Jas pointed her large chestnut Dutch Warmblood gelding at the last fence
and got ready for him to jump it. As always, Shadow cleared the jump with
more that a foot to spare. They had completed another perfect run, meaning
that they had won the show.
Jas thought that her face couldn't possibly hold her huge smile as the judge pinned the tri-colored ribbon on Shadow's bridle. Though it was the perfect moment, she couldn't help feeling a little sad. She should have been here with her favorite horse, Whirlwind. It wasn't that she didn't love Shadow just as much, but Whirlwind was still haunting her since they were no closer to finding where the spunky mare was.
A year ago, Jas had been living at the exclusive horse facility, High Meadows Farm. She was a model student and a champion equestrian. She and Whirlwind were on their way to the top of the junior level. But then, Hugh Robicheaux, the owner of the farm, had cheated his insurance company by selling Whirlwind in a different country and then killing a ringer, a horse that looked exactly like the beautiful mare. Jas had dug around and found the truth under Whirlwind's death.
Three people came up to Jas after she had dismounted from her huge horse. Diane Hahn, the owner of the farm where Jas and her grandfather lived now, had once been a championship rider and was essentially a coach to Jas. Chase, her boyfriend came and hugged her exuberantly. Her grandfather followed closely behind them. Jas knew that before he had a stroke the previous summer, he would have been the first to reach her.
"You were amazing!" Chase yelled. Ms. Hahn and her grandfather nodded their agreement. Shadow snorted impatiently, as to say that he was tired of being spoiled by the spotlight.
"I had a lot of help," she said, gesturing at Shadow.
He was a little too big to be considered elegant. Shadow stood at almost 17 hands. He had a gleaming dark chestnut coat with his only white marking being a blaze shaped like an exclamation point. Almost as if he understood, he snorted and bobbed his head.
"Okay Shadow, let's go un-tack you," Jas said and led him out of the arena.
Jas was tired on the way home. Despite the loud hum of the truck's engine, she found herself having trouble keeping her eyes open. So she stopped fighting.
But she didn't sleep. She thought of Whirlwind again as she done every day since she found out that Whirlwind really wasn't dead. And they still hadn't managed to convict Hugh yet. Whirlwind had been the second time that he had created a fraud on the insurance company. They hoped that this summer they would finally be able to pull up enough evidence.
Jas sighed. She knew they had plenty of evidence already. Shadow was actually a horse named Aladdin that had supposedly died 6 years ago. Their appearances and behavior matched up. Not to mention the fact that Dr. Danvers, the vet, had scanned Shadow's neck to see if he had a microchip implanted for identification. He did. And the number matched up with Aladdin's. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to remove the microchip from one horse and put it into another.
Jas had been so busy trying to find how Shadow and Aladdin were connected that it took her a while to realize that Whirlwind wasn't dead. At least not the real Whirlwind. Jas was more determined to find her than ever, even though she knew that it was such a long shot. The mare could be anywhere by now.
But she reminded herself that there was hope. Shadow had been sold overseas and had made it back to Virginia when he got sick and was unwanted. Jas and Ms. Hahn had saved him from the slaughterhouse, which would have been his next stop from the auction where they bought him.
Jas opened her eyes and looked out the window to see that the sun was now sinking below the trees. They just had to find Whirlwind and bring Hugh to justice.
Jas thought that her face couldn't possibly hold her huge smile as the judge pinned the tri-colored ribbon on Shadow's bridle. Though it was the perfect moment, she couldn't help feeling a little sad. She should have been here with her favorite horse, Whirlwind. It wasn't that she didn't love Shadow just as much, but Whirlwind was still haunting her since they were no closer to finding where the spunky mare was.
A year ago, Jas had been living at the exclusive horse facility, High Meadows Farm. She was a model student and a champion equestrian. She and Whirlwind were on their way to the top of the junior level. But then, Hugh Robicheaux, the owner of the farm, had cheated his insurance company by selling Whirlwind in a different country and then killing a ringer, a horse that looked exactly like the beautiful mare. Jas had dug around and found the truth under Whirlwind's death.
Three people came up to Jas after she had dismounted from her huge horse. Diane Hahn, the owner of the farm where Jas and her grandfather lived now, had once been a championship rider and was essentially a coach to Jas. Chase, her boyfriend came and hugged her exuberantly. Her grandfather followed closely behind them. Jas knew that before he had a stroke the previous summer, he would have been the first to reach her.
"You were amazing!" Chase yelled. Ms. Hahn and her grandfather nodded their agreement. Shadow snorted impatiently, as to say that he was tired of being spoiled by the spotlight.
"I had a lot of help," she said, gesturing at Shadow.
He was a little too big to be considered elegant. Shadow stood at almost 17 hands. He had a gleaming dark chestnut coat with his only white marking being a blaze shaped like an exclamation point. Almost as if he understood, he snorted and bobbed his head.
"Okay Shadow, let's go un-tack you," Jas said and led him out of the arena.
Jas was tired on the way home. Despite the loud hum of the truck's engine, she found herself having trouble keeping her eyes open. So she stopped fighting.
But she didn't sleep. She thought of Whirlwind again as she done every day since she found out that Whirlwind really wasn't dead. And they still hadn't managed to convict Hugh yet. Whirlwind had been the second time that he had created a fraud on the insurance company. They hoped that this summer they would finally be able to pull up enough evidence.
Jas sighed. She knew they had plenty of evidence already. Shadow was actually a horse named Aladdin that had supposedly died 6 years ago. Their appearances and behavior matched up. Not to mention the fact that Dr. Danvers, the vet, had scanned Shadow's neck to see if he had a microchip implanted for identification. He did. And the number matched up with Aladdin's. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to remove the microchip from one horse and put it into another.
Jas had been so busy trying to find how Shadow and Aladdin were connected that it took her a while to realize that Whirlwind wasn't dead. At least not the real Whirlwind. Jas was more determined to find her than ever, even though she knew that it was such a long shot. The mare could be anywhere by now.
But she reminded herself that there was hope. Shadow had been sold overseas and had made it back to Virginia when he got sick and was unwanted. Jas and Ms. Hahn had saved him from the slaughterhouse, which would have been his next stop from the auction where they bought him.
Jas opened her eyes and looked out the window to see that the sun was now sinking below the trees. They just had to find Whirlwind and bring Hugh to justice.