For my god daughter, Isabelle Cook

  Hello Everyone,

  The idea for my stories grew while I was out on long rides and driving to various competitions. I found my imagination full of characters and storylines. So Tilly and her horsehair bracelets, based around a simple bracelet that was made out of the tail hairs of a wonderful horse I once rode, were created.

  I wrote the series to help us all understand the responsibilities we have when involved with horses and ponies, whether looking after them, riding them or even dreaming about them - building those partnerships based on trust and mutual respect.

  I love the saying ‘If you want to have a good friend, you need to be a good friend’. This is how we should all be to both horses and humans!

  More than anything, I want you to realise how wonderfully special our four legged friends are. I have been so very lucky and privileged to have had many, many great moments with them. They are absolutely my whole life and it’s thanks to them these stories about Tilly following her passions came into being.

  I hope you enjoy them -

  One

  It was nearly the end of the Easter holidays which, for Tilly Redbrow and her friends at Silver Shoe Farm, meant one thing: the countdown to Pony Club camp had started. Tilly was keen to get as much riding practice as possible before her first camp, so she’d asked Angela, her instructor and the owner of Silver Shoe Farm, to give her extra lessons.

  That evening they were working on her canter. Angela was reminding Tilly to use her legs and voice to instruct Rosie, the strawberry roan pony she shared with Mia.

  ‘You’re looking more confident, Tilly,’ Angela called. ‘Keep sending her forward with the leg, and avoid the temptation to pull on the reins. Soften both arms a bit more.’

  Tilly relaxed her arms, and gave a little nudge with both heels.

  ‘Come on, Rosie,’ she said. ‘Come on, girl.’

  Rosie followed Tilly’s instruction without hesitation, and they completed two circuits of the sand school, as Angela watched.

  ‘That’s it! Grow a little taller. Keep those shoulders back and try not to drive with your seat!’

  Tilly immediately straightened up, but when she caught sight of Mia waving frantically from the fence, she lost concentration.

  ‘Hey, guys! Come quick. Duncan thinks Sarafina is going to give birth soon!’

  This was exciting news because the vet had said it was unlikely she would be able to have a foal. Sarafina was a Welsh-bred mare who had been sent to Silver Shoe Farm two years ago by the charitable organisation, World Horse Welfare. She had been the worst of five horses Angela had found in a terrible condition on a remote farm. Sarafina wasn’t the first horse Angela had re-homed, and she certainly wouldn’t be the last.

  ‘I’d better go and see what’s happening,’ said Angela. ‘Why don’t you and Mia take Rosie back to the stables and then come and join us. Hopefully the vet’s already on his way.’

  Mia waited patiently while Tilly walked Rosie off to cool her down. Then they went back to the yard together.

  ‘I can’t believe it’s happening,’ said Mia, breathless with excitement as she walked beside Tilly and Rosie. ‘A new foal, here at Silver Shoe Farm!’

  ‘What’s happened so far?’ asked Tilly.

  ‘Duncan’s been checking on her every half hour for the last twenty-four hours – he looks really tired. He said he thought she was about to foal because she was producing lots of milk and she didn’t want to be near any of the other horses. They’re in the back barn, where it’s nice and quiet.’

  Tilly glanced at her watch.

  ‘But it’s nearly seven. My dad’s coming to pick me up in ten minutes.’

  ‘Phone him and tell him he can’t!’ said Mia. ‘He’ll have to come later.’

  Tilly called her dad straightaway. She pleaded with him to let her stay to watch the birth. He was worried about homework and late nights making Tilly too tired for starting back at school.

  ‘But this is like being at school, Dad,’ she explained. ‘It’s educational!’

  In the end, he agreed.

  ‘Phew!’ said Tilly.

  The girls knew they had to be quiet when they approached the barn. Duncan and Angela were watching from the door.

  ‘Where’s the foal then?’ whispered Mia impatiently.

