Crown Prince (26 page)

“I forgot my longeing equipment yesterday,” she explained to Sarah, who stared in disbelief. “You know, they need to build a bigger tack room here. I couldn't find space for all my things. I'm going to talk to Jack about it. And Chancellor is used to straw bedding, not these cheap shavings.” Sarah decided not to comment. With Rita's horse right across the aisle, the last thing she wanted was an argument with her.

“Thanks for the horse stuff,” Sarah said. “I can use the hoof pick.”

“Cool,” Rita said as she headed to the tack room. A few minutes later she returned with an overflowing grooming caddy.
How many different brushes does she need to groom one horse?
Sarah thought. Rita clipped a lead shank on Chancellor's halter and put him on cross-ties in the aisle.

Just then they heard Jack's Irish brogue. “Sarah, have you got your saddle?” he called, as he strode up the aisle toward them.

“Yes, I'll get it,” she answered. She pushed the wheelbarrow to a corner where it would be out of the way and hurried to the tack room. When she stepped inside, she noticed that Rita's things were scattered around the room even worse than before. It wasn't easy for Sarah to pick her way through the clutter to get her saddle, but she retrieved it and brought it to the collapsible saddle rack in front of Prince's stall.

“I'm going to bring Prince in from the paddock,” she called to Jack.

As she was walking away, Sarah heard Rita say to Jack, “I'm having a tough time finding space for my things in the tack room. Is there any chance Gus could put up some extra saddle racks? I could also use some shelves on the side wall near my trunk.” Sarah couldn't resist turning to watch what was coming next. She wasn't surprised to see Jack walking toward the tack room, no doubt to assess the situation, with Rita following behind.

Sarah sprinted to the paddock. She didn't want to keep Jack waiting. When she returned with Prince and put him on crossties further up the aisle from Chancellor, Jack and Rita were just emerging from the tack room. Rita was scowling and Jack looked grim. His words were clipped and had an authoritative ring when he spoke to Rita.

“And now that you've organized your equipment properly, you'll be moving your car to the parking lot, now won't you?”

Rita's scowl became even more embedded and her thin lips were pursed as she walked out of the barn. “Watch my horse!” she demanded over her shoulder. A few minutes later they heard the convertible's motor start up and then grow fainter as Rita it drove away. When she returned a few minutes later, she went back to grooming Chancellor, but not before looking daggers at Sarah.

Jack came over to see Sarah's new saddle. “‘Tis a beauty,” he said, “and should be just what you need. Mrs. DeWitt steered you in the right direction. Now let's see if it fits Crown Prince.”

While Sarah stood at his head, Jack removed the pad and girth from the saddle. “We need to see how it really fits, without the pad hiding any problem areas.” He gently lifted the saddle onto Prince's back, looking to see if there was adequate clearance over the withers and if the saddle was wide enough for the horse's shoulders. He ran his hand between the saddle and the horse's back to check for any bumps, lumps, or tightness that could cause problems for Crown Prince over time. Prince stiffened and looked around nervously when he felt the saddle's weight on his back. Sarah stroked his head to reassure him.

Jack stepped back to look at the handsome horse with his new saddle. “You're in luck, Sarah,” Jack said. “‘Tis a good fit, and I notice that the lowest point of the seat is right in the center. You'll be in good balance with this saddle.”

“Mrs. DeWitt and the sales woman at the tack shop talked about that,” Sarah said.

“I'll show you how to secure the stirrup irons when you're longeing, so they don't come down and start clanging against his sides when he's moving. Do you want to longe him now?”

“Sure,” Sarah said, and together they resaddled the horse, adding the saddle pad, girth, and stirrups. Prince moved sideways and tossed his head when Sarah tightened the girth. “Go easy with that,” Jack said. “Better to tighten it just enough to keep it in place now, and then again later on. Just before you start longeing, you should check the girth once more to be sure the saddle hasn't loosened. Some horses blow themselves up when being girthed, but the walk to the ring should bring him down. Then longe him as you've been doing.”

“Got it,” Sarah said. “I bought a longeing cavesson, longe line, and whip, too, so I don't need to borrow yours.”

