Rowan Tree Stables E-Book

Nina Carberry

• Herausgeber: Gill Books
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 98

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Grace and her best friend Aaron love helping out at Rowan Tree Stables, where their ponies are best friends too. Together, they have lots of adventures! Both of them are working hard to qualify for the much-anticipated Dublin Horse Show at the RDS. But when Aaron falls ill, Grace has to face up to the possibility of attending the biggest horse-riding event of the year without her best friend by her side. Then, on the morning they're due to leave for Dublin, there's a crisis at the stable. Will either of them get to compete?

Leseprobe

ROWAN TREE STABLES

Horse ShowSurprise

Nina Carberry

ILLUSTRATED BY NUNO ALEXANDRE VIEIRA

GILL BOOKS

With thanks to Lora Lee

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Map

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Glossary

Copyright

About the Author / About the Illustrator

About Gill Books

  Chapter 1  

‘That was grand!’ Grace called out to Aaron as he cleared the vertical pole jump on Nipper. ‘Keep that up and you’ll definitely qualify for the Royal Dublin Show today.’

‘Thanks,’ said Aaron, bringing his pony, Nipper, alongside Grace and her grey mare, Daisy. ‘This is almost our last chance. If we don’t make it through now there’s only one qualifier left.’

‘We nearly have enough points each.’ Grace did some sums in her head. ‘Though we both need to be placed in the top four.’

‘You make it sound so easy,’ Aaron complained.

It was a sunny weekend in June and Grace and Aaron and their ponies, Daisy and Nipper, were competing at the Doonmar horse show, where they were hoping to qualify for the internationally renowned Royal Dublin Show in August.

‘Why not?’ said Grace confidently. ‘We’ve worked hard for this. Daisy’s fit enough to jump a mountain, Nipper too. Nothing can stop us now!’

‘Don’t count your ponies before they’re in the stable,’ said Aaron, who was always more cautious about things than Grace. ‘Have you seen the competition? They’re all really good.’

‘So are we! I’m going over the practice jump one more time, though.’ Grace gathered up her reins and asked Daisy to go forward. Aaron could be as careful as he liked; she had been watching the other riders closely and she and Daisy were just as good as any of them. She waited for a boy on a skewbald pony to jump the triple bar. When they were clear she put Daisy at it. As she cantered closer, a girl riding a pretty white Connemara pony cut in front of her.

‘Excuse me!’ bellowed Grace, turning Daisy in a tight arc to avoid a collision.

The Connemara jumped big, neatly tucking his hooves under him and clearing the triple bar with ease. The girl riding him punched her fist in the air as she pulled up. Seething with indignation, Grace rode Daisy at the jump again. But Daisy had lost her focus and her front hooves rapped the jump, bringing a pole down with a clatter.

That did it! Fuelled by a wave of anger, Grace rode over to the girl. ‘There was a queue and I was first!’ she said.

The girl slowly looked Grace up and down. Her triumphant expression turned to one of disdain. Grace was suddenly very aware of how smart the other girl looked. Her dark hair was tucked neatly into a hairnet and she wore a tailored riding jacket over spotless white jodhpurs. Grace pushed her plait over her shoulder and sat up straighter. The girl smirked.

‘Really, why would you even bother turning up? You’re from Rowan Tree Stables, aren’t you? There’s no way that you or your little riding school pony will make it to the RDS, unlike Dancer here who was bred to be a champion.’ The girl’s lips curled in a taunting smile as she rode away.

‘Rowan Tree isn’t just any old riding school, it’s the best —’ Grace called after her, but Aaron cut her off. ‘Don’t waste your breath on Imogen. She’s so not worth it.’

‘You know her?’ Grace’s mouth fell open.

‘Know of her,’ corrected Aaron. ‘She’s the same age as us even though she acts superior. She goes to Orla’s drama club. She’s just as stuck up and full of herself there. She’s an even bigger pest than Orla.’

‘Orla’s all right,’ said Grace, who liked Aaron’s little sister. Her face hardened. ‘We definitely have to win now. I’m not being beaten by Little Miss Snooty Pants.’

Aaron paled and Grace noticed that he had clenched his hands into fists.

‘Are you OK?’ she asked. Her eyes widened. ‘You’re not scared of Imogen, are you?’

Slowly Aaron let out his breath and released his hands. ‘I just feel a bit sick. It’s probably pre-show nerves.’

‘More likely it’s all the sweets we pigged out on,’ Grace chuckled. ‘Let’s take the ponies back to the trailer and get a drink. That might help.’

They rode across the showground to the trailer, where they found Grace’s grandad, Denis, sitting in a deckchair drinking coffee from a flask. Grace and Aaron dismounted, loosened their girths and ran up their stirrups before tying Daisy and Nipper up to the back of the trailer.

They had a drink of water and then it was time to walk the show-jumping course.

‘Feeling better?’ asked Grace.

Aaron nodded, though he still looked a little pale.

‘Want me to come walk the course with you?’ Grandad asked.

‘Definitely,’ said Grace and Aaron together.

Having competed in previous events, Grace and Aaron were very familiar with the types of jumps and the layout of the qualifier course. It was always the same: a mixture of parallel jumps, a wall, an upright, an oxer, planks and a triple bar. In some shows the jumps were brightly painted but today the style was rustic, and the jumps blended into the fields where the show was taking place.