  ‘Her waters haven’t broken yet,’ said Duncan. ‘But it’s going to happen soon. Foaling usually happens any time between 10pm and 4am, so it could be a long night. If you girls want to help, a flask of tea would be great…’

  Tilly and Mia went over to the club room. They made enough tea for everyone and poured it into a thermos flask.

  ‘Do you think the foal will be male or female?’ asked Mia, opening a packet of biscuits.

  ‘Hmm… I think it’s going to be a filly,’ said Tilly. ‘I don’t know why, I’ve just got a hunch.’ ‘We’ll see. There’s so much happening – a foal for Easter, and then camp next holidays.

  Are you looking forward to it?’

  ‘I can’t wait.’

  ‘It’s going to be the best ever. We’ll get to spend the week with Cally – she’s taking Mr Fudge. We’ll have a good laugh.’

  Just thinking about it made Tilly’s stomach flutter with excitement. She was looking forward to seeing Cally too. Cally used to ride at Silver Shoe Farm until she moved to Cavendish Hall, the exclusive boarding school near North Cosford. The camp was going to bring them back together again.

  ‘Let’s go and see how Sarafina is getting on,’ said Mia.

  The girls carried the flask and biscuits to the barn. As they got near, Duncan beckoned them over and whispered,

  ‘Her placenta has ruptured!’

  ‘Oh no!’ said Mia, alarmed.

  ‘No, no. It’s a good thing,’ he said. ‘It’s supposed to happen. It means labour has started. Come and look.’

  Tilly shivered with anticipation. She crept up to the door of the barn and peered over. Sarafina was lying on her side, on a bed of straw. The air inside seemed perfectly still and quiet, as though something magical was about to happen. Sarafina didn’t seem to mind that people were watching. In fact, she hardly seemed aware of them. She looked peaceful. Tilly imagined she was thinking about meeting her baby. Nothing else mattered.

  ‘Do we need to do anything?’ she asked.

  ‘We aren’t going to interfere if we can help it,’ said Angela. ‘Hopefully nature will do its thing, and Sarafina can deliver her foal all by herself. The vet’s not far away if we need him.’

  Twenty minutes later, Sarafina began to push. She groaned a little, and as she did, a smooth, thin white sac appeared. Within the sac was the first glimpse of the foal. Its front hooves came out, one slightly ahead of the other, and then gradually the nose and head were pushed out.

  Tilly stared, open-mouthed. She’d never seen anything like it before.

  After a little rest, Sarafina continued pushing. Next came the shoulders and body, followed by the hips and back legs. At last, the foal was out in the world. It rested with its mother for fifteen minutes or so, and during that time, no one said a word. Everyone was happy just to watch.

  Eventually, Sarafina stood up, breaking the umbilical cord, and although it caused some bleeding, Duncan assured the girls that this was fine. It took a number of very wobbly attempts before the newborn finally stood up, but Tilly couldn’t quite believe how quickly the foal was able to get to its feet.

  At this point, Duncan stepped in to take a closer look and help guide it towards its mother to encourage it to feed.

  ‘I think we’ve got ourselves a filly!’ he said proudly.

  Tilly studied the helpless little creature – she had weak bandy legs and a scrawny body. She could barely keep herself upright.

  It seemed strange to think that one day she’d be big and strong, like Magic Spirit. But of course she would be.

  ‘What shall we call her?’ asked Angela.

  Tilly thought about this for a moment. She knew that Sarafina had been lucky to spend time at Silver Shoe, overcoming her neglect and poor condition. And it had only been by chance that Angela happened to have a smart stallion in for schooling at the same time Sarafina was in season.

  ‘Lucky Chance,’ she said smiling.

  ‘Perfect!’ said Angela, and everyone agreed.

  Two

  Lucky Chance was in Tilly’s thoughts constantly, which made the build up to Pony Club camp go pleasantly fast. Every evening after school she went to the farm and checked on her progress.

  In a short time Lucky changed so much. Her coat dried out and her fuzzy mane began to stick up. She stayed close to Sarafina, and looked tiny next to her – even though she was growing daily. Tilly loved the way her body and head seemed too big for her spindly legs, and that her enormous knees stuck out like tennis balls.

