"I hope that horse sees sense soon," Bo said, washing the plates at the sink.

It was just after lunch, and from the window she could see Jessie and Buzz in the paddock, talking quietly between themselves. It was just after Christmas, and the New Year was fast approaching. Two months lay between them and the contest, and three months until the eviction notice would be served. They had been saving every penny they could in a vain hope to save the farm, but they were getting nowhere fast. More and more, they were starting to realise Jessie was their salvation from the horrible crisis they now faced.

All the paperwork for Jessie's entrance to the contest had been filled out the previous day and was waiting to be sent back. There was only one small problem – Jessie had still not gotten Buttercup to master any jumps. Save for the one hedge jump the previous month, the horse refused anything higher than a golf tee.

"There has to be a way," Woody sighed. He was sitting at the table, flicking through a heap of letters that had begun to filter through, mostly ones with ugly red capital letters on them that he didn't dare open.

Bo picked up the cups and started to wash them. "She's going to be a laughing stock. Poor lamb."

"Buttercup hardly cares, I think you'll find," Woody said. Bo sighed.

"I'm not talking about Buttercup."

"Oh." Woody paused. "Well, Jessie's a tough nut. She'll get by."

"I think she's taking on a lot of responsibility for our problems. And you cant even open the letters." Bo chided him, starting to rinse the plates."

"Is there a point?" Woody looked up. "I know they say we owe amounts we cant pay."

Bo shook her head sadly and started to pick up the plates one by one. A movement outside the window made her look. Jessie was picking herself up after another failed attempt at a jump over a mocked up show hurdle Buzz had thrown himself into putting together. She was dusting herself off angrily and Buzz was trying to catch the white filly, who had run off a little way from them both.

Bo let out her breath and set the last of the plates down from drying them. She started to pick the stack up, just as Woody cast a glance over at her. He was immediately on his feet.

"Hey hey," he came over to her "let me help you with those my little lady."

"No Woody. They're not that heavy." Bo made to walk past him. "Donkeys go best laden."

Woody stopped, a light bulb coming on in his head. "Bo! You're a genius!" he cried, hugging his wife – who thankfully had stored the plates away safely by now.

Woody rushed from the room, with Bo staring after him in confusion.

"Seriously? This is going to help?" Jessie crossed her arms.

"Let me just try." Woody beseeched her.

"Fine. Might be fun to see Buzz getting splattered with mud for a change," Jessie grinned at the farm hand, who was mounted on Buttercup's back. "Show up what you can do."

Buzz wasn't listening. He was concentrating on the hurdle in front of him. It looked so much bigger from up here than it did from the ground. He trotted Buttercup in a circle and then worked her into a gallop towards the jump. He closed his eyes momentarily just before the jump….felt the wind in his hair…waited for the mud to hit him full force….waited for Jessie's peal of laughter….

But to his surprise he felt nothing. He opened his eyes and heard a delighted shriek.

"BUZZ! You did it!"

He looked around. He was still on Buttercup's back, all her hooves firmly on the ground, but when he swivelled around the hurdle was behind him!

"I did? I did!" He dismounted, and Jessie came running over to give him a hug.

"I knew it," Woody said triumphantly from behind them, and they broke apart. Buzz forced his blush away from having the stable girl in such close proximity.

"Jessie's too light," Woody continued, too caught up in being right to notice Buzz's demeanour.

Jessie frowned. "What?"

"You're too light. Buttercup wont make the hurdles without something heavy on her back."

"Thanks." Buzz mumbled, sounding miffed.

"It makes sense," Jessie suddenly realised, remembering the times that Buzz had ridden Buttercup with no problems, her mind drifting back to the afternoon in the fields by the ridge, and the picnic, and….Buttercup hadn't objected to the extra saddle bag weight one bit.

"Of course it does!" Driven by Jessie's agreement, Woody pushed on. "We have to load Buttercup before she jumps, so she feels more comfortable."

"Am I really that fat?" Buzz muttered to himself, starting to lead Buttercup back to her stable, as the other two carried on chattering away excitedly.