Riding Class Read Online Free PDF

she loves you. That counts for a lot. And Belle is a great horse, too.”
    “I know,” Stevie said. She turned around and scratched Belle’s forehead, and the mare lowered her head and sighed.
    “Let’s look on the bright side. Max said his ‘event’ was going to be different,” Lisa reminded them. “He practically told Veronica not to count on winning.”
    “And she practically told everyone that she would,” Stevie said. “I hope Max is right. I really hope I can beat her. I hope we all can. She’s been way too superior ever since she got Danny. She needs to be taken down a peg or two.”
    “She sure does,” Carole agreed. “Well, she does!” she repeated when her friends looked at her in surprise. “I’m with you, Stevie—let’s beat her!”

O N M ONDAY AFTERNOON Lisa’s mother took The Saddle Club to Free Rein.
    This time the horses were in their stalls and the stable was full of people—more than a dozen, by Lisa’s quick count. Ms. Payne spotted The Saddle Club and came to greet them. “It’s always a little hectic around here when lessons are going on,” she said. “Pat, our regular instructor, is teaching a private right now. We’ve got three to get ready for the four-thirty lesson.”
    “Only three?” Carole was amazed. At Pine Hollow,group lessons usually had six to eight riders, but even then there weren’t nearly this many people in the barn.
    “Three riders,” Ms. Payne explained, “eight volunteers for the lesson, one instructor, two volunteers who are cleaning stalls, three parents watching their children ride, the three of you, myself—”
    “And there’s Emily!” Lisa spotted their friend outside P.C.’s stall. They waved, and Emily waved back.
    “And Emily. That’s, let’s see—”
    “Twenty-two people,” Lisa supplied.
    “That’s right.”
    “Did you say eight volunteers for the lesson?” Stevie asked incredulously. “Eight volunteers for three riders?”
    “That’s right,” Ms. Payne said again, nodding. “Some of our riders ride independently, the way you do, without anyone standing close by. Most require a leader; that is, a person who stands at the horse’s head and leads it with a rope to be sure that it stays under control while the rider rides. Many also need side-walkers, who stand at the side of the horse and make sure that the rider doesn’t fall off. For this lesson, two of the riders need two side-walkers, one on each side of the horse.”
    “And the third rider just needs one side-walker?” Lisa asked.
    Ms. Payne sighed. “Well,” she said, “I don’t know ifJoshua really needs a side-walker at this point, but I don’t know if he’s ready to ride without one, either. It’s hard to tell with Joshua. He’s autistic. Come, I’ll introduce you.”
    Joshua was twelve or thirteen years old. He was standing in a stall with a big-boned Appaloosa and two volunteers who were a little older than The Saddle Club. “We’re going to groom Ditto now, remember?” one of the volunteers asked him. Joshua didn’t reply. Physically he looked perfectly normal, as far as The Saddle Club could see, but he didn’t seem to notice anything going on around him. He stood beside the horse, staring at it, and he didn’t turn when they entered the stall.
    “What do we do first?” the volunteer asked him. The boy didn’t move. He didn’t even seem to hear her. “Joshua?” The volunteer stepped in front of him and held up a grooming bucket. “What do we do first? Show me.” Slowly, without looking at her, Joshua reached forward and touched the rubber currycomb. “That’s right! Good!” Joshua turned his gaze back to the horse. The volunteer gently placed the currycomb in one of his hands, and he began to groom the horse.
    “Girls, meet Joshua, Sarah, and Darcy,” Ms. Payne said. “Joshua, Sarah, Darcy, this is Lisa, Stevie, and Carole. They’re going to be helping us today. It’s their first time helping with a lesson.”
    Ms. Payne left