Flying Horse Read Online Free PDF Page A

interested. Mrs. Reg’s stories—though sometimes confusing—were always worth listening to.
    “Maddy was a beautiful chestnut and the first Thoroughbred I ever owned,” Mrs. Reg continued. Her face took on a faraway look. “She was a superb field hunter, born to go with the hounds—”
    “Foxhunting,” Carole mouthed, and Stevie nodded.
    “—and she was a wonderful athlete, with a beautiful, stylish jump. But I admit, her personality could be difficult sometimes. She had a sense of humor, that horse.” Mrs. Reg shook her head fondly.
    “I’d been riding her about a year when our hunt held a hunter trials,” she continued. “That’s a horse show just for foxhunters, you know. Oh, I was certain that Maddy and I would win everything. I dreamed about blue ribbons every night.”
    Lisa smiled a little uncomfortably. She had been in that position before—she had taken Prancer to ashow, certain they would win everything. Prancer had kicked a judge and been disqualified. The experience had taught Lisa to concentrate on riding well, not winning.
    “The hunter trials course was in a big open field, with solid jumps—log fences and stone walls—typical of hunt country,” said Mrs. Reg. “I schooled Maddy over it every single day for weeks before the trials. She started out well, but one day she began to refuse to jump, not for any reason that I could see. I got so mad at her—I wanted a ribbon!—but nothing I did helped.” Mrs. Reg smiled and shook her head. “Such a fuss,” she said. “But that was all a long time ago. Anyway, what I wanted to tell you girls—”
    “But Mrs. Reg,” Lisa cut in, “what happened at the hunter trials? Did you get a ribbon?”
    “Well, of course not,” Mrs. Reg replied. “We weren’t eligible.”
    Carole frowned. “Not eligible? But you said—”
    “Carole,” Mrs. Reg said patiently, “you must know that no horse can receive a ribbon if it has been eliminated from the class.”
    “But that means—” said Carole.
    “You can be eliminated in one of three ways: by your horse going up to a jump and refusing it three times, by falling off your horse, or by jumping thejumps in the wrong order. That last one,” she said reflectively, “we didn’t do.”
    “You mean you
fell off
?” Even though Stevie knew that all riders fell off their horses sometimes, she couldn’t imagine it happening to Mrs. Reg.
    “As a matter of fact, yes, I did,” Mrs. Reg said crisply. “Maddy refused three fences in both of our first two classes, and in the third class she tossed me right over the log pile. Once I was on the ground I understood what my mistake had been.” Mrs. Reg grinned at the recollection.
    Stevie felt her throat tighten. “Your mistake was that you thought she was a good horse,” she guessed. “You were wrong.”
    Mrs. Reg looked astonished. “Why, no. She was one of the best horses I ever had. Someday I’ll show you a picture of us in full hunting regalia. But that is not why I wanted to talk to you girls. I just had a phone call from Dorothy and Nigel.”
    “Dorothy DeSoto and Nigel Hawthorne?” said Lisa. “Oh, wow! Are they coming to Pine Hollow?”
    “Are they giving another dressage demonstration?” asked Carole. “Is Nigel going to be in a show? Is he competing for Great Britain again?”
    “When do they get here?” asked Stevie. “How long can they stay? Do you think Dorothy will want to ride Topside? I can get him ready for her.”
    “No, no, no,” said Mrs. Reg. “Dorothy and Nigel aren’t coming here. They want you to go to them.”
    The Saddle Club screamed with delight. “Oh, wow! To visit their farm on Long Island! Only Carole’s gotten to do that. Or wait—do they want us to come to New York City again?” All three of the girls talked at once. Carole and Lisa leaped up from the hay bale and exchanged hugs with Stevie.
    Dorothy DeSoto and Nigel Hawthorne were good friends of theirs—The Saddle Club had even helped arrange