Chapter Nine

We spent the night out in one of the fields last night because the weather’s starting to get warmer, and I was in heaven munching on all that grass.

Daisy seemed a bit quiet, though. She must really be missing her favourite rider, because she didn’t even poke her nose in to tell me to stop eating so much. Gizmo was keeping a close eye on her, which is not like him. He’s normally in cloud cuckoo land!

Oskar is coming to the Pony Palace again today. I was thinking what a good idea it would be for him to have his birthday party here, but of course I have no way of telling him that. The parties here always look like great fun. The kids get lots of delicious food in the Nosebag after their rides, and Kate gives out special rosettes to the birthday groups.

I wish I could squeeze my way into the Nosebag and sniff out some of those lovely sandwiches. Yum, yum – I can almost taste them!

Oskar arrives then and walks over to me, looking a bit down in the dumps.

‘Hi Tonto,’ he says quietly. I give him a nuzzle and hope that there are some carrots hiding in his pockets, but he just sighs and stares off into the distance.

‘What’s wrong?’ I neigh, and he answers as if he understands me.

‘My mum and dad say there is no point in me having a party this year. They say I should wait until next year when I know more people,’ he says sadly.

He sighs again and strokes my shoulder. ‘They’re probably right,’ he adds. ‘I still haven’t made any friends at school. Who would want to come to my party?’

I feel really sorry for him, and suddenly I understand why Daisy’s so upset about her rider. We spend so much time with these humans – I guess we get kind of close to them.

Oskar tacks me up with Kate’s help, but it doesn’t feel like he even wants to ride today. I do my best to spur him on and give him a fun morning that will take his mind off things.

Kate gets us to trot around poles and ride in and out of the serpentine. Some of the other riders look like blobs of jelly bouncing up and down, but Oskar has the hang of the rising trot now and gets into a nice, steady rhythm. I can sense that he’s cheering up a bit and I do my best not to spook or put my head down suddenly or do anything that would make him lose his balance. His dad is watching from the viewing gallery and giving him a thumbs up.

‘Well done, Oskar!’ his dad shouts.

Afterwards, when Oskar goes to the Nosebag to get a cold drink, I overhear his dad speaking to Kate. He’s telling her how worried he was about Oskar learning to speak English and settling into a new school when they moved to Northern Ireland.

‘It can’t have been easy,’ Kate says. ‘But he’s a good lad and he always tries his best. His English is improving, and he seems to have really taken to riding here.’

‘Yes, he fits in here,’ Oskar’s dad says. ‘He doesn’t say much about school, though, and I have a feeling that he hasn’t made many friends there yet. It’s his birthday soon and he wants to have a party, but what if he invites people and they say no? Then Oskar would be really upset.’

Kate goes quiet for a minute or two, and I can tell that she has her thinking cap on.

‘Why doesn’t he have his party here?’ she asks. ‘After all, he’s really settled in well. He’s made friends with some of the other riders, and a party is a great way to get to know people. It could be a surprise for him. Just leave the inviting to me.’ Kate seems determined to put her plan in place.

Oskar’s dad looks really grateful. He thanks Kate for helping his son to feel like a part of the Pony Palace.

I think about this as they head off. When I first arrived at the Pony Palace I didn’t know anyone and I felt a bit nervous – I suppose everyone does when they’re new. The other horses and ponies soon made me feel at home and became my friends, even if they did think I was a teeny bit greedy. Maybe I should give some of that friendship back now and go talk to Daisy. She’s obviously upset, and I’ve been too busy munching to bother helping her. I think it’s time I showed some team spirit – after all, that’s what PFFs do.