Daisy and Dancer Read Online Free PDF

they’re her favourite. “You may not be confident about the display,” said Rosie, “but you are in other things. Look at us two with our ponies in the barn, worrying about getting our feet trodden on and being nervous of putting the bit in! You’re so confident you just get on with it, and you help us out too! And remember how brave you were tonight staying out in the dark by yourself.”

    Well, I hadn’t thought of it like that before! I’ve been so busy concentrating on the things I’m not very good at, I forgot to see all the things I am good at! I guess sometimes it takes your friends to point the obvious out to you!
    “Thanks, that means a lot to me,” I told them. “But seriously, what are we going to do about the display? You’re both so supple and balanced, and there’s no way I’m going to suddenly be like that by Friday! But if we cut all the things I can’t do out of the routine it’ll look really boring!”
    “Don’t worry,” Isabel said then. “I’m sure we can find a solution. Let’s get some sleep and talk to Jody about it tomorrow.”

    So we scoffed the last of the flying saucers, and Rosie and I crept back into our own beds.
    I feel so much better now I’ve told them the truth, and it’s great that they’ve been so understanding. It’s really nice of them to want to help me, but I still can’t think of a solution. I guess I’ll have to wait and see what tomorrow brings!

Thursday lunchtime
    Wow, this morning went really well – much better than I could ever have imagined – and it was all thanks to Rosie and Isabel (and Dancer, of course!). After we’d got our ponies in and brushed them down, we all gathered round
    Jody in the barn to find out what our yard jobs were. Everyone was given theirs and went off to get started, except us three. Jody gave me a smile and said, “Isabel and Rosie mentioned to me this morning that you’re feeling nervous about the display.”
    At first I was a bit embarrassed that they’d told her, but then I was just relieved that I didn’t have to pretend any more. “Yes, I am…” I admitted. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, though,” I added quickly. But I didn’t sound very sure, not even to myself!

    “Daisy, there’s no need to put on a brave face,” said Jody, “we’re all here to help you. In the lesson this morning we can have a think about how to adapt the routine so that you’re confident about it.”
    “But I don’t want to spoil things for my friends,” I mumbled, glancing at Isabel and Rosie.
    “You’re not,” Rosie insisted.
    “We want you to have fun and enjoy yourself, that’s the main thing,” Isabel promised.
    “Are you really, really sure?” I asked.

    “Daisy!” cried Isabel. “You have to believe us! I gave you my last drumstick lolly and everything!”
    I grinned at them and they grinned back. What fab friends!
    “Meanwhile, Isabel and Rosie have come up with some ways to help you improve your balance and confidence,” Jody said then, “so instead of doing yard jobs, I’d like you to spend the next hour working together on that.”

    So that’s exactly what we did! First they set up a line of straw bales down the middle of the barn and we all jumped from one to the other (the ponies were watching us, wondering what on earth we were doing!). When I got the hang of it they spaced them further and further apart. I really had to concentrate hard to keep my balance when I landed, and I fell off a couple of times. I did improve, though, and in the end they were so far apart that even Isabel toppled off at one point, so we thought we’d better stop there!

    Then we all did the tree pose, which is this yoga thing that they learned from their mum. The ponies were definitely wondering what was going on then!
    After that we went out and tried some handstands up against the back wall of the stables. I did get a bit better, but my legs were still falling down sideways and I couldn’t stay up very long before