Horse Blues Read Free Page A

tack room clock. “The meeting was supposed to start at nine.”
    Lisa’s eyes grew big. “This might be the first time in Pine Hollow history that Max has been late,” she murmured.
    “I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it,” Stevie breathed, awestruck. For as long as she could remember, Stevie had been getting into trouble with Max for showing up late to meetings. Now it seemed that the tables had finally turned.
    “Do you think something happened?” Carole asked, worried.
    “Yeah, maybe his alarm clock didn’t work, or the dog ate his homework,” Stevie suggested, laughing at the idea of Max using two of her favorite excuses.
    Carole gave her a withering glance. “No, seriously—it’sstrange for him to be late,” she said. “I hope he’s not sick.”
    Before the girls could wonder any longer, the tack room door flew open and Max entered. Strangely enough, he didn’t seem at all perturbed or apologetic about being late. Nor did he seem in a big hurry to start the meeting. He sauntered toward the front of the room, pausing to chat with different students and parents on the way.
    Astonished, Stevie stared at the owner of Pine Hollow Stables. She’d been sure that he would hurry in and call the meeting to order immediately. Maybe, she thought suddenly, his watch had stopped, and he had no idea how late he was! How embarrassing! “Max,” she said in a stage whisper. “Max, over here!”
    Max turned and waved hello. “Hi, Stevie! Happy New Year.”
    Stevie motioned wildly for him to forget the small talk. “It’s almost nine-twenty!” she hissed.
    Max looked at his wristwatch. “Ah, so it is. I guess I should start the meeting, shouldn’t I?”
    At that, The Saddle Club stared at one another in disbelief. Max prided himself on his organization and efficiency, as well as his respect for his studentsand their parents. Now he was behaving like the bad kid in school.
    “Okay, what gives?” Carole whispered.
    “I don’t know, but I have the feeling we’re about to find out,” said Lisa.
    “And it doesn’t look good,” Stevie muttered.
    Max had finally made his way to the front of the room. But now instead of joking, his expression was grim. He held up a hand for silence, cleared his throat, and began.
    “As some of you so kindly pointed out on my way in, this special meeting was supposed to start twenty minutes ago.” Max paused dramatically. Then he continued, speaking clearly and emphasizing every word. “I came late on purpose—to show you what it’s like to come on time only to find that someone else is late and holding up the whole meeting.”
    Stevie shifted uneasily in her seat. She knew that she had been that “someone else” more than a few times.
    “That happens a lot at Horse Wise. Of course, if lateness were the only problem besetting this Pony Club, I wouldn’t have much cause for concern. But it’s the tip of the iceberg. Look around the room. It probably looks packed to you. But does anyone rememberthat a year ago I held meetings in the indoor ring because Horse Wise was too big to meet in the tack room?”
    A few people nodded and murmured among themselves.
    “Well, I do. The fact is, membership has fallen off. Some riders dropped out formally; others just stopped coming. And a few prefer mounted meetings to unmounted,” Max added, under his breath.
    The Saddle Club eyed one another. They knew Max meant Veronica. The girl was so spoiled that she didn’t see the point in learning the horsemanship—grooming, conformation, and basic veterinary skills—that the unmounted meetings taught.
    “And parents: I’m sorry to have to say this since so many of you made the effort to come today, but the truth is, parental support in this club is way, way down.”
    Now it was the parents who looked at one another guiltily, mumbling apologies and excuses, as Max let his words sink in.
    “I understand that it’s winter, and we’re all less interested in riding now than