Crown Prince (14 page)

Hurrying down the aisle, her heart warmed when she saw her horse facing the door with his ears pricked, almost as if he was watching for her. The white star centered on his forehead showed prominently against his dark bay coat and black forelock. He nickered softly when he saw her.
He knows me already!

Sarah slid the stall door open enough to slide through and went to her horse. She had been in a hurry when she left the house and so had forgotten to bring carrots, but there were peppermints in her rear pocket. She removed the cellophane on one, and Prince quickly took the candy, just as Paige and Tim appeared outside the stall.

“Hey, guys,” Sarah said, “how come you're here so early?”

“We decided to ride when it's cooler,” Tim replied, walking closer to the stall to get a better look at her horse.

“You must be getting ready for the Fair Pines event,” Sarah said, stroking Prince's neck.

Tim nodded. “I think we'll do some hill work up near the orchard today.”

“Quarry has a fitness edge from once being a racehorse,” Paige said, “but he still could use the hill work.” She pressed her face to the bars to look closely at Crown Prince. “Your horse must have been relaxed enough to lie down last night,” she said. “He has shavings on his side.”

“Yeah, and he cleaned up his grain. I guess that's a good sign,” Sarah said. She reached for Prince's halter and put it on him, stretching tall to pull it over his ears. After clipping him to the stall tie, she beckoned them into the stall. “Come on in and see him up close.”

Prince turned to look curiously at Paige and Tim as they joined Sarah. “Wow! This stall is a lot bigger than Quarry's, but it seems small with your horse in it,” Paige said.

“Medina is the queen, and her stall is the biggest in the barn,” Sarah said. “She'll be coming back here when the new stalls are finished and Prince has moved into one of them. I hope it will be big enough. It would be horrible if he got cast.”

“Don't worry. That doesn't happen very often,” Paige said, as she ran her hand down Prince's shoulder. She stepped back. “Feel his coat, Tim. It's like crushed velvet.”

Tim put his hand on Prince's side and nodded. “Yeah, he does have a nice coat.”

“Did you give him a bath with fabric softener?” Paige asked. She grinned as she turned to leave. “I better go back to Quarry before he gets uneasy on the cross-ties.”

“I have to hay the horses now anyway,” Sarah said. “Lucas already fed the grain. Have a great ride, guys. Rhodes and Quarry will have hay in their stalls when you come back.”

Paige and Tim weren't Prince's only visitors that day, and most everyone remarked that he was a beautiful horse. On her way to the back of the barn to get Snippet ready for a private lesson, Lindsay came to see Prince.

Sarah was surprised when Nicole Jordan and Kelly Hoffman stopped to look at Prince on their way to the tack room. They boarded their horses at Brookmeade and used to ride with Sarah in one of Jack's classes. A year ago they had both asked to move up to Jack's Young Riders class, but he felt they needed more experience before making the change. When Sarah started riding with the more advanced group, Kelly's mother complained bitterly. “That girl doesn't even have her own horse!” Ever since then Kelly and Nicole had made it painfully obvious they didn't like her. Sarah braced herself for their comments, expecting the worst.

“Where did you get him?” Kelly asked, as she looked in at Crown Prince with narrowed eyes.

“He's off the racetrack,” Sarah said.

“Oh, so he's green.” Nicole raised a pierced eyebrow. “Will you ride him in your lessons?”

Sarah took a deep breath, not sure how to answer. She decided to play it safe. “Eventually. But like you say, right now he's green. It will be up to Jack.”

Nicole stepped closer to the stall to get a better look at Prince, who was checking his feed tub for any oats he might have missed.

“How is Jubilee going these days?” Sarah asked her. Ignoring the question, Nicole turned away, and the two girls walked toward the tack room, talking quietly to one another. Sarah could just imagine what they were saying.

Gus kept his promise and came to the office at nine to talk about Sarah's work schedule. Earlier, when she had finished feeding the hay, Sarah noticed a broom leaning against the wall. Gus hadn't mentioned sweeping the loft, but she took a few minutes to push the loose hay into one of the stalls.
Gus will probably never mention my sweeping,
she thought.
He just plain does not want to find anything to like about a girl working here.

