Show Jumper Read Free

and could better select a horse that complemented her personality and riding abilities. Not having a horse had never presented her with a problem—she rode Prancer, a Pine Hollow Thoroughbred, so often that the mare almost seemed like her own. At times during the past couple of weeks, Lisa had almost felt guilty for not wanting to take Prancer to the Macrae Valley Open. But Samson’s natural talent over jumps made him an obvious choice for the event.
    What made the discovery of Samson’s talent so special was that The Saddle Club had watched him grow from birth, when he was a leggy, awkward colt, to a sweet-tempered, high-spirited, sleek black horse. And his ability and training had been their secret and their project, although they had eventually let Red and Mr. Grover, a local horse trainer, in on their plan.
    Once Max found out about his training, he helped The Saddle Club with tips and advice such as exposing Samson to a lot of different jumps to prepare him for the open. But he had let the three girls continue to work with Samson as much as possible over the last few weeks. Samson had taken every obstacle with ease and enthusiasm. He was clearly born to jump, and he knew it.
    Veronica, on the other hand, was born to brag. She hadn’t let up on her boasting about the Macrae Valley Open and how she was going to win the junior jumping event.
    “Did you say blue, dear?” Mrs. Atwood asked, breaking into Lisa’s thoughts. “Blue or green for your jacket?”
    They pulled up to the tack shop. Lisa anxiously checked her watch. The shop was only five minutes from the stable, but she was due at Pine Hollow in half an hour for her last lesson before the open. She really needed to hurry with trying things on …

    “S TARLIGHT ’ S BEEN IN a terrific mood lately. I really think he knows he’s going to a show,” Carole said, fitting a bridle over her horse’s head. As if in agreement, the bay gelding nodded his head. Then he nuzzled her neck while she fastened his bridle.
    “Well, if anyone can read a horse’s mind, it’s you,” said Stevie. She tightened the girth of the saddle on Belle, her bay mare. She spoke only half jokingly. Besides being the most experienced rider of the three of them, Carole also knew more about horses and stable management and could talk about them day and night.
    “Are you disappointed about not competing?” Carole asked delicately. She still couldn’t get over the fact that Stevie had volunteered to be tack manager for the show. During the early days of their Macrae campaign, Stevie had even offered to scout out Samson’s competition, heroically spending time with Veronica to study her strengths and weaknesses. The three girls had once seen a war movie in which the commanding officer had advised, “Know your enemy,” so Stevie had grimly started angling for invitations to spend time at Veronica’s house. Despite her good intentions, Stevie had eventually given up on hanging out with Veronica. It had just proved too painful for both of them.
    “Nah.” Stevie shrugged in answer to Carole’s question.“I really want Samson to make his big debut, just as much as you guys, and Lisa was the one who discovered his talent. And you’re definitely the most experienced rider from Pine Hollow. If Veronica hadn’t taken over the other two stalls in Max’s trailer, well, then I really would’ve put up a fight to go to the Macrae with Belle. But as things turned out, we’ll just wait for the next big show, won’t we, girl?” She gave Belle an affectionate pat on the nose and the mare nickered in response. “And then we’ll take the blue ribbon in dressage.”
    Carole nodded, agreeing with Stevie’s last comment. Carole, and everybody else in the world, never ceased to be amazed that Stevie, the zaniest and most disorganized member of The Saddle Club, was a star performer in the demanding, technical, intricate sport of dressage. In fact, Stevie’s high standards and organizational