Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Cecilia Cameron was whippet-thin. She had a long, straight back and hair scraped into a bun behind her head. She wore dark blue jodhpurs with suede dividing the legs in half and forming an upside-down U shape on her bottom, a pale blue shirt with the top button done up and a tie tucked underneath a blue tank top. She stood in the middle of an outdoor arena and barked instructions at a group of ten riders, all of whom were being led by adults in green sweatshirts with WILMINGTON RDA on the front of them.

‘Sit up! Use your legs! Come on, I want more from you. William, concentrate. That’s a good boy. Use your Buttdar!’

Miss Cameron paced in a circle, following the riders and their ponies with her stare. Charlie and Polly watched from a distance.

‘What on earth is a Butt-dar?’ Polly asked with a nervous laugh.

‘I haven’t a clue.’ Charlie was starting to feel anxious herself. Maybe this was a bad idea.

‘Use the mirrors, Jessica, and you will see that your lower leg is moving all over the place. Hold it still! That’s better. Excellent. Head up and upper body steady! Good girl.’

Round the outside of the arena, halfway down the long side and at each of the short sides, were enormous mirrors, positioned so that the riders could see their own reflections and make adjustments accordingly.

‘Right, trot on! Now sit tight, all of you. William, don’t hang on to the reins like that. Come on, leaders, run fast enough for your ponies to actually trot. Mrs Scott, I’m afraid that’s not good enough. Yes, I know you’re not a runner, but honestly, a little jog round the arena won’t kill you, and Thomas needs a challenge.’

Mrs Bass came to stand behind the girls.

‘Well, at least you’re finally going to ride with proper guidance, Polly.’

Charlie winced in mock horror. ‘I hope you’re not insulting my riding instruction, Mum?’

‘Of course not, Charlie. I’m just relieved that Polly can ride in slightly more controlled circumstances at last. I just spoke to one of the parents whose daughter has cerebral palsy. She said she was terrified the first time she brought her to the class and thought she’d never cope, but says she loves it now. And little Jessica –’ she pointed at a round-faced girl on a cob with huge feathered feet at the back of the group – ‘hasn’t stopped smiling since the minute she got here. Her dad told me she loves that pony more than anything in the world. She always asks to ride him and she stays behind for an hour to muck out and groom. I guess we already know that the connection with the pony is as important as the riding.’

Charlie nodded vigorously in agreement. ‘Yes, and Polly’s relationship with Noble Warrior is so special.’

They watched in silence as the adults leading the ponies got redder in the face and starting puffing loudly.

‘OK! That’ll do. And walk. Well done, leaders, and well done, riders. Pat your ponies now and say thank you. I’ll be coming round to see how well you’ve groomed them. I expect those stables to be spick and span as well! Spick and span, I say.’

Jessica, the girl on the cob, leaned forward and put both her arms round her pony. Her face turned towards her father and she grinned so broadly that all her teeth showed.

‘I love Sparky!’ she shouted. The woman leading her patted her leg.

‘I know you do, Jessica. He loves you too. Now let’s brush him off, clean your tack and muck out his stable.’

Jessica beamed.

Charlie watched the line of ten ponies make their way back to the stables.

‘Polly Williams, I presume?’

The voice they had heard from a distance was suddenly right beside them. Polly jumped in surprise.

‘Which one of you is Polly?’

‘Uh, um, I am.’

Miss Cameron stretched out her hand.

‘Well, I am delighted to make your acquaintance. We will agree a deal. I will give you my maximum effort if you give me yours? Are you up for it?’

Polly nodded, looking a little stunned.

‘And you must be her mother?’ Miss Cameron turned to Mrs Bass.

‘No. No, I’m not, actually. I’m … I’m, ooh, what am I?’

‘Her kidnapper?’ It was hard to tell if Miss Cameron was joking or not.

‘Gosh, no! No, certainly not. I, uh, I just, uh …’

Charlie spoke up. ‘Miss Cameron, this is my mother and Polly is my best friend. We booked the lesson because we’d read about Wilmington RDA on the internet and we thought you might be the best person to help us.’

‘And what is your name?’

‘Charlie, miss. Charlie Bass.’

Miss Cameron furrowed her brow as if trying to remember something.

‘Charlie Bass? Haven’t I heard that name somewhere before?’

Polly opened her mouth to speak, but Charlie got there first. ‘Oh, it’s a common enough name. I’m always getting people who think they’ve met or seen a Charlie Bass before.’

Charlie didn’t want too many questions about Noble Warrior. She was worried that if Miss Cameron realized that he was the same horse who had won the Derby and then been kidnapped, she might not let Polly take her lessons on him.

Miss Cameron put her head on one side and looked Polly up and down.

‘She had an accident,’ Mrs Bass started to explain. ‘She has nerve damage –’

Miss Cameron put up her hand. ‘I’ve already got all the information I need,’ she said firmly. ‘This is all about what she can do, not about what you might think she can no longer do.’

