have to help me convince her. It might not be easy.”
“We can do it,” Stevie said confidently. “Who could turndown the chance for private lessons from Carole? Come on, let’s go find Merrill.”
At first Merrill was reluctant to along with the new plan, just as Lisa had feared. But after a few minutes of cajoling from The Saddle Club, she finally gave in.
“All right, all right,” she said, interrupting Stevie’s lengthy list of reasons why it was important to learn to jump. “I’ll try it. I’m not promising I’ll go back to the clinic on Tuesday, but I’ll give it a try with Carole tomorrow.” She smiled at Carole. “Thanks for offering to teach me.”
“You’re welcome,” Carole said, smiling. “I’ll go check with Max now and make sure it’s okay with him.”
T HE NEXT DAY Carole headed straight to Pine Hollow after school. Merrill was waiting for her. Carole was relieved—she had been worried that Merrill might back out of the lesson.
“Ready to get started?” Carole asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Merrill said.
“Good. Where’s Lisa?” Carole asked.
“She and Stevie are doing some chores,” Merrill said. “They said they wanted to stay out of our way.”
“Okay then,” Carole said. “Wait here—I’ve got to go find Max. He wanted me to check in about which horse you should ride.”
“Won’t I be riding Chip?” Merrill asked.
Carole shrugged. “Max said it would depend on which horses his adult class was using.”
“Oh, okay,” Merrill said. “I’ll meet you in the tack room.”
“Great.” Carole went to find Max. She found him going over some papers in his office.
“Hi, Carole,” he said when she came in. “Are you here for Merrill’s lesson?”
“Yes,” Carole replied. “Can she ride Chip today?”
Max shook his head. “I’m afraid not,” he said. “He’s out on the trail with the adult beginner class. Everyone in the class showed up today, for a change.”
“Oh, well,” Carole said. “What about Bluegrass, then? He’s easy to handle. Merrill would probably like him.”
“He’s out, too,” Max said. “I told you, the whole class showed up. They took Chip, Bluegrass, Nero, Patch, Harry, and Delilah.”
Carole bit her lip. “But Max,” she said, “if all the beginner horses are out, who’s Merrill supposed to ride?”
“Carole,” Max said calmly, “Merrill doesn’t need a beginner horse.”
“But she’s had so much trouble in class—”
Max raised one hand to cut her off. “She’s had trouble
jumping
in class,” he said. “She hasn’t had any trouble at all just
riding.
I’ve been watching her closely. She’s a much better rider than she thinks she is—she can easily handle a more spirited horse than Chip or Bluegrass.”
Carole thought about that for a minute, then realized that Max was right. She told him so. “It’s not that she has any trouble controlling the horse,” she added. “It’s
herself
that she has the trouble with, right?”
Max nodded. “And it’s your job to help her realize that. You have your work cut out for you.”
“I know,” Carole said. “But I have to try. So which horse do you think she should ride today?”
“Take your pick,” Max said. “Red is riding Topside with the beginners, but most of the others are in.”
“Hmm,” Carole said, running through the list of possibilities in her mind. Finally she reached a decision. “How about Barq? He’s lively but not too hard to control. Plus Merrill has seen him perform beautifully for Lisa in the last two classes. That might give her a little more confidence.”
Max smiled. “I think Barq is a perfect choice,” he said.
A short while later Carole led Barq, the spirited Arabian gelding, out into the ring. Merrill followed.
“Go ahead and mount,” Carole said. “Then take him around the ring a few times.”
Merrill swung up into Barq’s saddle. Carole watched carefully as the other girl picked up the
“We can do it,” Stevie said confidently. “Who could turndown the chance for private lessons from Carole? Come on, let’s go find Merrill.”
At first Merrill was reluctant to along with the new plan, just as Lisa had feared. But after a few minutes of cajoling from The Saddle Club, she finally gave in.
“All right, all right,” she said, interrupting Stevie’s lengthy list of reasons why it was important to learn to jump. “I’ll try it. I’m not promising I’ll go back to the clinic on Tuesday, but I’ll give it a try with Carole tomorrow.” She smiled at Carole. “Thanks for offering to teach me.”
“You’re welcome,” Carole said, smiling. “I’ll go check with Max now and make sure it’s okay with him.”
T HE NEXT DAY Carole headed straight to Pine Hollow after school. Merrill was waiting for her. Carole was relieved—she had been worried that Merrill might back out of the lesson.
“Ready to get started?” Carole asked.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Merrill said.
“Good. Where’s Lisa?” Carole asked.
“She and Stevie are doing some chores,” Merrill said. “They said they wanted to stay out of our way.”
“Okay then,” Carole said. “Wait here—I’ve got to go find Max. He wanted me to check in about which horse you should ride.”
“Won’t I be riding Chip?” Merrill asked.
Carole shrugged. “Max said it would depend on which horses his adult class was using.”
“Oh, okay,” Merrill said. “I’ll meet you in the tack room.”
“Great.” Carole went to find Max. She found him going over some papers in his office.
“Hi, Carole,” he said when she came in. “Are you here for Merrill’s lesson?”
“Yes,” Carole replied. “Can she ride Chip today?”
Max shook his head. “I’m afraid not,” he said. “He’s out on the trail with the adult beginner class. Everyone in the class showed up today, for a change.”
“Oh, well,” Carole said. “What about Bluegrass, then? He’s easy to handle. Merrill would probably like him.”
“He’s out, too,” Max said. “I told you, the whole class showed up. They took Chip, Bluegrass, Nero, Patch, Harry, and Delilah.”
Carole bit her lip. “But Max,” she said, “if all the beginner horses are out, who’s Merrill supposed to ride?”
“Carole,” Max said calmly, “Merrill doesn’t need a beginner horse.”
“But she’s had so much trouble in class—”
Max raised one hand to cut her off. “She’s had trouble
jumping
in class,” he said. “She hasn’t had any trouble at all just
riding.
I’ve been watching her closely. She’s a much better rider than she thinks she is—she can easily handle a more spirited horse than Chip or Bluegrass.”
Carole thought about that for a minute, then realized that Max was right. She told him so. “It’s not that she has any trouble controlling the horse,” she added. “It’s
herself
that she has the trouble with, right?”
Max nodded. “And it’s your job to help her realize that. You have your work cut out for you.”
“I know,” Carole said. “But I have to try. So which horse do you think she should ride today?”
“Take your pick,” Max said. “Red is riding Topside with the beginners, but most of the others are in.”
“Hmm,” Carole said, running through the list of possibilities in her mind. Finally she reached a decision. “How about Barq? He’s lively but not too hard to control. Plus Merrill has seen him perform beautifully for Lisa in the last two classes. That might give her a little more confidence.”
Max smiled. “I think Barq is a perfect choice,” he said.
A short while later Carole led Barq, the spirited Arabian gelding, out into the ring. Merrill followed.
“Go ahead and mount,” Carole said. “Then take him around the ring a few times.”
Merrill swung up into Barq’s saddle. Carole watched carefully as the other girl picked up the
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