A Horse for Kate (Horses and Friends Book 1) Read online

  They both did as asked and waited. Colt stepped to the side and nodded at Kate. “Take the stiff brush and run it down her neck, then over her withers and back, and under her belly and over her hip. Then Tori will do the same thing with the soft brush to finish her off.”

  Tori wrinkled her nose. “I have no idea where her withers are, and I don’t see why she needs so much brushing. I don’t even brush my hair this much!”

  “Brushing not only gets rid of loose hair; it brings the oil in their skin to the surface, which keeps their coat in good condition. Mrs. Wilder said they turn the horses out in the fields and paddocks when the weather is dry. I guess they rotate them between the daytime and night, so all the horses have a chance to get outside. So if she comes in muddy or sweaty, you’d use the curry first.”

  “That makes sense. But I still don’t know what her withers are,” Tori said.

  Kate ran the brush over the bump at the base of Lulu’s neck. “Right here. It’s this bone that’s higher than her back or neck, see?”

  Colt nodded. “That’s where you measure her to see how tall she is. You go from the ground to the top of the withers and divide by four inches. Every four inches is one hand.”

  “Mrs. Wilder said Lulu is thirteen hands, so that means she’d be”—Kate calculated in her head—“fifty-two inches tall. But she’s a lot taller than that if you count her head.”

  Colt laughed and motioned to Tori to start with her soft brush. “Yeah, but that’s not how you measure a horse. She looks pretty good. As soon as Tori finishes, we’ll check her feet.”

  Tori swiped the last stroke down Lulu’s hip. “Check them for what?”

  “Mud or manure packed into their hooves.” He plucked a curved tool with a point from the tack box. “This is a hoof pick.” He stood next to Lulu’s shoulder facing her rump and ran his hand down her front leg. As soon as he reached the joint above her hoof, she picked up her foot.

  Tori laughed. “Wow! It looked like she picked it up by herself.”

  Colt grinned. “She did. All I did was squeeze. She’s done it so often, she understands what I’m asking. If she didn’t give easily, I’d put pressure on her shoulder, and that would make her do the same thing, because it shifts her weight off of that leg.” He balanced her hoof on the palm of his hand and dug the pick into the packed material in the sole of her hoof. “See? Easy. One of you want to try?”

  Tori held up her hands, palms out. “Not me. You go first, Kate, and I’ll watch.”

  “Okay, but Mrs. Wilder said we both need to learn.” Kate stepped alongside Lulu and imitated Colt’s actions. “Hey, look! She picked her foot up!” Kate was so excited, she let go of the mare’s leg, and her hoof thumped to the ground, barely missing Kate’s toe. “Ugh. She almost stepped on me.”

  Colt nodded. “You’ve got to hold on to her leg. She won’t hold it up by herself. And keep your toes back. You don’t need to stand that close.”

  Kate tried again. “Cool! I’ve got it this time.” She clutched the mare’s leg and slid her hand under the hoof like Colt had shown her. “Give me the hoof pick.” She took it from his outstretched hand. “There’s nothing in there to get out. You already cleaned it.”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t matter. Just get the feel of it.”

  She did as he said and then gently let the mare’s foot down until it rested on the floor. “That wasn’t so hard. Your turn, Tori.”

  Tori shook her head. “I want to watch this time. I’m learning a lot, but I’m not ready to try it yet. I’ll do it next time we come, okay?”

  Colt shrugged. “I guess so. Here comes Mrs. Wilder, and she has someone with her.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kate was in heaven. She was finally riding. An hour earlier Mrs. Wilder had introduced Mrs. Sorenson, the trainer. They’d gone through the steps of proper saddling and bridling, and now she was putting Kate and Lulu through their paces. Well, maybe not exactly Lulu’s paces, because Lulu was finally off the lead line, and Kate was riding the mare around the arena by herself. Kate had been embarrassed when Mrs. Sorenson had snapped a long lunge line onto the side ring of the bridle to start the lesson.

  Tori and Colt watched from the other side of the half wall separating the alleyway from the arena. Colt was smiling ear to ear, but Tori wore a troubled frown.

