first one.
“This is BeeBee,” he said, patting the brown horse’s neck. “She’s very friendly and patient. We always give her to new riders because she’s calm and she likes to stay with the other horses — if you don’t tell her where to go, she’ll come right along anyway.”
I stroked BeeBee’s nose nervously. She had a white stripe down her face, and the hairs were coarse under my fingers. She blew out air and looked at me in a friendly way.
“She’s nice,” I said.
“Of course she is,” Jack said. He showed me how to use the step to climb up on BeeBee’s back and told me how to hold the reins. “This one is Shadow,” he said, swinging easily up onto the black horse. “He’s my buddy. Hailey usually rides Snowflake here.”
“Snowflake?” I said, frowning at the horse. It was undeniably brown.
“I named her when I was six,” Hailey called, jogging toward us from the barn. “I’d just seen a TV show with a horse named Snowflake in it. Thanks for saddling her up, Jack. Mom asked me to spray the rosebushes before she beds them down for the winter.”
“Hurry it up or we’ll leave without you,” Jack called jokingly. Hailey sped up, then slowed to a walk as she got near the horses. She reached for Snowflake’s bridle, and the horse snorted and stepped quickly back away from her.
“Hey, Snowflake, hey.” Hailey followed the horse, making soothing sounds, and it halted, nostrils quivering. When Hailey put out her hand again to take the bridle, Snowflake half-reared, moving backward and shaking her head.
Hailey stopped. “I don’t know what’s wrong,” she said, her voice shaking. “She was fine yesterday. Maybe she’s sick?”
“Take Shadow,” Jack said, slipping off his horse. “Let me try Snowflake.” Snowflake calmed down as Hailey moved away from her, and nuzzled Jack’s hand almost apologetically. Hailey reached for Shadow, and he stamped his feet and backed quickly away from her.
“That’s weird,” Jack said.
“You
think
?” Hailey snapped. She sounded like she was about to cry. “Snowflake loves me. Forget it. I’ll stay home.”
Jack frowned. “No, we’ll figure this out. Maybe it’s the pesticide you just sprayed on the garden. You smell sort of chemical-y. Let me hold Shadow.” He took the horse’s lead, and patted it on the neck, talking softly. After a minute, Shadow stood still, but when Hailey moved toward him again, he tossed his head and tried to pull away.
“I washed my hands,” Hailey said tearfully. “I can still smell the spray, though. If that’s what’s bothering them, I don’t know how to get rid of it.”
Jack and Hailey kept trying for a while, but Snowflake and Shadow wouldn’t let Hailey get near them, and Hailey was getting more and more upset. The horses stamped and shifted, while BeeBee held still and steady as a rock under me, looking more bored than I’d ever suspected a horse
could
look. I half expected her to pull out a Nintendo DS or something to pass the time.
“Okay,” said Jack finally. “Marisol, would you get down?”
“Um,” I said, peering down from BeeBee, whoseemed about ten feet high. Was I just supposed to slide off her? Jack held out his hand for me to take hold of it, and I managed to scramble off, although not very gracefully.
“Hailey, you take BeeBee,” Jack said. “Whatever’s bothering the others, she couldn’t care less. Marisol, you can ride Snowflake.”
“Yikes,” I said. “Remember, I don’t know how to ride?”
They both reassured me that Snowflake was a very gentle horse. Hailey wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, and Jack attached a leading rein to Snowflake’s bridle. “All you have to do is sit,” he said confidently. I wasn’t so sure, but eventually found myself up on Snowflake’s back. She didn’t throw me off, so I guessed I was okay.
When Hailey went to mount BeeBee, the horse showed the most life I’d seen from her, shifting nervously and
“This is BeeBee,” he said, patting the brown horse’s neck. “She’s very friendly and patient. We always give her to new riders because she’s calm and she likes to stay with the other horses — if you don’t tell her where to go, she’ll come right along anyway.”
I stroked BeeBee’s nose nervously. She had a white stripe down her face, and the hairs were coarse under my fingers. She blew out air and looked at me in a friendly way.
“She’s nice,” I said.
“Of course she is,” Jack said. He showed me how to use the step to climb up on BeeBee’s back and told me how to hold the reins. “This one is Shadow,” he said, swinging easily up onto the black horse. “He’s my buddy. Hailey usually rides Snowflake here.”
“Snowflake?” I said, frowning at the horse. It was undeniably brown.
“I named her when I was six,” Hailey called, jogging toward us from the barn. “I’d just seen a TV show with a horse named Snowflake in it. Thanks for saddling her up, Jack. Mom asked me to spray the rosebushes before she beds them down for the winter.”
“Hurry it up or we’ll leave without you,” Jack called jokingly. Hailey sped up, then slowed to a walk as she got near the horses. She reached for Snowflake’s bridle, and the horse snorted and stepped quickly back away from her.
“Hey, Snowflake, hey.” Hailey followed the horse, making soothing sounds, and it halted, nostrils quivering. When Hailey put out her hand again to take the bridle, Snowflake half-reared, moving backward and shaking her head.
Hailey stopped. “I don’t know what’s wrong,” she said, her voice shaking. “She was fine yesterday. Maybe she’s sick?”
“Take Shadow,” Jack said, slipping off his horse. “Let me try Snowflake.” Snowflake calmed down as Hailey moved away from her, and nuzzled Jack’s hand almost apologetically. Hailey reached for Shadow, and he stamped his feet and backed quickly away from her.
“That’s weird,” Jack said.
“You
think
?” Hailey snapped. She sounded like she was about to cry. “Snowflake loves me. Forget it. I’ll stay home.”
Jack frowned. “No, we’ll figure this out. Maybe it’s the pesticide you just sprayed on the garden. You smell sort of chemical-y. Let me hold Shadow.” He took the horse’s lead, and patted it on the neck, talking softly. After a minute, Shadow stood still, but when Hailey moved toward him again, he tossed his head and tried to pull away.
“I washed my hands,” Hailey said tearfully. “I can still smell the spray, though. If that’s what’s bothering them, I don’t know how to get rid of it.”
Jack and Hailey kept trying for a while, but Snowflake and Shadow wouldn’t let Hailey get near them, and Hailey was getting more and more upset. The horses stamped and shifted, while BeeBee held still and steady as a rock under me, looking more bored than I’d ever suspected a horse
could
look. I half expected her to pull out a Nintendo DS or something to pass the time.
“Okay,” said Jack finally. “Marisol, would you get down?”
“Um,” I said, peering down from BeeBee, whoseemed about ten feet high. Was I just supposed to slide off her? Jack held out his hand for me to take hold of it, and I managed to scramble off, although not very gracefully.
“Hailey, you take BeeBee,” Jack said. “Whatever’s bothering the others, she couldn’t care less. Marisol, you can ride Snowflake.”
“Yikes,” I said. “Remember, I don’t know how to ride?”
They both reassured me that Snowflake was a very gentle horse. Hailey wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, and Jack attached a leading rein to Snowflake’s bridle. “All you have to do is sit,” he said confidently. I wasn’t so sure, but eventually found myself up on Snowflake’s back. She didn’t throw me off, so I guessed I was okay.
When Hailey went to mount BeeBee, the horse showed the most life I’d seen from her, shifting nervously and
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