6

THAT RED LIGHT

I FELT DIZZY AS I TACKED UP Charm. My fingers kept slipping as I tried to run down his stirrup leathers and my hands shook as I slid the bit into his mouth and bridled him. Charm was always able to sense my mood. He nudged my arm with his muzzle. I looked into his big brown eyes.

“Thanks, boy,” I said, hugging his neck. “I know you’re going to do great. I just need to relax.”

My phone buzzed on my wooden tack trunk and I walked around Charm to check it.

Good luck! U r going 2 kill it! <3

Paige.

Thx! Hope so!! I wrote back.

I put on my black helmet and took Charm’s reins, scanning him one last time to make sure he looked perfect for Mr. Nicholson. His chestnut coat gleamed, his blaze and sock were clean, and I’d painted his hooves with clear polish. He was so ready. I looked down at my own blue button-down shirt and tan breeches to make sure I was as spotless as Charm.

“That’s as good as you’re going to look, so let’s go already,” Heather said. She walked past Charm and me, leading Aristocrat. The darker chestnut Thoroughbred laid back his ears a fraction as he passed Charm. The two had been rivals since our first day at Canterwood.

“Wow, thanks,” I said, but I followed Heather and Aristocrat down the aisle and we made our way toward the indoor arena.

I watched Heather and she acted as if she could do this every day.

We reached the indoor arena and mounted once we’d led the horses through the entrance. I walked Charm in the opposite direction of Aristocrat and started warming him up along the wall. Charm, a Thoroughbred/Belgian mix, didn’t want to walk for long. He loved to move fast and within minutes, he was tugging on the reins and asking to trot.

I gave him rein and he moved into a smooth trot, his long strides quickly covering the arena ground. The dirt muffled the sounds of his shoes and we made a couple of circles around the far side of the arena and left the other end for Heather and Aristocrat. Just pretend it’s any other warm-up, I told myself. No big deal.

We changed directions and made a few more circles before Mr. Conner came into the arena. Heather and I slowed our horses and lined them up in front of him.

I started breathing faster, knowing I couldn’t trick myself into forgetting that the camera was on. This wasn’t any other warm-up. It was the first time Mr. Nicholson would see our riding since YENT camp. He could decide that I hadn’t improved or … had gotten worse and remove me from the team. The thought was enough to make me nauseous.

“Hi, girls,” Mr. Conner said. “I hope you’re ready to get started.” He tipped his head in the direction of the camera. “I’m going to turn on the camera and then we’ll begin. This will be a normal lesson, so there’s no reason to be nervous. All right?”

We nodded.

Mr. Conner walked to the camera and tripod and pushed a button. A tiny red light went on. That light had sealed Jas’s fate and it was about to do the same for me.

“Please walk your horses to the wall,” Mr. Conner called. He moved to the center of the arena and held his clipboard in front of him.

I pushed my heels down and sat deep in the saddle. Charm walked toward the wall and we passed the window that overlooked the big pasture with the rolling hill. As soon as the test was over, I’d cool Charm and turn him out. He’d need a break after this.

“Trot,” Mr. Conner called.

I gave Charm rein and he moved into a smooth, easy trot. Ahead of us, Heather posted to Aristocrat’s trot and the two were in perfect unison. I directed my attention back to Charm and ignored Heather and Aristocrat. I couldn’t lose focus for a second.

“Reverse directions and sitting trot,” Mr. Conner said. As Charm and I changed directions, I saw him scribble something on his black clipboard. For a second, I wondered if he was writing about something I’d done wrong. Or maybe it was about Heather.

Stop it! I yelled to myself. Whenever I’d lost focus before, I’d always messed up. That wasn’t happening again.

I took a breath and regained my attention. At least Heather was behind us now and I couldn’t watch her.

“Halt,” Mr. Conner said. In three strides, I’d brought Charm to a stop.

“Trot halfway around the arena, then canter,” Mr. Conner said.

I urged Charm into a trot and posted until we reached the halfway point of the arena. I gave him rein and sat in the saddle, letting him move into a canter. Charm shook out his mane and leaped forward, a little too fast, and I jolted backward a bit. I fought to keep my face from turning red as I righted my body in the saddle.

