Crown Prince Challenged (29 page)

It seemed like an eternity before Jack called back, and Mrs. Winfield again handed the receiver to Sarah. “I want you to stay where you are, Sarah,” Jack said firmly. “I've checked with the dispatcher, and they've already sent a fire department team to rescue Quarry. I just called Dr. Reynolds office, and Dr. Jenson from the vet clinic is rushing over there. Mrs. Romano is coming with her trailer to pick up Fanny and Crown Prince, even though you're in different locations. I'm bringing the Brookmeade trailer for Quarry. We know where you are—just stay put.”

Sarah again walked her horse up and down the Winfield's driveway, and gradually his breathing came back to normal and his coat became cool to the touch. Mrs. Winfield brought some water in a pail so Prince could drink a few swallows at a time. She continued walking Prince, all the while worrying about Quarry. Would the fire department get there in time?

The minutes dragged on until finally Sarah heard a pickup and trailer rumbling down the road toward them. Mrs. Romano pulled beyond the Winfield's driveway and then backed the trailer into it. Kayla flew out of the truck's passenger side, rushing to Sarah. “They got him out! Quarry's okay,” she cried. “The fire department came right after the call came in. They knew just where to come, and they brought special equipment.”

Mrs. Romano came up behind Kayla. After Sarah introduced her to Mrs. Winfield, Mrs. Romano said, “Quarry was already out of the bog when I arrived with the horse trailer, but Kayla can tell you more about it.”

“They put these wide straps around Quarry,” Kayla said. “There was just enough space between his belly and the muck for them to push the straps under him. Then they used a winch to lift him out of the bog. Luckily, Quarry stopped struggling during the rescue. He was exhausted, and it almost seemed like he knew the men were there to help him.”

“Dr. Jenson got there right after they lifted Quarry out,” Mrs. Romano said. “She thought he was walking okay, but gave him some IV fluids. She's going to come by the barn later to check him again.”

“How is Paige?” Sarah asked.

“She's still pretty shaken up,” Mrs. Romano said, “but greatly relieved Quarry is okay.” She looked directly at Sarah. “It's thanks to your quick thinking and action that he made it, Sarah.”

“Yeah,” Kayla chipped in. “I watched you and Prince fly down the beach. I've never seen a horse run so fast!”

Sarah looked up at her horse. “You were a star, Prince,” she said, as she hugged his head. Turning back, she spoke to Mrs. Winfield. “I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't had a landline phone.”

“Yes, we owe you a debt of thanks,” Mrs. Romano said to Mrs. Winfield. “Now let's load this guy and get the horses home. I hope the halter I brought for him is big enough.”

Quarry was already at the farm when the Romanos' trailer got there. After Prince was unloaded, Sarah walked him to the barn, with Kayla following carrying Prince's tack. Once he was in his stall, the girls rushed to the wash stall where a crowd of onlookers, including Mrs. Romano and Jack, were watching Paige bathe Quarry.

Much of the muck and bog mud had already been hosed off the gray gelding, and Quarry stood quietly with his head lowered as Paige sponged warm soapy water on his head and neck. After going over his upper body, she applied the sponge along his underbelly, sheath, and high up between his hind legs. She sponged his legs and feet, and lastly dunked his tail in the soapy bucket. Quarry almost closed his eyes when Paige applied warm water from the hose to rinse all the soap and grime from his body. After she removed as much water as she could with a sweat scraper, Paige led him slowly back to his welcoming stall, where fresh bedding, hay, and water awaited him.

“Good job, Paige,” Jack said. “Dr. Jenson will be coming soon to look him over carefully, and once she gives the okay, we'll apply some liniment on his legs and wrap them with support bandages.”

As soon as the others left and Quarry was in his stall, Sarah and Kayla together hugged Paige, tears running down their faces. So much pent-up emotion flowed freely, with images of the struggling horse mired in the quagmire still fresh in their minds. “Thank you, Sarah,” Paige murmured. “You and Prince saved my horse. The rescue people said they got him out just in time, that he was close to going into shock.”

Kayla and her mother left a few minutes later, and Sarah went back to her own horse. It was Prince's turn to be bathed and cared for.

* * * * *

Paige was at the barn when Sarah arrived the next morning. She had removed Quarry's bandages and was walking him slowly in the courtyard. “How's he doing?” Sarah asked.

