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positions.”
    Lisa knew that position could be very important in a ride like this. Whether you went first or last or in the middle could make a difference in your performance. What she couldn’t figure out was what position was the best for her. She didn’t have time to think about that now. Max had lots to say.
    “The course is three miles long. The trail is marked by red stakes. You should have no trouble following it. There are ten obstacles in it. They include two times across the creek, one low jump over a stone wall, one steep climb up a section of hill, and another steep climb down. In addition to these five natural barriers, there are five artificial jumps. Four of them are in the field. One is in the woods. Red and I have ridden the course several times. It’s safe and, we think, fun. It’s not long. It should take you about fifteen minutes at a steady canter. In fact, it should take you not more than seventeen minutes, nor less than thirteen. Those are your time limits. If you come in either faster or slower, you’ll get penalty points. You also get penalty points if your horse refuses an obstacle or if you fall. If you complete the course without amistake, within the time limit, you don’t get any penalty points. Is everything clear?”
    The riders nodded and then they all looked around at one another. Lisa had the feeling each of them was wondering if any of them could make it through without a fault. Eventually, it seemed that everybody was looking at Carole.
    Max then pulled out a bowl filled with slips of paper containing each rider’s name. He began the draw, explaining that two or three riders would be on the course at once and that they’d start at four-minute intervals.
    Max reached into the bowl, picked the first scrap of paper, and announced, “Lisa Atwood.”
    Lisa could feel herself get nervous. It started in her stomach and then traveled quickly to her knees.
    “Oh, you poor thing. I hate going first!” the girl next to her said.
    On her other side, Stevie gave her a squeeze. “You’re so lucky! Just think, you’ll be the first person on the trail and you get to set the standard the rest of us have to come up to.”
    Lisa, who was pretty much of an optimist under any circumstances, decided she liked Stevie’s way of looking at the situation. She smiled confidently. The minute she did that, her knees felt better and her stomach steadied.
    Then, fifteen minutes later, she was in the starting area.
    “Remember,” Carole told her reassuringly. “This is a case where it’s really true that ‘slow and steady wins the race.’ ”
    “Good luck!” Stevie said.
    “On your mark,” said Mrs. Reg, Max’s mother. She was the starter for this event. She checked her timer. “Get set.” She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and held it high. “Go!” She brought the handkerchief down quickly. Lisa was off.
    The course began in the fields behind the stable. Lisa knew the fields well. She looked at the path as it was laid out. It was very level. This, she decided, would be a good time to set the pace she wanted to keep throughout the course. Pepper was cantering, as he was supposed to be, but, she felt, his canter was a little sluggish. When he broke into a trot, she knew that was the case. She signaled him to canter again, by touching behind his girth with her right heel and this time, she also maintained pressure on his belly with her left calf.
    It worked. Pepper’s canter was an even and smooth rocking gait when he did it right, and it was Lisa’s job to make him do it right. She’d accomplished that. She was pleased.
    Lisa spotted the first jump. It was only about eighteen inches high. It was eighteen inches across, too. Lisa prepared herself. She shifted her weight a little forward and then, as they approached the jump, she shortened herreins and rose in the saddle, leaning forward, parallel to Pepper’s neck. At just the right moment, he rose in the air and cleared the