Horsewoman Book 2: Summer Camp

Chapter 1

"Chloe! Jas! Over here!"                                                                                                                                         I waved my purple lunch cooler over my head at my friends, who smiled and made their way through the crowded cafeteria with their lunch trays. They slid into the bench beside me.                                               "Last day of school!" Jas exclaimed, peeling a hard-boiled egg.                                                                           "Yes!" Chloe chimed in. "I'm so happy! What are your plans for the summer?"                                                 "I'm going to Caliridge Advanced Horse Camp for three weeks," I said and bit into a granola bar.                                "Wow! Caliridge? I've always wanted to go there!" Said Chloe.                                                                             "Yeah! You're so lucky," added Jas, munching a sandwich.                                                                                     "That reminds me, do you want to come over and ride?" I asked.                                                                        "Oh, totally," said Chloe. Chloe had boarded her red-roan mare, Sunshine, at our barn.                                      "I'm in!" Said Jas.                                                                                                                                                   "We can do the cross-country trails," I said, and we all nodded in unison.

"I'm home!" I yelled at our house. I entered and slung my horseshoe-patterned backpack to the floor. Mom glanced up from the meatballs she was making.                                                                                           "Hi, Honey. Backpack in the closet."                                                                                                                               I made a face and hung up my backpack. "Jas and Chloe are coming over in a few minutes," I said. "Can we do the cross-country trails?"                                                                                                                      "Yes," said Mom. "As long as you wear your vest and helmet. And make sure to bring your crop. You know how Skye can be."                                                                                                                                         "Ok," I said. I rushed up the stairs to my room, took a quick shower, and changed into breeches. I grabbed my vest, crop, and helmet from my tack chest and rushed downstairs. I took a sugar cube from a jar and a carrot from the fridge before dashing out the door.

"Hi, Skye!" I said happily, walking towards her stall. I fed her the carrot and sugar cube before taking out my grooming kit. I heard someone singing an off-tune version of Happy Birthday. I peeked out of the stall to see Ella, my eight-year-old sister, and her pony, Opal. Ella wore a yellow birthday had with blue polka dots, and Opal wore a matching hat attached to his halter.                                                                "What're you doing, Ella?" I asked, stifling a giggle.                                                                                            "It's Opal's seventh birthday! I'm celebrating with him," she answered, and held up a tiny cake made out of oats and molasses.                                                                                                                                       I smiled. "Happy birthday, Opie." Then I turned back to groom Skye.                                                                            Skye is my four-year-old, 16 hh, grey Andalusian mare. I had trained her since she was two, and now she was an amazing jumper (But also an even better balker sometimes, so I have to use my crop.)           I finished brushing her, then went to the tack room and picked up her jumping saddle. After slinging the headstall of Skye's hackamore over my shoulder, I walked back to her and saddled her. I led Skye by the reins into the barnyard, where Jas and Chloe were waiting. Chloe was holding Sunshine, already saddled.                                                                                                                                                              "Which horse can I ride, Cristal?" Jas asked.                                                                                                            "Um, let me think," I said. "You can ride Cherry, the liver chestnut Hackney mare. She's in stall thirteen, and her saddle and hackamore have her name on them."                                                                                  Minutes later, Jas led Cherry out. We pulled on our vests and buckled our helmets securely. I lengthened the left stirrup for easy mounting, then tightened it. I made a loose V with the reins and crop before clucking my tongue and kicking Skye's side. She stepped forward in a smooth walk.