The Racehorse Who Learned to Dance Read online

  ‘It’s quite a challenge to ride a thoroughbred.’ Miss Cameron’s voice carried to every corner of the arena, even though she wasn’t shouting. ‘They can be rather sensitive, as you are well aware. That’s it – keep your leg on to get him moving past that mirror. He’ll get used to it soon enough. Good girl.’

  Polly squeezed her legs against his sides and encouraged him to walk forward. Noble Warrior started to relax.

  ‘I don’t know how long I can ride for. We’ve only been doing a couple of minutes every day and only in walk,’ Polly said nervously.

  ‘You’ll be fine,’ Miss Cameron replied. ‘It’s my job to make sure of that. Now let me see your shoulders drop a bit. You’re so tense you look frozen like a statue! That’s it. And let’s focus on trying to keep him to the edge of the arena. Ride into those corners.’

  Charlie saw Polly’s body start to loosen up as she concentrated.

  ‘Buttdar!’ Miss Cameron shouted out. ‘Your leg may be numb, but your bottom is not! Use the radar in your bottom to feel the change in rhythm. That’s it! Excellent.’

  For thirty-five minutes, Cecilia Cameron put Noble Warrior and Percy through their paces. Charlie could feel her legs burning with the effort and her bottom was sore. She wondered how Polly was faring, but there was no opportunity to ask.

  ‘Charlie, bring your pony into the middle here with me. Polly, you stay on the left rein and let’s see what Noble Warrior looks like in canter.’

  ‘We haven’t –’

  But Miss Cameron cut off her protest. ‘At the next corner, Polly, ask him to move into canter. That’s it and –’ she clicked her tongue – ‘canter!’

  Noble Warrior responded to the voice command, as he had learned on the lunge rein, leading on the left leg and moving smoothly into canter. Polly’s brow furrowed in concentration. She sat into the saddle and tried to keep her left leg from moving. She kept a steady contact with his mouth, and his head dropped a little lower, his neck rounding into an elegant shape.

  ‘Try to turn his head a little more to the inside. That’s it, and keep the legs strong. Use that Buttdar! That’s it. Very nice. And when you reach C, ask him to come back into trot. Gently does it and … ter-rot. Very good.’

  Noble Warrior slowed down into a rhythmic trot and then to a walk. They turned into the centre of the arena to join Charlie and Percy.

  ‘That’s a very good start.’ Miss Cameron patted Noble Warrior on the neck. ‘Or to be precise, it was a dodgy start, but then you got better. Thatta boy.’

  Polly rubbed her leg and then wiped her forehead. She was exhausted.

  ‘It’s a very different type of work for a thoroughbred.’ The instructor seemed to be talking more to the horse than she was to his rider. ‘You have to learn to use all your muscles, don’t you? You’ve got a good attitude, though, and that helps.’ She turned her attention back to Polly. ‘And as for you, my girl, you have to use all yours too. Of all the six hundred and fifty odd muscles in your body, you will find that your main strength is in your seat and your back, not your legs. And most of all –’ she pointed at her head – ‘it’s up here, the biggest muscle of all. The brain. That’s the bit we need to work on for you and for him. You can’t go from winning the Derby to dressage horse all in one go.’

  Charlie looked alarmed as Miss Cameron examined her watch.

  ‘Anyway, that will do for today. Well done, both of you. I look forward to seeing you again next week.’

  ‘Does that mean we’ve passed?’ asked Charlie.

  Miss Cameron’s face was unreadable. She turned to walk back towards the stables and raised a hand above her head.

  ‘Next week! Same time.’

  CHAPTER 10

  ‘Joe’s coming to see us!’ Larry was waving the iPad in the air as he slid into the kitchen in his socks.

  ‘Whoa, there, son!’ Mr Bass tried in vain not to spill his cup of tea as Larry screeched to a halt. Boris barked in surprise and helped to lick up the mess on the floor.

  ‘He’s flying over from Ireland to ride at the big meeting next week,’ Larry continued, oblivious to the chaos he had caused. ‘He’ll come down on Monday.’

  ‘That’s perfect.’ Charlie looked at the calendar on the wall. ‘I’ve got netball practice on Tuesday and Polly’s lesson on Wednesday, but Monday is clear.’