You should have been prepared for that, I told myself.

I eased Charm’s canter a bit and he flicked his tail, annoyed at being told to slow down. But he listened and didn’t fight me.

“Slow to a trot and begin figure eights,” Mr. Conner said.

Charm slowed and we began the pattern. After a few figure eights, Mr. Conner asked us to walk the horses for a couple of minutes. Then, he made us do spirals.

“All right,” he said, holding up a hand. “Stop and walk your horses to the other end of the arena. You’ll take a few jumps and when you’re both finished, you may cool out your horses.”

I almost wanted to shout, YES! I’d been worried that this would be the lesson Mr. Conner would make us do dressage instead of jumping. Dressage wasn’t my strongest area and even though Charm and I were working on it, I wanted Mr. Nicholson to see us jump. Charm’s first love was cross-country, but he was great at indoor courses too.

“Heather, please start when you’re ready,” Mr. Conner said.

Heather circled Aristocrat twice and I watched as she quieted him with her hands and legs before pointing him toward the first jump. The course had a tall vertical, a double combination, a shorter vertical, and then an oxer. I already knew the combination would be the trickiest for Charm and me. Sometimes, he got excited and tried to rush fences. With the combo, he couldn’t do that. Eyeing the double, I knew Charm only had two strides before we had to take off from the first half of the combination to the second. It was going to be tight.

Heather’s blond hair, wavy today, flowed out from under her helmet as Aristocrat cantered toward the first jump. At just the right moment, Heather rose into the two-point position and kneaded her hands along Aristocrat’s neck. The gelding jumped into the air, tucking his forelegs under his body. He cleared the vertical and they headed for the combo. Heather’s timing was perfect as she let him go and he leaped the first half of the combination, then cantered for two strides before lifting into the air for the second half. They made everything look easy, but I knew how hard Heather had worked to get here.

The short vertical and oxer weren’t a problem for Aristocrat or Heather. They cleared them easily and Aristocrat tossed his head as Heather cantered him away from the course. He knew he’d done well and he acted as if he wanted to go again.

My fingers started to grip the reins, but I made myself relax. If I tensed, so would Charm, and I wanted him to be cool through the course.

Like Heather with Aristocrat, I moved Charm through two circles before guiding him toward the red and white vertical. We flew into the air with perfect timing and he landed with a quiet thud on the other side. The first half of the combination loomed in front of us. Charm snorted and asked for more rein, but I held him back. If he gathered too much speed, it would be hard to slow him enough through the double.

Charm lifted into the air for the first half of the combo and I rose slightly out of the saddle. I kept my heels pushed down and my hands steady along Charm’s neck. He landed on the other side my heartbeat seemed to echo in my ears as loud as Charm’s hoofbeats.

Two… one… now! I counted the strides between the halves of the combo and urged Charm into the air. He snapped his knees sharply under his body and arched over the jump. That was my favorite feeling—being suspended in the air for the briefest second. Charm hit the ground and we moved to the short vertical. Charm’s ears pricked forward and he jumped it eagerly and applied the same enthusiasm to the oxer.

“Good boy,” I said, trying not to dance in the saddle. Instead, I patted his neck. He’d done a great job and we couldn’t have had a better ride. As he slowed to a trot, the stress of worrying about the tape started to melt away. I’d been worried about it for forever and now it was done.

I rode Charm next to Aristocrat and stopped him. Heather looked over at me and gave me a nod.

“Not a disaster,” she said, her tone light. “I mean, you didn’t fall off or anything.”

“Thanks a lot.”

Mr. Conner finished writing on his clipboard and smiled at both of us.

“Those were excellent rides, girls,” he said. “Please dismount and cool your horses. See you next class.”

He shut off the camera and I dismounted. When my feet hit the ground, I felt all of the tension that been building for days start to drain from my body. It was a mixture of relief that the tape was over and exhaustion from worrying about it so much. I leaned lightly against Charm’s shoulder and for what felt like the first time in a while, I took a breath.