A Horse of Her Own

As she watched Alyssa canter her dainty Arab mare, Ariel, over a combination jump, Jane Ryan admitted to herself that, as she'd been for so many years, she was still jealous. It was impossible not to be, she thought, unless you were already in Alyssa's inner circle of friends who rode at Sunny Acres farm. Jane had ridden here since she was eight, but the following six years of summer camp and Saturday lessons had not brought her any closer to the chosen group. She had always been steady Jane, willing to stay late to walk the horses and muck out the stalls, just for the chance to spend more time at the stable, and, of course, to ride the school horses since she didn't board or lease a horse of her own. Luckily, one of these school horses was Beau, pronounced "boo," and Jane thought he was the best horse in the world. She often allowed herself to pretend that he really was her owna fantasy all too easily burst when Beau was given over to another girl to ride. But now, as she watched Alyssa and Ariel sail over the last jump, Jane patted Beau's strong brown neck and whispered to him, "As long as we're together, I'm happy as a clam, I promise." Beau flickered his ears, listening, and stamped his hoof, as if he agreed with her.Wedekind, Annie is the author of 'A Horse of Her Own', published 2008 under ISBN 9780312369279 and ISBN 0312369271.