“Dr. Jenson said it could have been a lot worse, but Quarry severely stressed his tendons, especially in his hind legs. Even with Bute meds and the support bandages I put on him last night, his legs are swollen this morning.” Sarah nodded her head after she bent down to look at Quarry's legs more closely. “Dr. Jenson said he's going to need some time off,” Paige continued, “with stall rest and just hand-walking for a while.”

Sarah knew immediately what this meant for Paige. Her plan to compete Quarry at Wexford Hall had vanished. In fact, unless the horse made a quick recovery, their whole competition season was in jeopardy. Sarah felt badly for the girl who worked so hard to bring out the best in herself and her horse.

A few minutes later Sarah went to check on Crown Prince. After giving him his daily carrots, she put him on the cross-ties and quickly removed his bandages. At Jack's suggestion, she had applied liniment to his legs before wrapping them for the night. Prince had run extremely fast for two miles on hard-packed sand, something he wasn't conditioned for. She sighed in relief when she could find no sign of heat or inflammation.

Sarah was about to put Prince back in his stall and feed the horses when Jack appeared. Worry lines creased his forehead. He checked her horse's legs, running his hand down the tendons, and looked relieved as he straightened. “Except for being a bit tucked up, your horse seems none the worse for his run on the beach yesterday,” Jack said. He looked intently at Sarah. “You've talked with Paige?” When she nodded, he said, “Then you must know there's no chance Quarry can be part of the Wexford Cup team.” Jack paused. “It looks like Crown Prince will have the chance to take his place.” Sarah abruptly jerked her head in Jack's direction, her eyes opened wide. “Would you and Prince feel up to the challenge?” he asked.

Sarah's head was spinning. In all the excitement, that thought hadn't crossed her mind. She had been so preoccupied with Quarry and her own horse that the implications of Quarry's injuries hadn't occurred to her. Now Jack was suggesting that Crown Prince could take Quarry's place on the team.

“But Jack,” Sarah said, “he's just learning to do cross-country obstacles! How can he possibly do the Wexford Hall course?”

“We have a month,” Jack said. “Based on how quickly he caught on when we worked on cross-country last Wednesday, I think we can have him ready. The class will be doing a fair amount of cross-country schooling in the next few weeks, and I'm willing to give you and Prince as much additional training as it will take to prepare him for the competition. Is this something you'd like to do? Maybe you need to think about it, and certainly talk to your parents.”

“Yes, I need a little time,” Sarah said. “A little time.” Jack turned and headed back to the office.

Sarah couldn't stop thinking about being part of the team as she made the rounds feeding the horses. If Jack thought Prince could be ready for the event, then maybe she should have faith in his judgment. But would it be fair to her horse to expect so much of him? Would her parents be shocked at such a proposal and forbid her to even consider it? Would she be letting the team down if she didn't at least try? They needed a fourth member. Tim, Kayla, and Rita would be so disappointed if they had to miss the event.

When she'd finished refilling the ration pails, Sarah decided the lounge would be a place she could think while Prince finished eating his hay. Turning him out could wait. Scouring and refilling the water buckets could also wait. She made herself comfortable on the sofa and looked into the indoor arena, empty and quiet at this hour. She continued to deliberate on the proposition Jack had thrown out to her. So many questions with no clear-cut answers.

And then suddenly Sarah knew what she needed to do. Mrs. DeWitt could help her sort through the pros and cons. The lounge clock showed it was almost half past eight. She was pretty sure the DeWitts would be up and about, but it would be best to call them first.

Mr. DeWitt picked up on the second ring. “Good morning, Mr. DeWitt,” she said. “It's Sarah. I hope I'm not calling too early. By any chance is Mrs. DeWitt there?”

Mrs. DeWitt must have been close by, because she came on the line right away, and when Sarah asked if she might come to talk with her, Mrs. DeWitt urged her to come at once.

“A mug of hot chocolate or coffee awaits you,” she said. “Spin and Cameo are already excited!”

It took Sarah only a few minutes to walk the hilly driveway to the DeWitts' farmhouse, and soon she was seated in their breakfast nook with the Jack Russell terriers on either side. After initially greeting her, Mr. DeWitt excused himself to retire to his office.

