Writing Contest

To see our latest winners, click HERE!
Congrats to all winners!

Do you love to write Fantasy? Then this is the fiction contest you’ve been waiting for! March’s fiction contest theme is ”Unicorns.” There is no prompt this time around; you just create the best story you can featuring one unicorn… or a whole herd of them!

This contest will run through midnight, Tuesday, March 31st. You may enter more than one story, just be sure to enter each story separately. The winner will get a book from DK’s Equine Library. Okay, you have your assignment. Ready… Set… Story away!

It’s Spring! You know what that means - you’ll see new foals popping up in a pasture near you on long wobbly legs.  Your poetry assignment - write a verse (in the form of your choosing) about foals. This contest is open through  March 31st, so hurry and get your entry in!

You may enter as many times as you want - just be sure to enter each verse separately! The winner will get a prize from DK’s prize closet!

Calling All Poets!

If you like to write in verse - rhyming or not - this is your time to shine!  Enter iHorseClub’s 1st ever Equine Poetry Contest! The theme is open; it should just feature a horse. There is no limit to the number of poems you may submit, either, just remember to send each one separately.

You have a limited time to enter, so hurry and get your work in!  The DEADLINE for this contest is Sunday, March 1st!

The winner will receive a Horse Trinket Box from the iHorseClub Prize Closet.

You have your assignment, so start writing! Aaron and our judges can’t wait to read your terrific entries!

Congratulations to Meghan Sara, for her outstanding entry in January’s Fiction Contest! Her winning story is posted below. Thanks to everyone who entered!