  As the weeks went by, the weather improved and the evenings became lighter. Life at Silver Shoe Farm continued to be as busy as ever. The stable yard was always buzzing with the usual mucking out, feeding and grooming routines, and as the girls went about their work, there was constant chatter about camp.

  June was ideal for sunny evening hacks. Tilly made sure she did plenty of those, joining Mia for explorations of the tracks and bridle paths around the farm. But whenever she could, she went down to the long field to see Lucky Chance. The good weather meant Lucky could spend more time out in the field. The exercise helped with her development and it was funny watching her try to keep up wit

h Sarafina.

  Tilly didn’t want Rosie or Magic Spirit to feel left out, so she made sure she spent time with them too. The days flew by and in no time at all it was time for camp. The day before camp – she groomed Magic Spirit before going to watch his training session with Duncan.

  As she brushed him, she told him all about Lucky Chance’s progress.

  ‘It’s amazing, Magic. That tiny little newborn has become a bold young foal. She’s walking around the field and mixing with the other mares. Hey, maybe she’ll be a champion one day – what do you think?’

  Magic lifted his head and pricked his ears forward.

  ‘Was that a yes or a no? Oh, never mind! You’ll have to look after Lucky Chance while I’m away at camp. She’s the newest kid on the block, so you’ll need to make sure she’s happy and safe. You’d make a good step-dad. And she’s so tiny and you’re so big. I’m trusting you. Magic.’

  With that, Magic turned and gave Tilly a friendly nudge with his nose. Tilly took it as a positive response. She loved chatting to him about all sorts of things. If she had a problem or worry, he was the first to know. If she had some news or a funny story she always shared it with him during grooming sessions. In some ways, he was her best friend.

  ‘Okay,’ she said, patting his neck. ‘Time to meet Duncan. He says you’re going to practise transitions today.’

  Tilly attached a lead rope to Magic’s head collar, led him across the yard, and tied him up in the wash box ready for tacking up. She thought about how far Magic had come since his arrival at Silver Shoe Farm as a rescue horse. He’d been in a terrible condition then – underfed and covered in sores, and it had taken lots of care and patience to build up his health. Then, just a few months ago, he’d had a bout of colic, which had been a scary time. The vet couldn’t be certain that Magic would pull through, but with Tilly’s special attention, he’d made a full recovery. And now he’d been lunged and backed, it was only a matter of time before he’d be ready for Tilly to try. It was an exciting thought.

  Riding Magic was something Tilly couldn’t wait to do. That really would feel like a dream coming true. She knew she had to be patient though. Duncan and Angela wouldn’t let her do it until they were certain Magic would carry her safely.

  Duncan came in carrying a saddle and a snaffle bridle.

  ‘Let’s get this on him,’ he said.

  Tilly helped place the saddle on Magic’s back and secure it in place, while Duncan put on the bridle.

  Once tacked up, Duncan got on and took Magic towards the outdoor school. As they walked, Duncan kept changing Magic’s direction, making small circles and loops. He wanted to concentrate on Magic’s basic steering and, every so often, would ask him to halt using his voice, as well as other aids.

  ‘I want him to step forward and up into the halt transition,’ he explained to Tilly. ‘If I use my hands too much as I close my leg, he’ll resist me, so I’ve got to be quick to soften the rein as soon as I’ve asked for the transition, then lighten my seat slightly so his back can come up. If I sit too heavy, he’ll just hollow his back and resist.’

  Magic soon worked out what Duncan was asking for. It wasn’t the neatest halt in the world, but Tilly was impressed. She was also impressed by how quiet and patient Duncan was.

  ‘It looked as if you hardly did anything,’ she remarked.

