Puzzle: The Runaway Pony (9 page)

Chapter Thirteen

MRS Millar popped over to Blackberry Farm after school for the next three days to give Phantom lessons. He looked amazing, powerfully striding along under her watchful eye.

The others always watched from the fence, oohing in unison every time he put in another huge buck.

“His back hooves are
literally
going higher than your head, Charlie!” Rosie called out one time, only to be silenced with a single stare from Mrs Millar. Charlie just managed to sit to each buck, staying in the saddle as she worked to keep Phantom’s head up. She reminded herself over and over to keep breathing. It felt as if Phantom was picking up on the slightest bit of tension in
Charlie, so she had to make an effort to stay relaxed. It was so strange – riding with Pirate was something she did without trying, because she and her pony knew each other so well. Now she had to think about everything for the first time in ages, and it felt exhausting.

On the first evening after Phantom had been put away, Mrs Millar had told the others that she’d give them all a lesson, and Charlie a second one, this time on Pirate. Charlie had suggested that Pixie try him, but she’d said no way. Puzzle was the only kind of pony she’d want to ride from then on. Even though for a fleeting second Charlie had hoped it would be the perfect solution, she knew deep down it wasn’t right – Pirate wasn’t the pony for Pixie, so Charlie didn’t press it.

Knowing that Pixie’s confidence had been shattered by the lethal combination of Sasha and Phantom, Mrs Millar concentrated most on Pixie and Puzzle during the lessons. Within a couple of
days of Mrs Millar’s teaching, Pixie was starting to believe in herself again and was riding Puzzle brilliantly.

“You’re clearly a good, sympathetic rider,” Mrs Millar announced as Pixie patted the blue roan. “Anyone can see that, and if someone says differently then they can’t be a horseman in my book.”

Pixie smiled, her cheeks glowing pink at the praise.

Daisy came along each day too, joining in the lessons as they swapped ponies, so that they all got to be taught by Mrs Millar ahead of the show. Everyone had insisted, as they untacked and stood about the yard after the final lesson on Friday, that Daisy should come with them to Compton Manor because she’d become part of the team.

“After all,” Rosie pointed out, “Puzzle wouldn’t be going anywhere if it wasn’t for your care.”

“Okay – I’ll ask Hope Farm for the morning off,” she finally agreed, “but I’ll only go as
veterinary consultant and holder of ponies. My competing days are over!”

Everyone cheered, and Alice said that Daisy could hack Scout over to Compton Manor. Alice was shorter than Charlie and she could ride Pirate instead. Charlie had decided to enter him in the 80cm class.

“Good for you,” Mrs Millar nodded approvingly. “It’ll be the last time you get to compete on Pirate, so you might as well make the most of it.”

“Oh, yes, I hadn’t thought of it like that,” Charlie lied, trying to smile, but with Mrs Millar’s words the stone cold, hard reality of the situation hit her. She turned back to Pirate’s stable, suddenly remembering that she’d forgotten to give him the mint in her pocket.

“Oh, Sasha, look!” Jade shrieked as the six girls
rode into Compton Manor on Saturday morning. There were loads of people and ponies milling about but worse luck, they had bumped straight into the CM club. “The entertainment’s turned up, and it looks like she’s riding some kind of scruffy cob – what a comedown from Phantom!”

Pixie went bright red and patted Puzzle’s roan neck, while Daisy told her to ignore them. Pixie had spent ages with Daisy, grooming Puzzle until he was beautifully clean. They’d even plaited his mane and tail, which Pixie had loved doing. According to Mia, who didn’t often give praise for grooming, she had a real talent for turnout, only now Pixie was back at Compton Manor, she looked as if she wished she could disappear again.

“And there’s Phantom!” Alice heard Bex say, sounding relieved and earning a scowl from Sasha, who turned round and scrutinised the black horse. He looked a million dollars, but Sasha wasn’t impressed, or at least didn’t show it if she was.

“I wouldn’t enter that horse into any of our classes if I were you,” she sneered. “He hates the indoor school here.”

“Something to do with the loudspeaker used to make the announcements,” Jade laughed. “We tried to get him used to it by talking in it while Pixie was schooling, but I think we may have made him worse – shame.”

Charlie scowled at them and patted Phantom’s taut neck. She noticed that, although he’d
jig-jogged
and pulled on the reins on the ride over, reminding her of a larger version of Pirate, he’d been fairly settled. But now he was among all the other ponies and standing still he was starting to get on his toes again, snorting and growing taller by the second.

“Which class are you in, anyway?” Sasha asked as Mrs Millar came over and gave Phantom a pat, before checking his girth.

“The Junior Trophy,” Charlie replied.

“You’re up against Sasha,” Jade jeered, before
bursting into laughter, nudging Bex to do the same. Bex frowned, then pretended to smile when she saw Sasha glaring at her. Sasha looked smug before opening her stable door and leading The Colonel out.

“I’ll see you in the ring, then,” she replied coolly, “and may the best rider win.”

As Sasha rode off to the warm-up area, Mrs Millar organised everyone for their classes, getting numbers for those that needed them before helping Pixie and Puzzle prepare for the clear round competition, where they’d be jumping a small course of fences with the promise of a rosette if they kept all the poles up.

