when Shelby maintained eye contact and pushed Blue steadily towards her.
The horses bunched in closer and moved up the hill towards the gate, slowing occasionally to steal a mouthful of grass along the way. Shelby and Lindsey kept up their steady zigzag pattern behind them.
A gangly buckskin colt in the middle of the group shied at a tree stump, and the herd sped up around him, some slipping a little in the churned-up soil. Shelby and Lindsey halted their horses, waiting for the rest to settle down. They were not far from the gate now and the last thing they needed was for the herd to split.
Up ahead a brown standardbred gelding pricked his ears forward and snorted. He could see the open gate and trotted towards it eagerly.
'Horses are just natural busybodies, aren't they?' Lindsey commented.
'Good thing too,' Shelby added.
The other horses picked up the pace behind him, keen not to be left behind, and soon all the horses from the back paddock were safely behind sturdy fencing.
The two girls raced down the hill to the back gate. There were many hoof prints on the trail on the other side of the broken fence, but they were shallow, blurred and washed out by the rain. It was impossible to tell if they were fresh.
'Let's have a quick look along the trail and then head back. I don't think he'll be here,' Shelby called to her friend. 'He wouldn't leave the other horses.'
'Unless there's a mare in season somewhere in the Gully, and that's not likely, is it?' Lindsey replied.
Soon they were past the broken fence and on to the trails. There were three different paths branching away and they decided to head down each for a few hundred metres looking for new hoof prints in the mud, or fresh manure.
First they headed along the path to the left. Both the girls and their horses knew the trails well and set off at a swift pace. Now that the rain had eased, and she was warmed by the exercise, Shelby started to enjoy herself. Blue pricked his ears forward and stretched out. Shelby grinned, knowing that her little pony loved having a job to do.
After a few hundred metres they passed the storm water drain under Gully Way. The water was running quickly through the tunnel and Shelby could hear it cascading over the far edge and into the pool below. It made Shelby shiver, imagining plunging into that cold water.
Next they tried the trail to the right of the gate. A few hundred metres along there was a left turn that looped around and joined the middle trail. The girls hadn't seen any sign of Diablo and so they took the left turn and soon they were headed back towards the stables. The ponies sped up as soon as they realised they were heading for home. On a long sandy straight Shelby rose up out of the saddle and Blue flattened out into a gallop.
The wind whistled in her ears. Shelby looked over her shoulder at Lindsey and Scooter, twenty metres behind. Lindsey was grinning, but there was a gleam of competitiveness in her expression. She crouched over Scooter's shoulder and urged him on.
They came around the corner and Blue's head shot up. He skidded, trying to slow down. A branch from one of the large gum trees that lined the path hung down across the trail. It was at chest height for the girls – too high to jump and too low to go under. Blue was going too fast to avoid it.
Shelby hunched over Blue's neck. She wasn't low enough. The branch was going to wipe her off the seat. There was no time to pull up, and if she turned suddenly, Scooter could crash into the back of them.
Without thinking, Shelby swung her offside leg over the saddle and clung to Blue's side, gripping the saddle's horn with both hands. She ducked her head and closed her eyes. The tree trunk brushed against her shoulder and then she was through to the other side.
Shelby clambered back into the saddle again, and Blue pulled up. She turned around. Lindsey had managed to slow Scooter down before he reached the branch.
'Wow!' shouted Lindsey. 'That was a fancy
The horses bunched in closer and moved up the hill towards the gate, slowing occasionally to steal a mouthful of grass along the way. Shelby and Lindsey kept up their steady zigzag pattern behind them.
A gangly buckskin colt in the middle of the group shied at a tree stump, and the herd sped up around him, some slipping a little in the churned-up soil. Shelby and Lindsey halted their horses, waiting for the rest to settle down. They were not far from the gate now and the last thing they needed was for the herd to split.
Up ahead a brown standardbred gelding pricked his ears forward and snorted. He could see the open gate and trotted towards it eagerly.
'Horses are just natural busybodies, aren't they?' Lindsey commented.
'Good thing too,' Shelby added.
The other horses picked up the pace behind him, keen not to be left behind, and soon all the horses from the back paddock were safely behind sturdy fencing.
The two girls raced down the hill to the back gate. There were many hoof prints on the trail on the other side of the broken fence, but they were shallow, blurred and washed out by the rain. It was impossible to tell if they were fresh.
'Let's have a quick look along the trail and then head back. I don't think he'll be here,' Shelby called to her friend. 'He wouldn't leave the other horses.'
'Unless there's a mare in season somewhere in the Gully, and that's not likely, is it?' Lindsey replied.
Soon they were past the broken fence and on to the trails. There were three different paths branching away and they decided to head down each for a few hundred metres looking for new hoof prints in the mud, or fresh manure.
First they headed along the path to the left. Both the girls and their horses knew the trails well and set off at a swift pace. Now that the rain had eased, and she was warmed by the exercise, Shelby started to enjoy herself. Blue pricked his ears forward and stretched out. Shelby grinned, knowing that her little pony loved having a job to do.
After a few hundred metres they passed the storm water drain under Gully Way. The water was running quickly through the tunnel and Shelby could hear it cascading over the far edge and into the pool below. It made Shelby shiver, imagining plunging into that cold water.
Next they tried the trail to the right of the gate. A few hundred metres along there was a left turn that looped around and joined the middle trail. The girls hadn't seen any sign of Diablo and so they took the left turn and soon they were headed back towards the stables. The ponies sped up as soon as they realised they were heading for home. On a long sandy straight Shelby rose up out of the saddle and Blue flattened out into a gallop.
The wind whistled in her ears. Shelby looked over her shoulder at Lindsey and Scooter, twenty metres behind. Lindsey was grinning, but there was a gleam of competitiveness in her expression. She crouched over Scooter's shoulder and urged him on.
They came around the corner and Blue's head shot up. He skidded, trying to slow down. A branch from one of the large gum trees that lined the path hung down across the trail. It was at chest height for the girls – too high to jump and too low to go under. Blue was going too fast to avoid it.
Shelby hunched over Blue's neck. She wasn't low enough. The branch was going to wipe her off the seat. There was no time to pull up, and if she turned suddenly, Scooter could crash into the back of them.
Without thinking, Shelby swung her offside leg over the saddle and clung to Blue's side, gripping the saddle's horn with both hands. She ducked her head and closed her eyes. The tree trunk brushed against her shoulder and then she was through to the other side.
Shelby clambered back into the saddle again, and Blue pulled up. She turned around. Lindsey had managed to slow Scooter down before he reached the branch.
'Wow!' shouted Lindsey. 'That was a fancy
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