  Kate saw her friend clearly as she rode past. “Tori, it’s easy. Nothing to it. You’re going to love it. Seriously!”

  Tori shrugged but didn’t reply.

  Mrs. Sorenson was positioned in the center of one end of the arena as Kate continued around the half circle. “Have you trotted a horse before, Kate?”

  “Yes. And I cantered once, but mostly I rode at a trot and a walk. I was starting to learn to post, but I’m not sure I understand that yet.”

  “Okay. Let’s try a sitting trot. We’ll want to work on your hands, your legs, your posture, and your seat before I ask you to post.”

  “Wow. That’s a lot to think of at once.” Tori spoke in a hesitant voice that carried across the intervening distance to Kate.

  Mrs. Sorenson sent her a smile. “It is at first, but after a while, it’s second nature. You won’t even think about what you’re doing. Pay attention to what I’m asking Kate to do, and it’ll be easier when you take your lesson. Have you ridden before, Tori?”

  Tori made a face. “Never.”

  The trainer nodded. “Are you excited to get started?”

  “Uh … not really. I never thought about riding a horse until I met Kate, but I’m willing to learn. It looks hard. I’m not sure I’ll be any good at it.”

  Kate tried not to bounce as Lulu trotted around the circle. She wanted to say something to make Tori feel better, but she needed to concentrate on keeping her seat.

  Colt had been quiet the entire time, but now he spoke. “Don’t worry, Tori. When I first started riding, I thought the same thing, but it’s not as hard as it seems.”

  Mrs. Sorenson signaled for Kate to halt. “Good job, Kate. You do a decent job sitting the trot. We need to work on teaching you to relax in the saddle and move with the horse, but that’s a good start. Bring Lulu over to the gate so Tori can take her turn now.”

  Kate did as she was asked, all the time keeping her gaze on her friend. Tori looked like she was going to be sick, and Kate wondered if she’d done the right thing by pushing Tori to take this job. She’d seemed so excited at first, but then she got scared and almost quit, and now Tori was backing away toward the stalls instead of coming to meet her.

  Colt’s eyes met Kate’s, then he glanced at Tori. He stepped toward her. “Hey, Tori.” He dug into his pocket and hauled out a piece of carrot. “Give this to Lulu and make friends with her. She’ll love you forever.” He tossed her a saucy smirk.

  Tori seemed to waver, but she quit backing up. “I’m not sure …”

  Kate halted the mare several paces from the rail, then dismounted, keeping a grip on the reins. “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, Tori. We can quit working here and bag this whole thing.” Her body was trembling, but she wouldn’t take back what she’d said. She’d had no idea Tori was so scared of riding.

  Mrs. Sorenson moved up beside her and took Lulu’s reins. “Tori? Are you ready?”

  Tori blew out a long breath. “I’m no quitter. I’ll do it if it kills me.” She winced and then managed a feeble smile. “I mean, I hope it doesn’t kill me.” She stepped forward until she reached Lulu, then held the carrot on the palm of her hand under the horse’s mouth. “Good girl, Lulu.”

  The mare took the treat without moving anything but her lips and munched it.

  Tori sighed. “She doesn’t seem too scary. I guess I can do this.”

  Kate grinned. “Sure you can. Lulu’s a sweetheart.” She retreated behind the half wall beside Colt.

  Mrs. Sorenson helped Tori into the
saddle and handed her the reins, then snapped the lunge line on again. “We’ll take it nice and slow today and let you get used to being up there. If you want to, we’ll only do a thirty-minute lesson today, and you can make up the rest another time.”

  “Yeah, that sounds good.” Tori’s pale face was a stark contrast to her dark hair. “Let’s do this.”

  Thirty minutes later Kate could breathe easily again. She and Colt had kept completely silent during the lesson, and Kate had spent much of that time praying Tori would relax and enjoy riding Lulu. At least nothing terrible had happened, like falling off the pony. By the time Mrs. Sorenson showed her how to properly dismount, Tori appeared calmer.

