Free Crown Prince by Linda Snow McLoon Page A

leather one with a fairly long brass shank. It will last longer.”
    Kayla grinned. “Remember how Quarry chewed up Paige’s rope lead when she left it in his stall? She said he turned it into a slobbery glob of strings.” They laughed as they worked their way through a throng of shoppers to a rack of leather leads. Sarah looked them over for a few minutes. “The shank on this one looks plenty long enough,” she said, choosing one and dropping it into her basket.
    Taking Sarah by the arm, Kayla pulled her toward some bins that held various kinds of brushes. “Here’s your grooming stuff.”
    Sarah glanced down at her list. “Let’s see, for grooming equipment I’ll need a stiff dandy brush, a soft brush, a curry comb, and a hoof pick.”
    â€œDon’t forget a mane comb and a brush for the tail. And you’d better get a pulling comb if you want to keep his mane short and thin for braiding,” advised Kayla.
    â€œWell, it’ll be awhile before I have to think about that.”
    â€œHello?” Kayla said. “Even if you don’t braid right away, you’ll want his mane to look nice.”
    Sarah nodded as she put her selections into the basket, noticing it was getting heavy. She saw a number of grooming caddies stacked on the floor and considered the colors. As if reading her mind, Kayla picked up a red one. “Will this do?” she asked.
    â€œPerfect,” Sarah said. She looked down at her list. “What about hoof dressing?”
    â€œThat’s a total no-brainer if you don’t want your horse losing shoes.” Kayla pointed to a pile of nested pails in the corner. “You’re also going to need a wash bucket, horse shampoo, and a sponge, no matter what color the horse is!” she added. “And don’t forget a sweat scraper.”
    Sarah laughed. “Slow down! At this rate, I won’t be able to carry everything out of here.”
    Moving to another area of the shop, the girls spotted a collection of model horses on a cabinet by the window. The different breeds had been designed in fine detail, from high-stepping Sad-dlebreds to Appaloosas with spotted rumps. Kayla immediately picked up the Quarter Horse model.
    â€œLook, Sarah. Except for the color, this Quarter Horse looks exactly like Fanny!”
    â€œCool. There must be a Thoroughbred here somewhere,” Sarah said, her eyes running over the display. “Oh, here it is.” She held up a finely molded model identified as the famous racehorse Seabiscuit. After looking at it carefully, she said, “I hope my horse looks just like this!”
    Another model, so dark it seemed to be pure black, stood near the Thoroughbred. As Sarah looked more closely, she exclaimed, “It’s a Dutch Warmblood, and it sure looks a lot like Chancellor. Rita’s probably got one of these.”
    Kayla raised an eyebrow. “There isn’t much Rita doesn’t have.”
    â€œYeah, it seems like all Rita has to do is mention she’d like something, and her father runs out and buys it for her,” Sarah said. “And what a bragger she is. She’s constantly telling everyone how much better Chancellor is than any other horse in the world. Give me a break!”
    Kayla lowered her voice. “Judson told my mom why she’s spoiled rotten. Did you know that Rita’s mother died right after she was born? Mr. Snyder named Rita after her mother. He never got married again, so she’s never even had a stepmother. Judson said that Rita’s father is always trying to make it up to Rita.”
    â€œGee, I didn’t know that. I’ve wondered about her mother,” Sarah said. “That’s a tough break. And I guess it explains a lot of things.”
    They passed a section devoted to rider clothing, displaying several styles of riding helmets, hunt coats, and boots. On their way to the saddle section, they passed the woman