Free Gold Medal Rider by Bonnie Bryant Page A

For the finish, Kate brought him to a four-square halt just as the previous rider had, dropped her reins, and gave him a pat. The Saddle Club cheered.
    “She looked so
professional
,” Stevie said. The girls clambered down from the spectator stands and went to find their friend. “When we’re at the Bar None, she’s the only person who dresses more casually than me—scruffy jeans, old cowboy boots. In that ring, she looked like a whole different person!” Stevie waved her camera. “I’m glad I got some pictures of her.”
    “It wasn’t just her clothes, it was her attitude,” Lisa said. “Imagine how hard it would be to ride Southwood that well when she doesn’t really know him. But Kate just knew she could do it. She’s got so much confidence. It’s as if the whole thing has to do with confidence, and Kate has it.”
    By this time they had reached the edge of the arena. Kate and Southwood were halted near the gate, talking to Nigel. To The Saddle Club’s surprise, Kate was laughing.
    “When I got to the far corner after the first serpentine,” she was saying, “I couldn’t remember what came next! I knew it was something canter, but I didn’t know if it was the counter-canter or the canter pirouette! So I just picked one and hoped for the best.” She laughed again. “I thought we were history. I kept waiting for the judges to tell me to try again.”
    “Kate, you were great!” Stevie said, giving Southwood a pat.
    “You looked so cool. I don’t think I could have kept my head like that!” Carole added.
    “I’m used to it,” Kate said. “We could have been better with our collections; we’ll be marked down for that. And the fourth loop of the second serpentine stunk. But we didn’t have any major errors. Southwood’s a good mover.”
    “He was fantastic!” Stevie said, a little taken aback by Kate’s comments. Stevie hadn’t seen any of the errors Kate was talking about, and dressage was her specialty. “I’d be thrilled if Belle could ever move so well.”
    “He was bred to move well,” Kate pointed out. “And he is doing well—Nigel and Beatrice are good trainers—but he isn’t using his back as well as he could. He needs to round a bit.” She sighed. “He’s got a nice temperament, and that certainly helps. He didn’t fight me.”
    Carole and Stevie exchanged glances. Even though Stevie loved dressage and Carole knew all about riding, neither of them had ever been quite so picky, or so unemotional, about any performance their horses gave. “So how well did Southwood actually do?” Stevie asked at last.
    “I’d guess we’ll end up in the middle of the pack,” Kate said. “That still puts us in contention to win. We weren’t brilliant, but we didn’t have any big goof ups. The hardest part comes next.”
    Kate began walking Southwood back to the stables, and the rest of The Saddle Club trailed behind her. Suddenly Kate halted Southwood. “Look,” she said quietly. She used her dressage whip to point to a gray horse and female rider who were warming up for their dressage test.
    “It’s Karen!” Lisa said, recognizing Dorothy’s friend. “Gosh, what a beautiful horse!” She waved, and Karen, who was close enough to hear them, nodded back and smiled.
    “Too bad her horse isn’t traveling straight,” Kate said, in a louder voice.
    “Kate, what are you talking about? He looks perfectly straight!” Stevie was astonished.
    “No, he’s not, and he’s not using his hind end at all,” Kate continued, still loud enough for Karen to hear every word.
    “Kate, shhh! She’ll hear you!” Carole hissed.
    Kate looked at Karen for a moment longer, and thendown at her friends. They were shocked by the dark expression on her face. “That should give her something to think about,” Kate said, more quietly. “Right before her test, too.” She sounded satisfied.
    “But Kate! She’s a friend!” Lisa could hardly believe that Kate would do such a