Sterling's Second Chance (Thoroughbred Series #26) - Softcover

Campbell, Joanna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061067997 ISBN 13: 9780061067990

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1998

Synopsis

Don't miss the exciting adventures of a new generation of Thoroughbred horses and riders at Whitebrook Farm! Does Christina have the heart of a champion? Christina Reese is sure she and her new horse, Sterling Dream, are ready for their first competition.Then Christina is injured in a fall and loses both her nerve and her spot on the team. Someone needs to ride Sterling, or the team will be disqualified.When beautiful, self-confident Cassidy Smith is picked to ride Sterling in the show, Christina tries to be a good sport. But it's not easy. Cassidy is claiming that both Christina and Sterling are quitters. Will Christina and her horse get the chance to prove just how wrong Cassidy is? Whether jumping a cross-country course, galloping a powerful racehorse, or just riding on the trails, only one thing matters to Christina and her friends: the special bond between horse and rider. If you love horses, then you'll love reading all the books in the Thoroughbred series.

About this title

About the Author

Joanna Campbell appears here with her six-year-old Thoroughbred, Meyersville Magic, known around the barn as CC. He's a son of Horatius out of Northwich by Timothy's Champ and is owned by Cathy Day. Formerly trained for racing, he is now being trained for eventing. Last Year he was the Maine Entry Level Champion in Combined Training.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Thoroughbred #26 Sterling's Second Chance

By Joanna Campbell

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2006 Joanna Campbell
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0061067997

Chapter One

"Jump that outside line again, Christina, but this time put six strides between the fences instead of five. Then come around and jump the liverpool."

Christina Reese gave her riding instructor, Mona Gardener, a nod that meant she understood. She tucked a stray lock of her strawberry blond hair behind her ear. Then she shortened her reins and urged her four-year-old Thoroughbred mare into a trot. "Did you hear that, Sterling?" Christina said to the horse. "You've got to slow down and listen to me."

Sterling Dream tossed her head and let out a snort. Her dapple gray coat was darkened with sweat even though it was early morning and still fairly cool. The summer sun glinted on the mare's muscled haunches as she cantered, and flashed in the silver streaks of her black mane and tail.

"That's it," Mona said, nodding approvingly as Christina moved Sterling out of the circle and headed toward the two jumps. Tall, slim Mona stood still near the center of the arena, her hands on her hips. Her head turned slightly as she watched Christina canter by. Christina could feel Mona's clear gray eyes taking in every detail of her form as she rode. "That's your pace," Mona encouraged. "Now just hold her there. Don't let her speed up."

Christina pushed her heels down and lifted her chin, trying to seem confident to Mona and to her horse, but inside she didn't feel very confident at all.

"Easy, girl," she murmured to the horse as she came closer and closer to the first jump. Sterling had been coming along beautifully ever since Christina had gotten her in a claiming race at Belmont Park racetrack in the spring. With Mona's guidance, they'd been training for a two-day event coming up at a neighboring farm called Foxwood Acres. The event included a novice horse trial on the first day for teams of horses and riders who were just starting out in combined training. The three riders on each team would be individually tested in dressage and on a cross-country jump course. Then their scores would be combined for the overall team score.

Christina wasn't worried about the dressage test. She and Sterling had been practicing the training-level test for weeks. Christina knew the moves by heart, and she thought by now Sterling must know them, too, because the mare seemed to know what cue Christina was going to give her even before she gave it. It was the jumping that Christina was worried about.

She had always thought jumping was the best thing about riding, and it had always been easy for her. She was as comfortable jumping a horse over a three-foot fence as she was asleep in her own bed. Just when she'd been ready to move on to jumping higher fences, she'd found Sterling.

At first Sterling had seemed to love jumping as much as Christina. But lately the mare had been rushing the fences. And during the past week she had even run out a couple of times, ducking to the side at the last second instead of jumping. Christina had nearly fallen off both times because she hadn't expected it. She glanced over at the liverpool, a four-foot-wide rectangle of water with a low rail set across the middle of it to encourage the horse to clear it. In the cross-country course at Foxwood there was a water ditch. Christina had been trying to practice jumping the liverpool to get Sterling ready for it. But now she was having trouble with plain old verticals, and so far she hadn't even gotten Sterling to go near the water. With the event so close, Christina was beginning to really worry. Why had Sterling suddenly become difficult over fences?

With a final hopeful glance at Mona, Christina found herself facing the first jump, a vertical made of two rails painted green. The jump was only two and a half feet high. Christina had been schooling over jumps a foot higher, so it should have been easy for her. But the two-and-a-half-foot fence seemed to loom as high as a four-foot oxer. Christina could feel butterflies stir in her stomach with every stride as they cantered toward the jump.

"That's it, that's it," Mona said encouragingly. "Now just be consistent, Chris. If you stay exactly the same, she'll stay the same."

Christina heard Mona's words, but her eyes were fixed over the top rail of the fence. From long experience she bent forward into two-point position, ready to jump, and prepared herself to feel the thrust as Sterling launched her powerful body into the air to clear the fence.

She should have felt the wonderful, soaring sensation as the horse pushed off with her hindquarters and became airborne in a soundless moment of perfect flight. She should have felt the momentary pressure in her legs and heels as she held herself steady on the landing after the jump, and then, like clockwork, the rhythmic canter away as she headed for the next jump.

But what Christina felt instead was the unpleasant sensation of being thrown forward over her horse's right shoulder as the mare stopped and ducked to the left to avoid jumping the fence. Christina found herself almost lying on Sterling's neck, hanging on with all her might as she struggled to get herself centered over the horse again. She would have fallen off, except that she had yanked on one of the reins as she pitched forward. Sterling's head had shot up in protest, but it had also kept Christina from going completely over and off.

"Pick your head up, Chris, and settle yourself back into the saddle." Out of habit, Christina obeyed Mona's calm command, and though she hadn't thought she could move, she did manage to push herself back and find the saddle again.

Sterling had been trotting swiftly toward the gate that led out of the arena. She stopped when she reached it and looked around expectantly, as if she thought someone should appear and open it for her. Mona laughed.

Continues...

Excerpted from Thoroughbred #26 Sterling's Second Chanceby Joanna Campbell Copyright © 2006 by Joanna Campbell. Excerpted by permission.
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Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0061067997
• ISBN 13: 9780061067990
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176