Amy and Amber (8 page)

I’ve woken up really early – Millie and Kayla are still asleep. I can’t believe this is our last day here! I’m going to make sure I enjoy every second of it, and make the biggest fuss of Amber possible!

The disco last night was so cool, we all looked really grown up after Genevieve had done our hair and let us borrow her sparkly eyeshadow. I thought it would just be the curtains closed and some of Jody’s CDs, but James actually has a proper mobile disco, with lights and everything!

We all danced loads and when this Rihanna song came on, me and Kayla did our routine to it that we made up at home. Yes – we actually did it in front of everyone. We really blushed when we realized Jody had filmed us with my camera, but when I played it back at bedtime, we looked OK!

There was karaoke too, and Sarah, Genevieve and Shanika sang a few songs together (they were fab and looked like a proper girl band!). Me, Kayla and Millie tried to do one too, but we were giggling so much we couldn’t carry on. We ended up collapsing on the floor in hysterics, and Jas, Lexy and Ava had to take over! It was SO much fun – I just wish Amber could have been there!

I’m really looking forward to the gymkhana today – it’s great that Mum and Dad are coming to see us, and Kayla’s mum, too. I hope me and Amber win something – it would be brilliant to have a rosette to take home!

Oh, Millie’s alarm’s just gone off – time to get ready and fetch Amber from the field. Yippee! I can’t wait to see her!

This morning we had our final lesson (sob sob!) and then after a break for juice and biccies we started to get our ponies ready for the gymkhana. The sun was out again so we tied them up in the yard and got busy brushing and hoof-picking and plaiting. Everyone worked really hard and all the ponies looked fab.

When I’d finished, Amber looked so smart, like a show pony:

After lunch the parents started arriving, and we had to pack our stuff and take it down into the porch ready to go home (boo hoo!), but we also got changed into our smart gear for the gymkhana (hooray!). I got Genevieve to do my hair in a French plait to match Amber’s tail and then Ava wanted the same as me so she did hers too.

We were standing in the kitchen all ready to go down to the yard when Mum and Dad walked in! It was so great to see them – I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed them until that moment. Kayla was the same with her mum, too! When we went out on to the yard I took them to meet Amber and they both gave her a big pat and said how gorgeous she was. I managed to get a few shots of the girls doing their final brush downs and tacking up
before I had to hand the camera over to Dad and get ready myself.

Mum, Dad and Kayla’s mum stood with the other parents by the manège fence as we all filed in for the tack and turn-out competition, and I could see Dad filming us. Ava and Star won, and Sarah and Charm came second, so no rosettes for me and Kayla, but never mind. I just thought to myself, right I really
have
to win a gymkhana race now!

Group B had their races first, so my group rode out of the manège, dismounted and stood by the fence watching, while our ponies munched on the grass verge. Kayla looked surprised and pleased when Sarah chose
her
to be her relay partner – obviously she thought Cracker would be really nippy – and she was right, because they won!

I cheered for Kayla during the relay and apple bobbing. And I gave her an especially massive cheer when they won the cones race – Cracker’s so quick at turning, he whizzed round the cones much faster than the others!

When it was our turn to do some races, I was so nervous and excited that my heart was hammering and my stomach was flipping over and over. It was really fun and guess what?! Me and Amber won a race too – the ball and bucket, where you had to pull up right by the bucket and throw the ball in (so all that practice we did in lessons of halting exactly at the markers really paid off!). Amber went from canter to halt in about two steps and our ball dropped straight in – unlike Jasmine’s! (Sugar got a bit
over-enthusiastic
and went cantering straight past the bucket – twice!)

When we got our rosettes, all the parents and Sunnyside staff gave us a big cheer. As we walked our ponies back into the barn, Kayla said, “Thanks for encouraging me to stay in Group B, Amy. That walk to canter we learned really swung it for us in the relay.”

“No problem,” I said, grinning. Then we had a big hug.

When we’d sorted out our ponies (all taking as long as possible!) we went into the games room for tea and juice and biccies, and Jody told all the parents about the video for the website and got them to sign consent forms to say we could be in it. Of course, as soon as everyone’s parents heard about it, they all wanted to see it, even though I told them it wasn’t edited yet!

So we put the TV on in the games room and
plugged the camera in, and soon everyone was glued to the screen. When it got to the bit where Kayla falls in the poo they all laughed and clapped and called her a good sport. “Don’t worry, I’ll take that out in the edit,” I promised her. “No, don’t,” she said, “it’s really funny!”

It was so nice when everyone gave me a clap at the end and said how well I’d done, making the film – although I insisted it was pure fun and not hard work at all!

After that it was definitely, absolutely time to go home – we all thanked Jody and Sally and Lydia and gave them big hugs (and Sarah and Genevieve even hugged James while giggling a lot!). Then came the hard part – going down to the barn one last time to say goodbye to the ponies. I gave Amber the biggest hug of all and
told her what a star she is. I know I’ll miss her so much, but at least I’ve got loads of film of her and I can watch it every day.

As Kayla and I linked arms and walked across the lane to the car, we agreed that we’ve had the best holiday ever and that our ups and downs have only made our friendship stronger. And we’re definitely coming back next summer! Right, Dad’s going to help me edit the video now so I can get it over to Jody – I can’t wait to see it up on the website!