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sure I can get my girth tight enough by myself,” she said. May’s was a common problem among young riders who rode ponies. The young riders weren’t as strong as the older riders, and the ponies were usually a lot fatter—andbetter at bloating—than the horses. The combination could make girth tightening a real worry.
    Lisa was wondering what advice she could offer when Stevie spoke up. “Don’t worry, May,” Stevie assured the girl. “I already told Jasmine James I’d get here early to help her tack up her pony, Outlaw, so I can help you, too.”
    “Aren’t we the perfect Pony Clubber,” Veronica said, her voice saccharine sweet.
    “Why, thank you, Veronica,” Stevie responded, pretending not to notice the sarcasm.
    “Too bad brownnosing won’t help you win next weekend,” Veronica snapped.
    Stevie said nothing—just glared, trying to think of something equally rude to answer with.
    Turning her back to the group, Veronica began to sing “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem, in a loud voice. Stevie gritted her teeth. Everyone else probably thought Veronica was being weird, but Stevie knew that she was using the song to gloat. The girls were supposed to memorize the words to it for French class. Veronica had obviously finished her homework already and knew that that would annoy Stevie—who usually did her homework late—no end.
    Before things could heat up any more between the two girls, Carole interrupted. She told Stevie to hurryand dismount because they had things to talk about. Reluctantly, Stevie hopped off. She was visibly seething.
    On their way into the stable, Lisa suggested having a quick Saddle Club meeting at T.D.’s, the local ice-cream shop where the three of them were regulars. She wanted to plan a few more extra jumping practices.
    “Sorry, can’t,” Stevie said. “I just remembered that I have to go do my French homework.”
    “French homework? Instead of ice-cream sundaes?” Lisa asked. She couldn’t remember the last time Stevie had passed up—well,
anything
—in order to do homework.
    Stevie nodded gravely. “Yup. Until I heard Veronica singing I forgot that we’re supposed to memorize the words to ‘La Marseillaise’ for class tomorrow. Since Veronica obviously already knows one verse, I’m going to have to learn two verses so that I can be ahead of her.”
    For the second time that afternoon, Lisa and Carole found themselves shaking their heads at Stevie’s competitiveness. It was incredible how far she would take things.
    Stevie, however, didn’t seem to find anything strange. “You guys go ahead without me,” she told herfriends. “And about extra practice, how about tomorrow afternoon? If Veronica shows up, we can scare her off with our great equitation over fences. Okay, Lisa? Does that sound good to you?” Without waiting for an answer, Stevie strode off with Belle, mumbling to herself in French.
    Lisa didn’t bother to remind her friend that scaring off Veronica wasn’t
her
personal goal for the schooling show.

O N S ATURDAY MORNING , Pine Hollow was buzzing with activity. Remembering Max’s encouragement to look smart for the judges, a number of Pony Clubbers had arrived early to do an extra-good grooming job. Max and Mrs. Reg were on hand to help out anyone who needed it. They hurried from tack room to locker room to the stalls getting ready for the judges’ arrival. Whenever anyone from the local horsey community visited Pine Hollow, the Regnerys wanted their farm in tip-top shape. It was part of what gave the stable one of the best reputations in Virginia.
    On their way into the barn, Carole and Lisa met inthe driveway. Each was carrying her own pair of tall black dress boots.
    “How late were you up polishing?” Lisa asked, noting the sheen on Carole’s boots.
    Carole grinned sheepishly. “To be honest, these super-shiny boots are thanks to the U.S. Marine Corps. Dad did them last night so I could go to bed early,” she