‘Nipper’s favourite style of jumps,’ said Grace. Nipper was more nervous than Daisy and preferred the plainer jumps to the brightly coloured ones.

After walking the course, Grace and Aaron went over to the steward’s marquee to find out the running order. There were 14 competitors. Grace was riding 13th and Aaron 11th.

‘That’s good,’ said Grace, pleased that they were near the end rather than the beginning. ‘When it gets to our turn, we’ll have a better idea of who we need to beat and how fast we have to ride.’

‘But not so fast we knock down fences,’ Aaron cautioned.

‘Of course,’ said Grace.

‘Aaron has a point,’ said Grandad. ‘You can be over confident and that’s when mistakes happen. Watch out for the two parallels. If you don’t take off in the right position for the first one your stride will be wrong and you’ll struggle to clear the second.’

‘Good advice,’ said Grace, storing it away for later.

As they waited for their turn to ride, Grace grew restless, while Aaron became even quieter than he usually was when competing.

It’s because we’re running out of time to qualify, thought Grace. Both she and Aaron had worked so hard over the last two seasons, having jumping lessons with Gabriela, the student instructor at Rowan Tree Stables; competing at every show they could get to; and keeping themselves fit by training with their triathlon club. Grace took some deep breaths to calm herself, knowing that Daisy would pick up on her mood. She was secretly pleased that Aaron was riding first; even though he was her best friend, she still wanted to beat him.

‘Good luck!’ she called when his turn came and he was about to enter the ring.

‘Take it steady. You only need to come in the top four to qualify,’ Denis reminded him.

Aaron nodded as he entered the show-jumping ring. The announcer called out his name and added that Nipper was owned by Mr Denis O’Brien. He trotted over to the start of the course and halted smartly. When the bell sounded, Aaron rode Nipper at the first jump, an offset parallel. Nipper cleared it with room to spare and galloped on but, as Aaron turned him towards the wall, he held Nipper back.

‘Too cautious,’ murmured Grace. Aaron needed to ride much faster than that if he was going to be placed.

Nipper fought for his head as he galloped over to the wall. He changed leg, and then, just as he should have taken off, he pulled up, skidding to a sudden halt in front of the wall.

‘Nooooo!’ Grace gasped.

  Chapter 2  

Aaron and Nipper had messed up.

‘What was Aaron thinking?’ asked Grandad.

Grace was too shocked to answer. Anyone could see that Aaron had slowed Nipper down, but Grace was sure that he’d actually held Nipper back at the jump. Why would he do that?

Aaron circled Nipper away and took the wall again. This time Nipper cleared it. Grace could barely watch as Aaron continued slowly and cautiously around the course. When he rode at the last jump, the triple bar, Nipper was eager to go, but again Aaron held him back.

‘Too close,’ said Grace when Aaron finally let Nipper take off. He careered through the triple, scattering poles in all directions.

Aaron’s face was white and his eyes hollow as he rode from the ring. He completely ignored Imogen, the next rider to compete, when she shouted unkindly, ‘Bad luck, but only to be expected from a riding school pony!’

Grace fought back her anger. Arguing with Imogen wouldn’t help anyone. As Imogen jumped, Grace focused on Dancer, willing him to knock something down. He didn’t, of course, and Imogen punched the air as she rode from the ring having gone clear.

‘Anyone could ride clear on Dancer,’ said Grace unkindly. ‘He’s a great horse. Did you see how big he jumps?’

‘Grace, you’re better than that,’ her grandfather scolded her gently. ‘It’s your turn now. Good luck and don’t forget to enjoy the ride.’

Grace nodded, feeling slightly abashed at her outburst. She cleared her mind, focusing only on Daisy and the task ahead as they rode into the ring. The PA squeaked into life and the commentator announced that Imogen and Dancer had moved into the lead. Grace needed to ride well and ride clear in under 37 seconds to be placed in the top four and earn the points she needed.

But she wanted more than that. I want to beat Imogen and Dancer, Grace thought, as she rode into the arena. Her mouth was set in a determined line as she rode Daisy at the offset parallel. Daisy cleared it with room to spare, kicking out her heels as they landed.

Grace steadied her with her legs and reins, guiding her down the long side to the wall. Daisy jumped high and it felt to Grace as if they were flying.

The air rushed into her face and her plait flew out behind her. They landed with a thud and Daisy sped up, clearing the parallel with plenty of room to spare.

The showground faded away and Grace imagined that instead of a field she was in Dublin riding at the RDS in front of a packed stadium. It was easy to dream as Daisy cleared the following five jumps in textbook style. Grace’s face softened into a huge smile as they belted down the home stretch to the final jump, the triple bar.

‘And Grace Ryan rides her Connemara pony Daisy into first place,’ Grace murmured as she asked Daisy to take off.

But Daisy was beginning to tire. In her mind, Grace had already won. As they rose over the final jump, she was so confident that they’d beaten Imogen and Dancer that Grace didn’t notice when Daisy rapped the bar with a rear hoof. Catching sight of her grandfather at the ringside, she saw his mouth purse and his face crumple. Then she heard the rattle of the pole as it hit the grass behind her.

‘What?’ Turning her head in disbelief, Grace stared at the fallen jump.