Lucky Horse Read Free Page A

Prancer’s was a little farther down the aisle.
    “Looks like some friends of ours want to go for a ride,” Carole laughed as Starlight nickered at her.
    “Me too,” said Stevie. “It seems like years since we’ve been on a horse.”
    “Stevie, we rode yesterday,” Lisa reminded her.
    “I know.” Stevie frowned. “I just keep thinking about school and how much time that’s going to take away from riding.”
    “My mother would say you need to get your priorities in order,” Lisa said with a laugh.
    “Oh, they’ll be in order by Wednesday. Right now, I just want to have fun. Last one tacked up’s a rotten egg!”
    The girls raced to the tack room and got theirequipment. In a few minutes all three riders stood at the entrance to Pine Hollow with their horses brushed and their saddles tight, ready to mount up.
    “Whew,” Stevie said as she pulled Belle up last. “I think that was a record!”
    “I do, too,” agreed Lisa. “It’s one of the few times you’ve had to be the rotten egg.”
    “It’s just my school-a-phobia kicking in,” said Stevie as she touched the good-luck horseshoe tacked to the wall and hopped up on Belle’s back. “And the only cure is a nice long ride in the country.”
    One of Pine Hollow’s traditions was that riders all touched the good-luck horseshoe before riding. So far, no one who had done that had ever been seriously injured.
    Carole and Lisa each buckled on their helmets and touched the horseshoe, then mounted up and followed Stevie.
    Stevie began leading them to the back of the stable property, where all the trails began. On their way they saw Danny out in the paddock, grazing uninterestedly, his right foreleg wrapped in a red bandage. When The Saddle Club rode by, the big gray gelding pricked his ears and whinnied as if he wished he could come along, too.
    “Look at Danny,” Carole said as they trotted past. “He looks so sad. I feel sorry for him.”
    “Me too,” said Lisa. “He’s such a beautiful horse.”
    “I said it before: He’s unlucky,” Stevie called over her shoulder. “He’s got creepy old Veronica for an owner.”
    “Hey, could you guys add one more thing to your list of chores this weekend?” Carole gave Starlight a pat on his neck.
    “Anything,” Stevie said. “Now that we don’t have to shovel that big pile of manure.”
    “Could you take care of Starlight for me?”
    “Sure,” answered Lisa. “We’ll take extra-special care of him, just for you.”
    “Thanks.” Carole smiled. She knew she could depend on her friends.
    As they reached the end of the paddock, Stevie and Belle picked up a trot and headed toward the creek trail. The day was tailor-made for a horseback ride. Puffy white clouds floated through a deep blue sky, and late-summer cicadas rasped in the underbrush along the creek.
    “Anybody want to canter to our favorite spot?” Stevie asked, grinning over her shoulder.
    “Absolutely!” said Carole, and Lisa nodded.
    Stevie only had to touch Belle with her right heel and the pretty bay mare moved into an easy canter. Starlight followed, and Prancer stretched her long legs out as well. Soon all three girls were flying along the wide trail in the deep green forest, the warm wind blowing in their faces. They cantered, trotted, andwalked until they reached a wide spot by the creek where the horses could graze and the girls could dip their toes in the water.
    “Wow.” Lisa slid off Prancer. “That was great.”
    “It was even better than yesterday,” Carole said as she led Starlight over to a patch of tender clover. “Starlight just gets stronger and stronger.”
    “So do we,” added Stevie. “I bet we’re all much better riders than we were at the beginning of the summer.” She sighed. “Now it will all go to waste, though, because of dumb old school. Our skills and muscles will atrophy—that’s a vocabulary word from last year—from lack of use.”
    “Oh, Stevie, quit thinking about it,” Lisa said.