Hide & Seek - Alyssa Brugman [18]
Beyond the house there was another arena, but this one was fenced, and inside there were six forty-four-gallon drums with a rope between them, creating a narrow track.
A solid, bald-faced quarter horse, wearing what looked to Shelby like a western saddle, cantered around the track. A girl of about Shelby's age squatted over the saddle on her haunches, like a jockey. A slightly built, older man in a waistcoat sat on one of the drums on the opposite side, clapping in time with the horse's stride.
When the quarter horse came around the corner Shelby could see more clearly. The girl's feet were tucked into a strap that was looped over the front of the saddle. The horn was much longer than on an ordinary western saddle, and metal, rather than leather.
The girl rose up so that she was crouched, holding the horn on the front with one hand and the horse's mane in the other. Slowly she stood, letting go. Her arms pin-wheeled and then she squatted again. The horse skidded to a halt in the corner.
The man on the side with the waistcoat stopped clapping.
'Shut up! I can do it!' the girl shouted.
The man tipped back his head and laughed.
'You do it then!' the girl challenged, pulling her feet out of the strap and dropping to the side of the horse.
In a flash the older man was up. He sprinted across the circle and flicked himself up into the saddle. He tucked his feet into the strap and then, carefully, he stood up. He held both arms wide, palms up, grinning at the girl. She folded her arms and scowled back at him.
Shelby leaned forward, straining to hear what the girl would say.
'Der! As if I couldn't do it standing still,' the girl grumbled.
Shelby had never known about trick riding before, but from what she had seen today, she knew that this was what she wanted to do. She would have to train all day long, and then perform, and when she wasn't doing that there would be stables to muck out, and feeds to make up and tails to brush. Then at meal breaks, or relaxing time, they could talk about horses. She'd be busy every minute of the day and fall into bed each night exhausted. It sounded like heaven!
There was so much Shelby could learn from these people. She could study liberty work with ponies and train in classical dressage like those ladies on the black horses. She could do trick riding, just like the girl. They would be great friends, a dynamic duo – friendly rivals, pushing each other to achieve more and more daring tricks.
Shelby remembered how she'd slid out of the saddle a few days before on the trail. She already had a talent for it. And she could bring Blue as well. He was so quiet and easy. He was sure to be calm and reliable in front of a crowd. They might even pay her. It was perfect!
Her eyes drifted past the girl. On the other side of the arena there was a trail bike leaning on its stand and, sitting cross-legged in front of it, in his bike-riding leathers, was Chad. Her heart beat faster for a second and then she frowned.
Chad had asked her to go with him to see the circus. It was almost, but not quite, a date. He was supposed to ring her. She had been dreading that call. All night she'd waited. She'd frozen the few times that the phone rang, but then when it was someone else she was disappointed.
It seems he got over his shyness after all! she thought, and then she felt guilty. After all, she hadn't waited for him to call before coming here either.
When Shelby looked again the girl was back on the quarter horse, crouching like a jockey. She urged the horse into a canter. This time she stood, turning her palms up and smiling just as the older man had.
Chad clapped and put his fingers in his mouth for an ear-piercing whistle. 'You're the best!' he called out.
Shelby reddened, angry at Chad for saying he would ring her when he didn't intend to. She also felt silly for telling everyone about the hot chips. Now if anyone talked about it she would be embarrassed.
She looked away from Chad to a row of four ramshackle stables that faced the