Racehorse Read Online Free PDF Page B

they wished they had.
    “I remember Pepper, too,” Ms. Ingleby said, breaking up the pandemonium. “I rode Pepper when
I
was a little girl. He was a lot younger then. Lisa wasn’t kidding when she said he’d been around a long time!” The students laughed.
    The rest of the class was spent with various students talking about their memories of Pepper. Lisa had been worried that her essay was too sentimental and too personal. She’d also been worried that it hadn’t been right.Something seemed to her to be missing about it. Nobody else seemed to feel that way and everybody agreed with her feelings about Pepper. That comforted her a little bit and by the time the bell rang, Lisa was almost sorry class was over. Almost, but not really, because then it was time to go to Pine Hollow and be with Pepper. She wanted to see Pepper, but she also wanted to shake her own feelings of doubt about the work she’d done for the essay. She practically ran to Pine Hollow.
    “C OME ON , L ISA ,” Stevie said, welcoming her to the stable. “I’ve cleared it with Max for us to take a practice ride in the outdoor ring—me on Topside, you on Comanche. You’re going to love him.”
    One of the things Lisa loved about her friend was that Stevie understood exactly how she was feeling about Pepper and was trying to help her think positively. Of course, one of the reasons Stevie understood was that she felt the same way about Pepper that everybody else did. Pepper had been one of Stevie’s first horses as well. Stevie, however, wasn’t one to dwell on sad thoughts. Her mind always headed straight for the fun side of things. To Stevie, it was exciting that Lisa was going to get a chance to learn more about a whole new horse. Except, of course, Stevie had ridden Comanche before.
    “I’m not so sure about this,” Lisa said uneasily.
    “Comanche’s great,” Stevie assured her.
    “Great for you,” Lisa said. “I’m not so sure about me.”
    Early on in her riding, Lisa had learned that horses, like people, had very individual personalities, and for a rider to enjoy a horse meant that their personalities had to mesh. One of the reasons she’d gotten along so well with Pepper was that he was sweet and even-tempered. Comanche, on the other hand, was high-spirited and mischievous. That made him a perfect match for Stevie, not necessarily for Lisa.
    “Come on, chin up,” Stevie said. “Let this young boy show you his stuff, okay?”
    “Okay,” Lisa agreed, though she wasn’t honestly enthusiastic about the change. They headed for Comanche’s stall. On the way they passed Pepper. He looked up when Lisa passed and sighed heavily. It was as if the thought of going out on a ride was too much for him. Lisa thought he seemed relieved when she walked on by, though how could he really understand?
    Stevie had gotten to Pine Hollow first and had tacked up Comanche for Lisa. She’d also groomed him quickly so that his deep chestnut coat was gleaming and he stood proudly, anticipating a fun time with his rider. His eyes sparkled and his ears perked alertly. He nodded a greeting to the girls, apparently eager to be riding. The contrast between Comanche and Pepper was startling. It was certainly enough to convince Lisa that this was worth trying.
    The two girls brought their horses into the outdoor ring, touching the traditional good-luck horseshoe on their way through the doorway. Lisa always did that automatically, because by tradition all the riders at Pine Hollow did it. Nobody who had ever done it had gotten seriously hurt riding at the stable. Today she wondered if it would be enough. After all, Comanche was a lot more horse for her to control than Pepper had been. She was going to have to work harder. She was going to have to be better.
    Red O’Malley, the head stablehand at Pine Hollow, was nearby to keep an eye on the girls. He waved jauntily at Lisa. He was always nice, but he didn’t usually do that. Lisa realized that he understood