Free Horse Feathers by Bonnie Bryant Page A

fare much better. Finally it was Lisa’s turn.
    Lisa slipped gracefully onto Clara’s back, grasping the handles for support until she’d adjusted her seat and was moving easily with Clara’s even stride. She extended her arms out to either side and stretched her legs toward the ground.
    “Raise your arms a little higher, Lisa,” Max reminded her. “That’s it.”
    Lisa raised her arms slightly and remembered to keep her eyes forward, looking between Clara’s ears.
    “When you’re ready,” said Red, “move into the Flag.”
    Lisa nodded. It was one of the moves that she’d been practicing at home and she thought she had a pretty good idea of how to do it. Grabbing the handles on the surcingle, she adjusted her position so that she was kneeling on Clara’s back. Then she raised her right leg until it was straight back and her left arm until it was straight in front.
    “Very good,” praised Red. “Now let’s go into the Stand.”
    Grasping the surcingle handles, Lisa pulled her knees beneath her, then moved into a squatting position on Clara’s back. She shifted her weight in time to Clara’s movements.
    Then she released the handles, feeling the stride for a moment before slowly rising to a standing position. She did two full circles at the Stand before Red nodded.
    Max approached. “That was very good, Lisa. Go back into the Basic Seat and we’ll try it at the canter.”
    Lisa gently lowered herself into the Basic Seat, experiencing a strange mix of nervousness and excitement. It wasn’t as if she’d never cantered before. She’d just never tried it while standing up.
    Max glanced over at Carole. “Carole, why don’t you give us a hand?”
    Carole came forward. Lisa was confused. How was Carole going to help? Her question was answered when Max boosted her onto Clara’s back in front of the surcingle, facing Lisa. The girls smiled nervously.
    “All right Lisa, when you go into the Stand, I want you to hold on to Carole’s shoulders for support. Carole, I want you to hold on to Lisa’s legs.” The girlsnodded. “Once you’re comfortable, Lisa, extend your arms to the side and Carole will help you balance.”
    Lisa nodded.
    Red clucked softly to Clara, and before the girls even realized that they’d changed stride, Clara was moving with the rocking three-beat motion of the canter. Lisa couldn’t believe how smooth it was!
    Max smiled at the surprise he saw on Lisa’s face. “A vaulting horse’s stride is second only to its temperament.”
    Even though Clara’s stride was smoother than any canter she’d ever sat to, Lisa still found herself bouncing slightly with the movement.
    “Relax your lower back, Lisa,” Max reminded her.
    It was an instruction that Max gave often when they were riding. Lisa knew that a stiff back prevented her from properly feeling the motion of the horse. She took a deep breath, relaxing the muscles in her back as she exhaled. The moment she did so, she noticed a difference in her seat.
    “Are you ready to try the Stand at the canter?” asked Max.
    Lisa made a face. She was definitely ready to try it. Whether or not she could actually do it was another matter.
    As if reading her thoughts, Carole smiled and whispered, “You can do it, Lisa.”
    Gripping Carole’s shoulders, Lisa slowly moved into the Stand. When she felt balanced, she released her hold on Carole and extended her arms to the sides. She made it an entire circle at the center before she lost her balance. She quickly returned to the Basic Seat, holding on to Carole’s shoulders for support as she lowered herself gently onto Clara’s back.
    “That was great!” Carole said.
    Lisa smiled, knowing that she’d done much better than she had at her last lesson, but she highly doubted it would be enough to beat Veronica now that she had her own private vaulting coach.
    “Okay, Carole, you’re up,” said Max.
    Lisa hopped off to allow Carole to go through the same vaulting moves she had done. Lisa