Charlie was confused. She hadn’t sent Miss Cameron any medical documents. Where had she got them from?

‘I’ll be able to tell as soon as I see you on a horse how much you will be able to achieve, and I suspect it will be far more than you think.’

She ran her hand across her slicked-back hair and Charlie noticed her knobbly fingers. One seemed to be crooked, as if it had once been broken and never properly reset.

Miss Cameron looked at her watch. ‘I need to make an inspection. I will meet you in ten minutes in the arena.’

No-nonsense. That’s how Charlie mentally described Cecilia Cameron. She watched the instructor stride purposefully towards the stables and wondered again if she had made the right decision.

‘We’d better not hang about,’ she said to Polly, and the two of them took extra care to brush out every trace of straw from Noble Warrior’s tail and every speck of dust from his coat. Percy was a more difficult case. He had deposited a spectacularly runny poo down the insides of his back legs, which had turned his white socks brown.

Charlie tried as best she could to wash off the offending smudges, but with little effect. She had decided it would be safer all round if she rode Percy alongside Noble Warrior so that he didn’t panic. She could also guide him with a leading rein.

Noble Warrior followed Percy and his poo-smudged hind legs into the outdoor arena. Charlie had found an old towel to fling over his back so that Polly could grip a little better. She figured it would be safer and more comfortable than riding completely bareback.

The horses’ hooves sank into the oiled sand-and-rubber surface, which was softer and more forgiving than the sun-baked ground they had been using at home. Brightly coloured bits of rubber, recycled from electrical wires, gave the mixture a bit of elasticity – it was the equine equivalent of a sprung floor for ballet or dance classes. Charlie had threaded the orange plaited string through Noble Warrior’s bridle so that she could lead him from her position atop Percy.

‘OK, Pol?’ she asked.

Polly nodded silently.

Percy paused to admire himself in the mirror. How could anyone fail to appreciate the singular beauty of a chubby Palomino pony with four white socks (even if they were a little splashed), a white-blond mane, one blue eye, one brown and a sun-reddened nose?

Noble Warrior had never seen himself in a mirror before and his reaction was rather different. He snorted and backed away from the dark horse he saw looking back at him. His tail lifted and he pranced on the spot. Polly’s eyes widened in fear, but she tried to keep her voice steady.

‘It’s OK, Noddy. It’s only you. Whoa, boy, steady now.’

She gripped as hard as she could with her right leg, but her other side would not react. Noble Warrior retreated from his reflection and pulled back on the lead rein. Charlie tried to hang on to him, but the rope pulling through her hands burned the insides of her palm and she had to let go as Noble Warrior reared.

‘Sit tight, Polly!’ Mrs Bass called from the outside of the arena. She began to climb through the rails to try to help.

Charlie tried to position Percy in between the terrified horse and his reflection. She was desperate for Polly and Noble Warrior to pass the assessment. But it wasn’t enough.

It all happened in a split second. Noble Warrior saw his own hooves flailing in the air and panicked. He reared again. Polly had no chance. She landed heavily on the grey sand. Noble Warrior’s eyes were out on stalks and his ears flicked backwards and forwards.

Caroline ran towards Polly to help her up when a stern voice called out, ‘Stay right where you are!’

Miss Cameron walked briskly towards them, carrying a large black saddle on her arm. Mrs Bass froze and then backed away to the fence. Noble Warrior looked at Polly, wincing on the ground, and then back at his own reflection.

‘Let him work it out,’ Miss Cameron said calmly as she put the saddle over the top of the gate.

Noble Warrior walked gingerly towards the mirror and stuck his nose out. The horse he saw stuck its nose towards him. He turned his head to the left. The other horse turned its head to the right. He lowered his head. The other horse did the same.

‘Up you get.’ Miss Cameron put out an arm to help Polly to her feet, but offered no comfort or words of concern. Once Polly was standing, Miss Cameron walked towards Noble Warrior, approaching him slowly from behind, murmuring under her breath. She gently took the reins and let him reach out with his nose and actually touch the mirrored glass.

‘See, it’s only a mirror.’ She patted his neck firmly. ‘Silly boy.’

‘He’s been through a lot in the last year,’ Charlie tried to explain.

‘I’m sure he has,’ Miss Cameron said in a clipped tone. ‘But we will not tolerate behaviour like that, now, will we?’ She started to lead him back towards the gate.

‘Now, let’s get a saddle on you and see if we can give young Polly a chance to show me what she can do.’

Charlie looked at her friend with concern and mouthed, ‘Are you OK?’

Polly nodded.

The saddle had raised knee rolls and a high cantle. Miss Cameron adjusted the stirrups to a length that would allow Polly’s legs to hang straight with her heels below the saddle flaps.

‘Come on, Polly, no time to shilly-shally.’

