Nightstorm and the Grand Slam Read Free

should walk the course one last time.”
    Tom Avery had been Issie’s instructor since she first started riding at the Chevalier Point Pony Club. She knew better than to argue with him. And so, she dragged herself up off the sofa in the horse truck and pulled on her boots.
    â€œLet’s go then.”

    The cross-country course began in the main stadium with the flower bed. From there a broad blanket of grassy track led on to the brush, the quarry and then the Huntsman’s Close complex which involved a tricky combination and a very acute angle on a corner fence. The lake complex and a broad wooden tabletop fence came after that, and then the trickier narrow obstacles that required precision riding – two round tops and the intricate farmyard fences. After that, the horse had room to gallop until they reached one of the biggest fences on the course. The Vicarage Ditch was a massive obstacle. The ditch itself was almost three metres wide, with a hedge and solid wood rail set into the middle of it, placed at an odd angle.
    â€œSo how are you going to face him up to this? Will you turn straight towards the rail?” Avery asked as they walked towards the jump.
    Issie frowned. Avery knew exactly how she planned to attack this fence. They had talked it over three times already!
    â€œI’m going to ignore the ditch and take a straight line at the rail,” she said tersely. “It’s a big jump so I’ll really put my legs on to get a strong canter into it, but Storm and Victory are both fit and they should have loads of energy…”
    â€œâ€¦Maybe too much energy,” Avery cut her off. “The last thing you want to do is rush it at a gallop and risk mis-timing and crashing into the rail…”
    â€œWell, obviously!” Issie said. “I…”
    But Avery had turned his back on her and was now walking the perimeter of the ditch. “I’ve decided that the best thing to do is to avoid the Vicarage Ditch entirely. If you take the long route here you don’t have to jump it, you can go around and take the two offset hedges instead…”
    Issie couldn’t believe what she was hearing!
    â€œTom, that’s the alternative route! If I avoid the Ditch it will take me three times as long!”
    â€œI know that,” Avery said, “but it’s the safer option.”
    â€œNot if I want to win!” Issie replied. “The long option will add at least ten seconds and that would kill my chances of coming in under the allowed time. I’ll be penalised.”
    â€œA few time penalties is better than twenty faults from a refusal,” Avery argued.
    â€œA few time penalties is all it will take to lose me the competition!”
    Issie was stunned that her trainer was suggesting this change at the eleventh hour.
    â€œYou’ve never suggested that I take the soft route before. It’s always ‘go straight through!’ So why the sudden change? Why are you acting so weird?”
    â€œI told you.” Avery looked distressed. “It’s better to risk the time faults.”
    â€œNo,” Issie shook her head. “It’s not…”
    â€œYes, it jolly well is!” Avery snapped. “It’s better to risk the time faults than your horse’s life!”
    The words hung there in the silence between them. Issie now understood why they were out here standing on the cross-country course, with her instructor in a complete meltdown. This wasn’t about her. It wasn’t even about Victory and Nightstorm. This was about Avery and something that had happened long ago. She’d been a fool to forget what this jump in particular meant to him. Back in the days when Avery was competing, the Vicarage Ditch was known as the Vicarage Vee. Itwas this fence that had ended her trainer’s professional eventing career. He had fallen here on his horse, The Soothsayer. Avery had come away with minor cuts and