Salder said, motioning for the two grooms to bring the jumps over.
I walked Starlight on a loose rein, watching the grooms set up the jumps. Medium height verticals. An oxer. Not so bad.
I watched them set up the last; a triple combination. Tricky. If we missed the first, it wasn't likely we'd make the rest in the few seconds we had to gather ourselves for the next jump.
Mrs. Salder nodded and thanked the grooms, and I made my way over to her.
"You're just going to do this course one time through," Mrs. Salder said. "It's easy enough."
I nodded, then heard a WHOO! from behind me. I looked over my shoulder. Who else but Lily?
She blushed as Mrs. Salder frowned. "Sorry, Mrs. Salder. I'll be quiet."
I took a deep breath, shortened the reins, then cantered Starlight in a circle.
I pointed her for the first vertical. She tucked in her knees and flew over, not even coming close to hitting the rail.
We popped over the second and third vertical. The oxer loomed ahead. Starlight sped up, and I checked her with a short, gentle tug to the reins. She slowed her pace and flicked her ears as we neared the jump.
She bunched her muscles, snapped up her knees, and cleared the jump easily.
I didn't have time to cheer before the triple combination hit us. I focused on telling Starlight when to jump, how to jump, and where.
We made the first two, but as we jumped the third, Star's front hoof nicked the rail. It tumbled down.
I slowed her from a canter to a trot to a walk, then eased her to a stop next to Mrs. Salder.
"Good job, Abby!" Mrs. Salder said. "I'll e-mail you the results of your test tomorrow morning. Cool Starlight and put her away."
I grinned as I took care of Starlight, half listening to Lily's excited ramble.
"We should make it to Intermediate," I told Starlight as she munched on her hay. She eyed me as if to say, "At least."
I laughed and gave her a carrot. She was right. We had this in the bag.
sockylola1 & Spirit
2013-06-12 21:09:33
The Legendary Trails
By: bay speed
I was up and out of here! I listened to the wind scream in my ear as my horse galloped across the Madora hills. It was a cool breeze with a bright sun. I was glad to be out of school and on my favorite place, in the saddle. My horse Ruby is a blast to ride, literally. She is a beautiful 14h POA. She loves to jump!
On the trail ahead there are wild mustangs roaming the prairie. One of them is a red dun and the other a black Arab. I love horses! Ever since I was born I have been riding horses and enjoying them. My mom was a famous horse trainer in Lexington, Kentucky. She was well known for listening to horses and what they had to say in their own way. She has passed on that special talent to me. I am so lucky to have such a great mom and wonderful horse friends.
This summer I have a beautiful Friesian colt that is coming to stay with me. I am going to teach it ground manners and train it. I super excited!!! The Friesian horse is my favorite breed. I love their calm disposition and pure beauty. They are big loveable animals that can do it all.
Seeing the wild horses Ruby stretches her neck to try and sniff them. But the mustangs were too quick. They were off in a heartbeat. They were creatures and spirited. I hope they live forever.
The next stop was Abraham Lincoln. It was a beautiful grassland. I rode up on top of one of the hills and looked out around the whole place. It was it gorgeous! I squeezed Ruby's sides and she went into a smooth lope. It was so relaxing!
More Later
bay speed & Ruby
2013-06-17 20:19:28
Gypsy Gold
by 66luvponies
Queenie closed her eyes and pulled her body closer to her horse. He smelt of wood smoke and apples, and had a coat the colour of flames on dry wood. " Cal, I wish we could afford you!" she whispered and the horse lifted his head from the lush grass and nuzzled softly in her wild, hazel coloured hair. "Nanna told me that we could keep you, but we've no money. No one in the village buys our holly wreaths at Christmas anymore, and all the others have bought caravans or mobile homes, and they've offered us one, but Nanna didn't want one until we couldn't afford you, Cal, which she said would be never, but now we can't, and we have to sell you." Queenie had tears shining in her brown eyes, but she was tougher than that. She shook her scarlet hair ribbon from her hair and began to plait it into Cal's chestnut tail. As she finished plaiting, a frail figure emerged from the path nearby and began to walk over to the pair. "Nanna! You said you wouldn't sell him! Never!"
The old lady placed a withered hand on Queenie's shoulder.
