Gold Medal Rider Read Online Free Page A

and ran the stirrups up on their leathers. “And cool him out completely. If he colics it’ll be your fault!” Beatrice’s boots clicked sharply as she walked out the door. A moment later an engine revved, and through the glass window on the door they could see a sleek sports car, with Beatrice driving, tearing away from the stable, spraying gravel as it went. The young man murmured to Southwood and softly stroked his nose.
    “Ugh,” Stevie said. “She can really ride, but ugh!”
    “I told you so,” Carole said. “That’s exactly what she was like when I met her at Dorothy and Nigel’s farm on Long Island.”
    Now Nigel looked downcast. Dorothy put her arm around him. “Don’t be upset,” she said to her husband. “I understand how you feel, but Southwood is ready. He’ll be fine.”
    Nigel opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and shook his head. “I hope so,” he said at last.
    “What’s wrong with Southwood?” Carole asked.
    “Nothing.” Nigel began to walk down the stable aisle. The rest of them followed him silently. When they reached Southwood, Dorothy quickly felt the horse’s chestto see how hot he was. Drew lifted the saddle from Southwood’s back. Without saying a word, the four girls began to help: Carole and Kate took off Southwood’s leg boots, Stevie replaced his bridle with a halter, and Lisa threw a cooler over his sweating back. Drew seemed flustered. “Thank you,” he said. “You don’t have to—I can get that—really—but thank you.” He fluttered his hands at them. “I can get it. Really.”
    “We like to help,” Lisa told him. He was so awkward that she felt sorry for him.
    “Drew, your sudden helpers are our guests for the weekend,” Dorothy explained. “Girls, this is Drew Gustafs, our fantastic groom and Southwood’s best friend. Drew, this is The Saddle Club—Kate, Carole, Stevie, and Lisa.”
    Drew looked skinnier close up than he had from farther away. He had a mop of wiry mouse-brown hair that stood out from his head. One of his eyebrows was higher than the other, and he had a tiny scar on the corner of his mouth. His eyes were kind, and even though he seemed shy he had a nice smile. “Thanks,” he said again, with a duck of his head. “I better get Southwood cooled out.” He clucked to the horse and led him out of the barn.
    “He seems more comfortable with the horse than with people,” Kate remarked as they watched him go.
    Dorothy chuckled. “I think he is.”
    “What’s wrong with Southwood?” Carole repeated.
    Nigel massaged his forehead. “He’s fine,” he said. “The problem is that Beatrice expects too much from him. He’s a tremendously talented horse, but he’s very young and he’s just now qualified for the advanced level. Beatrice wants him to do as much as possible as quickly as possible. Above all, she wants him to win. I think she should slow down. Southwood has plenty of time. If she makes him compete in difficult events before he’s entirely ready, she could end up scaring him or even hurting him. If they have an accident it’ll take a long time for him to regain his confidence. By going too fast, Beatrice could slow him down in the long run.”
    “Beatrice and Nigel both think Southwood can go all the way,” Dorothy explained. “They just have different ideas about how to get him there.”
    The girls looked at one another. “I’ll ask,” Lisa said finally. “What do you mean by ‘all the way’?”
    “What do you think, Kate?” Nigel asked. “I bet you know what we mean.”
    “The Olympic Games,” Kate said. She shrugged and smiled. “What else?”
    “Wow,” Stevie said. “Really? Southwood in the Olympics? That’ll be so cool!”
    Carole looked stunned. “I rode an Olympic horse?” she asked.
    Nigel held up his hands. “Hold on,” he said, laughing. “Not yet, you didn’t. It’s a very long road to the Olympics,and there are a lot of horses trying to get there. We’ll see how Southwood