Horsenapped! Read Online Free PDF Page B

told her that Bodoni had been horsenapped, but it was clear that something was very wrong and that it had to do with Bodoni. Carole was even more convinced she’d been right.
    Carole was pretty sure that if she spoke with Mr. Feeney, she’d get the same reaction she’d had from Alicia. She concluded, then, that there was no point in talking to him. She’d go right to the horse’s mouth.
    Mr. Feeney had a small stable to the side of his house. Carole approached it from the side away from the house. The stable was unlocked. She and Starlight stepped in. It was empty—just as she had expected. She had been in enough hot water for one day.
    Carole checked her watch. It was time to get back to Pine Hollow. There was a lot of work to be done, not the least of which was the cross-country competition.
    As Carole headed back over the fields to Pine Hollow, Max, Red, and Donald were working on the finishing touches for the junior course. The cross-country trail would take the riders in open areas as well as wooded ones. There were a lot of obstacles the riders and horses had to clear. It was a little bit like a hunting trail and Carole suspected it would turn out to be a lot of fun. Max saw her and waved. Red did, too. Donald regarded herquizzically. Carole thought maybe he was worried that she would overtire Starlight.
    She leaned forward and patted Starlight’s neck. He wasn’t tired at all. He loved a brisk ride in the early morning. Just to prove it, he whipped his tail up brightly and lengthened his stride. He was ready.

 
    S TEVIE AIMED THE hose at Topside for a final rinse. She’d shampooed every inch of him so his coat would gleam for the afternoon competition. Now, satisfied, she turned off the water and tugged gently at his lead rope to move him from the bathing area. It was time to dry him and finish his grooming.
    The horse didn’t budge. “Come on, boy,” Stevie said. He still didn’t want to move. Stevie knew what the problem was. He loved being bathed and he didn’t want it to stop. He was just like her little brother Michael. He never wanted to get out of the tub, either. The only way she’d ever been able to get him out was to tell him that Alex or Chad, her two other brothers, were playing with his Nintendo games. She had the funniest feeling that ploy wouldn’t work with Topside.
    “Yeah,” she said to him. “You’re always glad to share your Nintendo games, aren’t you?”
    Topside didn’t answer. It was as if he had decided he wouldn’t move or react to anything until he got more shower time.
    “Okay, that’s it!” she said in her most motherlike voice. “If you don’t get out of the shower right this minute, there will be no dessert for you tonight!” She tugged at the lead rope as she spoke.
    For some reason, Topside got the message. He followed Stevie to the area where she could dry him off. Stevie was relieved he’d obeyed, but she did wonder what, exactly, she was going to have to give him for dessert.
    “He looks great!” Lisa said. She was in the hallway where her horse, Pepper, was cross-tied for his grooming.
    “Thanks,” Stevie said. “And Pepper looks ready for the Embassy Ball!”
    Lisa nodded proudly. Pepper was a dappled gray. His coat didn’t shine the way Topside’s deep, rich brown did, but it certainly looked better when he was well curried and brushed.
    “I was just wondering why horses are willing to stand still so long to be fussed over with grooming. Do you know?” Lisa asked.
    “Sure. They love it,” Stevie said. “They love the attention, and a lot of the stuff, like the bathing, brushing, and combing, just feels good. I don’t think horses are tooenthusiastic about having their feet picked, but a lot of them know that it feels better when it’s done, so they put up with it.”
    That sounded reasonable to Lisa. Then something else occurred to her. “Well, if that’s the case, how come we have to be careful on the trail not to let them get near a