Schooling Horse Read Online Free Page A

“Real well trained, knows everything you want him to know. Max tried him, too, and seemed to like him.”
    “Oh, good.” Lisa sighed with relief. Probably Jessica had just lost her balance.
    “He kept refusing in front of the fences for Jessica, though,” Red continued with a shake of his head. “I don’t understand it, because it sure wasn’t how he acted before.”
    “He’s probably not used to our jumps yet,” Lisa said. “And he might not be used to sharing the ring with other horses, particularly unfamiliar horses. He’s probably nervous.”
Poor Milky
, she thought.
He needs to be ridden by someone who understands.
    “Red,” Max called from the center of the ring, “can you help Jessica saddle Penny fast? She’s going to finish the lesson with her. I want her to have a chance at these fences again so she can get her confidence back.” Penny was a trustworthy old pony. Lisa thought she was much more Jessica’s style than a Thoroughbred like Milky.
    “Right on it,” Red said. “Come on, Jessica.”
    Max was holding Milky by the reins in the center of the ring. “You’re next, May,” he called to one of the other kids in the lesson.
    “Should I take Milky inside for you, Max?” Lisa volunteered. “I can untack him and put him away.” A
good grooming and lots of carrots
, she thought.
That would make Milky feel better.
    Max looked confused. “Milky?”
    “The horse,” Lisa said, pointing.
    “Oh—Oh, hey, good name. Better than Au Lait, anyway.” Max grinned at her. “Tell you what, Lisa, you coulddo me a bigger favor right now. I don’t want Au—er, Milky—learning that when he tosses a rider over a fence, he gets to go back to his stall and have a nice rest and dinner. Would you mind riding him in the ring here while I finish the lesson? If you feel up to some jumps with him, so much the better.”
    Lisa smiled to herself at the way Max made having her ride Milky sound like something he’d just thought of. She guessed that he and her mother really wanted the truth about Milky to stay a secret for now. Lisa was willing to play along. And she realized that Max was right—Milky didn’t need treats. He needed to learn what was expected of him.
From now on
, Lisa thought,
I’m going to be the one responsible for his training.
It gave her a thrill.
    “Sure,” she said. “I’ll get changed and be right out.”
    In a minute Lisa was back, buckling the strap to her hard hat. Jessica was trotting Penny in circles to warm her up while Nicholas took a turn over the jumps. “Watch out for him,” Jessica warned Lisa. “He’s mean.”
    Lisa smiled at the little girl. “He’s new here,” she said gently. “I’m sorry he dumped you, but I’m sure he’s just nervous and scared.”
    Jessica shook her head. “He’s nasty,” she said. “I’m never riding him again.”
    That’s
right, you aren’t
, Lisa thought as she checked Milky’s girth.
Because he’s going to be
my
horse. Once he’s officially mine, no one else is ever going to ride him again unless I say so.
She patted Milky’s white neck, gathered the reins, and mounted.
    At first Milky seemed upset. He ground his teeth over the bit, swished his tail angrily, tossed his head down, and bucked. Lisa, still in the process of finding her seat, nearly came off, but she threw her weight back and yanked on Milky’s head. He stopped bucking and walked forward. “That’s it,” Lisa said. “Good boy.” She shoved her heels down.
    “Trot him back and forth over the cross rail until you feel comfortable with him,” Max said. “Then you can have a go at the wall where he threw Jessica.”
    The wall was a little one, only about eighteen inches high, and Max usually put a rail or two over it to make it higher. Now he carefully lowered the rails. Lisa trotted Milky over the cross rail several times, then headed him toward the wall. She tightened her legs around his barrel and tried to give him firm, no-nonsense jump-the-fence