of the best feelings in the world is waking up and thinking, Ohmygod, I’m late for school! That isn’t the good bit obviously. The good bit comes in a sudden rush a few seconds later when you realise that you don’t have to go to school after all because today isn’t an ordinary Monday – it’s the first day of the summer holidays!
Issie was savouring that exact moment right now as she lay snuggled up in bed. She gave her legs a big, wriggly stretch underneath the duvet. There was something so luxurious about lying there, knowing that she didn’t have to hurry up and put her uniform on and pack her book bag. No school for two whole months. And this summer promised to be the best ever.
Issie had big plans for the holidays. And most of those plans involved Blaze, her chestnut Anglo-Arab mare. Summer meant pony-club season. There would be gymkhanas, ribbon days and one-day events to ride, and Issie had Blaze in perfect condition ready for competition.
Her pony had been schooling beautifully ever since Issie got her back from Francoise D’arth. They had been having regular dressage lessons with Tom Avery and she was amazed at how responsive and clever her horse was. Now that Issie and Tom knew Blaze’s real background – that she had once been part of a famous troupe of dancing Arabians – they had begun to try new things with her. Under Avery’s tutelage, Blaze and Issie had easily mastered fancy moves like shoulder-ins and piaffes.
“That mare is the perfect school mistress for you,” Avery told her. “We’re going to make huge strides in your training this summer, Issie.”
Avery was confident that Blaze was ready to compete in the summer series dressage competitions at the Chevalier Point Pony Club which began that weekend. “You’ll only be in the novice section so there certainly wouldn’t be any piaffes in your dressage test,” he said.
Still, Issie was nervous. She had never done dressage on Blaze before. What if the mare got all heated up and panicked in the arena? What if she forgot the test and got lost halfway through?
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Stella had told Issie when she blabbed her fears. “You and Blaze have practised your test, like, at least twenty times! I still don’t know it and Coco is being so stubborn lately she won’t even lead on the correct leg when she canters. She’s being a total nightmare!”
With the competition looming, Stella, Issie and Kate all agreed that they needed more dressage practice, so Tom Avery had arranged a training session for the Chevalier Point riders at the pony club that morning.
Issie gave one last squirm under the duvet. It was so warm and comfy she still didn’t want to get up. “One, two, three!” she counted herself out of bed, jumping up on three and making a dash across the bedroom to the pile of washing on the floor. She pulled on her jodhpurs and grabbed a hair band off her dresser, sweeping her long, straight, dark hair back in a ponytail as she headed down the stairs.
Her mother had left for work early that morning but she had left Issie a note on the kitchen table.
Gone to work (obviously!). Have to pick up groceries on the way home so won’t be back until six. We need to talk about the holidays – make sure you are home by seven for dinner. Mum x
Issie read the note, popped two slices of wholegrain bread in the toaster and poured herself a glass of orange juice from the fridge.
What did her mum mean “We need to talk about the holidays”? Her holidays were already decided – she planned to spend every minute at pony club with Stella, Kate, Dan and Ben. What else was there to talk about?
After a second round of toast she finished getting dressed, grabbed her bike out of the garage and cycled off to pony club.
When Issie arrived at the club she found her two best friends Stella and Kate staring at an expensive-looking silver and blue horse truck that had just pulled up at the club grounds.
“Wow! Very flashy,” said Kate.
“I’ve never seen that truck before. It doesn’t belong to any of the Chevalier Point riders, does it?” Stella asked. Her question was answered instantly as a girl with a sour expression and two ramrod-straight shiny blonde plaits emerged from the truck to open the gates.
“I should have known! Stuck-up Tucker’s mummy has bought her a brand new horse truck,” Stella sighed.
They watched as Natasha stood sulking beside the truck, refusing to move until her mum asked her for a third time to help lower the ramp. Issie had been expecting to see Natasha’s palomino mare Goldrush coming down the ramp. Instead the girl led out a very refined-looking rose-grey with a white heart shape on his forehead and a steel-grey mane and tail. He wore a dark navy wool rug and matching floating boots to protect his delicate legs. As Natasha removed the boots the girls saw that his hind legs had two pretty white socks.
“Check out Natasha’s new horse!” Stella gave a low whistle of admiration.
“Issie! You have to go and ask her about it!” Kate demanded.
“What? Why me?” Issie groaned. “Natasha can’t stand me!”
“At least she speaks to you! She won’t even bother to talk to me or Kate,” Stella countered. “Go on! Go and ask her.”
“All right, all right…” Issie muttered as she walked off across the paddock. The truth was, she didn’t need much coaxing. She was dying to know about the new horse too.
“Hi, Natasha, I didn’t know you were riding with us today,” Issie said.
“Hmmph? Oh hello, Isabella,” Natasha said.
“It’s Isadora,” Issie replied flatly. One of Natasha’s favourite games was to accidentally-on-purpose forget Issie’s name.
“What-ever,” Natasha sniffed. “How’s your little circus pony?”
Ever since Issie had beaten Natasha Tucker at the pony-club one-day event, the bratty blonde had been spiteful towards Issie and her chestnut mare. Natasha had called Blaze a “scruffy pit pony with no papers” until the truth about Blaze was discovered: she had once been one of the El Caballo Danza Magnifico mares, the famous Anglo-Arabs with immaculate bloodlines dating back to the great desert-bred Arabians.
Of course even this news didn’t stop Natasha. Now that everyone knew just how valuable Blaze’s breeding really was, Natasha had taken to teasing Issie about having a “circus pony”, even though everyone knew that the El Caballo Danza Magnifico wasn’t a circus at all – it was a haute ècole riding school that travelled the world performing fantastic dressage movements to music. Blaze had once been the star of the school. But now, thanks to a mysterious benefactor, the chestnut mare belonged to Issie.
“Blaze is fine thanks, Natasha,” Issie said. She turned her attention to the beautiful rose-grey gelding. “Is this your new horse? What happened to Goldrush?”
“I told Mummy that Goldrush simply wasn’t up to my level any more so we got rid of her,” Natasha said coolly. “This is Fabergé. He’s a sport horse, bred by Iggy Dalrymple, so you can just imagine how much he cost us. Mummy says it’s vulgar to talk about money but she did tell me that he cost more than all of her Prada handbags put together.”
“He’s really beautiful,” Issie said as she ran her hand gently down the crest of Fabergé’s neck. “Are you going to enter him in the summer dressage series?”
“Uh-huh. I’d say we’re bound to win it actually.” Natasha smirked. “Fabergé has been off at Ginty McLintoch’s stables for two weeks being schooled up. Ginty herself has put in hours of work on him – Mummy paid her an absolute bomb to do it.” Natasha wrinkled up her nose. “I couldn’t be bothered with doing all that training myself! Anyway, now he is positively a push-button ride apparently. I can just sit there and Fabergé knows exactly what to do. It should be a piece of cake to win the novice ring this season.”
“Well, I guess we’ll see you at the dressage test on Saturday,” Issie said. “Blaze and