November Story Contest

Dancer a True Star: Don’t Mess with Super Pony!
by Mistyhorse11 & Snow Love
Age 9

  In a town that stretched through the country lived, Callie. Callie was a girl who loved horses and cats with her life. She owned a chestnut pony with a sweet temper. However, she could only go down to the stable when she had finished all of her schoolwork. Callie went to Oak Creek Stables for lessons on Fridays and Sundays, and she stabled her horse there. The stable was within close walking distance so when she did have her schoolwork done she could go walk down to the stable to take a ride on her chestnut named Speckle Dancer.

  One day, she woke feeling brighter than most of the time. This was because it was Friday! The day of her riding lesson! She hadn’t been to see Speckle Dancer since her last riding lesson on Sunday. Callie had been waiting to see Dancer (short for Speckle Dancer) for days.

“Callie, get downstairs so I can get you some breakfast before school,” her mother called upstairs.

“Okay, be right down,” Callie called back. She climbed out of her bed and put some clothes on, and then ran downstairs.

“Blueberry pancakes with maple syrup on top,” her mother said with a smile.

“Why are you making my favorite breakfast today?” asked Callie.

“Because, this is your riding test day,” said her mother keeping the same grin on her face.

“I completely forgot!” said Callie with horror showing in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” asked her mother.

“What if I don’t pass? Then, I’ll be put with the new riders!” cried Callie.

“I’m sure you’ll pass,” her mother said. “I want to see you smiling with a certificate showing you’re a higher level class rider, and believe me you will,” said her mother.

“Okay,” said Callie feeling a little bit better. She gulped down the pancakes and brushed her teeth.

“I’ll see you after your riding test!” called her mom while Callie walked out the door.

  Callie walked down the street and toward the stable. When she reached the stable and walked in to the barn she heard Dancer’s welcoming whinny echoing in the barn.

“Hi girl!” Callie cried running up to her.

“I know how much you love that horse, but you better tack her up if you want to make it to school on time! I already brushed her.” said Jack her favorite stable hand.

“Thanks!” Callie said.

“It was nothing” said Jack before walking toward another horse’s stall.

  Dancer whinnied again. Callie walked away from the stall and into the tack room and grabbed Dancer’s bridle and saddle. She brought the tack to Dancer’s stall and tacked her up. Callie fastened the last strap on the halter and walked her out of the stall while grabbing her helmet on the way. She mounted Speckle Dancer and trotted off toward her school.

“Callie’s on a pony, because she’s too scared to ride a big horse!” jeered a boy eight grader.

“Ponies are just as good as horses, and we’re one grade apart. It’s not like you’re that much older!” shouted Callie in reply.

“Don’t worry about him, he just wants you to look bad,” said Misty her best friend.

“Right,” said Callie.

  DING! DING! The school bell rang in a tune. All the kids scampered out of the school with Callie at the head heading for the pasture where you put your horse if you rode one to school. She grabbed Dancer’s reins and mounted. Callie trotted out of the school making sure that Ken, the boy who had harassed her before school wasn’t nearby and plunged down onto a pathway that led to the stable on the back side. She arrived at the stable at a walk and dismounted.

  Callie tied Dancer to the fence of the outdoor arena and sat on the fence like she always did with Misty and Shale on her sides. They both had horses also. She watched as the riding instructor gave directions.
“Mary, you will do the course first. This will mark if you have passed to go to a more advanced class,” said the riding instructor.

“Good luck,” Callie and Misty whispered to her.

  Mary mounted Moonlight he black and white paint horse. They walked then she urged Moonlight to a trot, finally a canter. She bounced with beauty up and down as her horse took on the jumps. Finally, she took a sudden halt.

“Good job. You have passed, and I will now suggest dressage for your style."

“Okay,” Mary said while nodding and took her seat by the other riders again.

“Callie, it is your turn,” said the instructor.

  Callie mounted and urged Speckle Dancer to a canter. She did the jumps perfectly but not carefully. But, she was very fast. She stopped to a halt.

“Good job. I will suggest cross-country, and of course you have passed!” the instructor said while Callie jumped back to her seat.

  Misty and all of the other people at the lesson all finished and passed.

  Callie walked home. She was filled with joy that she passed, but yet she still felt that she could do more. Especially more than what normal jumping would do for her. She decided to follow her instructor’s advice and take on cross-country.

“How did you do?” her mother asked when she walked in the door.

“I passed and want to start cross-country,” said Callie joyfully.

“That’s great!” said Callie’s mother.

  So Callie started practicing cross-country and in seven months of hard training they were ready for hard cross-country tournaments. Callie was on her way to one of the hardest cross-country kids’ races in the state.

“Speckle Dancer Spotlight and Callie,” the loudspeaker said.

  Callie mounted Dancer and trotted up to where the contestants who were already called up were waiting. She held Dancer back waiting for the pop showing for her to go. A loud “Pop!” was what she heard before plunging up the grassy, rough slope heading toward the high log jumps. She quickly sped over the jumps and went galloping down the slope While they were galloping Callie lifted her body and Dancer struck her front hooves forward and back once back and went leaping down the hill. This is like flying, thought Callie with amazement.

  She was interrupted from her thoughts when a cheer arose from the crowd and she realized they were trotting on the grasses past the finish line.

“Super Speckle Dancer, the super pony!” the audience cheered.

“And that will be your new show name,” Callie whispered to Dancer while hugging her.

“You are first place,” said the judge putting a blue ribbon on Dancer’s bridle and putting a gold medal around her neck.

“I announce that Speckle Dancer’s new show name will be Super Speckle Dancer, and for now on she will be named the super pony. Don’t mess with the super pony!” Callie cried while smiling.

MORE COMING IN DANCER A TRUE STAR AT THE CLUBPONYPALS STORY CONTEST!