The horse of Sarah’s dreams was Arabian. Gray. Gorgeous and graceful. She carried a picture of him in her head since she was 4. But on the day she went to Happy Hearts Rescue Ranch, that image vanished. That’s when she saw…
Her. Sarah’s uncle owned Happy Hearts Rescue Ranch. He rescued unwanted horses & raised & trained them so they could have new loving homes. Her uncle had been asking her family to come see the ranch for years, but it was hard to take off time from all the families’ activities to go on a vacation. Sarah had her weekly horse lessons, not including her oboe lessons. Her mom & dad were always working, while also following their hobbies, photography & scrap booking. That didn’t even include her brother’s hobbies. There just didn’t seem to be enough time to do anything extra! Even before Sarah had started horse lessons she had loved horses. She had wanted one since the day she sat atop a pony for her 3rd birthday. Every night she dreamed of riding that beautiful Arabian, galloping through the skies, nothing but the wind in her hair & the warm sun on her face. In spite of her parents annoyance she would go online to look at horses for sale, hoping to find that horse in her head had come to life. She dreamed of owning her own horse, & it would be just like him. Graceful, beautiful, loving & willing. He would be perfect, & best of all, he would be hers. She imagined what it would be like when she would meet him. She would have found him in some fancy Arabian breeding farm that breeds & sells top quality Arabians. She would be with her parents, driving down the valley road looking out the window of their car. Suddenly she would see a majestic gray horse, galloping around the field. He would look curiously at the car & suddenly shoot forward with a burst of speed! He would inch towards the car until his eyes were looking right at Sarah. Then he would come to a flying stop as the car would pull into the stables parking lot. With the wind toying at his mane & his eyes sparkling he would look like an angel on earth. Then Sarah would slowly get out of the car, stopping to look at him. He would lower his head & slowly walk towards her. Sarah would hold out her hand & he would brush his head against it. As soon as she would touch him, she would know that he was the one. It was all planned out perfectly, every tiny detail. Her horse in her head was too fancy to be at a rescue barn. She loved horses, & her uncle’s barn sounded wonderful. She just thought that there was no way her dream horse would be an unwanted, untrained rescue horse. It was 3 days before Christmas break, & Sarah couldn’t wait, unlimited days at the barn, hot cocoa, & best of all, Christmas. What she wanted most this year was a horse. She had never told anyone what her dream horse looked like or anything. She just wanted her parents to tell her Christmas day that they were going to let her get her very own horse. When she got home that day her parents surprised her & her brother by telling them that they were going to go to Disney World right before Christmas, & on the way there they were going to visit their Uncles horse farm. Sarah was ecstatic about Disney World, & it would be great to see the farm & her uncle. But why were they going to be staying at their uncles for more than just 1 day? Didn’t they want to spend more time at Disney, having fun on a relaxing vacation? Sarah kept pondering this, even on the day of their flight. She was so excited she couldn’t sleep. While they were on the plane, she couldn’t stop thinking about Disney. For once she was thinking about something else other than the horse in her head. She couldn’t wait! When their plane landed she rushed off, leading the family to their rental car. During the car ride she stared out the window, she saw tons of trees with bright orange dots. Oranges! Sarah wished that the first 3 days of their trip would go by fast so that they could continue on to Disney World. Finally she fell asleep dreaming of Mickey Mouse & Magic Kingdom. “Sarah, Sarah wake up!” Sara opened her eyes sleepily. What time was it? She looked at her watch. 12:30. “I guess the sleep I lost the night before we left finally caught up to me.” She thought. “Were here!” her mom cried happily. Sarah looked out the window & gasped. She had expected Happy Hearts Rescue Ranch to be a small, run down old barn with a few small pastures, & maybe a round pen to ride in. But even in the dark Sarah could tell that the place was beautiful. A gorgeous house with a stone driveway was in the middle of the scene. In the background surrounding the house like a horseshoe were beautiful fields full of lush green grass. On the far left field Sarah saw two beautiful paints grazing peacefully in the night. On the far right, almost just behind the house was a big caramel colored barn. As they pulled into the driveway the porch light turned on & Sarah’s aunt & uncle rushed out to greet them. The rest of the night was a blur. Someone carried the family’s bags inside & showed them around the house. Then the next thing she knew, Sarah was being herded into a small bedroom. As Sarah laid her head on the pillow she fell asleep immediately. Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Sarah woke with a start. Where am I? She thought. Oh, yeah, I’m at Happy Hearts Rescue Ranch. She pulled on a fresh pair of clothes, ran a brush through her hair & wandered down the hallway. She found her aunt & her mom chatting peacefully while fixing breakfast. She sat down at the table & a bowl of cereal was put in front of her. As she ate she looked around her. A one story house with a pool inside a screened room. Through the glass doors you could see the caramel colored barn from last night. Sarah craned her neck looking for the two paints she had seen the night before. She saw them galloping around their field playfully nipping each other. As she watched them she smiled, as they raced around a movement in another field caught her eye. It was the field right behind the house. It was the largest & stretched over acres & acres of land. Inside it were several horses, all grazing quietly. “Those are the horses.” Sarah jumped & turned around quickly. It was her Uncle speaking. “Would you like to see them?” Sarah nodded quickly. She had missed the smell of horses, she had been forced to miss a horse lesson to come here & she was eager to smell the sweet smell of hay & oats that horses carry with them again. As the family walked outside a light wind blew around them. Sarah’s uncle grabbed a carton of horse treats as they stepped outside. “Those two aren’t rescue horses, they’re owned by a close friend who trains some of our horses.” Sarah’s uncle pointed to the two paints that Sarah had seen the night before. They looked like they were part of a painting, one white & brown, the other black & white, racing against the wind. Now her uncle pointed to the right. “He’s our newest, & our youngest. His name is Hershey.” Sarah looked to her right & saw a single dark bay horse grazing beneath a single tree. “We got him about a month ago, were gonna train him to be a jumper.” Sarah nodded, just from looking at Hershey she could tell that he had strong muscles & long legs, he definitely would be an excellent jumper. As if to prove their point, Hershey suddenly started to gallop around the field in a circle, then turned around & galloped towards the group at the fence, coming to a sliding stop right in front of Sara. “Hi boy!” she said cheerfully. Her uncle offered her a treat from the box & Hershey gobbled it up greedily the moment Sarah put her hand up to him. Suddenly a whinny came from behind them, making Sarah turn around quickly. That’s when she saw her. In the field right behind the house was the most beautiful horse Sarah had ever seen! “That’s Mandy,” her Uncle said. “She got spooked while in her pasture & rammed into the fence, it left a big scar on her neck & shoulder, plus a huge medical bill.” Sarah flinched at the sight of the scar going from Mandy’s neck to her shoulder. “Why would someone give her away just because of a little scar?” Sarah asked. “When you have a cut that long & deep, it takes months of treatments, & possibly even therapy to get her back to regular shape.” At the sight of people gathering around the pasture, 2 more horses came trotting up, nickering a greeting. “Those 2 are Blaze & Cruiser, they’re with Mandy since she gets lonely.” Sarah couldn’t take her eyes off of the beautiful creature. That night at the dinner table the family talked on & off about the barn, the horses, & how things were going in life. But all Sarah could do was think about Mandy. “Sarah, how would you like to help me train the horses?” Sarah looked up quickly from her plate. “I’d love to!” She said, her eyes sparkling. “You can be Mandy’s care taker, you can help me freshen up on her training, help me feed her, anything!” Sarah could barely hold in her excitement. The rest of the night was a blur, the eating, the talking, all until it was time to go to bed, then she quickly showered, changed & ran into bed. “The faster I go to sleep, the faster tomorrow comes!” Sarah thought excitedly to herself. Only, it took her a while to calm down enough to go to sleep. But when she finally did, horses danced in her dreams. Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Sarah woke up with a start. “Where am I?” She thought. Then, recalling that she was at her uncle’s ranch, she relaxed. Recalling her dreams from the night before, she smiled. Mandy had been one of the horses galloping through her mind that night. Sarah had raced on her back, feeling like she had wings & was soaring in the air! “Oh, Mandy! I almost forgot!” Sarah quickly pulled on a pair of jeans & a t-shirt, & after a moments thought pulled on a light sweater. Then she quickly ran a brush through her hair & raced down the hall. To her surprise, when she reached the kitchen her aunt was already there fixing coffee. “Hello Sarah, you’re up early for being on vacation & all.” Sarah just nodded, still trying to catch her breath. “I wanted to get up early to help feed Mandy,” she answered. “Well, before you go, eat some breakfast first.” Her aunt said, pushing a bowl of cereal in front of her. In the midst of eating, Sarah’s uncle came down dressed in clothes similar to hers. A light sweater & jeans were comfortable to move around in & would be excellent for working with horses. Sarah slowly finished her breakfast as to not be rude & have to wait on her uncle, & as soon as they were both finished they headed out the door to feed the waiting horses. As Sarah walked by the counter she saw a decorative bowl full of apples, round & delicious, they looked perfect, not a scratch or bruise in sight! Sarah’s aunt caught her glimpse at the perfect apples & handed her one. “I never eat them anyway, they just sit there.” Sarah’s eyes widened in thankfulness. “It’s time the apples were put to use, besides, they horses will