CHAPTER 8
Ms. North pinned a number card to the back of Molly’s coat. Then she gave her a boost onto Casper’s back.
Molly was nervous. “I don’t want to mess up,” she admitted.
“You’ll be fine,” Ms. North said. “Casper knows what to do.”
Molly looked over to the fence nearby, where her teammates were watching. Lily and Gabrielle were there too.
“Good luck,” Lily said. She gave Molly a thumbs-up.
“I hope you win a ribbon,” Gabrielle said.
“Did you win a ribbon in your first horse show?” Kari asked.
“Yep,” Gabrielle said. She grinned. “I came in sixth. Out of six.”
Molly counted the horses waiting at the gate. Twelve. Six ribbons would be awarded, so she had a fifty-fifty chance. Winning would be nice, but she was just glad to be riding in the show.
As the other riders moved into the ring, Ms. North gave Molly some advice. “Stay close to the fence,” Ms. North said. “Don’t get bunched up with the other horses.”
“Okay,” Molly said.
She shortened her reins, sat up straight, and entered the arena. The minute the gate closed, Casper’s ears perked up. He walked a little faster and picked up his feet. Molly smiled. She knew that Casper was showing off for the judges.
“Walk!” the announcer said over the loudspeakers.
Ms. North stood by the fence. “You’re looking good, Molly!” she called. “Push those heels down.”
Molly pushed her heels down and looked straight ahead.
“Trot!” the announcer said. Casper started trotting.
Kari was standing on the opposite side of the big show ring. As Molly rode by, Kari yelled, “Elbows in!”
Molly tucked in her elbows. There was so much to remember. She was glad to have a second coach.
“Walk,” the announcer said, “and reverse.”
Molly turned Casper toward the center of the ring and changed directions. She smiled.
Then she realized that she’d stopped being nervous. In fact, she’d started enjoying herself.
The announcer ran through the same set of instructions again. When the group trotted, two horses rushed up behind Casper. They passed too close, startling Molly. She tensed, but Casper kept going like nothing had happened.
“Walk!” the announcer called.
That was it. It was over.
Kari smiled when Molly and Casper walked by. “You were fantastic!” she said.
“Thanks for the help,” Molly said. “It was fun. You should try riding sometime.”
“Maybe I will,” Kari said. “Ms. North said that you’re good enough to ride Rainbow now, so maybe I can try riding Casper.”
Molly was thrilled. Things couldn’t get much better. Rainbow was Ms. North’s best horse, and Kari wanted to ride!
“Line up, please,” the announcer said.
Molly rode into the center of the arena. The riders lined up side by side. The judge walked behind them and wrote the winning numbers on his clipboard. Then he handed the clipboard to the announcer.
A few horses jiggled while they waited. Casper stood still, and Molly patted him on the neck. He was the perfect horse for her first show. She knew she wouldn’t win, but she’d had a great time.
The announcer called out first and second place. The riders rode up to the judge, who handed them blue and red ribbons. Then the announcer said, “Third place goes to Molly Burke on Casper.”
Molly’s jaw dropped. “What?” she said. Then she heard cheering coming from her friends near the fence.
Molly smiled. Then she rode Casper over to the judge and accepted her first ribbon.
