The Lonely Pony Read Free

Goldman said. “Have you had her long?”
    â€œJust a few months,” Val said. “Why don’t you have a seat on the porch and I’ll fetch some lemonade. Then we can tell you all about her.”
    A few minutes later, Dr. Goldman and the Pet Rescue Club members were settled in comfortable wicker furniture with tart, tasty glasses of lemonade. The little dogs were there, too. Two of them were snuggled in Janey’s lap. Zach was playing fetch with a third, while the other two took turns running back and forth between Lolli and Adam.
    â€œSo,” Janey said, scratching one of the dogs behind his silky ears. “Where did you get Lola?”
    â€œShe came from the racetrack,” Val said.
    Zach laughed. “What? That tiny ponywas a racehorse? No way!”
    â€œWith those short legs, she must have lost every race,” Lolli said with a giggle.
    Val laughed, too. “No, Lola wasn’t a racehorse, but she lived with one.”
    â€œThat’s right,” Tom said. “You see, Lola was a stall companion to a thoroughbred racehorse named Red.”
    â€œA stall companion?” Janey wrinkled her nose. “What’s that?”

    â€œShe was there to keep Red company,” Val explained. “All the sights and sounds of the track made him nervous, but having Lola in the stall with him kept him much calmer and happier.”
    Dr. Goldman nodded. “I know what you mean. Part of my clinical work in vet school took me to the racetrack. On one of my visits there I vaccinated and dewormed a goat who was the companion to a pretty successful racehorse.”
    â€œWow,” Janey said. She’d never heard of such a thing! “So why isn’t Lola still at the racetrack helping Red?”
    â€œBecause Red retired from racing a few months ago,” Val said, taking a sip of her lemonade. “His owners gave him to a younglocal woman who retrains racehorses for new careers as riding horses.”
    â€œI’ve heard about that,” Lolli said. “My parents donated some hay to a group that helps racehorses find new homes after they’re retired.”
    â€œYes, well, this young woman does marvelous work,” Tom said. “At least that’s what Red’s old racing trainer tells me. Unfortunately, Red’s new trainer wasn’t able to take Lola. And his old race trainer had no use for Lola once Red was gone, since none of his other horses needed a companion.”
    â€œPoor Lola,” Adam said.
    â€œYeah,” Zach said. “She got laid off from her job, and had nowhere to go.”
    â€œExactly.” Tom poured everyone a littlemore lemonade. “The race trainer is an old fishing buddy of mine, and he knows that Val and I are animal lovers.” He smiled and bent to pat one of the little dogs. “Obviously!”
    â€œTom had also mentioned to him how I loved reading horse books as a child,” Val put in. “So he asked if we’d be interested in having Lola.” She sighed. “The trouble is, he didn’t tell us just how much time, money, and hard work it takes to keep a horse—even a small one!”
    Tom nodded. “We just can’t keep up with it all,” he said. “Not with my bad knees and Val’s busy volunteering schedule. We’ve been meaning to ask around for help, but haven’t quite found the time.”
    Janey bit her lip and glanced at herfriends. It sounded as if Tom and Val had meant to do a nice thing by taking Lola in. But they’d gotten in over their heads.
    â€œI see,” Dr. Goldman said with a sympathetic smile. “Did you ask the trainer to take her back?”
    â€œHe can’t,” Tom said. “He suggested we ask around town to see if anyone wants poor old Lola.”
    â€œYou don’t have to do that,” Janey blurted out. “We can do that for you! The Pet Rescue Club will help you find Lola the perfect new