Schooling Horse (10 page)

“Oh, give me a break,” Stevie said. “As though whether or not you have your own horse has anything to do with whether or not you deserve one. Do you think for one minute that Veronica diAngelo deserves to have her own horse?”

Lisa thought about the rich, spoiled girl who never seemed to do anything for her beautiful horse. “No,” she admitted.

“And I bet there are thousands of kids in places like … oh, Bangladesh, who really deserve horses but don’t get them.”

Lisa had to laugh. “Bangladesh!”

“Or New York City. There aren’t a whole lot of horses there. Anyway, my point is, I think you’re an excellent rider, and I think you deserve your own horse, but I don’t
think those things have anything to do with one another.”

“Okay,” Lisa said. “Thanks. I understand your point even if I’m not sure I agree with you. But I need to know what you guys really think about Milky. Am I just being a ninny? Should I have gotten back on him in the field?”

“No. Absolutely not,” Carole said firmly. She picked up a piece of hay and twirled it between her fingertips. “I agree with Stevie that he sounds dangerous. If he’s been acting the way you say he has, then you should have quit riding him days ago. When Max says always get back on, he means in a usual situation, like when you fall off and it’s totally your fault, and he doesn’t want you becoming afraid of riding. He doesn’t mean when the horse is trying to hurt you.”

“Plus,” cut in Stevie, “riding is supposed to be fun. It’s not supposed to be terrifying.”

“Sometimes it’s a little scary,” Lisa said, thinking of some of her earlier experiences.

“For minutes at a time,” agreed Stevie. “Not for whole days at a time.”

“It’s supposed to be fun even when it is a little scary,” added Carole. “The fun is always supposed to be there.”

Lisa sighed. “Well, I sure haven’t had a lot of fun this week,” she said. “I just hated to admit how awful I felt. I still feel awful. I mean—Remember, Stevie, how you said Carole’s French class was like Milky? And Carole worked so hard and she got so much better?”

Carole shook her head. “They aren’t the same,” she said. “French is just French. I mean, it’s all there, it stays the same. I just have to learn it. Everything that can change is on my side. But you and Milky are both variable—”

“You’re making them sound like a math class,” Stevie joked.

Carole rolled her eyes. “I mean, Lisa can change all she wants. She can be the best rider in the world, but Milky’s not just an object, like a car that anyone could learn to drive. He’s got his own mind. So no matter what, Lisa might not be able to change him.

“Milky’s supposed to be a show horse,” Carole continued. “Remember? You said he’d been in lots of shows.”

“For years,” Lisa said, nodding. “Max told me.”

“So we have to assume that he’s fully trained,” Carole said. “He should understand what Lisa wants him to do, and he should know how he’s supposed to behave. It sounds like he doesn’t
want
to behave.”

“I wish I could make him want to,” Lisa said. “I really tried.”

“But maybe you can’t do it,” Carole said. “Maybe no one can. Maybe there’s really something wrong with him—some physical thing like a pinched nerve that makes him mean. Maybe despite all his training he’s still not a reliable horse.”

“I think he just has a personality fault,” Stevie said. “He should be agreeable, but he isn’t.”

“I wonder why not,” Lisa said.

“Who knows?” Stevie said. “Maybe something happened to him when he was a foal. Maybe the first people who trained him were cruel to him, so he grew up hating people. Or maybe there’s just something wrong with him. Anyway, it’s not your fault, and it’s certainly not your problem.”

Lisa wiped at her eyes again. “I still feel like it is,” she said. “I can’t help it. If he was going to be my horse—”

“Do you want him?” Stevie asked.

“No, but—”

“Look,” Carole said firmly. “You told us that Milky reared with you. Right?”

“Right.”

“You have no business riding a horse that rears. None of us does. He could have killed you, Lisa. There’s no point in riding a horse like that, not when there are so many good horses around. You should be glad you don’t own him yet. You don’t have to worry about trying to sell him—you can just tell Max you don’t want to ride him anymore.”

Lisa blushed. “I haven’t told Max about any of our problems,” she said.