love them.” She handed Sarah 3 more for the rest of the horses & sent them out the door. Trying not to drop any, Sarah stuffed them in her pockets. Running to catch up to her uncle, they walked into the barn. Confused, Sarah saw several empty stalls, no hay, no bedding, just boxes. “The horses stay outside, each field has a shelter.” Still confused why he would have this huge, beautiful, spotless barn, & yet not put horses in it. “How would you like to come to a strange place full of strange smells & horses, & then be put into a stall that smells like other horses that aren’t thee anymore?” Her uncle asked. “I guess I would be pretty scared,” Sarah replied. “You see,” Her uncle continued, “Every horse that comes here goes through a period of time of fear. As you know, horses can smell fear, & being a scared horse going into a scary ‘box’ where you feel trapped is pretty scary. It doesn’t help when the stall you’re put in smells like another horse, you’re in their territory. Plus, what if the old horses stall still smells like their old fear. Of course their fear went away after a while, but the smell could still be there. Coming to a new place can be very scary, especially for a horse.” They walked into an empty stall that had several feed bins & both grabbed the horse’s buckets, measured out the food, added the vitamins & left the barn. At the smell of the food, the horses came trotting up. As instructed, Sarah put the bucket on a hook on the inside of the fence. Each horse walked up to a bucket & began to eat. To Sarah’s delight, Mandy chose the bucket in front of her. Nickering gently, Mandy began to eat. When the horses were done the buckets were washed & put up. Afterwards, Sarah helped halter Mandy & lead her to the training field. “Trot! Come on, you can do it, trot!” Sarah called out to Mandy. She had been lunging her both ways for a while & this was Mandy’s last command. “Easy, easy, walk on, good girl! And whoa, that’s it, whoa.” As Mandy stopped Sarah walked up to her & gave her a scratch on her forehead. Mandy bobbed her head up & down, obviously enjoying the petting. “Sarah, time for lunch!” Sarah’s mom called from the house. “Coming!” Sarah replied, slowly leading Mandy back out to her pasture. “I’ll let you cool off in here & then after lunch I’ll be back.” Giving Mandy one last kiss on the nose, she quickly ran to the house. Inside a peanut butter & jelly sandwich awaited her. She gobbled it up quickly, realizing how hungry she was. “Sarah, you know we only have 2 more days here before we go to Disney.” Her Mom said hesitantly. “Oh, yeah, Disney! I almost forgot about that!” Sarah laughed. She had been so busy with Mandy that she had forgotten that they were on vacation! “We know you love Mandy & all, but we don’t want you to get too attached to her.” Mandy chewed slowly now, hard in thought. “Why?” she asked, her brow wrinkling. “Because,” her mother started, “because, you may never see her again.” Sarah dropped her sandwich. “What!” Her mom looked around hesitantly. “With all the training you’ve been giving Mandy, people are looking into adopting her. Someone’s coming out this afternoon to watch you work with her. “No!” Sarah cried. “They won’t take my Mandy!” With that comment she ran out the door & into the pasture. Mandy greeting her with a nicker. Bursting into tears, Sarah buried her head in Mandy’s mane sobbing. It had been 5 days since they had left Florida for good. Sarah’s 2 last days with Mandy had been bitter & short. She had tried to spend every waking moment with Mandy. She even got the chance to ride her, which was wonderful, she had felt like she was flying! But it was all too much now. Disney had been great. She tried to hide her pain, her sadness, to make the trip more fun for the others. She did have fun, but she couldn’t stop thinking of Mandy. “Ladies & gentlemen, we are 5 minutes away from our destination. Please fasten all seatbelts & prepare for landing.” The flight attendants voice clicked over the loudspeaker. Sarah & her family were on the plane now, heading home for good. When the plane landed Sarah almost burst into tears. She would never see Mandy again. On their last day at the ranch, someone had come out to watch Mandy be worked & ridden. Then she had been bought & paid for, & taken away. Loading quietly into a trailer, just like Sarah had taught her too. As they exited the airport & got into their car, Sarah laid her head against the window, too full of hurt & sadness to say anything. When they got home, she did the same thing. Went straight up into bed, only not because of tiredness like the rest of the family, but because she wanted to be alone. That night she cried into her pillow, & woke up in the morning with teary eyes. She had a riding lesson today. She quickly pulled on her riding clothes & ran a brush through her hair. Then she walked downstairs to find her family waiting for her. As they pulled into the barn, Sarah saw a strange trailer that had never been there before. But the thought passed quickly through her mind. She had to get focused. She walked into the barn & gasped. There, in one of the stalls poking its head out was Mandy. “Mandy!” Sarah cried running up to greet her. Mandy nickered happily & nuzzled Sarah’s neck. “She’s all yours!” Her father said, handing her a black saddle & bridle she had never had before. Sarah’s eyes filled with tears, only, not tears of sadness, but of joy! She had her Mandy back, & she was never going to leave!