As they began discussing the tasks she'd be responsible for, Gus said, “You can start feeding the morning grain Tuesday. Monday is Lucas's last day here.”

For the summer, Sarah was to work at the barn every morning, feeding both hay and grain. Saturday would be her day to scrub and fill water buckets. While Gus would attend to sweeping the aisles on other days, she would put in additional time on Sunday, his day off, sweeping the aisles, feed room, and tack rooms. She'd also be responsible for cleaning Prince's stall every day and bringing in new shavings by wheelbarrow from the storage shed as they were needed. As Sarah thought about it, she was glad she would be doing most of her chores early, which gave her the rest of the day to spend with her horse. In the fall, her schedule would have to change—she'd only be able to work after school and on weekends.

Sarah was expecting her parents and Abby to come see Prince at the barn that morning, and she was grooming Crown Prince when they arrived. “Here's something for all that new stuff you bought at the tack store,” her father said, lowering a large black trunk in front of the stall. “I found it in the basement and thought you might be able to use it.”

Sarah left the stall to get a closer look. “Awesome, Dad!” she said, as she lifted the top of the trunk and looked inside. “I like these compartments and drawers. I was wondering where I would put my stuff.” The trunk would look old-fashioned compared to the newer models in the tack room, but at least she had a place to store her horse equipment.

Sarah went back into the stall to finish grooming Prince, answering their questions as she worked. She wanted to give his coat a dazzling shine for her parents to see. Except for being a little touchy when she rubbed his underbelly with the rubber curry, Prince didn't seem to mind being groomed. He willingly lifted his feet for her to pick out, and stood quietly as she combed his mane and ran a soft brush over his body. Prince seemed to bask in all the attention, and clearly liked having his face brushed. The hardest part was reaching his topline. Even when she stood on tiptoes, his hindquarters and withers were a long way up.

With her family watching from outside the stall, Sarah was relieved that Prince was behaving so well while she worked on him. She couldn't forget the conversation she had overheard the night before. As she tossed and turned trying to get to sleep, her mother's elevated voice drifted up the stairs and into her room.

“How could you let Sarah come home with a horse no one at the racetrack could handle! And you tell me they decided to get rid of the horse because it can't be ridden.” Her mother's voice had grown louder. “How is Sarah supposed to be safe with a horse like that?”

Sarah heard her father's attempts to reassure her mother in his usual calm tone. “Alison, we've got to trust Jack and place some responsibility on his shoulders. He tells me that sometimes a horse can make a complete turnaround once it's away from the racetrack. He assured me he will not let Sarah be in harm's way. We agreed the horse will go back in thirty days or even less if he has any misgivings—or if we do.” Their voices became muffled as they moved to a different part of the house, and finally Sarah had drifted into a worried and restless sleep.

Now, as they watched her groom the horse, neither of her parents appeared less uneasy. For one thing, the horse was awfully big. Sarah had always been tall for her age, but standing next to Crown Prince she looked petite and fragile. Would she be able to control such a large animal? Mrs. Wagner was torn. She didn't want to be overdramatic or unsupportive, and only wished she could give the horse the benefit of the doubt. She seemed a little less nervous after seeing how well behaved Prince was while Sarah was grooming him. “He shines like polished mahogany,” her mother said. “You do a good job, honey.”

Though he said little, Sarah's father also watched closely. Was the decision to allow Sarah to take Crown Prince for a one-month's trial a terrible mistake he would come to regret?

When Sarah put her brushes away, Abby came into the stall with the bag of carrots Sarah had left at home. “Just keep your hand flat when you feed him,” Sarah warned. “He might think one of your fingers is part of the deal.” Abby didn't usually take an interest in horses, but she seemed to like Crown Prince. With Sarah at his head, Abby stayed for a long time stroking him while he nosed her pockets for more carrots. The Wagners had errands to run, and finally it was time for them to leave.