To the side of the arena was a bright green block of plastic. It was a portable step, so light that Miss Cameron could scoop it up in one hand and drop it on the left side of Noble Warrior’s shoulder.

‘Let’s get you straight back on.’

She directed Polly to the top of the step, which brought her navel level with Noble Warrior’s withers.

‘Left foot into the stirrup and then over you swing.’

‘But I can’t –’

‘Yes, you can. Come on. Left leg in my hand, into the stirrup and one-two-hup!’

Standing on her right leg and with her left foot tentatively placed in the stirrup, Polly took advantage of a gentle push from behind and swung her leg over Noble Warrior’s back. Charlie saw her grimace as she landed inelegantly in the saddle.

‘You’ll get better at that,’ Miss Cameron said. ‘Now just make sure those stirrups feel all right. Do you see that loop on the left side of the saddle? That’s there for support if you need it, but let’s try to use it only in an emergency.’

Charlie moved towards Noble Warrior, but Miss Cameron raised her hand.

‘No need for that. I think we’ll see what Polly can do on her own, and if she needs leading, I have plenty of people who can help. You can follow her on the pony and do exactly what I tell her to do.’

Polly looked terrified. Charlie wanted to protect her and look after her, but she also remembered what Polly had said to her at school on the first day of term. Some things she needed to do on her own.

Miss Cameron took her position in the middle of the arena and followed Polly with her eyes. Noble Warrior looked round for Percy and reluctantly moved forward, looking behind again to check his companion was following. Charlie gave Percy a kick in his ample belly to keep him a length behind.

‘It’s quite a challenge to ride a thoroughbred.’ Miss Cameron’s voice carried to every corner of the arena, even though she wasn’t shouting. ‘They can be rather sensitive, as you are well aware. That’s it – keep your leg on to get him moving past that mirror. He’ll get used to it soon enough. Good girl.’

Polly squeezed her legs against his sides and encouraged him to walk forward. Noble Warrior started to relax.

‘I don’t know how long I can ride for. We’ve only been doing a couple of minutes every day and only in walk,’ Polly said nervously.

‘You’ll be fine,’ Miss Cameron replied. ‘It’s my job to make sure of that. Now let me see your shoulders drop a bit. You’re so tense you look frozen like a statue! That’s it. And let’s focus on trying to keep him to the edge of the arena. Ride into those corners.’

Charlie saw Polly’s body start to loosen up as she concentrated.

‘Buttdar!’ Miss Cameron shouted out. ‘Your leg may be numb, but your bottom is not! Use the radar in your bottom to feel the change in rhythm. That’s it! Excellent.’

For thirty-five minutes, Cecilia Cameron put Noble Warrior and Percy through their paces. Charlie could feel her legs burning with the effort and her bottom was sore. She wondered how Polly was faring, but there was no opportunity to ask.

‘Charlie, bring your pony into the middle here with me. Polly, you stay on the left rein and let’s see what Noble Warrior looks like in canter.’

‘We haven’t –’

But Miss Cameron cut off her protest. ‘At the next corner, Polly, ask him to move into canter. That’s it and –’ she clicked her tongue – ‘canter!’

Noble Warrior responded to the voice command, as he had learned on the lunge rein, leading on the left leg and moving smoothly into canter. Polly’s brow furrowed in concentration. She sat into the saddle and tried to keep her left leg from moving. She kept a steady contact with his mouth, and his head dropped a little lower, his neck rounding into an elegant shape.

‘Try to turn his head a little more to the inside. That’s it, and keep the legs strong. Use that Buttdar! That’s it. Very nice. And when you reach C, ask him to come back into trot. Gently does it and … ter-rot. Very good.’

Noble Warrior slowed down into a rhythmic trot and then to a walk. They turned into the centre of the arena to join Charlie and Percy.

‘That’s a very good start.’ Miss Cameron patted Noble Warrior on the neck. ‘Or to be precise, it was a dodgy start, but then you got better. Thatta boy.’

Polly rubbed her leg and then wiped her forehead. She was exhausted.

‘It’s a very different type of work for a thoroughbred.’ The instructor seemed to be talking more to the horse than she was to his rider. ‘You have to learn to use all your muscles, don’t you? You’ve got a good attitude, though, and that helps.’ She turned her attention back to Polly. ‘And as for you, my girl, you have to use all yours too. Of all the six hundred and fifty odd muscles in your body, you will find that your main strength is in your seat and your back, not your legs. And most of all –’ she pointed at her head – ‘it’s up here, the biggest muscle of all. The brain. That’s the bit we need to work on for you and for him. You can’t go from winning the Derby to dressage horse all in one go.’

Charlie looked alarmed as Miss Cameron examined her watch.

‘Anyway, that will do for today. Well done, both of you. I look forward to seeing you again next week.’

‘Does that mean we’ve passed?’ asked Charlie.

Miss Cameron’s face was unreadable. She turned to walk back towards the stables and raised a hand above her head.

‘Next week! Same time.’