English Horse by Bonnie Bryant Read Free Book Online Page B

down her empty soda can. “I’ve ridden in a couple of small, informal meets,” she told Betsy. “I don’t really know that much about it, though—just what I’ve picked up from my dad and mum. They’re big fans.”
    “You know a lot more about it than we do,” Meg Durham said, glancing around at her friends, who nodded in agreement. “I know there’s some steeplechasing in this area, like the Maryland Hunt Cup. But a lot of us have never even seen a steeplechase in person. What’s it like?”
    Tessa smiled. “Oh, it’s good fun!” she said. “It’s really quite a lot like flat racing in some ways, though of coursethe jumps make things even more interesting. The horses that participate in professional steeplechasing in England are all Thoroughbreds, just like regular racehorses. I think that’s true here in the States, too.”
    Carole nodded. “I think you’re right,” she said. “I know one big difference, though. Or maybe you’d call it a
small
difference.” She grinned. “Steeplechase jockeys aren’t as tiny as regular jockeys.”
    “That’s true,” Tessa said with a laugh, reaching over to grab a handful of Lisa’s potato chips. She popped the chips into her mouth.
    “Did steeplechasing really start because a couple of guys wanted to race home?” Betsy asked.
    Tessa finished chewing her chips before answering. “Well, they say that’s how the sport got its name.” She shrugged. “But my father once told me that back in the nineteenth century, racetracks used to hold special flat races meant for working hunters only. When some people started entering their regular racehorses in the hunter races, the tracks added fences to the hunter course to keep the flat racers from running away with all the prizes. And that’s how the professional sport really began.”
    Stevie had finished her sandwich. She leaned back on the sun-warmed grass and made herself comfortable. “Wow,” she commented lazily. “Talk about a sport with history! Steeplechasing has it all: competition, intrigue, fun stories …”
    Tessa grinned. “If you want to hear a fun story, listen tothis. Once upon a time, a group of British cavalry officers decided to have some fun. After dinner in their barracks, they put on their nightclothes—caps and shirts—over their military uniforms, saddled up their horses, and held an after-dark steeplechase race. It came to be called the Midnight Steeplechase.”
    Tessa’s listeners laughed. “That sounds like fun!” Meg cried.
    “I bet they looked awfully silly riding over fences in their pajamas,” Polly Giacomin said with a grin.
    Stevie was grinning, too. But her smile faded a second later when she saw Veronica coming out the back door of the stable. Veronica squinted up at their group as if trying to figure out what was going on. When she spotted Tessa, she scowled, whirled around on her boot heel, and went back inside.
    Stevie glanced at Tessa. The English girl was still laughing—she hadn’t even noticed Veronica’s brief appearance. “Good,” Stevie muttered.
    “What?” Lisa asked, turning to her.
    Stevie shrugged. “Nothing,” she assured her. “Nothing at all.”
    “C OME ON, WE ’ LL show you to the tack room,” Carole said half an hour later.
    It was time to get ready for jump class. The four Saddle Club girls hurried down the aisle toward the tack room.
    Tessa rolled her eyes and smiled. “I already know wherethe tack room is,” she said. “You showed it to me at least two or three times on my tour this morning, remember? You even showed me which saddle and bridle I’m to use for Topside.”
    Stevie grinned. “That’s Carole for you,” she said. “When she gives a stable tour, she really makes it thorough.”
    The girls hurried into the tack room. Other members of Horse Wise were also racing in and out as they prepared for class. Some were carrying saddles and bridles. Others held grooming buckets or spare boots. Everyone seemed to be rushing.