“Well, you’ll have to tell him something.”

“I know.”

Prancer took a step forward and nosed Lisa’s knee. Lisa stroked the mare’s forehead. “Remember all the trouble I was having with Prancer last week? She was so frustrating, but she never scared me. I never thought she wanted to hurt me. That’s how I felt with Milky, all the time.”

“You should have told us,” Carole said softly.

“I tried to,” Lisa said. “But I didn’t really understand how bad he is. Plus, I want my own horse so badly. Part of me still hates to give him up.”

“There will be other horses,” Carole said.

“I guess so. I never know how my parents are going to act.”

“We made a mistake anyway thinking that your problem with Milky and Carole’s problem with French were anything alike,” Stevie realized. “We should have understood better.”

“I don’t see how you could have, when I didn’t understand myself.” Lisa stood up and brushed the hay off her pants. “I’m so glad I talked to you guys. I feel better than I have all week.”

“Good,” said Stevie. She stood, too. “Let’s get our horses and ride while there’s still time. I bet Max will let you have Prancer. She can’t be in heat anymore, so she’ll probably behave.”

Lisa grimaced. “First I have to go explain to Max that I’m not really sick— Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”

“Outside the stall,” Stevie said, confused.

“No—” Lisa pushed past her friend. In the aisle, a small boy named David was walking by leading Milky, who was fully tacked! “What are you doing?” Lisa demanded. David was a little kid—a beginner! He had no business riding Milky!

David frowned. “What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m going to take a riding lesson.” He clucked to Milky.

Lisa blocked his way. “You can’t ride this horse,” she said.

David tried to sidestep her. Milky pranced nervously. “Of course I can,” David said. “Max said. He said you hadn’t ridden him very hard.”

Lisa was appalled. She didn’t believe for one minute that Milky would behave better with David than he had with her. He could be killed!

I could have been killed
, she realized. The thought shook her like a thunderbolt.
I don’t have any business riding Milky. None of us does.
Suddenly she didn’t feel guilty anymore.

“You can’t ride him,” she repeated firmly. “He’s dangerous. Give him to me.”

“No,” David said. He pulled Milky closer to him, a stubborn expression on his face. “I asked Max if I could ride him today, and Max said yes. You’ve been hogging him all week. He’s not your horse.”

“That doesn’t matter!” Lisa grabbed for Milky’s head, but David dodged her. Stevie and Carole came out of Prancer’s stall. Stevie caught hold of the stirrup on Milky’s saddle, but Milky kicked out. Stevie jumped back, letting go.

“Stop it!” David yelled at them. “I’m telling Max!” He stamped his foot. Milky cocked his hind foot, ready to kick again. Stevie and Carole held back.

“No,” Lisa said. “I’ll tell Max. You wait here.” She ran for the office.

David turned his head and stuck his tongue out at Stevie and Carole. “You’re not the bosses of the whole entire stable,” he said. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.” He pulled Milky out the front door.

“Oh, geez,” Stevie said. They hurried after him.

“M
AX
!” L
ISA BURST
into the office. “David’s about to ride Milky, and you’ve got to stop him!”

Max was talking on the telephone. He raised his eyebrows at Lisa and held up one finger, a sign that he didn’t want to be disturbed.

“You have to stop him before he gets on,” Lisa persisted. “Milky’s dangerous! I should have said something—” She glanced out the office window. Carole and Stevie were arguing with David, who had managed to keep hold of Milky’s reins and had climbed onto the mounting block. Milky had his ears back in a way Lisa had seen too many times before. And David already had one foot in the stirrup.

“Now!” Lisa shouted. She slammed her hand down on the disconnect button of the phone. Max looked at her in astonishment. Lisa grabbed his arm and pulled him out the office door.

“Lisa, what’s going on?” he demanded. Lisa hurried him along the stable aisle.

“You have to stop him!” she pleaded. “Don’t let him get hurt!”

“I have to stop who?”

Lisa dropped Max’s arm and ran out the main door, toward Milky and David. “Don’t!” she cried.

But it was too late. David swung his leg across Milky’s back. And Milky reared.