“We have been so worried about Quarry,” Mrs. DeWitt said. “I'm relieved that he just needs some time off. What a terrible ordeal for Paige and her horse to go through!”

Sarah took a sip of her coffee. “Paige said he was stiff when she walked him this morning, and there's swelling in his legs. A sad part of this is that Quarry can't possibly compete in the Wexford Hall event. No one works any harder with her horse than Paige. She doesn't deserve this.”

“Jack tells me that you played a big part in Quarry's rescue,” Mrs. DeWitt said. “Did Crown Prince have a pleasant gallop down the beach?”

Sarah smiled. “It was a wild ride. I've never dreamed a horse could run that fast! I know his sire won the Kentucky Derby, and I'll bet Prince was running just as fast as his dad did. He seemed to know we needed to get help.” She set down her coffee mug and looked directly at Mrs. DeWitt. “But all this brings up a question.” Mrs. DeWitt sat back, waiting.

“Jack suggested that Prince should take Quarry's place on the team.” Sarah paused a moment, letting her words sink in. “He says that we have a month to do more work on cross-country obstacles, and he believes we can have Prince ready for the event.”

Mrs. DeWitt mulled this over before speaking. “What do you think about this, my dear?” she said softly.

“I'm worried we could be rushing Prince. Maybe asking him to tackle a championship course with so little training under his belt would be a mistake. I've heard about riders who rush their horses and ruin them by overfacing them before they're ready. I'd never forgive myself if I did that to Prince!”

Sarah took another sip of coffee before continuing. “Since we started riding with the Young Riders, there have been many times when the jumps were really big for a horse that had just started jumping. Sometimes, coming into a fence, I could feel he was unsure, but when I pressed my legs harder to tell him he could do it, he trusted me. He went over the jump every time! But I'm afraid if I ask him to tackle things that are way beyond him, maybe he'll lose that trust.” She looked into Mrs. DeWitt's clear blue eyes for guidance.

“If you feel this way, then why are you in a dilemma?” Mrs. DeWitt asked. “Why is it a hard decision to make?”

Sarah thought a minute. “I'd hate to let the other kids down. There's really no one else to be the fourth rider on the team. Derek told me Bismarck isn't a candidate because he hasn't done any dressage or cross-country.”

“Sarah,” Mrs. DeWitt began, “do you know the reputation Jack has in the eventing community all around the world? He's watched you and your horse improve every step of the way. He's seen the amazing progress you've made. Do you think he would encourage you to take on this challenge if he wasn't sure you and Prince could succeed?”

Sarah hung her head. “I guess you think I should have more faith in my riding instructor.”

Mrs. DeWitt reached out to put her hand on Sarah's arm. “Yes, dear, I do.”

“I know this,” Sarah said. “Jack has never let me down.”

“You also need to look deep inside yourself. You have a brilliant, athletic horse. You must have confidence in him. And faith in yourself.”

As Sarah walked back to the barn, she thought about what Mrs. DeWitt had said. Now she could look at the situation clearly, and she knew how she would respond to Jack's invitation to join the team. Based on his skill as an instructor and Prince's athletic talent, she
did
believe she and Prince could do it. But there was one more wrinkle—her parents! She would have to convince them Prince was ready to meet the challenge, and that she as his rider wouldn't be at risk.

When she'd finished her Sunday chores, Sarah turned Prince out into one of the unoccupied turn-outs. The spring grass had come in thick and rich, and he buried his nose in the grass without his usual canter around the paddock with a few bucks thrown in. He was tired today, and for good reason. Yesterday's wild ride on the beach had left him drained.

Sarah brought out her lunch and settled into a comfortable spot beside the paddock where she could lean her back against a maple tree. It felt so good to soak up the mid-May sunshine and watch her horse graze. As she ate a turkey sandwich, her eyes feasted on her handsome horse. It was almost a year ago that he had come to Brookmeade Farm, and the regular exercise and training he'd been getting had changed the way he looked. Most noticeable were his heavily muscled hindquarters, and moving forward on the bit in his dressage work had produced stronger muscling in his crest. He'd added weight, which had filled out his frame, and his coat had a healthy bloom. Sarah felt proud. She knew how much time and hard work had gone into making these changes in her horse's appearance. With his dark bay coat shimmering in the sunshine, he was more beautiful than ever!