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Shelby waved
in greeting and urged Blue on to the top of the hill.
There they stopped. Blue's sides expanded and contracted,
but he stood still with his ears pricked, looking
back the way they had come. She could see the whole
gully stretched out in front of her. She took a deep
breath, enjoying the fresh morning air that smelt like
eucalypt, earth and mineral water.
    Shelby slapped Blue on the shoulder. 'Good boy,'
she said. She pressed her calves to his sides and he
walked down the shallow slope that led to the back
gate of the stables.
    As she rode down the laneway between the two
stable blocks she could see the three stables that
Hayley's family hired. Erin had Bandit in the yard that
usually held Scamp. Mrs Crook was brushing Ditto
while Hayley sat in the doorway pulling on her boots.
    'Morning,' Shelby said, swinging her leg over
Blue's back. She slid the reins over his head.
    'Do you want a halter?' Hayley asked, reaching into
her storeroom and holding out a halter for Shelby.
    'Not that one,' Mrs Crook said. She turned to
Shelby with a big smile. 'That's a good one. We don't
want to get it dirty.'
    Blue's not dirty , Shelby thought, but when she
looked at him she could see the grimy sweat stain
around the edge of his saddle blanket.
    Hayley reached into the storeroom again, pulling
out an old ragged halter. Its buckles were red with rust.
    'Thanks,' Shelby said, slipping off Blue's bridle.
    Hayley's tack room was the fanciest Shelby had
ever seen. It had the same rough brick floor and corrugated
iron walls that Erin's had, but it was much more
spacious, because Hayley had three rooms in a row.
The feed was kept in large clear plastic bins and not
the corroded forty-four gallon drums that everybody
else used. There were four saddles, all wrapped in cloth
covers, and bridles in proper leather bridle bags. In the
corner was a small table and Hayley's bar fridge. Two
fold-out chairs stood against the side wall. Bales of hay
were stacked in the corner and filled the air with their
musty sweet smell.
    On the back wall, draped across coathangers and
enclosed in plastic dry-cleaning bags, were masses of
ribbons piled on top of each other, some purple, some
green, but mostly red, white and blue striped with a
gold fringe – Champion ribbons.
    Shelby looked out into the sunshine where Blue
was standing with his ears drooped. He looked like a
donkey. She thought again about the ad she had seen. Fully educated. Royal quality. Blue was hardly even
Pony Club quality. He was definitely a beginner's
mount. Still, he was her beginner's mount.
    Mrs Crook stepped through the doorway, lifted
one of the saddles off its peg on the wall and carried it
over her forearm to where Ditto was tied in the yard.
The saddle was old, but its leather was soft and
smooth – not rough and rigid like Shelby's.
    Hayley rubbed her face with sunscreen carefully,
so as not to smudge her mascara. She handed the
tube to Erin, who squeezed a small amount into
her hand.
    Shelby watched as Hayley's mother saddled the
horse and wrapped his legs in protective bandages.
The idea of her own mother trying to get a horse
ready for riding made Shelby want to laugh. She
wouldn't know which end was which.
    'Have you got your vest?' asked Mrs Crook.
    Hayley rolled her eyes. 'Do I have to?'
    'Yes, you do,' replied her mother.
    'It's so ugly,' Hayley complained. She disappeared
into the tack room for a few seconds and came back
pulling her arms through a dark blue padded body
protector.
    Hayley led Ditto out into the laneway while her
mother gave last minute instructions.
    'Watch out for snakes. Don't let him drink
from any of those dirty puddles. Don't jump over
anything – you never know what's on the other side.
Keep on the sand where you can. You shouldn't really
be taking him out there. We have to be ready for the
next show, and we won't qualify for anything if he
spends half the season lame.'
    'Yes, Mum.'
    'Just be careful.'
    The three girls led their horses to the