Sunshine Stables: Amina and the Amazing Pony E-Book

Olivia Tuffin

• Herausgeber: Nosy Crow
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Serie: Sunshine Stables
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 66

Beschreibung

At Sunshine Stables, dreams become adventures! Young pony fans will love this fantastic pony club series from Olivia Tuffin. Amina is desperate to win a place on the Sunshine Stables showjumping team. It's her chance to prove herself - and to show off the talents of Nutmeg, her gorgeous palomino pony. But is it worth winning at all costs? Clever little Nutmeg is ready to show her what really matters... Packed with adventure and full of heart, Olivia's huge knowledge and passion for ponies shines on every page. Beautifully illustrated throughout by Jo Goodberry, this is a perfect pony story for readers aged 7+. Don't miss the other Sunshine Stables stories! - Poppy and the Perfect Pony - Sophie and the Spooky Pony - Gracie and the Grumpy Pony - Jess and the Jumpy Pony

Leseprobe

Nutmeg soared over the rails like a bird and Amina felt as though she was truly flying. It was just her and Nutmeg against the world. She wasn’t even thinking about the showjumping trial, just about how amazing it felt to jump such a wonderful pony.

FOR MAURICE

CHAPTER 1

“A riding school team? Like a proper team? At a show?”

Amina leaned over the side of her camp pony, Nutmeg, to hear a little better. She almost fell right off in excitement, and was saved by her friend Willow grabbing her arm and pulling her back. Lainey, the riding instructor standing in the middle of the arena, chuckled.

“That’s right,” Lainey said. “A Sunshine Stables team.”

Amina wiggled back into her saddle with a grin.

“It sounds a-mazing,” she said, looking at her 2friends who were all gathered round her looking equally excited. They’d just had a brilliant jumping lesson, and then Lainey had called them all into the middle of the arena. “How do we try out?”

“Well,” Lainey looked thoughtful. “In a day or so I’ll hold a little trial. I’ve already got four members who are regulars, so it was only fair to offer them a place. But I’ve got a remaining spot, and would love one of you camp members to fill it!”

There was a buzz of chatter and Amina looked around her happily. She was already having the best ever time at Sunshine Stables pony camp. It was held at the local riding school, Vale Farm, which Lainey owned. And now it was about to get even better!

The riding school was a slice of pony heaven just outside town – lovely old brick stables, and 3a cobbled yard with chickens scratching about, a pet sheep and paddocks full of the most gorgeous ponies. A few years previously, Lainey had come up with the brilliant idea of running camps for children who didn’t have their own ponies, so they could look after one of the school’s ponies as if he or she was their very own for a whole week.

Amina had been paired with Nutmeg, one of Vale Farm’s tiniest residents. But just like Amina, what she lacked in height, she more than made up for in sparkly personality!

“It sounds great,” Jess, one of Amina’s friend’s, said. “But I’ll sit this one out, if that’s OK.”

Lainey gave her a kind smile. Jess had just helped rescue a beautiful pony called Bandit, who needed some rehabilitation following a diagnosis of stomach ulcers. She was riding another pony called Sorrel in the meantime, but Amina knew she would rather wait her turn to ride Bandit with 4whom she’d formed a strong bond.

But instead of feeling sad, Amina realised she felt relief that Jess, one of the best riders at camp, had already been eliminated from the competition.

“Of course,” Lainey said warmly. “You and Bandit will have your turn soon.” She clapped her hands. “So, Jess aside, who’s up for trying?”

Everyone else’s hand shot up, including Willow’s, Poppy’s, Sophie’s and Gracie’s, all Amina’s best camp friends alongside Jess. In a short space of time, the girls had already had loads of adventures! They’d bonded on their first day, after finding an old horseshoe under the oak tree in the yard and hanging it up above their camp beds in the barn where they all slept. Amina knew they’d remain good friends, especially as some of them were going to be carrying on with riding lessons at Vale Farm, or helping there on Saturday mornings. 5

“Me!” Sophie yelled. She rode a gorgeous but cheeky Exmoor called Gorse. Sophie was the joker of the gang, and she and Gorse suited each other brilliantly!

“And me!” Gracie grinned, giving her pony, Bobby, a pat. Gracie and Bobby had got off to a tricky start but, after bonding over a lost kitten, were now the best of friends. Amina knew it would be a chance for Gracie to show everyone how far they’d come. Amina felt the first twinge 6of real competition, and the excitement faded, just a little.

“I’d love to,” Poppy said shyly, and everyone smiled. “I know Henry will look after me.” She gave her dark-bay pony a hug. With his bristly mane and heavy hooves, Henry wasn’t the flashiest pony, but he was one of the camp stars, kind and trustworthy and talented too.

“Definitely,” Willow piped up. “As long as speed is involved, Luna and I will be there!” Willow was an amazing runner, and Luna was a whizzy games pony. It was really clever, Amina marvelled, how Lainey just knew who to match each rider with. She reached forward and gave Nutmeg a hug. Just like me and Nutmeg, she thought. We’re perfect together.

Apart from Jess, everyone wanted to try out. Amina gazed around the group, feeling the twinge of competition growing stronger.

“Wonderful!” Lainey smiled at each and 7every rider, as they all sat up a little straighter. “If you make the team, we’ll travel by horse-box to Wood Plains showground, where we’ll compete against other riding schools from the area. There’s dressage and stable management in the morning. But the big event is always the showjumping in the afternoon. It’s very exciting – loads of thrills and spills! I’ve seen teams move up from tenth place to win based on the showjumping.”

Amina was already lost in thought. She imagined loading Nutmeg up into Lainey’s smart blue horse-box in a green rug with matching leg bandages. She’d be wearing a tracksuit over her cream jodhs to keep them clean, and then when 8she showjumped, she would have a navy jacket with sparkly buttons like her showjumper hero Devon Jenkins wore at competitions.

She imagined riding onto the green turf of the showjumping arena, Nutmeg wearing a Sunshine Stables saddle pad, flying over the coloured poles, her turns sharper and faster than anyone else, her teammates cheering her on as she jumped the last in record time. She’d win the event for them! Then finally, a big red rosette, and cantering around in a lap of honour.

“And remember,” Lainey continued. “It’s meant to be fun. So don’t get worried, and don’t take it too seriously.”

But Amina was taking it seriously. Everyone wanted that place. But no one wanted it more than Amina. This was her big chance to prove it had all been worth it.

CHAPTER 2

The team event was still the talk of the yard as the camp members untacked their ponies after the lesson. Everyone was chatting happily as saddles were hung up, hay nets refilled and water buckets fetched to sponge down hot ponies. Amina listened intently as the conversation flew back and forth over the cobbles.

“I’d love to be in the team,” Willow sighed as she picked up a sweat scraper. “I’ve been in teams at area athletics and it’s brilliant, but a riding team would be even better.”

“My cousin’s got a navy jacket,” Poppy said, 10wiping her bit with a cloth. “I think my auntie would post it. She got all this posh riding gear, and then gave up. Can you imagine?”

“I wonder how high the jumps are?” Sophie, who was making rather a lot of mess with a water bucket, said with a grin. “Enormous I bet.”

Poppy paled a bit, and stroked Henry.

“Hopefully not too big,” she said, sounding nervous.

“They won’t be too big,” Jess said kindly. “You heard what Lainey said – it’s meant to be fun.”

“What about you, Amina?” Gracie was leading Bobby back into his stable. “Are you and Nutmeg going for it?”

“A million per cent,” Amina said, and it must have sounded really passionate because all the girls looked at her. “I mean, yes, defo. We all are, aren’t we?”