  Kate waited outside the ring, but as soon as Tori stopped beside her, she raised her hand. “High five! You did great!”

  Tori slapped her hand in return. “Yeah. I’m still alive, and it wasn’t as bad as I expected. In fact, once I was up there and got used to Lulu walking, it was kind of fun.”

  “Seriously?” Kate could barely keep from jumping up and down. “Awesome! So you’ll keep working here and take a lesson next week?”

  “Told you I’m not a quitter. But now comes the fun part. Watching Colt ride that horse with his long legs.” Tori snorted a laugh. “I wish I’d thought to bring a camera so I could post it online.”

  Colt raised his hands and took a step back. “No way! I’m not riding that pony, and you aren’t taking a picture. Ever.”

  “Sorry, young man,” Mrs. Sorenson said firmly. “Barn rules. Anyone under the age of fourteen rides Lulu first, if they haven’t taken lessons here before—or unless you bring a note from a previous trainer. We’ll evaluate you and move you up to a full-size horse if you do well, but it’s Lulu or nothing.”

  Colt’s face was a picture of tragedy, and Tori and Kate burst into laughter.

  “Fine.” He gave in. “But I’m not riding English. I need to switch to a Western saddle.”

  Tori leaned close to Kate’s ear. “This might be more fun than I realized. And next week I’m bringing my camera for sure.”

  Colt scowled as he grabbed Lulu’s reins. “Next week I will not be riding this midget. Guaranteed. So you can leave your camera at home.”

  Kate and Tori kept a close eye on Colt as he walked, trotted, and cantered Lulu around the circle. Mrs. Sorenson hadn’t even made him work on the lunge line the first few minutes, as he’d assured her he owned a horse and it wasn’t necessary. His scowl had turned to triumph when the instructor asked him to put Lulu into a lope, and he’d done so with ease.

  Mrs. Sorenson nodded. “Good job. Now bring her back to a walk and put her into a lope on her inside lead. Do you know how to do that?”

  “I think so.” He reined the mare to a walk and after several paces gave her a light bump with his heel. Lulu broke into a lope without hesitation.

  Tori whispered to Kate, “Do you know what she meant?”

  “No idea. A lope and a canter are the same thing, but people who ride Western call it a lope, and English riders a canter. That’s all I know. Maybe she’ll explain.”

  Mrs. Sorenson glanced their way. “Do you see how Lulu’s inside leg is reaching farther ahead on every stride?”

  Kate and Tori nodded.

  “She’s leading with that leg. Every horse has one lead they favor more than the other, so if you go one direction, it’s pretty easy to get them to take the correct lead and more work going the other direction. Lulu’s well-enough trained that she picks up either pretty easily, but Colt will have to ask her the correct way when we reverse directions, since this is the lead she prefers.” She waved her hand in the air. “Pull her down and reverse, Colt.”

  “Wow.” Tori bumped Kate’s shoulder. “I guess I’m not going to be able to harass Colt anymore after this. He’s pretty good.”

  “No kidding.” Kate kept her gaze locked on the young man as he headed Lulu the other direction, wondering if she’d ever be that good a rider. She’d figured that because she’d taken some lessons in Spokane, she’d know more than Tori or Colt, but now she felt foolish. She didn’t even sit a trot well, much less know how to post. She’d only cantered a time or two and had no idea how to get a horse on the correct lead. Colt could do it going either direction, from the way Lulu was responding now. Maybe it was because he owned a horse and got to ride all the time. Her thoughts drifted away from the action in the arena and returned to the chestnut mare in the paddock only blocks from home.

  The door to the arena rolled open, and a middle-aged woman led in an unsaddled horse. She carried a long whip and had a lunge line attached to the halter, but she kept the horse at the other end so she wouldn’t interfere with Colt and Lulu. On the far side of the arena, two college-aged girls opened a stall door, their voices drifting across to Kate.

  “It’s getting busy,” Tori told Kate. “I guess more people work their horses on Saturday than during the week.”

  “Hi, you guys.” Carissa Spencer, the girl who exercised clients’ horses, walked up the alleyway toward them. “Are you taking your lessons?”

