Hide & Seek - Alyssa Brugman [38]
'Not sure,' Shelby answered. 'I suppose dirty horses have oily skin. Maybe when they're clean their skin gets dry and itchy.'
'They're probably itchy because they're hot and sweaty,' Lindsey added.
'Imagine if we did that after PE class!' Erin said. Then she dropped onto the grass, rolling around and groaning.
Lindsey and Shelby laughed at her, and then laughed more when several of the horses snorted at her suspiciously. When Erin stood up again her hair was full of grass and twigs, but she didn't seem to notice.
Soon Hayley was back with her spare saddle. She set about adjusting the girth to fit Blue's tummy. Hayley's 'old synthetic' was an earlier model, but it looked almost brand new. Shelby wished she had such a thing 'lying around'. Hayley might be willing to sell it to her. She wondered how much it was worth and whether her parents would give her the money. Shelby was going to have to get a saddle sometime soon. She felt like a scab borrowing one all the time.
She thought about Aunty Jenny's offer and wondered if renting their house would mean things were easier for her family. Her mother talked about being 'stretched', and Shelby saw that on her face – a frayed, harrowed look. She knew her parents worried about money all the time, but they didn't fight about it. If anything they were drawn together by it. They worried as if it was a team sport.
'Who are you going to take?' Hayley asked, surprising Shelby out of her thoughts.
'You want me to come too?'
Hayley screwed up her nose. 'Of course, you big nong! You think I was going to take your horse out in the Gully by myself?'
Erin tossed her head, looking miffed.
'And you too, you dill! I meant all of us. Jeez Louise!'
Erin rolled her eyes. 'Man! I wish you'd said so before I took Bandit's saddle off. Lindsey already washed him. Now he's all muddy!'
'Why don't you ride Tic Tac?' Lindsey suggested, pointing to an appaloosa gelding that hadn't yet been unsaddled after the trail ride.
Shelby took Scooter and soon the four girls were on their way out the back gate and along the wide trail. Hayley was still smiling and it was infectious. Shelby thought she looked funny on Blue, with her perfect seat, moseying along on a loose rein.
'Blue is a real person, isn't he?' Hayley sighed. 'He reminds me of my first pony. I reckon in your lifetime there is always one special horse that you're almost telepathic with. You can have good ones – really nice horses, but it's not the same as your best friend horse.'
'Aren't you best friends with yours?' Shelby asked.
Hayley shook her head. 'We communicate, but we don't connect. Although at the show Ditto was pretty smoochy. It's just because I was the only person he knew there. As soon as we got back here he was going, "Hayley who?" And Scamp is almost too educated. He's slick like a salesman now.' Hayley curled her lip. 'He's a bit greasy.'
'He looks flash, though,' Shelby said.
'Yeah, he'll make Horse of the Year.'
The girls moved into single file as they passed through a narrow rock cutting.
'You know who he reminds me of?' Hayley said. 'Jafar from Aladdin.'
Shelby laughed.
Erin broke into song. First she sang James Blunt, but the other girls shouted her down so she started singing a Rogue Traders song, then Hayley and Shelby joined in.
'Don't you think it's weird that she says, "here come the drums", and then there aren't any?' Hayley observed.
'There aren't either!' Erin said. She started singing 'My Hump' by the Black Eyed Peas.
Lindsey's jaw dropped. 'Did you just say your lady lumps? That's disgusting!'
'What song do you know, Lin?' Hayley asked.
Lindsey cleared her throat. 'Australians all let us rejoice ...'
'For we are young and free!' the others joined in for the rest of the verse.
Shelby looked at her friends laughing as they finished the anthem. Hayley had dropped the reins and held her arms wide as though she was an opera singer.
It was a beautiful clear autumn day and they were all on healthy, happy horses, mucking around in the Gully. Who cared about where Diablo had been? He was