Free Crown Prince Challenged by Linda Snow McLoon Page B

All she wanted was to ride and care for her beautiful horse. If Kelly claimed that Prince had maliciously kicked out at her horse, would Jack believe her?
I know what happened,
Sarah thought.
I saw the whole thing.
She had to tell Jack her side of the story before Kelly and Nicole got to him.
    When every horse and the two ponies had been fed, Sarah started down the stairs from the loft to return to her horse. She needed to reapply his bandage before she headed home. She had almost reached the foot of the stairs when she saw Jack approaching.
    â€œHello, Sarah. I was just coming to find you,” he said, his voice carrying a somewhat steely edge. “When you have a moment, I’d like to talk to you in the office.”
    For a moment she froze, her hand gripping the banister. “Sure. I can come right now,” she said. With a sinking feeling, she followed her instructor the short distance to the stable office, which was unoccupied. Jack closed the door and turned to face her.
    â€œAre you aware of what’s going on with Kelly Hoffman?” he asked.
    Sarah took a deep breath. “Yes, I am. I think she’s upset with me because she fell off Midnight Jet in the indoor this afternoon. Prince kicked out at her horse. When Jet swerved sharply to miss the kick, Kelly lost her balance and hit the dust.”
    Jack’s face was serious. “So Prince
did
kick out at Jet?”
    Sarah nodded. “I know that’s bad, Jack. But Midnight Jet was coming up behind Prince very fast, and it seemed like he would miss us only by inches, if at all.” Sarah clenched her fists. “Prince was just trying to protect himself!”
    â€œWell, Mrs. Hoffman called here a little while ago. She’s upset. It’s her understanding that Prince actually
kicked
Midnight Jet, and she doesn’t want Prince in the same class with her daughter.” Jack hesitated a moment, looking at Sarah sharply, and asked again, “Are you
sure
Prince didn’t hit Jet?”
    Sarah stood tall, her expression resolute, and looked Jack straight in the eye. “I was looking back when it happened. I saw the whole thing. Kelly’s horse was coming up behind Prince very fast, and I think she was doing it on purpose, trying to make Prince totally freak out. But his kick didn’t touch Midnight Jet.”
    Jack stepped past her and opened the office door. “Let’s go have a look.” Together they walked to Midnight Jet’s stall. Most of the riders had gone home, and the barn was quiet except for the sounds of horses eating, some rattling their feed tubs as they cleaned up the last kernels of grain. Jack picked up a lead rope from a hook beside the door to Jet’s stall.
    â€œHe’s not going to like leaving his hay, but I’m going to bring Jet out into the aisle where the light’s better. You can hold him while I check him over. Mrs. Hoffman said he was kicked on his side, and by now there would be some heat and swelling at the point of impact.”
    Jack led Midnight Jet from the stall and handed the lead rope to Sarah. She studied the bay horse with a snip of white on his muzzle. After being around Crown Prince, the 15.2-hand gelding seemed small. Except for a slightly Roman nose, he had a pretty face and seemed pretty easygoing. Jet nuzzled her sweatshirt looking for treats, and Sarah stroked him lightly.
Kelly should realize she’s lucky to have such a nice horse,
she thought.
She needs to find better things to do than give me a hard time!
    Jack moved to the horse’s right side and scrutinized the area near where a saddle would sit. Not a hair was out of place. Next he ran his hands gently over the entire area, searching for any place that might feel slightly warm or swollen to his touch. He repeated the process on the opposite side, before inspecting the horse’s legs and chest for any sign of injury. At no time did Jet flinch or show any sensitivity to pressure