English Rider by Bonnie Bryant

license?”
    Red smiled good-naturedly as several kids laughed. “You’ll have to wait and see,” he called back. “I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”
    As The Saddle Club and their classmates watched, Red dragged the wheelbarrow to the center of the ring. He dug under the stack of cones for a moment, finally coming up with a measuring tape. He grabbed one cone, dropped it on the dusty ground, then carefully measured out a distance of several yards starting from the edge of the cone.
    “What in the world is he doing?” Lisa said.
    Stevie shrugged, but she noticed that Carole didn’tlook quite as confused as the rest of them did. “Do you know something we don’t know?” Stevie asked her.
    “I’m not sure,” Carole said. “This looks sort of familiar. I think I may have seen something like this at a horse show once.”
    “Something like what?” Phil asked.
    Carole shook her head. “Just wait,” she said. “If it’s what I think it is, you’ll find out soon.”
    Stevie wasn’t about to let her friend get away with that. But before she could ask any more questions, she heard a loud snort from the stable entrance behind her. She turned and saw Hodge and Podge emerging with Miles at their heads. The Cleveland Bays were groomed to within an inch of their lives. They were outfitted in a perfectly polished silver-jointed leather harness and pulling the yellow-and-black phaeton.
    “Wow,” Lisa said. “They look amazing.”
    Everyone else seemed to agree. All the riding students watched as Miles led the horses into the ring, keeping them at one end so that he wouldn’t get in Red’s way.
    A moment later Max and Mrs. Pennington came out of the stable and walked to the ring. Max was wearing his normal riding clothes. Mrs. Pennington, however, looked just as fancy as her horses did. She was wearing an old-fashioned long skirt and jacket, and an elaborate feathered hat was perched atop her iron-gray curls. Curvy-heeled buckled shoes and long, buttoned gloves completed the outfit.
    “Attention, everyone,” Max said, walking to the center of the ring. “I think you all know Mrs. Pennington, who spoke at our last Horse Wise meeting. She has graciously agreed to give us another driving demonstration now that her equipment is here.”
    Stevie was only half listening as Max went on to say a few more words about Mrs. Pennington and her accomplishments. She was busy watching Red. The stable hand had just finished distributing the cones, and now he pulled the wheelbarrow out of the ring. But Stevie could see that there was still one item left inside—a paper grocery bag. As she watched, Red picked up the bag, tucked it under his arm, and quietly reentered the ring. He walked to the nearest cone, then dipped his hand into the bag.
    Stevie leaned forward for a better look. She was more confused than ever when Red pulled out an ordinary yellow tennis ball and set it carefully on the narrow top of the cone. The ball settled comfortably into the small opening there. Red moved on to the next cone, and the one after that. By the time Max had finished his introductory speech, every one of the orange cones had a bright yellow ball perched on it.
    “All right, then,” Max said at last. “Mrs. Pennington, if you’re ready to start …”
    The elderly woman nodded and stepped forward to address the class. “First of all,” she said in her clear, confident voice, “I want to give you a little demonstration. Some of you may be under the impression that there isonly one way to have an exciting time with a horse—namely, by sitting on his back. I want to show you that driving can be just as much fun.”
    She walked toward the phaeton and held out her hand. Max stepped up gallantly and offered his arm, helping her up the high step into the old-fashioned vehicle.
    Soon Mrs. Pennington was sitting on the front seat. She took up the double reins in her left hand and the long, thin whip in her right. Miles stepped away from the team