Horse Shy by Bonnie Bryant

bloodlines.
    “I know that running fast and jumping high are in his bloodlines,” Carole told Max. “But what constantly amazes me is how smart he is. You know what I got him to do yesterday? I got him to bow! Can you believe it?”
    “I was watching from my office,” Max said. “I was pretty impressed.” There was a sly grin on his face.
    “Oh, I know it’s silly show-off rodeo stuff,” she said. “But it was like he
wanted
to do it. After only about four tries, he just did it.”
    “Well, today why don’t you see if you can teach him something more useful?” Max said.
    “I thought we’d work on sideways movements and circles today, and then tomorrow, if it’s okay with you, we’ll just have a fun ride on the trail.”
    “And on Saturday?” Max asked.
    “On Saturday, Veronica will ride him in class. I won’t be here this weekend at all. Dad and I are taking a trip together. He has to go to Camp Lejeune for the Corps and I get to go along.” Carole adjusted the stirrups to the right length for her lanky legs.
    “You have family down there in North Carolina, don’t you?”
    “Yes, I’m staying at Aunt Elaine’s. She’s my mother’s sister. We aren’t coming back until Tuesday. Dad got special permission for me to miss school.”
    “He didn’t ask me if you could miss riding school,” Max said.
    For a second, Carole was afraid he was serious, but when she looked at his suntanned face and saw the sparkle in his sky-blue eyes, she knew it was a joke.
    “Have a good time,” Max said. “But don’t fall for any of those Nowth Cahalaina howses, yuh heah?!” he teased in a southern accent.
    “No way!” Carole told him, laughing. “There’s only one horse for me and he’s right here!”
    Carole led Cobalt out of his stall and over to the entrance to the ring. She slipped her left foot into the stirrup and lifted herself up. As she settled into the saddle,she saw a look of concern cross Max’s face. But when she looked again, it was gone. Clucking softly to Cobalt, she brought him out into the ring, remembering to touch the stable’s “good-luck horseshoe” nailed on the wall by the mounting block.
    That horseshoe was one of Pine Hollow’s oldest traditions. Every rider touched it before beginning a ride. As long as anybody could remember, nobody had ever been seriously hurt riding at Pine Hollow. Carole was pretty sure that the
real
reason for that safety record was because Max (and Maxes I and II) had always been very fussy about the quality of riding at Pine Hollow, but it didn’t stop her from touching the horseshoe every time she mounted. It also didn’t stop her from riding very carefully.
    “C OME ON , BOY ,” Carole urged Cobalt. “Over to the left. You can do it.”
    She knew perfectly well that Cobalt didn’t understand the words, but hearing her voice seemed to give him confidence. She was working with him on lateral, or sideways, moves. Usually riders practiced moving a horse forward, and sometimes backward, but for the experienced rider, sideways could be just as important. It was often essential for shows, demonstrating the rider’s ability to control the horse and the horse’s ability to respond to commands.
    Today Carole wanted to teach Cobalt to turn on the forehand—and she wanted to learn it herself.Holding the reins short enough so that she knew for sure when she was putting pressure on Cobalt’s mouth, she moved her right leg back a very little bit and pressed on Cobalt’s side. First, he stepped forward. She drew the reins inward to stop his forward movement and held them there. Then, she pressed again with her right leg.
    It worked! Cobalt’s right rear leg stepped to the left, his left leg following, while his front legs remained stable, shifting only to pivot. Carole did this several more times and, before she knew it, the horse had turned completely around a circle, with his front legs at the center of it.
    “Good boy!” she said, patting his neck