Chapter Seven
Mia climbed onto Diamond’s back. She took a deep breath. It was time to tackle Diamond’s problems in the ring. He didn’t like other horses getting too close to him. He would bite them if they did. That could injure both the horse and the rider.
They rode out to the ring. Mia reminded herself that she couldn’t make any mistakes. Diamond could not be allowed to get too close to other horses.
That meant that Mia had to stay alert. She had to be careful the entire time.
You can do it, Mia told herself. Stay focused, stay calm.
Mia controlled her breathing. Her body steadied. She felt her hands steady, too. Diamond relaxed. He lowered his head and chewed the bit.
Mia and Diamond entered the ring. Sky smiled at them. She was riding Trixie. Mia grinned back. But she took her eyes off the scene in front of her. She almost walked Diamond into Bobby, a big bay horse.
Quickly, Mia turned before they could get too close. Shoot! One mistake, right at the start. This wasn’t looking good for her and Diamond.
“All right, everyone!” Maren called. “Let’s start with a nice walk around the ring.”
She eyed the riders. After a moment, she called, “Okay, very nice. Let’s have a posting trot!”
Gently, Mia squeezed Diamond into a trot. She watched the horse in front of them. When they got a little close, she swung Diamond off the rail. They trotted across the ring to a big open space.
“Very good, Mia!” she heard Maren call. “Nice watching.”
Mia’s face flushed with pleasure. She warned herself not to get too confident.
Just then, Bobby trotted right up behind Diamond. His rider, Erin, was staring out at the trees.
Mia felt Diamond’s body tense. She saw his ears flatten. Any second now, he was going to try to bite Bobby. That would be the end of them both.
Mia thought fast. She turned Diamond out into the middle. She looked for an open spot on the rail. Her heart was hammering. If she hadn’t seen Bobby, Diamond would have bitten him.
I never would have noticed that before, Mia thought.
Maren propped two white poles in a low X in the center of the ring.
“All right, everyone,” she called out. “We’ve been practicing jumping position for a few weeks now. Let’s try it over a crossrail.”
Sky and Mia exchanged excited glances. Ever since they started riding, they’d been dreaming of jumping.
The riders lined up. One by one, they trotted their horses carefully down the center of the ring and over the crossrail.
Erin’s horse refused to trot over the rail. He stepped over it instead. Trixie went around it, even though Sky was directing her straight ahead.
When it was Mia’s turn, she pressed her heels gently into Diamond’s sides. She was careful to keep her hands low and still as he trotted.
Mia rose out of the saddle. She leaned forward. She pressed her heels down and kept her eyes up.
Then Diamond made a little leap. They were over!
“Very nice, Mia!” Maren called. “Pull up near the gate, please, everyone.”
The riders clustered around their instructor. “As you all know, the Rocky Ridge Rumpus is tomorrow,” Maren said. “You all may register for your class on the clipboard outside my office. Nice job today!”
“Are you going to do the crossrail class, Mia?” Sky asked.
“Do you think I should?” Mia said.
Sky nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “Mia and Diamond take Rocky Ridge Riding Center by storm!”
Mia laughed. For the first time, she let herself believe that her crazy plan was going to work out.