  ‘Sit as still as you can, soft with the hands – that’s the best approach,’ said Duncan. ‘Sometimes you might see riders stop their horses by hauling back on the reins and pulling on their mouths in the process. But if a horse is trained properly, he’ll learn to respond to very soft, light aids, and hearing the word ‘whoa’. There’s no need to yank the reins. Watch…’

  Duncan performed the exercise again, and this time Magic was quicker to respond. They did it several times, and eventually Magic was stopping neatly and squarely, as if he was a horse with years of experience.

  ‘Good boy!’ called Tilly proudly. She loved watching these training sessions, because they taught her so much about horsemanship. She was hungry to learn and Silver Shoe Farm was the ideal place for that.

  Just as Tilly was getting ready to leave, Angela came over.

  ‘Before you go,’ she said. ‘Would you mind moving Lucky and Sarafina to the small field for me?’

  ‘No problem,’ said Tilly. She was happy to do it.

  She found them grazing together in the shade. She put a head collar on Sarafina and as soon as she starting leading her towards the gate, Lucky followed.

  ‘It won’t be long before you’re wearing your own head collar,’ she told Lucky, as they walked through to the next field. ‘You’re growing fast. I’m going to miss you so much while I’m at camp.’

  Three

  The Friday evening before camp, Tilly sat in her room and organised her packing. She spread everything across the carpet, and texted Cally and Mia to check that she had what she needed:

  HI. HOW MANY PAIRS OF JODHPURS DO YOU THINK I NEED? T. XXX

  Cally replied straightaway:

  AS MANY AS YOU’VE GOT! X

  Tilly looked at her collection. She had three pairs. The ones Cally had given her when she first joined Silver Shoe Farm; the cool denim-look pair her mum and dad had given her for her birthday; and a new beige competition pair that her Aunty Jackie had bought her especially for her first Pony Club camp and maybe, hopefully, for her fist show.

  Tilly’s mum appeared at the door.

  ‘I wanted to check you’ve got everything you need,’ she said, smiling. She came in and sat down on Tilly’s bed.

  ‘Look at all this stuff! I hope your bag is big enough. Are you excited?’

  Tilly nodded.

  ‘It’s the first time you’ve been away on your own, Tilly. So grown up. I’m sure you’ll love every minute!’

  Tilly joined her mum on the bed and gave her a hug. Suddenly she felt a bit like Lucky, wanting to follow Sarafina everywhere.

  She’d been so busy thinking about what to take and what she was going to do when she got there, that she had forgotten she was going to be away from her mum and dad for a whole week.

  ‘It’s a big adventure,’ said her mum, stroking her hair. ‘It’s fine to feel a bit nervous. But Cally and Mia will look after you. And you can always phone us, okay?’

  ‘Thanks, Mum.’

  Tilly smiled. She pictured herself and Rosie parading around the yard – there would be all sorts of games and activities. She knew everyone would be sleeping in dormitories, and Mia had told her that there would be midnight feasts every night.

  ‘Before you go,’ said her mum slowly, ‘I want to give you something.’

  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled photo, then handed it to Tilly. It was a picture of a young woman with long dark hair, standing next to a stunning black horse. The woman was wearing riding boots and a fringed suede jacket.

  ‘Who’s that?’ said Tilly.

  ‘Well… that’s your birth mother.’

  Tilly gasped.

  ‘The social worker at the children’s home gave us this photo, along with your special horsehair bracelet, when we adopted you. You’re old enough to have this now and I think you should, especially as you’re going away for the first time.’

  Tilly had always known she was adopted. She stared at the photograph, open-mouthed. Eventually she managed to speak.

  ‘Sh-she looks just like me.’

  ‘Yes, she does. You’ve got her eyes and her hair,’ said her mum. ‘And look at the horse. Everyone’s been saying what a natural you are around the horses at Silver Shoe Farm, and now you’re going off to Pony Club camp, I thought the time was right to share this with you. It looks like you and your mother both had a special gift with horses.’

  ‘It’s wonderful,’ said Tilly. ‘It all makes sense, doesn’t it? The reason I love horses so much is because my birth mother did.’

 

1 2 3 4 5