  She ran down the drive with Boris panting behind her to catch the bus to school.

  ‘Morning, Mrs Wheeler!’ she called out cheerily as she swung into the bus.

  ‘Morning, love. Your brothers on their way?’ Mrs Wheeler peered past Charlie to see the two boys lumbering slowly up the newly surfaced drive, pushing each other on to the verges as they came. ‘In your own time, boys!’ she called out.

  Harry looked up and sprinted towards the bus.

  ‘Last one there’s a loser!’ he shouted back at his brother, after he’d gained an essential advantage.

  Harry reached the bus first. He put his finger and thumb on his forehead in the shape of an L.

  Charlie waved at Boris, who barked his goodbye and turned on his heel to trot back down the drive, one hind leg lifted as he hopped along. She wondered if her Border terrier had more brain power than either of her brothers.

  ‘Maybe they’d be more comfortable if I took them in your horsebox!’ Mrs Wheeler joked. ‘I’m assuming that’s why you asked if I could drive it?’

  Charlie laughed.

  ‘Don’t worry about that, Mrs Wheeler. I’ve sorted it all out.’

  As the school bus pulled into the car park, Charlie saw the dark green Range Rover.

  Mrs Williams waved. ‘Charlie!’ She waved her arm to beckon her over. ‘A word, please.’

  Charlie’s breath caught in her throat. What if Mrs Williams had found out about their secret lesson? She walked over slowly.

  ‘I hear the therapy went very well?’ Mrs Williams looked curious rather than cross. ‘I’d love to know more about it. Polly was very tired afterwards, but she wouldn’t tell me what exercises she’d been doing. We’re going to the doctor this afternoon for her latest assessment and I think she’ll be impressed.’

  Mrs Williams patted Charlie on the back approvingly and then said, ‘Polly tells me she’s seeing Miss Cameron again on Wednesday. I can cancel my plans and come along. I’m intrigued.’

  Charlie’s mouth opened and shut, but no words came out.

  ‘You just need to let me know where and when. I’ll not cause any bother, I promise. Polly said parents weren’t allowed to come to the sessions, but your mother was there, wasn’t she?’

  ‘Um …’ Charlie didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to tell an outright lie, but she knew Mrs Williams would be horrified if she knew Polly was riding Noble Warrior.

  ‘It’s c-c-complicated,’ she finally stammered. ‘You’ll have to ask Polly. She might not be ready yet for you to see her … performing.’

  ‘Oh? It’s a performance thing, is it? I thought it was therapy. I’m not sure Polly is ready to perform! She’s never liked being judged. Wouldn’t that be a bit unfair?’

  ‘Yes, no, well. Um, it is therapy.’ Charlie had to think quickly. ‘But it’s also building up to a performance and I think Polly wants it to be perfect before she can show you.’ She smiled in what she hoped was a comforting way. ‘Got to dash – going to be late for class.’ She didn’t allow Mrs Williams the chance to say anything more. She knew she would be in enough trouble without adding more lies into the mix.

  She ran into the classroom and slipped into the chair next to Polly just as the bell went for lessons to start. Dr Patterson swept into the room and demanded silence.

  ‘Today we are going to study ourselves.’

  Polly and Charlie looked at each other and made a face.

  ‘What?’ Polly mouthed.

  Charlie shrugged and shook her head.

  ‘Poor body image and low self-esteem are two of the biggest factors affecting the mental health of our pupils,’ Dr Patterson went on
. ‘Who here thinks they have the perfect body?’

  One boy put up his hand. He was the captain of the school football team.

  ‘And why do you think that, Eric?’ asked Dr Patterson.

  ‘I don’t really need to answer that, do I?’ Eric replied. He stood up and lifted his arms to flex his muscles. ‘You can see for yourself!’

  His friends laughed and cheered.

  ‘Thank you, Eric,’ said Dr Patterson, ‘for demonstrating so clearly the myth of Narcissus.’

  ‘What’s that when it’s at home?’ Eric mumbled.

  ‘Who is that, Eric, might be the more pertinent question. He was a beautiful young Greek hunter who fell in love with his own reflection in the water.’

  ‘And what’s so wrong with that?’ Eric asked as he ran a hand over his cheek and chin. His friends laughed again. ‘Totes understandable.’