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This story is based off of real people, animals, & events. Sarah (if only it was Sara like mine!) is based off of me, & believe it or not, the horse of her dreams is actually my dream horse, it always has been, even before this story came out, & creepy or not, I have wanted him ever since I was 4. Yes, Sarah’s uncle in this story is actually my uncle & yes, he does own a recue barn. But its not called Happy Hearts, it doesn’t have a name. Mandy, Cruiser, Blaze, Hershey & the 2 paints are all real. & to this day Mandy is still at thier rescue barn, only she is considered thier horse (& so are Cruiser, Blaze, & Hershey, they couoldn’t seperate the bffs!) & will never be put up for adoption. Sadly, I don’t own Mandy(yes, I actually did help retrain her, but no I didn’t get to ride her, I was really sad) we can’t afford to keep a horse. But yes I do really ride horses & that little plan that Sarah had, about how she was going to meet her dream horse, is actually my little plan (so realistic right?) The trainer & her 2 paints now work with Pat Parelli as one of the groups that go around demonstrating the games & training techniques. We see her in magazines & training videos now, but we haven’t met face to face since. I only wish this story will come true, or at least the parts that aren’t true already! Dedicated to my Uncle who now has cancer, may horses gallop through his heart forever!

DK here. While we wait for the judge’s decision on our last Story Contest, I thought it would be a great time to begin a brand new contest. I think you’re gonna love this one. Ready? Let’s get started -

