Crown Prince Challenged (6 page)

It wasn't long before the O'Briens' SUV turned into their driveway, its headlights lighting up the yard. When the doorbell rang, Sarah went to answer it. Her eyes met Jack's, but no words were spoken as she ushered the O'Briens into the living room. Kathleen looked so pretty, dressed in a green skirt and matching top that complimented her dark auburn hair, a change from the riding pants she always wore when she worked at the farm. It seemed strange to see Jack wearing casual clothes.

Sarah retreated to her chair while her father welcomed the O'Briens. “May I offer you some coffee or a cold drink?” Mrs. Wagner asked, as they sat down on the sofa.

“Thanks, but no,” Kathleen said. “We just had dinner at that new Thai restaurant at the beach.”

Jack looked serious when he began to speak. “We won't be stopping with you long, but I suspect Sarah has had a chance to tell you what happened earlier today.” He looked inquiringly across the room at Sarah and her parents. She nodded slightly to let Jack know his news would not be a surprise.

“Yes, Jack,” Mrs. Wagner said. “Sarah told us about coming upon the wild turkeys on the trail and how she fell off her horse. You should know that we're upset to learn that happened. We thought that Prince had proven he would be a safe horse for Sarah to ride.”

“The trial period was over weeks ago,” Mr. Wagner said, “but that doesn't mean we're not following Sarah and her horse closely. What happened today is disturbing. It makes us worry that Sarah is in a risky situation riding that horse. What's your take on the accident?”

There was a long pause before Jack spoke, and his words were measured, as he chose them carefully. “Yes, things went well after the wolf tooth was removed, leading us to believe pain from the bit banging up against the tooth had been the cause of Crown Prince's bad behavior at the racetrack. And since that time, the horse has demonstrated an excellent attitude in his training with Sarah. Things couldn't have gone better—until today.”

Jack shifted uneasily on the sofa while they waited for him to continue. “I have to be honest with you. What happened this afternoon was the kind of riding accident that could happen to almost anyone, myself included. There's no guarantee that a horse will never be spooked and never bolt, or that a rider will never fall. I think that would apply to training and riding
all
horses. But there are things we can do to lessen the odds that such an incident will happen with Prince.” He paused.

“The first thing is to have a strong foundation of training in the horse, so he will trust his rider and be more likely to respond to the aids in a stressful situation. Another is to introduce new experiences slowly, in small increments, like starting with a short ride and gradually expanding it. That should give him more confidence if a spooky situation arises.”

“You say riding will always have an element of risk,” Mrs. Wagner said, leaning toward Jack as she spoke. “But wouldn't there be less danger for Sarah if she were riding an older, more reliable horse, one that would be less likely to bolt with her? She always loved riding Lady Tate, and nothing ever went wrong.”

“But I don't want another horse, Mom!” Sarah blurted out. “Prince is the only horse in the world for me. Please don't think about taking him away from me!”

“Sarah,” her father said, “your safety comes first, and we have to look at all the options.”

“Wait a minute,” Jack said, raising his hand. “To answer your question, 'tis true that a quieter horse might be less likely to bolt off, but there's no guarantee it won't happen with
any
horse—unless he has only three legs.” The laughter that followed seemed to lighten the mood in the room, although Sarah's mother remained stone-faced.

“Crown Prince has so much to offer, and Sarah is becoming a talented rider,” Jack continued. “It would be a shame to throw away their bright future. I'd like to suggest a few things, the first being to trim back those pine limbs that extend over the trail. I'll mention it to Gus in the morning. We have a number of riders who go up to the old orchard, and while none of the horses are anywhere near as tall as Crown Prince, we don't want to take any chances.

“I'd also like to suggest that Sarah continue taking her horse onto a woods trail,” Jack said, “beginning with a short distance and gradually increasing the time she's out. The more good experiences they have, the more confident Crown Prince will become. As I told Sarah earlier, I think 'tis best to let her remain in the saddle, because my riding him will not really smooth the way for her. Sarah is the one Crown Prince must come to trust and respect. He's got to listen to her, and they must become a team.”