  ‘He tried to kiss himself and drowned,’ Dr Patterson said as she walked towards the windows to pull down the blinds. The rest of the classroom sniggered as Eric abruptly stopped preening himself. Dr Patterson wheeled the large television in front of the white board and turned down the lights.

  ‘I want to use this morning to discuss how we can help each other by building our confidence in the way we look and how we feel about our bodies. First of all, I’m going to show you a film and then we will talk about the issues it raises.’

  Polly shifted in her chair. Charlie knew this lesson was not going to be easy for her. She noticed a shape outside the classroom door and wondered who was listening in on the lesson.

  Soon she was concentrating on the film, which showed children of all shapes and sizes while a voiceover explained that all bodies change with age. It also explained how behaviour can change and that hormones create all sorts of strange reactions and emotional swings.

  ‘That must be why Harry and Larry are always fighting,’ Charlie whispered. ‘It’s all that testosterone kicking in.’

  Towards the end there was a montage of different people doing sport. They included a girl with an artificial leg, two children zooming along a path in wheelchairs, a swimmer with restricted growth, a single-armed javelin thrower, a one-legged high jumper and a visually impaired sprinter.

  ‘Now,’ said Dr Patterson, leaving the room in the dark, ‘who thinks they have the perfect body?’

  Every single pupil started murmuring in the affirmative.

  ‘Interesting. Let’s hear why you’ve changed your minds,’ she said. ‘Who wants to go first?’

  Polly raised her hand and Dr Patterson nodded at her to speak.

  Polly put both her hands on the desk and pushed herself to her feet.

  ‘I used to think my accident had ruined my body and ruined my life.’ Her voice was quiet but steady. ‘But I am learning to think differently.’

  She paused and Charlie squeezed her arm in support.

  ‘I don’t want to limit myself by avoiding the things I think I can’t or shouldn’t do. I don’t want to stay out of the room because I’m too scared to join in.’

  ‘Can you give me an example?’ Dr Patterson asked.

  Polly swallowed and hesitated.

  ‘Netball,’ Charlie whispered.

  Polly laughed nervously, but then said, ‘I suppose I need to believe that I can still be part of a team – the netball team, for example – even if it’s not as a player.’

  ‘That’s interesting.’ Dr Patterson looked round the classroom. There was the sound of a chair scraping back and Flora Walsh got to her feet.

  ‘That’s a cool idea,’ she said. ‘We need all the help we can get if we’re going to beat St Mary’s!’

  ‘I have loads of notes. I can come to every practice session and, if you want me to, I can draw up a training programme –’ Polly was talking quickly and confidently now – ‘and find out what you should be eating and how much you need to sleep to get the best out of yourselves.’

  ‘Yeah yeah,’ came a voice from two rows behind. The words dripped with sarcasm. ‘And once you’ve magically turned us into the best team in the country, I guess you can show us how to do the ladder drill without falling over like your friend.’

  Charlie turned round, and even in the darkened classroom she could see Nadia’s beady eyes staring at her with hatred. She didn’t know what she or Polly had done to deserve such venom.

  Polly sat down as fast as she could and bowed her head.

  ‘You have been very brave, Polly. Thank you,’ said Dr Patterson.

  ‘That’s not brave,’ Polly muttered audibly. ‘You should see me riding Charlie’s racehorse!’

  There was a fraction of a second’s pause and then a strangled screech pierced through the door.

  ‘What?’

  Charlie’s blood froze. She thought that silhouette had looked familiar. Mrs Williams had heard every word.

  CHAPTER 11

  ‘You’ve been riding?’ Polly’s mother was furious. ‘And when exactly were you going to tell me about this? Or indeed ask my permission?’

  She glared at Polly. The three of them were standing in the corridor outside the classroom next to the board on which were pinned messages designed to comfort and inspire the pupils.

  SOME THINGS TAKE SOME TIME AND EFFORT read one of them.

  Too right, thought Charlie.

  ‘It wasn’t her idea, Mrs Williams.’ Charlie positioned herself so that Mrs Williams could see the message that read I EMBRACE CHALLENGE. ‘It’s just that she and Noddy have such a good connection and I know, in my heart of hearts, I really know that he would never hurt her.’

