SANDY LANE STABLES, BOOK 5 - DREAM PONY

CHAPTER 5 RYCHESTER

Rychester Riding Stables lay a good twenty minute bike ride from Jess's house, right on the other side of Colcott. Tomorrow was Monday, when Nick would be phoning the competition organizers to see what he could do. In the meantime, there was no harm in going along with the competition letter and looking around Rychester. Jess knew though, if she was completely honest with herself, that she wasn't just at Rychester that Sunday because it had been arranged for her to look around the stables. There was something else too - Jess was curious... curious to see what the stables that was taking so many Sandy Lane custom was like. Breathless and red-faced, Jess pedalled up the drive. A rather grand, gabled house stood a little way back from the road and beside it a wide, gravel drive swept through the gates and into the stable yard. Nervously Jess stopped her bike and looked around her. She 

hovered uncertainly at the end of the drive. She had arrived just as a hack as about to leave. Swinging confidently into the saddles of their beautifully turned out mounts, girls clad in immaculate riding clothes called cheerfully to one another. Jess's heart beat faster as she watched them prepare to set off. "Dido's really lively today. I'll keep her well back," cried  girl on a delicate roan. "Apollo's raring to go. I vote for lots of galloping!" Jess looked up with interst as the blonde-haired girl from the cliff tops called out from the saddle of her palomino pony. "You always vote for galloping, Camilla!" someone cried. "Just keep him away from Opal." As the ride swept past her and smartly out of the yard, Jess was horribly aware of her own dishevelled apperence. Quickly she turned her gaze to the yard. The stable yard was lined by twelve loose boxes. Beams of bright sunlight bounced blindingly off the gleaming white walls and an Arab pony hung its head from a door and gazed at Jess. Two smart looking horse boxes in racing green were parked to the left of the stable yard, and behind them, Jess could just make out the red tiled roof of a large indoor school. "Can I help you?" A frindly-looking girl, a few years older then Jess herself, strode towards her. Jess liked this girl's warm smile and welcoming manner immediately and at once forgot about looking smart. "Beautiful, isn't it?" The girl smiled as she saw Jess admiring the yard. "I'm Amy Watkins, the head stable girl. Did you want to know about riding lessons?" "Oh no. That is-" Jess paused for a second and then rushed on. "My name's Jess Adams. I've won a pony

and I was asked to come and look around the stables, only I don't know if-" But before Jess had had a chance to tell the girl that she wasn't sure if she would be keeping the pony here, the girl had started speaking. "So you're the lucky girl who's won," she smiled. "You must be so excited - it's every girl's dream to win a pony - at least it was mine. Well, feel free to look around. Your pony's arriving next week isn't she? She's going to be stabled in the loose box in the far corner." Jess was stuck for words. Suddently it all seemed so real. Amy knew about her pony and there was a stable already picked out for her! Jess felt a shiver of excitement run down her spine. "Did you say 'she'?" she quizzed Amy eagerly. "Can you tell me more about my pony? Do you know what her name is?" "Whoa, slow down," Amy laughed. "I'm sorry Jess, I don't know any more. They don't tell me much around here. Look, come into the office for a moment. There might be some details about your pony lying about." She led Jess into a smart carpeted room. Charts and timetables hung from the walls, red filing cabinets lined the walls and several high-backed chairs were grouped around a big desk. Its tidyness was a far cry from Sandy Lane's muddled little tack room which doubled as an office. Amy indicated a chair and told Jess to sit down. Then she rummaged around in drawers and glanced through the papers on the walls. After a few minutes she shook her head. "Nothing here," she said. Jess gave a little shrug.

"Poor you," Amy said, screwing up her nose in sympathy. "You must be dying to meet your pony. I'm afraid Jasper Carlisle, Rychester's owner, isn't around at the moment. He'd know more about it." At the moment the phone on the desk rang. Amy answered brightly and then her voice changed. "Hello, Barry. Can you hang on a minute?" she said. She gave Jess a glance. "Look, I have to take this call," she said quickly. "Why don't you go and check out that loose box while you're here? See if it's to your liking." Amy gave a hurried wave and Jess slipped out of the office. As Jess walked over to the corner box, she looked around her again. The sun shone brightly on the whitewashed walls, the boxes lining the yard looked smart and bright. Amy seemed really nice and friendly. Perhaps Rychester wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. Jess felt her stomach turn somersaults of excitement as she made her way to the loose box Amy had indicated.  She pulled back the well-oiled bolt on the stable door and stepped inside. The box was large and airy with whitewashed walls and fresh straw scattered over the flagstone floor. A large, clean water trough was well-placed in one corner and opposite the door hung a net of good quality hay. Jess pulled the bottom door closed and leaned over it. As the sweet scent of hay rose up to meet her, a horse whinnied in the distance. Jess gazed out across the smart stable yard and suddenly Sandy Lane was forgotten. She would keep her pony here. She liked it. Even more than that, she was sure her pony would like it here too.

"Anyway, it had all been sorted out already... they've got a box for my pony and they're expecting us and everything. Of course it's not as nice as Sandy Lane, but there wasn't a lot I could do about it." Jess gabbled on, staring resolutely down at Nick's black riding boots. Hastily she pushed back the hair from her face and absent-mindedly fiddled with Minstrel's stirrup leather. "So I guess it would probably be better to stick with Rychester... as it's all organized," she finished lamely. She looked up now and caught Nick's eye for the first time. "It's all right Jess, you don't have to explain," Nick smiled kindly. "It's a good job you came back to tell me straight away - I'd have looked a bit silly if I'd called the competition organizers and arranged something and you had changed your mind. Of course we'll miss seeing you about Sandy Lane." "Oh, but I'll be back all the time," Jess cried quickly. "I'll be bringing my pony to ride here, that's for sure." "Glad to hear it," Nick smiled. "I hope Minstrel doesn't get too jealous." He gave the little skewbald's mane a ruffle and turned to walk back to the cottage. When he was out of sight, Jess heaved a sigh and rested her head on Minstrel's neck. The pony shifted his weight and carried on slurping noisily from the water trough. The sunshine, which had lasted all day, lit up this Sunday evening and left it feeling unseasonably warm. But Jess still shivered inside her jacket as she thought of her visit to Rychester. She had been so sure it was the perfect place for her pony, and yet now she did feel a little pang of guilt that she hadn't waited until Monday for Nick to phone the competition organizers.

Still, it wasn't as if she was leaving Sandy Lane for good. She wouldn't have to hang out with the Rychester riders. All this she argued to herself, and to  Rosie, the next day at school. "But the way those girls rode those poor ponies on the clifftops that day," Rosie had groaned. "How could you want to get involved with them, Jess?" "I'm sure they're not all like that, Rosie," Jess said, trying to convince herself as much as reassure her friend. "Amy, the stables girl, is really nice and friendly." "Well if you think Rychester is OK, then I'm sure it must be," Rosie sighed. "The main thing is that your pony's happy there." Jess smiled at her friend. "It's not as if I'm leaving Sandy Lane for good anyway," she said. "I'm still going to come and ride with you and Pepper." "Oh I doubt we'll be seeing you at all Jess," Rosie grinned. "Once you get sucked into smart Rychester, you'll soon forget about your old mates!" Rosie ducked just in time to avoid Jess's flying exercise book.