Nightstorm and the Grand Slam Read Online Free PDF

I can do?” The night guard was clearly feeling awful that he had tried to turf her out earlier. “Do you want me to lead him for you for a while?”
    Issie shook her head. She couldn’t bring herself to leave Storm’s side, not even for a moment.
    â€œCan you do me a favour?” she asked. “I need you to make a phone call for me.”

    By the time Avery, Francoise and Stella arrived at the yard the vet’s injection had begun to work and Storm’s pains seemed to be easing, but the stallionwas still distressed and Issie still needed to keep him moving.
    â€œIt looks like we might be lucky,” Francoise said gently to Issie. “If the pains are lessening then the chances are that he has spasmodic colic. It is painful – but it is the best kind of colic to get – he’ll get better again quite quickly.”
    â€œIt’s not because I overfed him, is it?” Stella looked distraught. “I gave him a regular feed…”
    Francoise shook her head. “No – this kind of colic attack is usually brought on by nerves and stress, not food. He needs to be walked for the rest of the night, but the chances are good that he will recover.”
    Avery agreed. “It looks like the muscle relaxant is working.”
    â€œWill I be able to ride him tomorrow?” Issie asked. “It’s only a few hours until the cross-country.”
    Avery shook his head. “It’s too soon. Even if all of his symptoms were gone by then, riding him would be a huge risk. He could develop a second bout and it would kill him.”
    Issie’s heart plummeted. If you had asked her an hour ago she would have wept with gratitude just knowingthat her horse was going to live – but to have her dreams yanked away like this… ohmygod, they were in the top three after the dressage! It was too cruel. But she knew what she had to do.
    She couldn’t ride – she had to retire. She was pulling Storm out of Badminton.

Chapter 4
    Issie felt like she had only just fallen asleep when she was being woken up by the glare of bright sunlight on her face. The canvas flap of the truck had been opened up and it was daylight outside.
    â€œOops!” Stella quickly shut the canvas behind her again. “Sorry! Didn’t mean to wake you!” She reached across Issie and began rummaging around in a gear bag until she found a roll of gamgee bandage.
    Issie sat up, still feeling groggy. “What time is it?”
    â€œIt’s nearly ten,” Stella said.
    Ten! No wonder the sky had looked so blue. She should have been awake hours ago. The cross-country would be underway already!
    â€œIt’s OK. Everything is under control,” Stella said. “Tom told me to leave you to sleep in.”
    Nightstorm’s bout of colic had kept Issie up until the early hours of the morning. She hadn’t wanted to leave her horse’s side but at five a.m. Avery finally insisted that she go back and get some sleep.
    â€œStella will stay with him,” Avery told her. “You need to rest. You’ve still got Victory to ride tomorrow.”
    Stella finished packing the gamgee bandages in the kit bag and slung it over her shoulder.
    â€œStorm’s doing much better,” she said, anticipating Issie’s question. “Maurice came to check on him again at around eight this morning and he’s pretty sure that he’s over the worst of it. He might have a few more stomach pains over the next twenty-four hours but he’s going to make a complete recovery.”
    â€œThanks, Stella,” Issie said gratefully.
    Stella looked like she was going to burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, Issie. I should have realised when he wasn’t eating that something was wrong…”
    â€œThere was no way you could have known he was going to get colic,” Issie told her.
    Stella looked miserable. “You should be riding himtoday. He would