July Story Contest

The Midnight Mystery part 3 part 2 part 1
By: Scoutgirl
Age: 12

The kids saddled phantom and decided to try something new.
"Hey Jake," Kenzie said. "Grab the stool."
Mackenzie went up to phantom and put one foot in the stirrup and put a little weight in it.  This scared him she could tell he pinned his ears back and backed up a step then went forward one not standing still.  Kenzie put more weight in the saddle each time and eventually swung her leg over his back. phantom didn’t like this at all and galloped bucked and reared. Kenzie fell off but quickly got up and to the fence. How about we work on ground manners instead…. Mackenzie said a little embarrassed.

They had brought the brush with them and a hoof pick. phantom let them brush him. Jake ran one hand down one of phantoms legs and leaned into him a little to try and get him to lift his hoof up. He did but then stomped it back down. The kids decided to call it a night, got their stuff fed phantom some hay they brought and started to leave when they saw their mother.

uh…. Hi mom. The kids said nervously.  
Are you kids crazy!
That horse could kill you!
Mom I trust him he knows not to hurt us!  
I don’t care if you think he knows not to hurt you or not I don’t want you in there! You both could easily get hurt! And Jake I never would have thought you would let her do this let alone help her!
Mom Mackenzie knows what she’s doing and loves every little bit of it! It’s good for her and the horse. He has come so far from when she first started! Please just let us finish training him and don’t tell dad until. We wanted to surprise you guys.
Fine but if he finds out about this before then its not my fault he did! So don’t come whining to me.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! The kids both said together hugging their mom. We promise we wont! Now lets get home before he wakes up.

Her mom and her rode on Grace while Jake packed all the stuff on cooper and they all rode back to the barn, and went back to bed. The kids continued to train phantom and after a long time had trained him to walk, trot, canter, gallop, and stop. He had also gotten used to them grooming him, including picking up his feet. Their dad still hadn’t found out and their mom still was quiet about it. Time went by and they were able to ride him. One day the kids decided he was ready. So they double rode on cooper with all the tack phantom uses. They tacked him up and Mackenzie rode him back to the barn with Jake at her side. Her dad was at work and would be home in a couple hours. They bathed him, and brushed him down really well. He looked almost like a show horse except for the shaggy coat.

After tacking him up again Mackenzie got on and Jake waited for their father while kenz went behind the barn. David their dad pulled up in their pickup truck and Jake motioned him to stop. Hey dad we have something to show you but you can’t freak out okay? Okay I promise I wont now what is it? Hold on turn the truck off and come with me. Mackenzie and I have been working on something a long time and we have decided its time to show you.

***
What will their dad say? Will they make them sell phantom, will he let them keep him? Find out in part 4! I hope it’s long enough for you guys I was camping half the month and didn’t have much time to make it long so I tried to make it more exciting for ya! Thanks for being such great pals! I know I can always count on you!!! ~scoutgirl