Horse Sense Read Online Free PDF Page B

the figure eight in balance, with six horses on each half.
    “Nice work, Lisa,” Max said. “When one person makes a mistake, everybody
else
has to correct it.”
    Did she hear it right? Max was actually praising her!
    “Sorry, Lisa,” Betsy called over her shoulder. “I’m just having a terrible time with Barq today—or else it’s me. I don’t know.”
    Lisa knew. It had clearly been Betsy’s fault, but since Max had lavished her with praise, she didn’t want to be mean to Betsy. “No problem, Betsy,” Lisa said magnanimously. “Horses have bad days, too, just like people.”
    “Nice work,” Max said to the entire class at the end of the lesson. “If you all enjoyed that, we can do more of it. Who thought it was fun?”
    Lisa glanced around at her classmates. Most of them looked sort of frustrated and tired. It was true that it had been a tough lesson. Max had shouted a lot—and not just at Betsy. Still, it had been fun for Lisa, and
very
satisfying when she’d succeeded. Lisa put her hand up.
    To her surprise, only two other hands went up—Stevie’s and Carole’s. For a second, Lisa thought Max was trying to hide a smile. Then he spoke. “Okay, if you three enjoyed it, then I think it would be a good idea for you to work on drills. We’ll have additional classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at three. Now, pair up, walk your horses around the circle until they’ve cooled down, then break for lunch. At two o’clock this afternoon, we’re going to work on grooming, so put your horses in their stalls for now, untack them, and give them fresh water and hay.
Dis-missed
!!”
    “Wasn’t that just great?” Stevie asked Carole as the two of them led their horses to their stalls. “I mean, it’s like almost a perfect combination of the things I enjoy about riding—equitation and dressage. The only thing missing is jumping and, I guess, cross-country, and racing, and uh, well, check that. What I enjoy about riding is
everything
! Drill work included.”
    “It’s neat,” Carole agreed. “Since I lived on Marine Corps bases for ten years, I’ve seen an awful lot of drill work—mostly on foot, you know, like parades. This isreally the first time I’ve gotten to do it, unless you count the time my Girl Scout troop marched in the Marine Corps Birthday Parade a couple of years ago.”
    “I don’t think that’s exactly the same thing,” Stevie said, laughing.
    “Me neither.” Carole grinned. “It’s much more fun on horseback. And I just knew when Max asked who had liked it that it would be the three of us.”
    “Yeah, I’m glad about that,” Stevie agreed. “After all, we are The Saddle Club.”
    “You going to have lunch now?” Carole asked.
    “No, I forgot my sandwich. It doesn’t matter, though. I’ve got something I have to work on as soon as I untack Comanche.”
    “If you’re in such a rush, I’ll untack him for you,” Carole offered.
    “Would you?”
    “Sure I would,” Carole told her, reaching for the reins. Gladly, Stevie relinquished them.
    “See you later,” she said, dashing off to the tack room.
    Carole really didn’t mind at all. She’d rather spend time with horses than doing almost anything. Besides, it would make the time pass faster until Judy came to check Delilah for the day.
    L ATER , L ISA FOUND Carole sitting on a knoll by the paddock where Delilah was being kept until she foaled. It was next to her foaling stall, in sight of the office so she could be watched all the time. Carole waseating her sandwich and drinking her soda, but one hundred percent of her attention was on Delilah.
    “How’s she doing?” Lisa asked as she sat down beside her friend.
    “Judy says she’s doing just fine. You always have to be concerned about a mare with her first foal, but Judy says Delilah seems to be a good mother. She eats her special mash and she’s resting a lot. Judy says it should be just fine.”
    “She seems to be kind of listless,” Lisa said,