Jack nodded his approval and turned to go, walking past Rita while she groomed Chancellor. Again his words were terse. “I'll meet you in the indoor on schedule. You'll have a few minutes to warm up.” Jack noticed the mats where Rita had picked out her horse's feet. “You'll not be forgetting that boarders are supposed to sweep up after their horses,” he said. Rita didn't reply, but her eyes narrowed and her mouth twisted into a grimace as she continued brushing her horse.

Sarah left Crown Prince on cross-ties and went back to the tack room to get her lunging equipment. She noticed that Rita's things had all been placed neatly in the far end. The two saddles she wasn't using were stacked on one saddle rack, and there were two bridles squeezed onto the bridle bracket below it. All of Rita's plastic and cardboard boxes had been neatly placed near her large green tack trunk with the Pyramid Farm logo. Sarah saw that the saddle rack and bridle bracket over her own trunk were now vacant.

Ouch!
she thought.
This probably didn't go down well. No wonder Rita is steaming.
As she walked back to Prince's stall with her cavesson, longe line, and whip, Sarah saw that Rita had finished tacking up Chancellor and was standing with him near Prince's stall, obviously waiting for her. When Sarah was just a few feet away, Rita let her have it. Rita's face was twisted in anger.

“Who do you think you are?” she hissed. “You act like you own this place! Just because you got a new saddle, you have to go complaining to Jack about where I put my things in the tack room. My father is paying a ton of money for my board and lessons here, and you don't pay anything!”

Sarah stared at Rita, completely taken off guard by her sudden outburst. “I don't know what you're talking….” she began, but Rita cut her off.

“That horse of yours is nothing but a racetrack reject. I don't know what you saw in him, and I don't care. He can't begin to compare to Chancellor! My dad bought him for ten times what yours will ever be worth. You think you're Jack's pet. Well, just stay out of my way!” With that Rita jerked Chancellor's reins and spun him around to follow her as she stomped down the aisle toward the indoor.

Sarah watched her go, a slow burn mounting.
What a spoiled brat! No one can tell her anything. She always has to have her own way.
Sarah set down the longeing equipment in front of Prince's door and grabbed her cell phone from her pocket, quickly punching in Kayla's number. Kayla didn't immediately pick up.
With the show only two days away, she might be riding Fanny,
Sarah thought. But on the third ring, Kayla answered.

“You'll never guess what happened!” Sarah said. “Jack made Rita pick up the tack room, and after he left, she flipped out, accusing me of complaining to Jack about her.” Sarah stopped to catch her breath. “You know what the problem is, Kayla? Rita gets as many horses as she wants, but she can't stand for me to have just one.”

“Slow down,” Kayla said. “Did this just happen? Tell me everything!”

Sarah filled her in on the rest of Rita's hissy fit. “And I bet the final straw was when Jack told her she had to sweep the aisle after she finished grooming Chancellor.”

“Sarah, listen,” Kayla said. “We both know Rita is used to having her own way. She doesn't hesitate to order people around, but she can't take it when it's reversed. She hates to hear any compliments about anyone else's horse. She knows you've got an awesome horse and is just plain jealous. What did you say to her?”

“She didn't let me get a word in edgewise before she took off with Chancellor for her lesson with Jack. You know, Kayla, I can't deal with this right now. Making sure I can keep Prince gives me enough to think about. I wish Rita and her wonder horse would just go away!”

“Look, Sarah, I wouldn't let her off that easy. I'd give her a piece of my mind! But I need to get back to Fanny, so I gotta go. I'll call you later.”

Sarah slowly put her phone away. So many things were whirling around in her head. She went up to Crown Prince and hugged his neck until she felt calm return.
I'm not going to let Rita spoil my day! I've got to think about Prince right now. This will be the first time he's been longed under saddle.

A few minutes later she put the longeing cavesson on Prince and walked him to the outside ring. She watched for signs of nervousness, but Prince walked calmly, more interested in what was going on around the farm than the saddle on his back. Once in the ring, she checked the girth and tightened it a hole.

