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- Herausgeber: Nosy Crow Ltd
- Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
- Serie: Sunshine Stables
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
At Sunshine Stables, dreams become adventures! Young pony fans will love this fantastic illustrated pony club series from Olivia Tuffin. Sienna loves helping out at Sunshine Stables in exchange for rides on Apples, a perfect little Shetland. Nobody believes Sienna when she says that Apples has racing instincts. When a trip to a grand stables goes wrong, it's Sienna and Apples' chance to race to the rescue! 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 - Amina and the Amazing Pony
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Sienna leaned forwards, lifting her seat up and out of the saddle, wishing she’d put on her goggles. For a couple of seconds she was in that international arena, the crowd roaring her name as Apples’ silky mane whipped against her cheeks and a surge of adrenaline rushed through her body…
FOR RUBY
Chapter 1
Watching her mum’s car leave Vale Farm and head towards home, Sienna clutched her rucksack to her chest and yawned. The crisp cold air filled her mouth and made her shiver. She had only been outside this early once before, setting off for a special family holiday in Spain. This time, Mum had only driven her ten minutes across town, but Sienna felt just as excited. She felt like her stomach was filled with happy butterflies.
The other pony club members stood nearby, huddled together against the cold. Sienna didn’t know them very well. They’d all met at Lainey’s summer pony camp, and Sienna had only recently joined them for the day activities in winter. But they all seemed friendly, and Vale Farm was Sienna’s favourite place on earth. It was the home of Lainey and her children, Jack and Emily, and, most importantly, all the lovely ponies.
It was still dark and most of the ponies were asleep, but some stuck their heads sleepily over their stable doors. Under the soft orange glow of the yard lights, Sienna saw rumpled forelocks, shavings stuck like snowflakes on woolly coats, colourful thick rugs keeping clipped coats warm. There was dear Henry, his bushy mane tangled with hay, and little Gorse, his thick Exmoor coat providing all the warmth he needed. Nutmeg the palomino was flat-out snoozing, and Luna, the speedy chestnut, was bundled up in a smart red wool rug. Sienna’s gaze travelled down the line of stables and she smiled as she spotted the half-size door painted in merry pink and white stripes. There was Apples, her very favourite pony of them all.
A beam of bright light swung across the stables as a coach pulled into the yard. Sienna’s heart leapt. They were about to go to London and the incredible Christmas Horse Show! Suddenly she felt anxious. This really was going to be a big adventure. Dropping her bags, she hurried across the cobbled yard towards Apples’ door. Apples scrambled to her little feet.
Sienna leaned over the door and threw her arms around the soft pony in a big hug. “I knew you’d make me feel brave,” she whispered into Apples’ ear. Apples gave a soft whicker in response.
A golden-coloured Shetland with a lustrous cream mane and tail and the biggest amber eyes, Apples was perfection. She was too small for Lainey’s regular clients so she spent most of her time taking very small children for short rides on the lead rein. But Sienna was small and slight and often mistaken for someone much younger, so Lainey allowed her to ride Apples, and Sienna couldn’t have been happier.
Sienna helped Lainey out on Saturdays in exchange for rides. Her lessons on Apples were the best part of her week. In fact, they got her through the week. Sienna sometimes found school overwhelming. It was loud, bright, and she wasn’t often sure how to act around her classmates. She listened carefully to the things they said and observed the way they acted so she could mimic them and try to blend in, but playing a part all day was exhausting. Thinking about ponies and her quiet days at the yard always made her feel calmer.
With Apples, Sienna knew she could always be herself. She could act exactly how she wanted and Apples would love her just the same. Sienna didn’t mind at all that Apples was far smaller than the other ponies in her lessons, and she didn’t mind at all that Apples’ trot was incredibly bouncy, making it harder to learn to rise. Sienna didn’t even mind sitting out the higher jumps or the trickier canter circles because Lainey was unsure as to whether Apples was capable. Sienna was sure Apples was; there had been a few moments in her lessons where it felt as though Apples was ready to spring into a fast canter, or tackle a higher jump, but she’d always been too shy to ask Lainey if she could go for it. Instead she would sit quite happily as Apples rested a leg, her hands wrapped in the pony’s thick mane, content enough to just be riding her favourite pony.
But Lainey had started to drop hints, encouraging her to try another pony. There was Henry, who Sienna adored brushing because he was so kind, and sweet Sorrel, a perfect pony for beginners. But Sienna refused to give up her Shetland. So what if she wasn’t progressing as fast as the other children at the stables? So what if she wasn’t cantering neat circles or starting to jump higher than a small cross-pole? It didn’t matter, not to her.
Sienna’s heart leapt every time she saw her name written next to Apples’ on the whiteboard for lessons. Sometimes her mum even took her to Vale Farm after school, just so Sienna could throw her arms around Apples’ stocky neck and feel the silkiness of her creamy mane. She just hoped that Lainey would agree they could stay together a little longer.
Snuggled against the cold morning, Sienna breathed in Apples’ lovely warm pony scent. “I wish you were coming with me, girl,” she whispered.
It was a big deal, being away from home for a whole day. Going on a coach, going to a big show in London with all its bustling crowds. Ever since Sienna had read about the Christmas show in her Pony magazine she’d been longing to go, and when Lainey had organised a Sunshine Stables trip she hadn’t hesitated in saying yes. Only now it was a reality, she wished she could have Apples by her side – she’d feel so much braver!
But Lainey was calling her now. It was time to board the coach. Sienna gave Apples one last hug and ran towards the others.
Chapter 2
Sienna stepped on to the coach, trying not to look panicked as she frantically sought a place to sit. She reached into her coat pocket to hold the one thing she knew would make her feel calmer: a photo of Apples, taken one bright autumn morning. Sienna stroked the corner of the photo with her thumb and made herself breathe out slowly.