Kaitlyn won November’s Story Starter Fiction Contest with a wonderful entry entitled, Winter Blessings. A big iHorseClub Thank You to everyone who entered! A brand new Story Contest began after Christmas so be sure to enter. But first, read Kaitlyn’s winning entry below! We know you’ll enjoy it.

Winter Blessings

She trudged through the thick snow, opened the barn door and stepped inside. The tall gray horse seemed surprised to see her at this late hour. “I brought you a Christmas treat,” she said, and reached into her pocket for the apple. Just then, she heard a noise on the barn roof. It sounded like…rain! “Oh no! Quincy, you know I hate rain!”, she said. The young gelding gave her a look. A look that clearly said “Oh please!”. Penny seemed to notice his look and said, “Ok, so I don’t hate rain, but I’m terrified of thunder! And where there’s rain, there’s got to be thunder!” She looked up, her eyes full of fright.
CRASH! She cringed and buried her face into Quincy’s soft, conditioned neck. A flash of red caught her eye. She looked over. The apple lay near a pile of hay. She must have dropped it when the clap of thunder rang out. Then she said, “Quincy, thank you for always being there. I know that sometimes I can be a real pain, but you’re my boy. And I’ll always be there for you too!”
Suddenly, she realized and said, “Oh my goodness, I forgot. What time is it?” She quickly scrambled to the barn Director’s office and glanced up at the clock. 11:30 pm. She had to get back inside before her family noticed her absence. She sprinted out the door while saying, “I love you Quincy! I’ll see you in the morning! Then it’ll be Christmas!” As she ran out the door, she heard his returning nicker and smiled. What a lucky girl I am, she thought. To have such a wonderful horse. He’s the best Christmas blessing EVER! I can’t believe that being a 1 year old, he’s such a behaved horse!
Penny quietly slipped into the house after running from the barn to the house. She was panting from the long run, her hands clasped at her chest. After catching her breath, she stealthily crept up the stairs to her room. She opened the door, calmly walked to her bed, and climbed in. Then she began to dream about Quincy, her guardian angel.
BEEP BEEP BEEP! Her alarm shrilled loudly, reminding her that it was Christmas morning. She leaped out of bed, dragged her jeans on, pulled on a shirt, and then ran down the stairs quickly. She leaped over the fence separating her from the barn which held her beautiful boy.
She opened the barn door and jogged inside to see Quincy. As usual, he was waiting in the first stall to Penny’s right. His head was over the stall and his ears were pricked for any sign of her. He whinnied with delight as he saw her walking toward him. She held out her hand toward him, and he stuck his muzzle in it and whuffled, searching for a treat. Penny knew what he desired and said, “Sorry boy. I didn’t bring you a treat this morning. You’ll be getting treats later. Remember: It’s CHRISTMAS! You’ll be getting a lot of treats from your stocking.” He sighed. Just her voice soothed him just as much as treats did. Or more.
Penny led him out of his stall and over to the small pine in the middle of his paddock. “Look boy! I made you your very own Christmas tree! All of the ornaments are edible, so eat away!”, she said. She turned him loose and he ambled over to the tree and began to munch. Penny sighed, thinking about Christmas dinner with all of her family together and what surprises the wrapped packages held. I can’t wait until the family gets arrives! Of course the children will want to ride Quincy. I don’t think he’ll mind. He enjoys being ridden, she thought. When he finishes eating, I think I’ll groom him. His coat needs to be washed thoroughly.
Penny clipped the lead rope to his new bright and red halter after he had eaten to his heart’s content. He followed her, knowing that she was now in control. She loosely tied him to the iron post and went to the tack room to get his grooming kit. She grabbed a soft brush and began to stroke his coat until it shined. Then she picked his muddy and snow-packed hooves.
After his brush grooming, she walked over to the water hose, turned the water on the setting “warm”, and then dragged the heavy hose over to Quincy’s side. She wet him down with the warm water. His muscles rippled in delight at the feeling of the warm water on his hide. She soaped him down and then rinsed the foamy soap off. Once Quincy was done, he shook the water off himself. Penny shook with laughter. “Quincy, you look like a dog when you do that! You really know how to make me laugh.” Like he was cued, Quincy lifted his lip in a sort of horsey grin. Penny laughed so hard her legs failed to support her tiny frame and she slipped to the floor, still laughing. Quincy, worried, nudged her back until she reassured him and rose to a standing position. “I love you Quincy.”
Later that evening, after all of the family had arrived, they all sat down by the Christmas tree. All except Quincy. Penny had tried to convince her mother to allow Quincy to stand outside the door, but her mother refused. Quincy would have to open his presents later.
“Here Penny”, her Aunt said as she passed a beautifully wrapped package to Penny. “Open it! It’s from the family.” I wonder what they bought me…. She took the beautiful wrapped gift from her Aunt and ripped off the paper. It was a brown box. Penny looked up in confusion. “Open it dear.”, her Aunt said. Penny giggled at her mistake. She then opened the brown box and her mouth gaped open in awe. There, in the box, was a bracelet. It was no ordinary bracelet. It was made out of some kind of hair. Horse hair! “It’s some of Quincy’s tail. We thought you’d like to always carry some of Quincy around where you went.” Penny ran to her Aunt and began to cry. Her sobbing slowly evolved into a sniffle. Then she spoke, “Thank you, everyone! It’s beautiful. It’s the best Christmas gift! Thank you!” Her Aunt smiled. “I’m glad you like it Penny. And just you wait. Christmas isn’t over yet. We still have Christmas dinner and our blessings to count.” Penny gasped. She liked Christmas dinner, but her favorite thing to do was to sit around the table and count their blessings.
Penny sat down on the oak chairs. All of the family members sat with her. They prayed and then they waited. Suddenly, Penny’s father stood up and spoke. “As a Christmas tradition, we always count our blessings right before we eat. As you all know, we always start with the youngest. And since Aunt May didn’t bring the young ones, we will start with the youngest here with us: Penny.” Penny blushed. Normally, her young cousins would start first, but they were sick at home. Now she was the youngest at 13. “Ok, ok. I’ll do it. Hmmm. Let’s see. I’m thankful for my family and friends, for the food in which my mother and father provide for me. I thank God for giving me such a wonderful life. I’m also thankful for the shelter that my parents provide for me, too. And finally, I’m thankful for my guardian angel, Quincy. My Christmas Blessing.”

