Riding Holiday Read online

  4. The Midnight Horse

  by Michelle Bates

  The horse cantered gracefully around the paddock in long easy strides, his tail held high, the crest of his neck arched. His jet-black coat contrasted sharply with the white frost, his hooves hardly seemed to touch the ground as he danced forward...

  Riding at the Hawthorn Horse Trials is all that Kate has dreamed of and this year she’s in with a real chance of winning. As she works hard to prepare for the day, it seems nothing will distract her from her goal. But then the mysterious midnight horse rides into Kate’s life, and suddenly everything changes...

  5. Dream Pony

  by Susannah Leigh

  The palomino was now just about on their tails. Jess could see that the ponies were lathered with sweat. As they passed, a blonde-haired girl shot Jess and Rosie a look which clearly indicated she considered them to be inferior. Then she dug her heels into her horse’s side and galloped away...

  Jess can hardly believe it, but she really is the proud owner of Skylark. There’s only one problem. Skylark must be kept at Rychester, a rival stables. Rychester couldn’t be more different from Sandy Lane – and neither could its riders. Jess’s dream is about to turn into a nightmare...

  6. Ride by Moonlight

  by Michelle Bates

  The ground started spinning. Charlie’s head was reeling. He felt as though he was seeing everything double. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t stop thinking. His mind was in a whirl as everything came flooding back – the high pitched whinny, the thundering hooves, the crashing fall – all echoed around his head...

  When Charlie loses his nerve in a riding accident, no one thinks for a moment it’ll be long before he’s back in the saddle. But as the weeks go by, his friends begin to realize it’s going to take something quite exceptional to get him riding again...

  7. Horse in Danger

  by Michelle Bates

  Rosie couldn’t see anything, yet she could definitely hear something. The stable in the far corner of the yard was shut, both sections of the door bolted tightly to a close. Rosie didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt very nervous.

  Taking a deep breath, she crossed the yard and pulled back the bolt on the door. As she slid it open, a hand plunged forward and grabbed her into the darkness...

  Rosie and Jess have always been the greatest of friends, but more recently they’ve found themselves drifting apart. On the Autumn Treasure Hunt Ride, Rosie sets out to make amends. But what she discovers that day takes her down a path of deception and danger, putting her friendship with Jess to the ultimate test...

  8. The Perfect Pony

  by Michelle Bates

  The stable yard was already busy that morning and there was a crowd of people gathered around the barn in the corner. Horses and ponies whinnied loudly, and the sound of crashing hooves on timber echoed around the stable yard. Before Alex even had a chance to walk over, Tom had crossed the stable yard toward him.

  “I wouldn’t like to be in your shoes right now, Alex...”

  Alex’s sister Kate cannot believe what he’s done. Alex thought he was solving lots of problems buying a pony at the local auction. So he’s in for a shock when he realizes he’s now the owner of Puzzle, a filthy, thin and abused pony. But worse is to come, for Puzzle is in such a state, she may have to be put down...

  9. Riding Holiday

  by Michelle Bates

  As Izzy leaned forward to get a closer look, the words swam in front of her eyes. It was only two lines, but what she saw completely took her breath away. She hadn’t really had a chance to think about what they might find at Joe Hagan’s farm, but what she had found looked like evidence that they hadn’t had a wasted trip...

  Kate and Izzy have left Sandy Lane for a three-week riding holiday at a racing stables in America. But they’re not doing much riding, the owner is mysteriously missing and everyone seems to be keeping a secret. Then a horse’s life is threatened...