  ‘You know that, do you, Charlotte Bass? How? Do you think you’re Doctor Dolittle? Can you suddenly talk to the animals? Well, I don’t think so – and I don’t think you have any idea of what a racehorse is capable of doing. Especially one as jumpy as Noble Warrior!’

  No one used Charlie’s full name unless they were really, really cross. Mrs Williams folded her arms in what Charlie thought was quite an aggressive manner.

  ‘I’ve seen it first-hand,’ she continued. ‘I’ve seen terrible falls on the gallops at home. I’ve seen how fast racehorses can whip round and gallop off in the opposite direction. They are not playthings!’

  Her eyes were sparkling with fury as she turned on Charlie. ‘To think I trusted you. I thought you were trying to help my daughter.’

  ‘She was,’ Polly said firmly. ‘She is. You can’t keep me locked away forever, Mum. My head will explode through boredom.’

  ‘Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Polly.’ Mrs Williams waved her hands in the air. ‘I have only ever been concerned about your safety. I have always wanted you to achieve great things. What about the netball thing? That’s a great idea! You’d be a terrific coach and you like being part of a team. But riding? Well, you know only too well what could happen if you had another fall and I’m just not sure I can bear to watch that happen.’

  Polly pushed back her shoulders and looked her mother in the eye.

  ‘And there we have it. You can’t bear it. Well, I can’t bear to live a life without horses – for me that would only be a half-life. I know you are trying to be kind, trying to keep me wrapped in cotton wool, but you are killing me by not letting me ride.’

  Charlie backed away. This was clearly a fight between mother and daughter and she didn’t much want to get caught in the crossfire.

  ‘Let’s just see what your father thinks about this!’

  Mrs Williams turned and marched out to the car park.

  Polly leaned against the corridor wall. Charlie saw the sign saying WHY NOT TRY A DIFFERENT STRATEGY? by her right shoulder.

  ‘That went well,’ she said.

  ‘Didn’t it just?’ Polly sighed. ‘I didn’t know Mum was outside, otherwise I’d never have said a word. She’s taking me to the doctor after lunch, so she must have hung around. That’ll be a fun afternoon.’ She smiled grimly. ‘What do we do now?’

  The classroom door opened and their fellow pupils started streaming out
from Dr Patterson’s lesson.

  ‘Nice speech, Polly,’ said a boy with frizzy hair.

  ‘You’ve fooled some of them,’ said Nadia as she walked by. ‘That’s the trouble with the world today – it’s full of fake news.’

  Charlie rolled her eyes.

  Some of the other pupils gave Polly a high five as they walked past her, others said a few words of encouragement or support. Flora Walsh was one of the last to leave the classroom.

  ‘Can you make it to netball practice after school tomorrow?’ she asked Polly.

  ‘Sure I can.’

  ‘Make sure you bring your notebook. There’s plenty to work on,’ Flora said. ‘You too, Charlie. I hope we didn’t put you off.’

  ‘Oh, don’t worry, we’ll both be there and Polly’s already got plenty of ideas. Just wait until she gets stuck in.’

  ‘See you later, coach,’ Flora said as she swung her bag over her shoulder and strode down the corridor.

  Later that afternoon at home, Charlie was curled up on her bed reading a book called Life After Sport about adapting to a new career after life as an athlete. She was still worrying about how to deal with Polly’s mother when the phone rang. The boys were outside, recreating England’s World Cup penalty shoot-out against Colombia. Her dad was milking the cows and Charlie didn’t know where her mum was, but she certainly wasn’t answering the phone. She flung aside her book and ran into her parents’ room to pick up. It was Polly.

  ‘What did your mum say?’ Charlie asked breathlessly.

  ‘She calmed down after a bit,’ Polly explained, ‘and eventually I told her that your mum had been keeping an eye on us all the time and we were perfectly safe. I said that all my confidence and balance and whatnot was improving because I was riding and that was why I was so happy.’

  ‘Did she get it? Will she let you keep coming here?’

  ‘Yeah. She got it. Kind of. But …’ Polly paused. ‘I haven’t told her about the lessons. She doesn’t know Miss Cameron is a riding instructor, so make sure your mum doesn’t let on. Not until we’re ready. I think it would be too much if she knew I was taking it seriously.’