Jessica and Jewel (3 page)

All the other girls fell in love with their ponies straight away, just like I did!

Jewel is my perfect pony – really gentle and sweet, with plenty of spirit and stamina. I just know she’s a wild western girl at heart, like me. I’m sure we’ll both love the trail ride!

We had a great time in the assessment lesson, ’cos she’s so easy to ride. We did a long warm-up, with lots of trotting and circles and changes of direction and no stopping for a rest. Sally said we all have to build up stamina for the trail ride, where we’ll be riding for several hours each day. The best bit was when we cantered round to the back of the ride. (Well, me and the older ones did – Tegan and the younger ones just went round in trot again.) We had to make sure we stopped in time so we didn’t spook the pony in front of us. Sally said this will be extra important when
we’re out in the countryside cantering as a group. The lesson made me even more excited about the trail ride! Oh, I hope we can have lassoes and wear cowboy hats for it, but I don’t suppose we’ll be allowed!

Afterwards, we took our ponies back to the barn and Lydia helped us untack. Once we’d glugged at least two cups of lemon squash each in the kitchen, we hurried back to the yard to find out from Sally what group we’d be in. As I was hoping, I’m in group B with the older ones. That means I should be able to push myself a bit this week. My instructor at home did want me to move up a group last month, but I couldn’t because me and Tegan have to go together (Mum says she can’t drive there and back twice).

We did some yard work before lunch. Bailey was helping me to sweep up, and we were singing that new Sheana song while we were
working. We had a go at the harmonies and everything – it sounded so cool with Bailey’s American accent.

Tegan finished scrubbing out the feed buckets, as Lydia had asked her to, and then she was just hanging round near me (kind of like she is now, in fact!). So I said, “Hey, why don’t you go and run the barrow up the muck heap with Lola and Alisha?”

Tegan looked over and saw those two collapsing in a heap of giggles while trying to steer the big heavy barrow down the bumpy lane and her eyes lit up. “Can we?” she asked. She looked so excited I didn’t have the heart to say, “I didn’t mean me and you, I just meant you.”

Bailey said it was no problem, and that she’d finish up the sweeping, so I went with Tegan. It was fun, but I felt a bit frustrated about having to leave Bailey right when we were getting the song perfect.

Our lesson this afternoon was really cool because we did jumping! Sally said it might help us later on in the week, but when we asked why she went all mysterious and wouldn’t say. She’s definitely got a surprise up her sleeve! She put up a couple of combinations – a single, three strides, then a double and two cross poles with only a bounce in between them. Jewel went over really smoothly, but I need to work on going with her rhythm and sensing when to bob up, instead of trying to count strides and getting in a pickle.

Shine did a couple of good jumps, but then this gate crashed in the wind and she got completely spooked, so she kept running out after that. Sally chose me and Jewel to give Claudia a lead over a practice jump and get Shine back on track. I was a bit nervous ’cos I’ve only recently started jumping myself and I didn’t think I could lead anyone else, but my gorgeous pony kept calm and made sure it all went smoothly.

Shine soon got her confidence back and Claudia was really grateful and kept saying thanks to me, even after the lesson when we were untacking back on the yard. I said it was mostly Jewel being brill, but Claudia insisted it was me, too. Maybe she’s right and I’m a better rider than I realized!

On the way back to the farmhouse for tea Claudia linked arms with me. I felt really cool walking along beside her because she’s so grown up and beautiful. I’m leaning this book a bit away from her as I’m writing this – I want her to think I find it totally normal to have older girls as friends, not something worth writing about! But then Tegan ran up and linked on the other side of me, and when we got indoors she made me go to the loo with her and wait outside the door, even though it’s only upstairs and not spooky at all. Oh well, I’m sure she’ll stop sticking to me so much when she settles in a bit and finds her feet.

Hey! 
It’s just started pouring – gotta go or this page will turn into mush!

Well, it really bucketed down in the end, so it was lucky we hadn't gone in the pool after all! Instead we hung out in the games room and Jody put all the different things out, like Twister and the dance mats, and there was table tennis as well. Alisha and Summer got really into that and kept playing for so long their wrists must have been nearly falling off. I played Operation with Tegan for a while, which is absolutely her fave game ever. She would have gone on all night, but I wasn't too keen because I want to do new things at Pony Camp, not the same old stuff.

Tegan insisted on putting back all the patient's organs using the tweezers, which was taking ages, so I went on the dance
mats with Bailey and Dannii for a while. Then we started playing this wheelbarrow game with Claudia where you hold each other's legs and walk on your hands. We all had turns at being the wheelbarrow and being the steerer, and got really giggly, especially because Bailey had changed into a skirt before tea and it kept coming up and showing her knickers!

Then I got an idea for a game from watching Summer and Alisha earlier on. We made a muck heap out of the sofa cushions and tried to go up it. Of course, we ended up in a heap on
the floor in hysterics. I felt great I'd made up the game and they were having such a good time playing it.

Tegan wanted to join in and be my wheelbarrow, but then Bailey would have been left out, which would have spoilt it. So instead I tried to get T interested in playing with the younger ones by going, “Oh wow! I can't believe Lola's got the latest Starshine pony
and
the showjumping school! I bet you'd love to help Alisha set up a course!” But she still wouldn't go.

Luckily, Jody soon sent her up to go in the shower, so she wasn't hanging round on her own for very long. Well, not
that
long, anyway. And pretty soon after that I had to go up for mine, too.

Oh, there's Jody. Time for lights out. Goodnight!