Sarah studied her parents' faces, wishing she could read their minds. They appeared far from convinced.

Jack had one more card to place on the table. “I also think it's time for Sarah and her horse to ride in one of my classes. They would fit into my Wednesday afternoon class that goes immediately after the advanced Young Riders. So instead of continuing to have private instruction, Crown Prince will be in a class with other horses.”

Sarah's eyes opened wide and she sat up straight in her chair. The four o'clock class was the one Nicole Jordan and Kelly Hoffman rode in using their horses they boarded at Brookmeade. They were no friends of hers.
Ouch!
she thought.
This might not be cool.

Her father's voice brought Sarah back from her own thoughts. “I want to commend both of you for not trying to hide what happened today. You were open and honest, and I appreciate that. And I expect you will always be straightforward with us should anything else go wrong.”

Mrs. Wagner looked intently at Jack. “I think we need to repeat something that has always been our policy on Crown Prince from day one. If he's a dangerous horse for Sarah to ride, then we need to know about it. And if she's at risk riding him, she can't keep him.” She held her arm out in Sarah's direction to stifle the expected protest. “But we sincerely hope the steps you've proposed will make a difference, Jack, and it won't come to that.”

Jack nodded, and he and Kathleen stood up. “Thanks for your willingness to see us on short notice,” Jack said. “I felt this was something we should talk about.”

“That feeling is mutual,” Sarah's father replied, reaching out to shake Jack's hand. “Don't hesitate to contact us anytime.”

After the O'Briens left, Sarah turned to her parents. “I know Prince still needs to prove himself to you, and I just know he will. You don't know him like I do. He's as safe as any horse at Brookmeade Farm, and someday you'll believe in him like I do.”

“We want to think Prince has left his bad behavior at the racetrack,” her father said. “We only hope the facts will bear that out.”

Sarah went to her room to start on her geometry assignment. It was due the next day, but however much she tried, she couldn't concentrate on angles or intersecting lines. Her mother's words kept coming back to her. She knew if her parents became convinced Prince was dangerous, he would be taken away from her. No way could she let that happen!

WHEN THE BUS CAME
to a stop by the Wagners' driveway the next morning, Sarah got on and threaded her way to the fourth row to sit with Kayla. After sliding over to make room, Kayla pulled a plastic bag out of her tote. “See what you think of these,” she said, handing it over.

Sarah withdrew a pair of dark-brown laced reins from the bag. “Awesome! These are perfect.”

Kayla was pleased. “Maybe you'll be using them this afternoon.”

“I hope so,” Sarah replied. She sighed. “It all depends on how Prince's leg heals. If there's heat and swelling there when I get to the barn, there's no chance I can ride.”

“So, what did your parents say when they heard about your taking a fall off Prince?” Kayla asked. She leaned closer to hear Sarah's reply over the din on the crowded bus.

“You can probably imagine,” Sarah said. “Dad wondered if riding Prince is too risky, and Mom went on a tear about him being dangerous because he's so big. But get this! After dinner, Jack and Kathleen came to our house to talk to my parents.” She went on to tell Kayla the details of the conversation, concluding with the most important part. “Here's the biggie—Jack wants me to start riding in the class that follows yours on Wednesdays.”

Kayla thought a minute before responding. “Kelly Hoffman and Nicole Jordan's class?

Sarah nodded, as they both braced for a stop the bus made further down Ridge Road. “I'm not sure if you knew that Nicole's horse, Jubilee, injured a tendon early in the summer and couldn't go out of her stall for a while except for hand-walking. A few weeks ago Paige told me the vet finally gave Nicole the go-ahead to ride her mare if she took it easy. While I was waiting for you guys to come out of the arena yesterday, I saw Nicole leading Jubilee in for the lesson. So I guess the horse is sound again.”

“I'm not at Brookmeade as much as you are” Kayla said, “but it seems like those girls always hang out together. Talk about being joined at the hip! They ride together all the time, and I've seen them grazing their horses near the outside ring. You never see one without the other. With all that mascara, they even look a lot alike.”