From Holiday Story Starter! Time for Some Fun!, 2008/12/10 at 9:57 AM

This Story Starter Contest is now closed!! GREAT Job everyone!! The iHorseClub team will be looking over all the entries and choosing a winner!

NEW CONTEST starting soon!!

She trudged through the thick snow, opened the barn door and stepped inside.  The tall gray horse seemed surprised to see her at this late hour.  “I brought you a Christmas treat,” she said, and reached into her pocket for the apple. Just then, she heard a noise on the barn roof. It sounded like…

Finish the story… copy and paste the lines above somewhere in your story. Enter your story in the comment section below. (You can write your story in Microsoft Word and then copy and paste it into the comment section!!) If you need more help on how to enter the contest, click on the link on the right side of this page!

Good luck!!
Is there a prize?? YES!! The winner of this contest gets a book from DK’s Equine Library!

DEADLINE: This contest ends Wednesday night, December 31st!

We are happy to announce that Jodi is the winner of our latest Story Starter Contest! Aaron and our team of judges want to thank everyone who entered. We really enjoyed reading ALL of your stories!  Look for a BRAND NEW Story Starter announcement in a few days!

Jodi’s Winning Entry is posted below. Happy Reading!

My horse pawed restlessly at the ground, a beast eagerly waiting for me to tack her up. OK OK I said putting on the saddle and fastening the girth. I know you want to get going. I was tacking up my beautiful palomino Royal Spirit. She was eagerly waiting because she knew we were going out on the trails. My name is Amy I ride Royal Spirit in show jumping competitions. But today we were going out on a trail ride with my little sister Laura and my mom Jackie. You ready mom??? Yup just fastening his throat latch! Laura honey you ready? Asked my mom pulling her horse over to where my sisters pony was. Yup almost. She said excitedly. Laura was almost six years old and she loved doing everything herself. I myself am 12. Honey let me help you with that. Said my mom handing her horses rains to me. No I can get it. Said Laura trying to pull the girth up to the third hole. Your not quite strong enough. Said my mom. Well I’m going to start warming up Royal Spirit. I said grabbing my helmet off the rack. There all tacked up. Said Laura with a big grin. My mom handed Laura her helmet while she was putting on her own. We all mounted and headed down the long path. It was a sunny day but not hot. Laura’s little Welsh pony was trotting up beside me. HI AMY! Said Laura looking up at me. We heard rustling in the bushes but decided it was a rabbit. So we got into a canter to get away from it so it wouldn’t spook the horses. Then my mom’s horse reared so suddenly my mom almost fell off. There in front of her was a rattle snake. MOM! I screamed. But it was to late my moms horse turned around and bolted. MOM!! Screamed Laura. But it was to late my mom was already half way down the trail. Knowing that I couldn’t leave Laura because she didn’t know how to gallop yet or run for that matter. Picked her off her horse and put her in front of me. What about Lady? Lady was Laura’s plump little pony. She will follow. I tapped Royal Spirit with my heel and she lunged forward kicking up grass as she went. I looked back to make sure Lady was following. She was. She finally caught up to Royal Spirit. Why did mom’s horse bolt? Asked Laura yelling over the wind. Because Donna is scared of snakes. I said. There’s mom I yelled tapping Royal Spirit to get her going a little faster. I finally caught up to Donna. My mom was holding on but she was half knocked out because when Donna reared her neck hit her in the chest and knocked the wind out of her. I grabbed my mom’s rains and puled Royal Spirit to a halt. I got down and went over to Jackie. Mom are you OK? Mom? I asked. There was no answer. Laura slid off Royal Spirit with tears filling her eyes. Is mom OK? Asked Laura. I don’t know. I turned around and looked at Laura. Laura I said firmly. Your going to have to run on Lady by yourself I halve to ride mom back to the house. I I can’t. Laura said crying. You have to think of mom it will be OK I’m right there next to you. But what if I get lost? Asked Laura. You won’t. I said. But. I cut her off. Your not going to fall off and I cant fit three people on