the
way to the back paddock they saw Erin in the jumping
arena. She was taking Bandit around the course. She
didn't stop when her friends rode past. Shelby wasn't
even sure if she saw them.
'Bandit's jumping well,' Lindsey commented.
Shelby only nodded in reply.
At the back paddock Lindsey opened the gate for
Shelby and they cantered up to the ridge, halting at
the top. All of the spelled horses were standing around
the dam. Three horses stood shoulder-deep eating the
weeds from the water's surface. Shelby shivered,
thinking how cold the water must be and wondering
what might be lurking on the silty bottom or swimming
around their legs – yabbies possibly, ugly catfish or
slimy black eels. She had fallen into a billabong similar
to this last summer, and the memory of unseen slippery
things brushing against her flesh made her skin crawl.
The little chestnut pony was grazing happily
between two fat broodmares. Shelby and Lindsey
watched her for a little while longer.
'Do you think I'm a scab, Lindsey?'
'Is that what this is all about?' Lindsey laughed.
She gathered up her reins. 'Race you back!' Then she
was gone, scattering pebbles behind her.
Shelby wheeled Blue around and he lunged
forward, keen for the chase. She crouched over his
neck as he gathered speed. Her eyes watered and the
wind whistled as it rushed past her ears.
Lindsey was streaking ahead. Cracker was
stretched out low. Shelby could hear Lindsey's
laughter as she urged him forward.
At the gate Cracker skidded to a stop. Lindsey
brought him up close to the latch and flung the gate
open.
'Close that, will you?' she called over her shoulder
and then Cracker was off again, his pounding hooves
creating a cloud of dust that made Shelby cough.
'No fair!' Shelby shouted, grinning. Lindsey didn't
answer. Shelby could hear her yelling, 'Yar! Yar!' like
a stockrider.
Blue skipped through the gate, backed up, and stood
quietly so that she could fasten the chain. When she'd
finished Blue needed no encouraging – he spun around
on his hind legs and sprang forward, flicking his tail.
Closer to the stables Shelby slowed Blue to a trot,
and then a walk, letting him cool down and catch his
breath. She unsaddled him and let him loose in the
paddock.
Lindsey was already in the feed shed.
'What took you so long?' she asked.
'You had a head start! If it wasn't for the gate,
I would have beaten you easily,' Shelby joked. Gate or
no gate, Shelby knew Lindsey was a bolder rider.
Lindsey climbed up the bales of hay that were
stacked to the ceiling as though they were a set of
giant stairs and rolled a new bale down to the floor.
Dust and loose strands of lucerne flew up into the air.
One of the rat-cats sneezed.
'You didn't answer my question,' Shelby said.
Lindsey sighed. 'I think you want a horse that's as
good as you think your horse should be, but I don't
think Bess is that horse.'
She frowned at Shelby, concentrating. Shelby
guessed Lindsey was trying out different ways to say
something Shelby didn't want to hear. Eventually she
shook her head. 'She's pretty, but she's not a nice
person.'
'But she could have had a bad life so far. We don't
know.'
Lindsey shrugged. 'Why have you decided that it's
your problem? There are so many nicer horses out
there.' She paused. 'Like Blue, for example.'
Shelby picked the lucerne off her shirt. 'I just think
that if you always give up on things as soon as they
get a bit difficult then you'd never achieve anything.
Even really fun stuff has hard parts – like when you go
to the zoo and at the end of the day your feet are sore
and you're hungry.'
'Then it's time to go home!' Lindsey smiled.
Shelby chewed her lip. 'Anyway, that's not really
what I asked.'
Lindsey raised an eyebrow. 'You want to know if
I think you're a scab?'
Shelby nodded.
'It would be easier for everyone if we all had the
Crooks' budget. None of us do. If you really want this
horse you should try asking your mum.'
Shelby groaned.
'You think she'll say
way to the back paddock they saw Erin in the jumping
arena. She was taking Bandit around the course. She
didn't stop when her friends rode past. Shelby wasn't
even sure if she saw them.
'Bandit's jumping well,' Lindsey commented.
Shelby only nodded in reply.
At the back paddock Lindsey opened the gate for
Shelby and they cantered up to the ridge, halting at
the top. All of the spelled horses were standing around
the dam. Three horses stood shoulder-deep eating the
weeds from the water's surface. Shelby shivered,
thinking how cold the water must be and wondering
what might be lurking on the silty bottom or swimming
around their legs – yabbies possibly, ugly catfish or
slimy black eels. She had fallen into a billabong similar
to this last summer, and the memory of unseen slippery
things brushing against her flesh made her skin crawl.
The little chestnut pony was grazing happily
between two fat broodmares. Shelby and Lindsey
watched her for a little while longer.
'Do you think I'm a scab, Lindsey?'
'Is that what this is all about?' Lindsey laughed.
She gathered up her reins. 'Race you back!' Then she
was gone, scattering pebbles behind her.
Shelby wheeled Blue around and he lunged
forward, keen for the chase. She crouched over his
neck as he gathered speed. Her eyes watered and the
wind whistled as it rushed past her ears.
Lindsey was streaking ahead. Cracker was
stretched out low. Shelby could hear Lindsey's
laughter as she urged him forward.
At the gate Cracker skidded to a stop. Lindsey
brought him up close to the latch and flung the gate
open.
'Close that, will you?' she called over her shoulder
and then Cracker was off again, his pounding hooves
creating a cloud of dust that made Shelby cough.
'No fair!' Shelby shouted, grinning. Lindsey didn't
answer. Shelby could hear her yelling, 'Yar! Yar!' like
a stockrider.
Blue skipped through the gate, backed up, and stood
quietly so that she could fasten the chain. When she'd
finished Blue needed no encouraging – he spun around
on his hind legs and sprang forward, flicking his tail.
Closer to the stables Shelby slowed Blue to a trot,
and then a walk, letting him cool down and catch his
breath. She unsaddled him and let him loose in the
paddock.
Lindsey was already in the feed shed.
'What took you so long?' she asked.
'You had a head start! If it wasn't for the gate,
I would have beaten you easily,' Shelby joked. Gate or
no gate, Shelby knew Lindsey was a bolder rider.
Lindsey climbed up the bales of hay that were
stacked to the ceiling as though they were a set of
giant stairs and rolled a new bale down to the floor.
Dust and loose strands of lucerne flew up into the air.
One of the rat-cats sneezed.
'You didn't answer my question,' Shelby said.
Lindsey sighed. 'I think you want a horse that's as
good as you think your horse should be, but I don't
think Bess is that horse.'
She frowned at Shelby, concentrating. Shelby
guessed Lindsey was trying out different ways to say
something Shelby didn't want to hear. Eventually she
shook her head. 'She's pretty, but she's not a nice
person.'
'But she could have had a bad life so far. We don't
know.'
Lindsey shrugged. 'Why have you decided that it's
your problem? There are so many nicer horses out
there.' She paused. 'Like Blue, for example.'
Shelby picked the lucerne off her shirt. 'I just think
that if you always give up on things as soon as they
get a bit difficult then you'd never achieve anything.
Even really fun stuff has hard parts – like when you go
to the zoo and at the end of the day your feet are sore
and you're hungry.'
'Then it's time to go home!' Lindsey smiled.
Shelby chewed her lip. 'Anyway, that's not really
what I asked.'
Lindsey raised an eyebrow. 'You want to know if
I think you're a scab?'
Shelby nodded.
'It would be easier for everyone if we all had the
Crooks' budget. None of us do. If you really want this
horse you should try asking your mum.'
Shelby groaned.
'You think she'll say
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