Sarah eased herself away from her horse, the whip pointed at his hip. When asked, Prince began walking around her, his ears flicking back and forth in her direction, listening for her voice. He tossed his head occasionally in annoyance at some black flies buzzing around him, but when asked to trot, he broke into the gait smartly. He had already learned what was expected and seemed to enjoy his work. She loved the picture he made! With the saddle on his back, Sarah had an urge to run to her horse, leap onto his back, and ride off with the wind! She longed to feel his powerful muscles carrying her forward, and to become one with this majestic horse. Together, they would leave all their problems behind.

SARAH LOOKED AT HER WATCH.
Dr. Reynolds was late—forty minutes late. She had done most of her chores early to be ready for the nine o'clock vet appointment, and now she was waiting on the bench outside the barn where she'd have a good view of the entry road. Earlier she'd turned Prince out while she cleaned his stall and got started on her regular chores. Then she cleaned his mouth with the saline solution and gave him a thorough grooming. It wasn't necessary, but she wanted him to look his best for the vet.

Sarah turned as Paige stepped out the side door. “Hi, Paige. How was your ride this morning?”

“Okay. Tim and I did a little dressage school and then went for a hack. Our horses are getting pretty fit, and Quarry was a handful. He was trying to take off with me in the lower meadow. I had to use the pulley rein—like you!” She sat down on the bench with Sarah. “Are you waiting for Dr. Reynolds?”

“Yeah, he's late, but I guess that's not unusual for a vet. He'll be here sooner or later.” Sarah put her arm to her forehead, shielding the sun, as Tim came out of the barn to join Paige. “Your Fair Pines event is pretty soon,” Sarah said. “You guys must be psyched.”

“I just hope Rhodes and I do a better test than we did last time,” Tim said. “You can't expect to be in the ribbons if you don't start out with a good dressage score. You should have seen Quarry this morning. He's probably fit enough to do three crosscountry runs the same day!” His eyes were drawn to the farm road by the white-capped pickup that was approaching. “I think this might be your vet,” he said.

Sarah turned to look. As the truck got closer, she saw that Dr. Jenson was with Dr. Reynolds. She knew the plan at Brookmeade was for them to take a look at Crown Prince first, since it wouldn't take long to check his mouth. Afterward they were going to see Nicole's horse, Jubilee, who was lame in the right foreleg. The leg had remained swollen even after Nicole followed Jack's advice—for the last few days she'd been letting cold water from a hose run down her mare's leg several times a day, but the swelling had diminished only a little, and Jubilee's leg was still warm to the touch.

Sarah went back to Prince's stall to put on his halter and lead shank. A short time later the two veterinarians and Jack arrived at the stall. Prince must have associated them with the vet hospital, because he eyed them warily when they came into the stall. She had to hold him tightly when he tried to move away.

“How's our guy been doing without hay?” Dr. Jensen asked Sarah. “I hope he didn't call his lawyer.”

Sarah smiled. “He wasn't exactly happy, but he's been getting yummy mashes and eating grass in the paddock.”

Dr. Jensen sized up the handsome, well-filled-out horse. “He certainly doesn't look underfed,” she quipped.

“We don't need the speculum on him to check his gum,” Dr. Reynolds said, removing a flashlight from his pocket. After Dr. Jenson forced Prince's mouth open, Dr. Reynolds adjusted his glasses and focused the flashlight inside where the wolf tooth had been. He peered into the dark cavity and then gingerly ran a gloved finger over the horse's gum. Sarah was relieved when Prince didn't flinch at his touch, and she was even happier with what Dr. Reynolds had to say.

“The area has completely closed in where the wolf tooth's roots were, not surprising, when you consider they were of normal size to begin with,” Dr. Reynolds said. He stepped back from the horse as he put the flashlight back into his pocket. “I'm going to give him a clean bill of health,” he paused to wink at Sarah, “and a license to eat all the hay you want to feed him.”

“What about bridling?” Jack asked.

The veterinarian didn't hesitate. “There's no reason why he can't have a bit in his mouth, as long as it isn't severe.”

“You hear that, Prince?” Dr. Jenson said, giving the horse a pat. “You're back in the hay business and ready to run in the Derby!”

Sarah was relieved, but at the same time a worry gnawed at her. Prince's tryout under saddle and bridle would take place sooner rather than later, and her parents would be right there watching every move he made!