  Kate nodded. “We’re both finished, and it’s Colt’s turn. He’s not too happy about riding a pony with his long legs.” She snickered. “But he’s doing such a good job, we won’t be able to tease him about it.” She glanced into the arena. “I thought my legs hung a long way below Lulu’s belly, but Colt is an inch or so taller than me. Tori’s a great fit for her, though, since she’s not as tall as me or Colt.” She looked back at Carissa. “Are you exercising a horse this morning?”

  “Yep. Rocket.” She held up a halter and lead rope. “I’m headed out to get him from the pasture. Want to come along?”

  “Sure!” Both Kate and Tori spoke at the same time.

  “Do you want to wait for your friend?” Carissa tipped her head toward Colt, who had slowed Lulu to a trot.

  “Naw,” Kate said. “He’s been showing us up pretty bad, but he’s almost done. I’d love to see the horses out in the pastures.”

  “Me too.” Tori edged closer to Kate. “As long as we don’t have to catch any and lead them in.”

  Carissa appeared surprised for a minute, but then she smiled. “You’ll get used to doing that soon enough. I’ll work with you if you’d like, on the days you come to clean stalls.”

  Tori’s face brightened. “That would be awesome, thanks! We should let Mrs. Sorenson know we’re leaving.”

  Tori slipped through the gate into the arena and caught the instructor’s attention, then explained their errand.

  Mrs. Sorenson motioned them on. “You girls did a good job today, both of you. See you next Saturday.”

  They followed Carissa down the alleyway and waved at Colt when he looked their direction.

  Carissa swung open the people door at the far end and stepped into the bright April sunshine. She shaded her eyes with her hand and then pointed. “The pasture is on the other side of the twenty acres the barn owns, so we’ll need to hike for a bit to reach the fence.” She opened a gate and waited for Kate and Tori to pass, then closed it.

  Kate took in the scattering of fir trees that dotted the pasture in the distance, giving the horses shade, and then gestured toward the large outdoor arena not far away. “Why do they have one outside when there’s a perfectly good one indoors?”

  Carissa peered toward the outdoor arena. “It gets pretty busy in the late spring, summer, and fall. Once the outdoor arena completely dries out, a lot of our clients prefer to work outside. We set up jumps on one end of this arena and cavalletti poles on the other.”

  Tori scrunched her brows. “Cava-what?”

  Carissa waved at the stack of poles lying on the ground outside the arena. “You place those poles on short stands a certain distance apart and walk your horse over them, then trot, then canter. It’s the beginning training step to teaching a horse to jump, or to teach a student how to gu
ide a horse over obstacles.”

  “Oh.” Tori moistened her lips. “I think I’ll pass. Staying on at a walk is enough.”

  Carissa laughed. “You might not feel that way after you’ve ridden awhile. It gets in your blood and can be quite addictive, once you understand what you’re doing and get the hang of riding.”

  Tori didn’t seem convinced. “Maybe, but I still don’t think I want to learn to jump or even walk over cava-whatever-they-are.”

  Kate stifled a giggle. “Cavalletti. And I’d love to learn to jump. It’s one of the things I’ve always wanted to do.”

  Carissa struck off along a path leading to a pasture fenced with white boards. “Rocket is in this pasture. He was turned out last night, since he’s been cooped up in a stall for a couple of days. We let them out so they don’t get barn sour or start cribbing.” She looked at Tori. “That means they chew and suck on wood when they get bored. Thoroughbreds tend to do it more than some breeds, and we don’t want Rocket to start a bad habit.”

  She placed her fingers to her lips and let loose with a shrill whistle, then removed a bag of apple treats from her jacket pocket. “We’ll get more than Rocket, since we reward them with treats when they come. Sure saves a lot of running around the pasture trying to catch them.”

  A small herd of a half-dozen horses galloped toward them, a mix of bays and chestnuts, but Kate didn’t see a gray. “Where’s Rocket?”

  Carissa shaded her eyes and waited, then blasted the whistle again. All of a sudden the big gray horse appeared in the distance, running at a fast gallop.