W
ITHOUT THINKING
, L
ISA
threw herself forward and grabbed for the reins. Milky’s hooves slashed the air dangerously near her head, and she felt one of his forefeet graze her shoulder before she managed to reach one of the reins and momentarily yank his head down. Carole grabbed David as he tumbled off to one side. Milky fought for his head. Lisa hung on desperately while Carole pulled David out of harm’s way. Milky reared again. Lisa felt her feet being lifted off the ground.

“Stand clear!” bellowed Max. Lisa let go. Milky’s head snapped back when she released it. She watched in horror as he reared higher … higher … and then one of his hind feet slipped in the dirt. Milky crashed backward,
hooves flailing, landing with all his weight on the empty saddle. He scrambled to his feet, shook himself, and went still, looking absolutely unconcerned.

The Saddle Club and Max stood in horrified silence. David sobbed in Carole’s arms. On Milky’s back, the saddle was twisted and broken.

Max stepped forward and took Milky’s reins. He turned to Lisa. “How did you know he was going to do that?” he asked.

“It was her fault,” sobbed David. “She yelled at me. She frightened him.”

“No,” said Max. “She might have yelled, but she didn’t frighten him. I saw it. The horse was going to rear anyway. Lisa, how did you know?”

Lisa licked her dry lips. She knew she couldn’t lie to Max anymore. As it was, her untruthfulness had nearly caused David great harm. “I didn’t
know
he was going to do something,” she said. “I just thought he might, because of the look he had on his face. He reared with me this afternoon. Twice,” she added.

Max’s face went white and then red. “And you didn’t tell me,” Max said in one of the quietest voices Lisa had ever heard him use.

“And I didn’t tell you,” Lisa said.

“Is this the first time he’s acted like this?”

“It’s the first day he’s reared,” she said. “He’s done some other stuff before.” She hated to have Max upset with her, but she was surprised by how relieved she felt to finally tell him the truth.

“Why don’t I take Milky back to his stall?” suggested Stevie.

Max shook his head. “Go get Red,” he told her. “Ask him to put Milky away. None of my students is touching him again.” Max smiled at David. “You’re going to ride Barq in your lesson now,” he told the boy cheerfully. “Why don’t you go tack him up, and I’ll be right out when I’ve talked to Lisa for a minute.”

David nodded. To Lisa’s surprise, he turned to her. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you,” he said. “I was mad that Max was letting you ride Milky all the time. I’ve been wanting and wanting to ride him.”

Lisa understood. “He’s pretty, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” David said. “I don’t want to ride him now, though.”

“Go get Barq,” Max told him. “Lisa—office.”

“Can we come, too, Max?” Carole asked. They all knew that Lisa would be in trouble. Carole didn’t want her to have to face it alone.

Max smiled at the entire Saddle Club. He put his arm on Lisa’s shoulder. “Of course. I want to talk to Lisa, but I’m not holding an inquisition. In fact, I’d like you to listen to what I have to say.”

When Stevie came back with Red, the girls followed Max inside and sat down. Max kicked the door shut. “Trouble?” he asked Lisa gently.

“Every single day,” Lisa admitted. She told him all about Milky’s behavior. The more she talked, the more agitated Max became. Finally he got up and walked
around the room. “I think you were right about him trying to bite me last weekend,” she concluded, “but I just really didn’t want to admit it to myself.”

“Why not?” Max asked. “Why didn’t you tell me about all this sooner?”

“I kept thinking that he wasn’t really that bad,” Lisa said. She spread her hands in her lap. She could hear for herself how bad Milky’s behavior sounded. “I kept thinking I could change him. I’m sorry, Max. I know I’m wrong now, but I didn’t know I was wrong before. I didn’t want to admit that I couldn’t ride him.”

“Rearing is very dangerous,” Max said. “I’m sure you could all see that for yourselves. I’ve never kept a dangerous horse in my stables, and I never will. I have too great a responsibility toward my students, and there are plenty of horses that do not have problems. Milky was here on trial, I told you that from the beginning. He’s going back tomorrow.”