"My child, I wish I had a choice"
It was only a few days after that Queenie saw the poster. She hated the part of the village where she was at the time. She was trying to sell flowers, but everyone there got theirs from the supermarket in the town nearby. It was the same with the Christmas wreaths. But as she
walked, unsuccessfully, away from yet another house, she glanced at a poster on a wall. It read:
Horse Show
£1 entry fee, £400 to the
winner. Meet at 10:00 pm
on the village green.
Queenie sighed, and began making her way back to the camp. She would love to enter, but how would she get £1? She'd heard of children who got nearly £10 a week. She got no pocket money, any money they had went towards food, and even then they could only afford bread and tea. Only,, when she trudged through the village, a man walked past in a hurry, and nearly knocked her over, but he spotted her flowers and stopped. " Here, lass, are those flowers for sale?" Queenie nodded shyly, and the man smiled " How much?"
Queenie stared at him for a moment
"50p a bunch" she said quickly.
"well I'll take all three bunches" he grinned. he handed over the money and began to walk off. Queenie gazed at the money in her hand. He'd given he £1 over. " Mister! you gave me too much!" she began to chase after him, and he turned and laughed. " You're an honest lass, aren't you!" he patted her head and pressed the money back into her hand. "Keep it, you deserve it, I'm too well off anyway" and Queenie watched him stride into the distance. She ran all the way home and told her Nanna what had happened. "Well. aren't we lucky,my little Queen?" Queenie beamed, but then her heart sank. "I suppose it's all going towards food, Nanna, isn't it"
"No, of course not, my child! the £2.50 is for all of us, but the £1, that's yours, dear. Consider it as, what do you call it? Pocket money. Spend it on sweeties or something else."
" Oh! thankyou so much!" Queenie hugged her Nanna and smiled. "I know exactly what to do!"
Two days later, Queenie and her Nanna were sitting on the grass outside their gypsy caravan, with Cal grazing peacefully between them. "But Nanna" Queenie began " Why did you decide to keep Cal with the money? I'm so glad you did, but you always dreamt of gold and riches, so why keep an old horse?"
"Don't you see, my child?" the old woman patted the horse and put her arm round Queenie. "Gypsy gold does not chink and glitter, but gleams in the sunlight and neighs in the dark."
Thankyou for reading!
66luvponies & Low Lightning
2013-06-23 16:28:19
Misunderstood
By: Beneva
(Chapter 1)
At the saddest little rickety old Western barn, you couldn’t expect much. Sad, rickety, and old perfectly describe Mrs. K’s Academy. It was a small place, run literally in Kate Smith’s backyard. There was a small barn of about six horses, with two outdoor pipe stalls on the right side. On the left was a small arena, approximately the size of the barn and pipe stalls combined; barely fit to ride in. The barn was once painted. Now there are white chips of paint all over it, leaving the wood exposed. At such an old dying little place, it had a special vibe. Everyone was family at Mrs. K’s. Everyone was happy.
Sure there were tough times. Kate had trouble making money, especially at such a small facility she had. Years and months passed, and Kate was just thinking about closing down her riding academy until a new client came.
The girl was tall and thin for her age. 13 years old and already 5â€6. Her beautiful and long wavy hair was the first thing you always noticed when you looked at her. She was quiet and reserved at first, but get to know her and those brown eyes of hers would brighten up. She’d be the friendliest and best-humored person you could meet if you got to that point.
The girl, Emma, came to Mrs. K’s with her “loveâ€. A fancy imported warmblood named Benton. Sure, Mrs. K’s wasn’t exactly an English riding facility. They did more Western disceplines. But Emma didn’t care, she loved the family feel of the place.
As time went on, Benton and Emma got settled in. Things were cozy and relaxed, until one day the newly hired English instructor, Jessica (who was pregnant), came into the lounge with some papers. “I just got a new horse,†She says proudly, “Her name is Little Bit. Little Bit of Gold. “
Emma sat up immediately.
“A new horse? How exciting! What does she do?â€
“She does everything. She can do western pleasure, english riding, even a bit of jumping!â€
“How nice!â€
“Yeah! I’m really excited. She is super simple, and really good with kids as I hear. She is one of the most understandable horses I’ve ever worked with. She’s very simple, nothing more to her than that.â€
This is Club Pony Pals, the official Pony Pals game and virtual horse world. Here you can adopt, ride and care for the pony you always wanted. Our site is based on the Scholastic books about three girls by Jeanne Betancourt.
