High Horse Read Online Free Page A

begin with. Plus he’s five times bigger than we are. Think of it as like being a little dentist with a very nervous five-hundred-pound customer.”
    “I would be careful,” Joe said. “Real careful.”
    Stevie nodded. “Exactly.” She ran the pick between Rusty’s hoof and the shoe, looking for a lump.
    “How will you know when you’ve hit it?” Joe asked.
    “When the pick sticks. You have to be extra careful, because that’s where Rusty’s foot is sore. I think I feel something.” She wiggled the pick gently—this was her favorite part of hoof picking. It took real artistry. “You can’t force it, because the inside of a horse’s hoof is sensitive. The outside is tough, like a fingernail, but the inside is as sensitive as the skin beneath a nail.”
    “You really know a lot,” Joe said.
    “It’s coming.” Suddenly the stone popped into the center of the shoe and bounced against the fleshy vee at the back of Rusty’s hoof. Stevie picked up the stone, then slowly released Rusty’s foot. “See,” shesaid, showing it to Rusty. The stone was about the size of a pea. Rusty snorted and looked away.
    “I guess it’s yours,” she said, dropping the stone into Joe’s palm.
    “That’s the first thing you ever gave me,” Joe said with a grin as he closed his fingers around the stone.
    At that moment Stevie happened to see Phil over Joe’s shoulder. Phil was giving her the strangest look. What’s up with him? Stevie wondered.
    A FTER C OMANCHE HAD been boarded, and her gear shoved onto the van, Lisa perched on the top rail of the fence. She looked at the busy scene before her. Stevie was helping Joe Novick pick Rusty’s hoof, and she looked totally engrossed in the task.
    Phil was also watching Stevie, and he had a dark expression on his face. He’s jealous, Lisa realized. How funny.… Stevie was worried about Phil’s being interested in Betsy, while here he was, about to explode because Stevie was standing so close to Joe.
    This is a perfect thing to write about in my journal, she thought. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out the small notebook and pen she’d brought along for exactly this purpose.

    “O KAY ,” C AROLE SAID to Amie and Jackie, “what’s the most important thing to remember about loading a horse into a van?”
    Amie rolled her eyes. “You can’t use force.”
    “Right,” Carole said. “Why?”
    Jackie was bouncing up and down on her heels with excitement at knowing the answer. “Because the next time that horse sees a van, he will totally and completely panic. You may never get him close to a van again.”
    “Exactly,” Carole said. “What do you call that?”
    Amie and Jackie both made faces, trying to think of the word.
    “Imprinting,” Carole said. “Like imprinting something on a page. If you force a horse into a van, you imprint him with van fear.”
    “Oh, yeah,” Amie said. “I knew that.”
    Next Carole untied Patch, who was tethered to the paddock fence. Patch was one of the gentlest horses at Pine Hollow. He was a perfect choice to demonstrate loading. “Now you guys tell me what to do.”
    “Talk to him softly,” Jackie said. “Like, pretend you’re in love with him.”
    “Whisper mushy stuff to him,” chimed in Amie.
    The two girls giggled, but Carole shook her head.“Get serious. Now tell me in detail. And no jokes either—”
    Jackie and Amie exchanged grim looks.
    From her perch on top of the white fence Lisa could see that Jackie and Amie were wondering if this overnight was going to be as much fun as they had thought. Sometimes Carole could be just too serious. But this was another good opportunity for Lisa. Mr. Haegle had said that the key to developing sympathetic characters was presenting their defects as well as their virtues. He had said, “Hint—keep an eye out for those characteristic faults.” Whenever Mr. Haegle said “hint” he was telling his students what it took to get an A. Lisa always paid special