The Eighty-Dollar Champion - Elizabeth Letts [99]
Snowman collected his stride and sank back on his haunches, ready to clear the tippy top of the brush, not knowing that he would not be penalized for brushing through the soft foliage. But even on takeoff, Harry could tell something was not right. The horse had not seen the hidden white pole. His arc was too tight. He rapped the heavy wooden pole hard with both legs, flipping it to the side, then faltered on the landing and took a jagged step. Four faults.
Harry reached over and patted his horse on the neck. “It’s okay, boy,” he whispered. In a split-second calculation, Harry realized they were already out of the ribbons and decided it would be better to pull up. Let the horse go back to his stall and rest, rather than finish out the course just to soothe Harry’s pride.
The crowd sat in stunned silence.
Harry saluted to the judge and then, patting his horse on the neck, trotted toward the out-gate. The gate man swung the gate open and the pair left the ring. Snowman was eliminated. Diamant would hold his lead to win the class.
The children were crushed, but Harry took the opportunity to make the loss into a lesson. Their horse was up against the toughest competition in America—perhaps in the world. He had jumped bravely yesterday, going to a third-round jump-off. And had won the FEI time class in the morning, even though speed was not his natural style.
Winning was never more important than fostering a sense of trust between horse and man. Harry knew that tomorrow was another day. Diamant was ahead on points now; he had a first and a second, and Harry had only a first. The only way for Snowman to take home the Blitz prize would be to win the championship class, though the fences would be higher, the pressure even more intense. The mood in the barn that evening was quiet, but Harry went about his chores with his usual methodical care.
Predictably, Diamant’s name was emblazoned across the sports page headlines in the morning, the excitement of the underdog’s upset forgotten when he’d been eliminated on the second day. No one expected a comeback from Snowman.
The final class of the Blitz Memorial Gold Challenge was held on Sunday afternoon, scheduled to take advantage of a capacity weekend crowd. Diamant now held a commanding lead. Harry’s horse may still have been a sentimental favorite, but after Snowman’s performance the day before, his fans had little hope that Snowman would rise to the challenge, especially since this would be the toughest course of all.
It had been a great summer, a season of glorious triumphs. Today was the last day before the demands of the school year started again. Harry ran the body brush over Snowman’s coat, working hard to bring up the maximum shine. He looked deeply into the horse’s dark eyes. This horse had his own wisdom, and even though Harry had seen the hurt in his children’s eyes, he still thought he had made the right decision to pull up yesterday. Take care of your horse and he’ll take care of you. Harry firmly believed that.
With the most important class of the season carrying a prize big enough to help them buy a new farm, Harry would put his beliefs to the test. He slid the saddle onto the horse’s bare back. If Snowy took the prize today, the first thing Harry would do would be to order a soft sheepskin pad from the Miller Harness Company catalog to protect his beloved horse’s back.
Johanna and the children anxiously hovered around. Marty threw his arms around one of the horse’s big legs while Harriet and Chef each whispered their own version of good-luck wishes.
Harry swung up into the saddle, taking care to settle lightly on Snowy’s back. Jim Troutwell ran a rag over Harry’s boots and offered up a smile.
“Don’t