When Pixie was ready, they all rode round to the indoor school. It was huge, with mirrors all down each side, making it seem even bigger. The surface was a deep brown, even and immaculately maintained. High up to the side was a gallery, with seats rising row by row. It was packed. One end of the school had post-and-rail fencing and
a gate, where the competitors rode in and out. Anyone could stand at that end and watch what was happening inside and still keep hold of their ponies. Charlie jumped off Phantom, and passed his reins to Mrs Millar so that she could take Pirate. They all gathered by the gate to watch as Pixie rode into the school, pale and twitchy.

The course was small and rode well, with lots of space between fences. Pixie gathered her reins and popped Puzzle into a steady canter. She looked for each fence in turn and told Puzzle how good he was each time he cleared a jump.

“Pixie and Puzzle jump clear!” the loudspeaker announced, as Pixie collected a rosette on her way out.

“That’s the first rosette I’ve
ever
won!” She beamed, looking almost as if she might cry she was so happy, lying along the pony’s neck and patting him with both hands as Daisy found him some mints. “Puzzle, you’re a complete star!”

It was the start of a good run. Rosie and Mia
both managed clears at the first attempt and Rosie even looked half decent after Mrs Millar’s last minute tuition. But in the 80cm competition Alice was eliminated after she got distracted by the audience in the gallery and missed out a fence. Charlie followed her in on Pirate and he flew round, rattling each fence but leaving them all standing, earning himself a place in the jump-off. Charlie took her pony outside and walked him round while the other ponies jumped the shortened course against the clock. She was last to go, and when the second to last pony rode out of the arena, Charlie jogged Pirate back in, one hand on his neck. Suddenly it hit her, full force: this would be the last time the pair would compete together.

“This is it, Pirate,” she whispered, patting his sturdy neck beneath the thick black mane as her pony bunny-hopped, eager to go. For a second she felt her heart quiver, then she smiled, feeling a warm buzz of love and determination race through her. “So let’s make this a good one.”

She leaned forward a fraction as the bell went, and Pirate immediately took it as his signal to go. Charlie focused as she asked Pirate for breathtaking turns, twisting between fences as he choppily dodged and jumped, spun and flew. Charlie heard the crowd gasp, watching the impossible line she was taking. But she knew Pirate, and the more challenges she set him, the braver he got. And she knew, as they flew through the finishing line, Pirate’s ears still pricked, that he’d loved every second as much as she had. They’d rattled fences, but left every one up, and easily clocked the fastest time. He was flying so fast that it took her a whole circuit to pull him up.

After she brought him back to a halt, they waited to collect the small cup and rosette. Charlie beamed and patted Pirate’s neck. She wished she could freeze time right there, forever, that she could stop growing and carry on riding Pirate always. But she knew she was desperately wishing for the impossible. Especially when she
heard the loudspeaker crackle into life.

“The next class is the Junior Trophy for the Under 16s,” the loudspeaker announced.

Charlie closed her eyes for a second, blinking them hard as she leaned forward and gave Pirate a hug. With a final squeeze she sat back up and rode out of the ring, her eyes glistening. She jumped down and passed her little bay’s reins, his cup and rosette to Alice.

“Perfect round,” Alice said, as Mia and Rosie smiled. They could all guess how Charlie must be feeling as she patted Pirate. For a second Charlie couldn’t speak, looking at the tiny little Pirate, standing so alertly, so eager to please and such a willing partner in everything they’d done. She took a deep breath and smiled.

“Totally perfect,” she agreed. She knew it couldn’t have been better. But she didn’t have long to think about it, because Sasha marched past to organise the jumps for the trophy and Charlie knew that she had to get Phantom ready.

Sasha ordered the Under 16s of the yard, including Tom, Jade and Bex, around the ring, directing where to put up fences and walking between them with her measuring wheel. She was making a big deal of checking her plan, then striding out the related distances in the doubles and combinations to ensure that they were right. Once it was complete, Mia took hold of Phantom and Charlie found Mrs Millar to walk the course.

Sasha was just ahead of them with Jade, giggling the whole way and looking round at everyone else, being really annoying. Mrs Millar strode it out with Charlie and they emerged looking serious.

“It’s going to be a testing course for this horse,” Mrs Millar said as she legged Charlie back into the saddle. “Those combinations are all extremely short.”

They all looked at Phantom, who was long in the back. It couldn’t be less ideal for him and it
was going to test Charlie’s skills to the max. She felt herself shiver.

“It’s almost as if the course has been designed to suit a very short-striding horse,” Mrs Millar said grimly as they watched Sasha and The Colonel, who was sweating after being ridden in for ages, canter into the ring, first to go. The Colonel bounced neatly over one fence then another, finding all the distances perfect. Mrs Millar frowned. “Not unlike that one in the ring right now…”

“You jumped that brilliantly!” Jade exclaimed, trying not to laugh as Sasha cleared the last fence and rode out. “Almost as if the course was built just for you!”

Sasha smiled knowingly before jumping off and throwing her reins at Bex, who looked at The Colonel with concern. “Do you want me to walk him round at all, until he’s cooled down?”

“No. Just tie him up until it’s time to collect the Trophy,” she crowed. “It won’t be long. After all,
there won’t be any others in the jump-off, not over
this
course!”

As the Pony Detectives looked on, Tom’s cremello pony, Casper, refused the last fence in the combination and they ended up being eliminated. Others fared no better, with rider after rider getting into trouble with the short distances between fences, knocking poles down left, right and centre. The way the class was going it would be almost impossible for anyone else to go clear. Sasha would win with a course that looked more and more as if it had been designed and built by Sasha to suit The Colonel.