“Last year, when I was riding with them in one of Jack's classes, they wanted to be moved up to the advanced Young Riders class,” Sarah said, “but Jack said no. They were peeved when I got to ride in your class using Lady Tate. Anyway, I just wish they would knock off having a grudge against me. It's not going to be cool riding with them.”

“I've seen Kelly riding a bay horse lately, one I don't recognize. What's the deal with him?” Kayla asked.

“That's her Quarter Horse, Midnight Jet. I heard he was shipped in from the West. Kelly just walks away when I ask her anything about him. Maybe you should see if her horse and Fanny have any of the same bloodlines.”

Kayla sniffed and raised an eyebrow. “She's such a snob—forget it!”

When the bus finally came to a stop at Yardley High, the girls got off and separated to go to different home-rooms. “See you in English,” Sarah said. She was glad she had a second period study hall, where she'd be able to finish her geometry homework. She'd hate to be late on homework her second day of school! But doing her best that day wouldn't be easy. Her mind kept drifting to her horse. Would his injury be better when she got to the barn, or—she shuddered to think of it—infected, hot, and swollen? And without his usual morning turnout, would Prince be a little crazy?

When school let out later that day, the sky had filled with ominous dark clouds, and by the time the bus dropped Sarah off at home, a steady, warm rain was falling. She quickly changed her clothes and grabbed a few Oreo cookies before pulling her poncho from the mudroom closet. She stuffed Kayla's extra set of reins deep in one of her pockets and started pedaling for the farm. Her bike splashed through puddles along the way, and occasional bursts of wind blew rain into her face. The foul weather brought back her nagging worry of what it would be like getting to the barn during the winter. She would have to depend a lot on her parents or friends for rides—her bike just wasn't going to cut it.

The parking area at Brookmeade Farm was crowded, which, on this rainy afternoon, meant the indoor would be mobbed. Sometimes in bad weather the large indoor arena was divided so two lessons could run concurrently. Sarah wheeled her bike into the shavings shed to park it out of the rain before heading for Prince's stall.

When she turned the corner at the end of the aisle, Sarah saw a well-dressed man and woman she didn't recognize standing near Prince's stall. They were looking into the large stall across from Prince that had remained unoccupied after Rita's horse, Chancellor, had abruptly left the farm on Mr. Snyder's orders early in the summer. Rita's week of intensive private lessons with Jack, before her show season went into full swing, had come to a grinding halt when Rita's father learned of the reckless driving prank that had ended in tragedy.

Sarah walked faster, curious to see what was going on. As she got closer, she saw a big-bodied, light bay horse in Chancellor's old stall. He was attached to a stall tie, and a guy around her age, she guessed, was leaning down to remove the horse's shipping boots. When he had finished, he released the horse and stepped back to observe him closely.

“He shipped really well,” the boy said, turning to the couple standing outside the stall. “He's not tucked up at all. The driver told me he polished off lots of hay in the van, and he drank plenty of water when they stopped along the way.” When the boy came out of the stall, he noticed Sarah standing in the aisle and walked toward her. As he got closer, he displayed an even smile, flashing perfect teeth.

“Hi,” Sarah said, feeling her cheeks warming as she noticed how good-looking he was, with a closely trimmed haircut, deep-set blue eyes, and that amazing smile. She shook some rain off her poncho, shyly returning his smile, not quite sure what to say next. “Are you boarding here now? My horse is right across the aisle. I'm Sarah Wagner.”

“Derek Alexander,” he said, grinning. “Pleased to meet you, Sarah Wagner. Yep, we're moving in.” His gaze shifted to Crown Prince. “That's a good-looking horse you've got there.” He stepped closer to read the info tag attached to Prince's stall door. “What breed is he? He looks almost too big to be a full Thoroughbred. Is he a Warmblood?”

The tall woman, who was made even taller by black hair piled high on her head, stepped toward them. She spoke to Derek in a chiding tone. “I've told you that Thoroughbreds come in all shapes and sizes.” She pointed at Crown Prince. “This horse is your classic Thoroughbred, or the moon is made of green cheese!”