Later on Mr. DeWitt came back to the stall. His eyes went over every inch of the horse as they talked. Seeing him a second time confirmed DeWitt's initial impression that this was one well-put-together animal. But he reminded Sarah that even if Crown Prince passed the vet exam, he would still have to prove he was safe for her to ride. “We don't need another runaway at Brookmeade Farm,” Mr. DeWitt said with a smile. He appeared to be joking, but she knew he was dead serious.

Sarah felt jittery at the prospect of hand-walking Prince in the indoor arena, even though he was more relaxed now than he had been when he first arrived at the farm. She remembered Prince's trainer saying he could be a tad spooky. Perhaps the indoor was a completely new experience for him, and a lot of horses freaked out until they got used to the loud creaking noise the metal roof made when it was windy, or to the sound of snow sliding off the roof in winter. Even Lady Tate had been known to leap in the air when barn sparrows swooped down from overhead.

Sarah ran the lead shank through the halter rings and over Prince's nose before leading him from his stall and down the aisle to the entrance to the indoor arena. As they got closer, Sarah could hear that something was going on inside. Kathleen was longeing Hedgerow at the far end of the indoor. He trotted around her at the end of a long line as she called out vocal commands in firm voice.

Once inside, Prince looked around nervously. Even with another horse nearby, he was tense. He walked briskly beside Sarah with his head high, occasionally prancing and pulling on the shank. When they reached the long side of the arena, he snorted and jumped back at the sight of his own image in the mirror that ran the length of the wall. Further along, he shied away from a set of jump standards and painted rails stacked in a corner, taking her with him. She was relieved that the next time around he took a long look at the jumps but didn't spook. Sarah talked softly to him, and occasionally reached up to give him a pat. Once she thought she saw Jack watching from the lounge, but the next time she looked, he was gone.

“Congratulations on getting such a nice horse,” Kathleen called out. “He's handsome, to be sure.”

“Thanks, Kathleen,” Sarah said. “He's a little nervous. I'm glad you have Hedgerow in here to keep him company.”

“We're just about finished. I hope Prince won't be upset when we leave.”

Sarah gripped the lead shank tighter when Kathleen led Hedgerow toward the outgate, and Prince's head came up when he saw them leaving the arena.
I should keep on walking as if nothing is happening,
Sarah thought. Suddenly Prince whinnied loudly and pulled against the shank, his body turning sideways beside her.
Thank goodness the shank is over his nose,
she thought. She could feel his power through the shank. “Easy, boy,” she said, while tweaking the pressure of the shank on his nose. Remembering what Jack had taught them to do when a horse got too strong under saddle, she turned Prince off the track and led him on a small circle. He whinnied once more and then seemed to quiet down, so she took him back out onto the track that went around the arena. A few minutes later he was much more relaxed.

After the light exercise session, Sarah brought Prince back to his stall. She thought about all the visitors they'd had that day. It was good to have some time alone with her horse, even with the noise the carpenters were making. They were under pressure to finish building the two extra stalls and had consented to work over the weekend.

Prince cleaned up his hay and sniffed his feed box one more time before coming to stand beside her, nuzzling her pockets. Sarah spoke softly and gently stroked him. As he had done on their first meeting at the racetrack, his eyes softened and half closed. He lowered his head to lean on her shoulder. “What a good boy you are, Prince,” she murmured, continuing to stroke him. His first full day at Brookmeade had gone so well. Now they just had to get a clean bill of health from the veterinarian tomorrow.

IT WAS BARELY LIGHT
the next morning when Sarah rolled over and glanced at her clock radio. As her head cleared, she remembered. This was Monday, the day of Prince's vet check! Gus would be furious if she wasn't at the barn by seven to feed the horses, and the last thing she wanted was to be late. She sprang out of bed, splashed some cold water on her face, and slipped into her jeans and a T-shirt. She ran a brush through her hair and put it in a ponytail before hurrying downstairs.

The house was quiet, not surprising, since her father wouldn't be going to the Creamery until mid-morning. She was glad she could bike to the barn without waiting for a ride. If she hurried, there was time for a quick breakfast. She poured a glass of orange juice and a bowl of Cheerios. While she was eating at the kitchen table, Abby appeared in the doorway, still in her pajamas. Her blonde hair was tousled, and it was obvious she hadn't been awake very long.