Free Stable Witch by Bonnie Bryant

always suggested, and let sleeping dogs lie—that is, not stick her nose into something that wasn’t her concern.
    On the way out, Lisa stopped by Max’s office to ask him if she could work with Prancer after school the next day. Because she didn’t own Prancer, Max occasionally used the horse for other students or turnedher out for the afternoon. As Lisa approached his office, she noted that the door was closed—a rarity at Pine Hollow, a stable that prided itself on its welcoming, open atmosphere.
    Lisa could hear Max talking on the phone, so she sat down on a hay bale to wait. Max’s voice carried through the door, and before she knew it, she was listening to his end of the conversation.
    “I realize that, Mrs. diAngelo,” Max was saying, “but I have to be fair to all my students, not just your daughter. Right now, there’s no proof that Stevie Lake was the perpetrator … Yes, I know you’re convinced that she was, but do you really want me to bar her from the show based on a hunch?… I have to say it seems a bit premature … I can’t give you a decision right away … Of course, of course I will punish the wrongdoer, just as soon as we find out who that is.…”
    It was all Lisa could do to stop herself from banging through the door, wresting the phone from Max’s hands, and yelling a blue streak at Veronica’s mother. How dare the woman demand that Stevie be denied the right to compete in the show? The idea that Mrs. diAngelo would presume that just because someone had—
    Mid-thought, Lisa paused. Just because someonehad—what? A chill went down Lisa’s spine. Just because someone had slashed a stirrup leather, that was what. Just because someone had tried to sabotage Veronica. Just because, she realized, someone had risked putting both a horse and a rider in extreme danger. This was serious business. Whoever had taken that kind of risk didn’t deserve the honor of competing with other riders.
    But just what did that say about Stevie?

A S FAST AS she could, Lisa gathered up her stuff and tore out of Pine Hollow. She ran toward home, her head spinning, but there was one clear thought in her mind: she just had to talk to Carole. That was her only chance of sorting through this horrible mess.
    What would Stevie say when she found out that she might not be allowed to ride in the show? And what if Carole and Lisa didn’t defend her to Max? Would she ever talk to them again? But what could they say to Max when they didn’t know what to think themselves? Lisa ran faster and faster.
    As she ran, jumbled-up bits of Max’s conversation and her own thoughts floated back to her. “Have tobe fair to all my students—no proof that Stevie Lake was the perpetrator—both a horse and a rider in extreme danger—extreme danger—both a horse and a rider …” The words ran through Lisa’s head almost faster than her feet ran over the ground. Something was wrong with the picture. Something was definitely wrong, but she didn’t know what. Her burning lungs forced her to slow to a jog. Why couldn’t she figure out what was bothering her?
    Then it came to her.
Someone had risked putting both a horse and a rider in extreme danger.
How could she have been so blind? Lisa came to a complete standstill. She stood panting by the side of the road, as her mind went over and over the evidence.
    Stevie wouldn’t be above doing something that would make a fool of Veronica diAngelo, any more than she’d be above serving plaster of paris pancakes or expecting Lisa to climb into a saddle without stirrups. Humans could take a knock or two and be fine. Making them look stupid was part of the joke.
    But there was no way, ever, at any time, that Stevie would do something to imperil a horse. And yet, sabotaging a stirrup leather would do just that. If a leather broke in the middle of the jump, unseating the rider, the horse could become equally imbalanced. A jumping horse who took a spill could break a leg! As sure