and headed for the fence to join the students. With a flick of Mrs. Pennington’s wrists, the big horses stepped off in perfect harmony.
Stevie forgot about the mysterious cones for a moment as she watched Hodge and Podge walk and trot around the perimeter of the ring. Mrs. Pennington sat almost perfectly still. Using only her hands, her voice, and a long-handled whip, she kept her horses moving exactly where she wanted them.
Finally she brought her team to a square halt at the far end of the ring, just a few yards from one set of orange cones. There was a smattering of applause from the students. Stevie felt like adding a few whoops and hollers of appreciation—Hodge and Podge deserved it—but somehow, looking at the impeccably dressed older woman, she decided that that wouldn’t quite be dignified. She clapped loudly instead.
Mrs. Pennington acknowledged the reaction with a regal nod of her head. Then she turned to address Max.“Mr. Regnery, the stopwatch, if you please,” she called to him.
Max nodded and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the timer he sometimes used during class. “Ready when you are, Mrs. Pennington,” he called back.
“All right, then,” the woman said. She turned to face the students again. “Now I’m pleased to introduce you to a sport you may not have seen before. Back in Devon, Pennsylvania, we know it as scurry driving.” She pointed to the cones scattered about the ring. “Please note that we have several pairs of orange cones. My goal is to drive my team through this course as quickly as possible without knocking over the cones or dislodging the balls on top of them.”
“I knew it,” Carole whispered gleefully to her friends. “I saw this kind of thing at a show a long time ago before I moved to Virginia. It’s really fun—big, fancy carts like that one go racing around the course, and the fastest cart wins.”
The others didn’t have a chance to respond. Mrs. Pennington had started.
Stevie never would have believed that horses as large as Hodge and Podge could move so nimbly. They broke into a brisk trot as they headed straight between the first pair of cones, then sped up into a rolling canter. Stevie gasped as the Cleveland Bays whirled around a tight turn, then headed for the next pair of cones at a sharp angle. She almost closed her eyes, sure that Hodge’s big hooveswere going to smash right into the left-hand cone. But Mrs. Pennington flicked her whip just above Hodge’s shoulder, and he adjusted his stride just enough to miss the cone. The phaeton slid between the two cones with mere inches to spare on each side.
Stevie watched with growing admiration as Mrs. Pennington guided her team through the rest of the brief course. She was amazed that the driver could judge so accurately the exact moment she had to ask the horses to turn or slow down. But the team raced between each pair of cones without so much as brushing them with a hoof or one of the phaeton’s big wooden wheels, even though the horses kept up a brisk speed throughout, moving smoothly from trot to canter and back again. When Mrs. Pennington pulled Hodge and Podge to a stop with a flourish, every ball remained squarely in place.
This time everyone who was watching broke into loud applause, and Stevie wasn’t the only one whooping and hollering. “That was amazing!” Phil shouted over the noise as Mrs. Pennington tipped her hat to her fans.
“Totally,” Stevie agreed. “I guess she was right. Carriage driving isn’t boring at all!”
When the applause died down, Max held up his stopwatch. “If you think that was exciting, listen to this,” he called. “In a real scurry event at a horse show, there would be a dozen or so entries who would have to complete the course just as Mrs. Pennington and her team did. Each round would be timed, with faults taken forknocking down a ball or a cone or going over the time allowed. The fastest time with the fewest faults would win.”
“Just
Stevie forgot about the mysterious cones for a moment as she watched Hodge and Podge walk and trot around the perimeter of the ring. Mrs. Pennington sat almost perfectly still. Using only her hands, her voice, and a long-handled whip, she kept her horses moving exactly where she wanted them.
Finally she brought her team to a square halt at the far end of the ring, just a few yards from one set of orange cones. There was a smattering of applause from the students. Stevie felt like adding a few whoops and hollers of appreciation—Hodge and Podge deserved it—but somehow, looking at the impeccably dressed older woman, she decided that that wouldn’t quite be dignified. She clapped loudly instead.
Mrs. Pennington acknowledged the reaction with a regal nod of her head. Then she turned to address Max.“Mr. Regnery, the stopwatch, if you please,” she called to him.
Max nodded and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the timer he sometimes used during class. “Ready when you are, Mrs. Pennington,” he called back.
“All right, then,” the woman said. She turned to face the students again. “Now I’m pleased to introduce you to a sport you may not have seen before. Back in Devon, Pennsylvania, we know it as scurry driving.” She pointed to the cones scattered about the ring. “Please note that we have several pairs of orange cones. My goal is to drive my team through this course as quickly as possible without knocking over the cones or dislodging the balls on top of them.”
“I knew it,” Carole whispered gleefully to her friends. “I saw this kind of thing at a show a long time ago before I moved to Virginia. It’s really fun—big, fancy carts like that one go racing around the course, and the fastest cart wins.”
The others didn’t have a chance to respond. Mrs. Pennington had started.
Stevie never would have believed that horses as large as Hodge and Podge could move so nimbly. They broke into a brisk trot as they headed straight between the first pair of cones, then sped up into a rolling canter. Stevie gasped as the Cleveland Bays whirled around a tight turn, then headed for the next pair of cones at a sharp angle. She almost closed her eyes, sure that Hodge’s big hooveswere going to smash right into the left-hand cone. But Mrs. Pennington flicked her whip just above Hodge’s shoulder, and he adjusted his stride just enough to miss the cone. The phaeton slid between the two cones with mere inches to spare on each side.
Stevie watched with growing admiration as Mrs. Pennington guided her team through the rest of the brief course. She was amazed that the driver could judge so accurately the exact moment she had to ask the horses to turn or slow down. But the team raced between each pair of cones without so much as brushing them with a hoof or one of the phaeton’s big wooden wheels, even though the horses kept up a brisk speed throughout, moving smoothly from trot to canter and back again. When Mrs. Pennington pulled Hodge and Podge to a stop with a flourish, every ball remained squarely in place.
This time everyone who was watching broke into loud applause, and Stevie wasn’t the only one whooping and hollering. “That was amazing!” Phil shouted over the noise as Mrs. Pennington tipped her hat to her fans.
“Totally,” Stevie agreed. “I guess she was right. Carriage driving isn’t boring at all!”
When the applause died down, Max held up his stopwatch. “If you think that was exciting, listen to this,” he called. “In a real scurry event at a horse show, there would be a dozen or so entries who would have to complete the course just as Mrs. Pennington and her team did. Each round would be timed, with faults taken forknocking down a ball or a cone or going over the time allowed. The fastest time with the fewest faults would win.”
“Just
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