A battle with bravery

I tentatively led Mabel down the row of stables, looking for the one that would be hers for the week, while Mum walked behind us, pushing my wheelbarrow full of stuff. My stomach churned as I took in the busy atmosphere – children and their parents were heading in all directions, some settling their ponies into stables and others looking for their allocated tents. It was all new to me, and I was slightly dreading Mum leaving. 

Settling in

I’d only just joined Pony Club and didn’t know anyone there, apart from my instructor Sam, who’d persuaded me to come. I was excited to do loads of riding, but suddenly really nervous about being left on my own. What if no one talked to me? 

After Mum helped me unload my things into my tent, I waved goodbye and headed back down to the stables – at least Mabel was one friendly face I could always rely on. As I peered over her door, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to face a frizzy-haired girl with dirt smeared on her cheeks and hay all over her fleece. “Hi, my name’s Roisin. I haven’t seen you before, so just wanted to say hi,” she smiled. I was so grateful that she’d come over, I almost forgot to reply. “Hi… sorry… I’m Alexa. I’m new and don’t know anyone. Pleased to meet you.” Roisin grinned and invited me over to see her pony, Edison, and cooed over how pretty Mabel was. As we talked, I found out that she’d been to camp before and knew how it all worked. Thankfully, I had a buddy to stick with now. 

First night

To my delight, Roisin and I were sharing a tent together, along with three other girls who were a bit older – Eva, Oakleigh and Antonia. I found them pretty intimidating as they were super-loud and confident, so I stuck to Roisin like a shadow that first evening. She introduced me to some of her friends at dinner and we ended up having a laugh, sharing stories about all the naughty things our ponies got up to. 

When it was time for bed came, I was so exhausted that I really wanted to go to sleep ready for the morning, but the other girls were being noisy and wanted to play games and eat snacks. I didn’t want to seem like a party pooper on the first night but was too shy to say anything. So, in the end I whispered to Roisin that, instead of sleeping with all the others in the main area, I wanted to go into one of the bedroom pods by myself. She was totally cool about it. I knew the others might think I was being boring, but it was the riding that really counted, right? In the morning, I could show them all what Mabel and I were capable of. 

Riding time  

When I woke up, I left my room as tidy as I could because we all got points for neatness that would go towards our final scores at the end of camp. I was a bit annoyed about the state the others had left the rest of the tent in, but didn’t say anything. Over breakfast, I couldn’t help but feel like maybe Roisin didn’t like me as much because I hadn’t included myself with the others last night, but I tried to focus on the riding instead – I was probably just imagining it. 

First up was a flatwork session, and I was relieved to find I was in Sam’s group. We all went out onto the grass and got warmed up. Luckily, Mabel was in a good mood. Our task was to make up a routine for a musical ride that we’d perform for our parents and the rest of the camp at the end of the week! It was really fun, and made me totally forgot about my worries. 

After lunch was more riding, but this time we were showjumping. I was a bit scared because sometimes Mabel would spook at fillers, but Sam helped keep me calm. The older girls from our tent were having a gridwork lesson next to us and were jumping massive fences! I watched them in awe, hoping I’d be able to ride like that one day.

Set back 

The week was going well and my confidence was growing, too. I enjoyed hanging out with Roisin and the other younger girls, and was getting great scores for how clean my tack, stable and room were. However, I was still super-shy around Eva, Oakleigh and Antonia, and one night I heard Antonia whispering to Roisin: “She’s a bit weird though, isn’t she? Why doesn’t she want to hang out with us? I don’t know why you bother with her, Roisin.” They were clearly talking about me, and my eyes welled with tears. I curled up into a ball and sobbed while I texted my Mum to tell her I wanted to come home immediately. 

Mum told me I had to try and stick it out for the final night and to just ignore Antonia, but it made me upset to think Roisin might feel the same. She noticed I was being quiet and tried to ask me what was wrong, but I was too embarrassed to tell her. Just before cross-country, Sam found me crying in the corner of Mabel’s stable. She asked me what the matter was and it all came flooding out. She said she would speak to Roisin and Antonia for me, but I knew all that would do was make me look like a snitch. Now I really wouldn’t have any friends left. 

The grand finale 

Despite how I’d felt earlier, I enjoyed cross-country, but Roisin didn’t smile at me the way she usually did. I felt like she was annoyed with me for telling Sam about what I’d heard – after all, it hadn’t been Roisin who’d said those things. On our walk back to the stables, I caught up with her and explained what I’d overheard and apologised for being cold. Roisin said she was sorry, too, and to ignore Antonia. I instantly felt better, but still didn’t want to go back to the tent – although I only had one more night until home time. 

The competition was on the final day of camp. Each team had a rider from each level, so the younger ones and older riders mixed. Just my luck, I was put on a team with Antonia, and I didn’t even have Roisin there for support. I was nervous enough as it was, but now I felt like she’d think I was a terrible rider if I messed up for the team, as well as being a snitch. 

Luckily, the dressage phase went well – as that’s always been our best discipline – and we whizzed round our cross-country course, too. It was eventually time for the showjumping round, which was going to determine the final results. Antonia jumped a big course, but knocked a pole, putting us in third place. I was last to jump out of the whole camp, and all eyes were on me. If I could go clear, we might just edge in front. “She’ll probably wimp out of the joker,” I heard Antonia laugh to Eva. But something felt different – instead of letting it get to me, Antonia’s mean comment just made me more determined to prove her wrong. 

Mabel and I trotted into the arena. I gave her a little scratch on the wither and then it was time to jump – she popped round the course amazingly – even the spooky fillers! There was just one fence left – the joker. It was bigger than all the others, but if I cleared it, our team would earn extra points. I decided to go for it, and Mabel soared over expertly. We’d done it! Antonia looked amazed and I felt so smug.

Saying our goodbyes

I was super-proud to accept our red rosette in a prize giving ceremony in front of all the parents and the whole of camp. We even got to perform our musical ride for everyone, which was the best fun ever. Despite the ups and downs, I’d really enjoyed at camp and had made some firm friends. Roisin and I agreed to meet up for a hack soon, and I felt like my confidence had really grown – not only with my riding, but also in myself. Honestly? I can’t wait for next year!