Royal Spirit. I said. OK for mom. Said Laura giving up the fight. I gently brought Donna over to Royal Spirit. We started to run. I turned around every few strides to see if Laura was still there. She was looking kind of scared but she was doing it. Once we got home I laid my mom on to her bed and went to the barn to unsaddle the horses. But when I got there Laura was leading them into the pasture. Laura saw me and shut the gate. She ran over to me and hugged me like she hadn’t seen me in years. I gently pulled away and told her mom was OK. I told her I called the hospital and they said there’s nothing to worry about. A few hours later my mom walked through the bedroom door. Laura and I got up and talked to her. She said she was OK and that she was very proud of how we handled it. You better train later. Said my mom. You got a big show coming up tomorrow. THE SHOW! I completely forgot. I was entered in a show jumping race for kids. You had to go as fast as you could around twice going over 10 jumps. It was horse racing a show jumping all together. A few hours later I set up ten jumps and rode Royal Spirit over them as fast as I could. On Saturday I walked Royal Spirit up the ramp into the trailer. Well here we go I said. I put all of Royal Spirit’s gear in the trailer. We all got into the truck and drove down the rode. It was a long ways away and Laura was already asleep. I decided I would read my favorite book. Black Beauty. It was 8:00am when we arrived at the show. It starts at 9:00am. I went to the tent and got my number and to sign in. When I got back I brushed Royal Spirit till her coat gleamed like gold. I tacked her up and rode her around to warm her up. The speaker crackled to life the race will be starting in five minutes. OK I better go. Good luck honey said my mom giving me a kiss. Thanks mom. Good luck I hope you win said Laura grinning from ear to ear. Thanks you guys. Come on Royal Spirit. I said. We got in to a circle with the other competitors. We have 112 Hannah Jones on Jasmine. Said a man with a Microphone. We have 222 Amy Boyd on Royal Spirit. That’s us. I said trotting out of the ring to the starting line. After all the contestants had been called there was silence. We can do it I thought. You can do it Royal Spirit. I said whispering. Then the starting bell rang. Then in an instant Royal Spirit was running as fast as she could. Here’s the first jump get ready Royal Spirit! I screamed. We sailed over it. After we went around the ring the first time we were in 7th. Five more jumps to go! We caught up to third then second most of the kids had fallen off or there horses tripped but they always got up. If you fall off your out. There were only three of us left. The last jump! I screamed to Royal Spirit. People were yelling it all seemed to disappear. It just seemed like me and Royal Spirit were there. Then we caught up to the person in first. He looked at me. His horse tried to hit Royal Spirit. But she stayed her ground. The last jump we sailed over all of them now there were no more jumps just running to the finish line. We were neck and neck. Then I saw the finish line. COME ON ROYAL SPIRIT! I yelled at the top of my lungs. The once we got to the finish line I closed my eyes. Waiting for the Speaker to come to life then. I heard. And the winner is! AMY BOYD ON ROYAL SPIRIT! Everyone cheered. We did it Royal Spirit! WE DID IT! I saw my mom and Laura running to me. You did it Amy! Screamed Laura in delight. We walked down to the winners circle and claimed our 1,000 dollar check and then they brought a camera over a filmed me and Royal Spirit. I gave Royal Spirit a long pat and lots of carrots.

This contest has ended. We will announce the winner soon!!

Stay tuned for the next story starter contest!!

~Patty~

The horse pawed restlessly at the ground, a beast eagerly waiting for…

Finish the story… copy and paste the line above somewhere in your story. Enter your story in the comment section below. (You can write your story in Microsoft Word and then copy and paste it into the comment section!!) If you need more help on how to enter the contest, click on the link on the right side of this page!

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Is there a prize?? YES!! The winner of this contest can choose ANY book from our Tack Shop Fiction Section!!

*****NOTE*******  This contest will end on November 15th.