Miss
Anita's attention, and now Hayley had asked her over.
None of that would have happened when she had
Blue. More than that, she was never likely to get a
lesson from Calvin Protheroe for free – certainly not
when she got Blue back.
Brat seemed to have survived being brown the first
time around. What was one more day? She would go
to Pony Club the next day, have her lesson, and the
minute she got back she would wash Brat off and call
the police.
There. It was decided. Shelby coiled the hose up
and tucked it in its spot next to the shed.
Since she was going to ride Brat tomorrow
anyway, she might as well ride her today. In fact, she
reasoned, she should ride her today. It would stop her
being frisky in the morning on the ride across the gully
to the Pony Club grounds.
Shelby saddled Brat and rode her around the
paddock to warm her up. They still hadn't got used
to each other, and at one stage Brat backed up so
fast that Shelby was sure she was going to rear up.
She gripped the saddle with her knees. For the first
time ever, Shelby felt a shot of fear run through
her stomach.
'Maybe that will do for today,' she said, sliding out
of the saddle.
She scratched the horse on the forehead. Brat
leaned against Shelby for a rub.
'No!' said Shelby, pushing Brat's face away. She
couldn't let her do that. She would rub her Celtic
Copper off.
10 Irresponsible
The weather report had forecast rain, but it was a
beautiful mild morning. Shelby hummed as she got
dressed into her Pony Club uniform. Out in the lounge
room her brothers were watching cartoons. She could
hear the TV blaring.
Her father helped her with her tie. 'You're chirpy
this morning,' he said, flipping and rolling the tie in a
complicated knot around his own neck. He slipped it
over his head and passed it to her.
'I'm moving up to advanced this morning,' Shelby
explained.
'So, this swap has turned out for the best after all,'
he said.
Shelby concentrated on straightening her tie. She
had slept through the night before, not waking in a
slick sweat of panic about Blue as she had on the
previous nights. She wondered if Hayley would still
want her to come over to watch McLeod's Daughters when she no longer had a beautiful pony – or any
pony at all. Still, it was a beautiful day and Shelby
was going to enjoy it. She would start worrying again
tomorrow.
Brat wasn't waiting for her at the gate like Blue
used to. She was at the very back of the paddock next
to the fence and hardly raised her head when Shelby
slid through the sliprail.
'Come on,' called Shelby. 'Breakfast.' She opened
up the shed door, scooped chaff into Brat's feed bin
and placed it on the ground outside, then she disappeared
back into the shed to get her tack ready. She
rubbed down her saddle and boots with an old towel,
and shook out her Pony Club saddlecloth. Some of
Blue's long white hairs floated to the ground. She
reached out to grab one of them in midair, but it
slipped away from her, dancing in the sunlight.
Peering out the door, she noticed the feed bin was
exactly where she had put it. No Brat. Shelby put her
hands on her hips. 'Come on,' she called out. Brat
hadn't moved from the very back of the paddock.
Brat skipped once on her back legs. She jumped
sideways and then Shelby heard an alarming metallic
twang. Shelby gasped. Brat was caught in the fence.
She ran towards the pony. Brat panicked. Shelby
could see the whites of her eyes and her nose flaring in
distress. As Brat jumped up and down in fear, Shelby
could see the entangled foot twist, and the wire in
which it was caught biting into the flesh.
'Whoa,' Shelby said. 'Settle down.'
Far from settling, Brat writhed all the more. Shelby's
heart beat faster and faster as the wire got tighter and
tighter around the pony's limb. She leaned forward,
trying to catch hold of the flailing leg. A thought, eerily
calm, crossed Shelby's mind – s he's going to rip her
hoof off. And then, snap! The wire broke, ricocheting
fast towards
Anita's attention, and now Hayley had asked her over.
None of that would have happened when she had
Blue. More than that, she was never likely to get a
lesson from Calvin Protheroe for free – certainly not
when she got Blue back.
Brat seemed to have survived being brown the first
time around. What was one more day? She would go
to Pony Club the next day, have her lesson, and the
minute she got back she would wash Brat off and call
the police.
There. It was decided. Shelby coiled the hose up
and tucked it in its spot next to the shed.
Since she was going to ride Brat tomorrow
anyway, she might as well ride her today. In fact, she
reasoned, she should ride her today. It would stop her
being frisky in the morning on the ride across the gully
to the Pony Club grounds.
Shelby saddled Brat and rode her around the
paddock to warm her up. They still hadn't got used
to each other, and at one stage Brat backed up so
fast that Shelby was sure she was going to rear up.
She gripped the saddle with her knees. For the first
time ever, Shelby felt a shot of fear run through
her stomach.
'Maybe that will do for today,' she said, sliding out
of the saddle.
She scratched the horse on the forehead. Brat
leaned against Shelby for a rub.
'No!' said Shelby, pushing Brat's face away. She
couldn't let her do that. She would rub her Celtic
Copper off.
10 Irresponsible
The weather report had forecast rain, but it was a
beautiful mild morning. Shelby hummed as she got
dressed into her Pony Club uniform. Out in the lounge
room her brothers were watching cartoons. She could
hear the TV blaring.
Her father helped her with her tie. 'You're chirpy
this morning,' he said, flipping and rolling the tie in a
complicated knot around his own neck. He slipped it
over his head and passed it to her.
'I'm moving up to advanced this morning,' Shelby
explained.
'So, this swap has turned out for the best after all,'
he said.
Shelby concentrated on straightening her tie. She
had slept through the night before, not waking in a
slick sweat of panic about Blue as she had on the
previous nights. She wondered if Hayley would still
want her to come over to watch McLeod's Daughters when she no longer had a beautiful pony – or any
pony at all. Still, it was a beautiful day and Shelby
was going to enjoy it. She would start worrying again
tomorrow.
Brat wasn't waiting for her at the gate like Blue
used to. She was at the very back of the paddock next
to the fence and hardly raised her head when Shelby
slid through the sliprail.
'Come on,' called Shelby. 'Breakfast.' She opened
up the shed door, scooped chaff into Brat's feed bin
and placed it on the ground outside, then she disappeared
back into the shed to get her tack ready. She
rubbed down her saddle and boots with an old towel,
and shook out her Pony Club saddlecloth. Some of
Blue's long white hairs floated to the ground. She
reached out to grab one of them in midair, but it
slipped away from her, dancing in the sunlight.
Peering out the door, she noticed the feed bin was
exactly where she had put it. No Brat. Shelby put her
hands on her hips. 'Come on,' she called out. Brat
hadn't moved from the very back of the paddock.
Brat skipped once on her back legs. She jumped
sideways and then Shelby heard an alarming metallic
twang. Shelby gasped. Brat was caught in the fence.
She ran towards the pony. Brat panicked. Shelby
could see the whites of her eyes and her nose flaring in
distress. As Brat jumped up and down in fear, Shelby
could see the entangled foot twist, and the wire in
which it was caught biting into the flesh.
'Whoa,' Shelby said. 'Settle down.'
Far from settling, Brat writhed all the more. Shelby's
heart beat faster and faster as the wire got tighter and
tighter around the pony's limb. She leaned forward,
trying to catch hold of the flailing leg. A thought, eerily
calm, crossed Shelby's mind – s he's going to rip her
hoof off. And then, snap! The wire broke, ricocheting
fast towards
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