Sunny's Show Day

Tess tugged on her shiny boots and peeped into the stall. Her pony, Sunny, lifted his soft, velvet nose and gave a happy snort.

“Ready, Sunny?” Tess asked. “Today is show day!”

Sunny flicked his ears. His mane was braided with blue yarn bows that bobbed when he shook his head. Tess brushed him until his coat gleamed like warm honey. The barn smelled like hay and apple slices. Outside, birds sang as the trailer door opened with a clunk.

At the show grounds, the meadow was dotted with bright colors. Orange cones stood like friendly trees. A tiny cross-rail looked like a rainbow bridge. A blue mat made a pretend puddle. Ribbons fluttered from a white fence, and a little bell hung by the finish line.

Ms. Lark, the trainer, waved. “Good morning, Team Tess! Good morning, Sunny!” She tapped her hat. “Remember, slow and steady. Heels down. Breathe.”

Tess led Sunny to the warm-up ring. “Walk on, please,” she said, just like Ms. Lark had taught her. Clip-clop, clip-clop went Sunny’s hooves. They practiced stopping. “Whoa.” They practiced trotting. “Trot on!” Tess held steady with her tiny hands and long, brave breath.

Milo and his pony, Pepper, trotted by. “Good luck!” Milo called.

“You too!” Tess called back. She patted Sunny’s neck. His mane tickled her glove.

Then, a striped flag near the tiny jump flapped, flap-flap! Sunny startled and scooted sideways. Tess wobbled but sat tall. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “It’s just a flappy flag.”

Ms. Lark walked over. “Let him look,” she said. “Let him think. You’re a team.”

Tess breathed in. “We can be brave together,” she told Sunny. She let him stretch his neck to sniff the flag. Sunny blew out a warm whoosh. The flag flapped again, but now it was only a flappy thing that made a funny sound.

“Good boy,” Tess said. “Let’s try the little jump.” Sunny pricked his ears. They trotted to the cross-rail and popped over with a soft thump. Tess giggled. “We jumped the rainbow!”

Soon it was time. A voice sang from the loudspeaker, “Number Seven, Tess and Sunny, to the ring!”

Tess’s tummy felt bubbly like ginger ale. She squeezed Sunny’s sides gently. “Walk on,” she whispered. They passed the gate and the world became a green circle with bright orange cones, the blue puddle, and the little jump. People clapped softly. Sunny’s ears flicked forward.

“Course begins,” Ms. Lark called from outside. “You’ve got this!”

“First, the weave,” Tess told Sunny. They trotted left, right, left between the cones. “Good boy!” The cones were close, but Sunny stepped carefully, his hooves tapping the grass like drumbeats.

Next came the chalky box on the ground. “Halt,” Tess said. Sunny stopped with all four hooves inside. Tess counted, “One… two.” She patted his neck. “Walk on.”

The pretend puddle shimmered blue. Sunny blinked. Tess felt him think. “It’s a lake for ducks,” she said, “But we’re mountain ponies today.” She breathed deep. “Trot on!” Sunny snorted, then stepped, step-step, across. The crowd gave a little cheer.

The last thing was the tiny cross-rail with the flappy flag nearby. Sunny’s ears tilted. Tess looked where she wanted to go—over the rainbow and toward the bell. “We can do it,” she told him. “I’m with you.” She counted softly, “One, two. One, two.”

Sunny took a brave breath. His shoulders lifted. They hopped the little jump with a pop! The flag flapped, but now it sounded like applause. Tess laughed out loud.

They trotted to the bell. Tess leaned and rang it with a ding!

Outside the ring, Milo clapped. Ms. Lark beamed. “Beautiful riding,” she said. “You listened. He listened. Teamwork.”

At the awards rail, a kind judge handed Tess a ribbon the color of sunny lemonade. “For Best Partners,” the judge said. “You were smooth and brave.”

Tess looped the ribbon on Sunny’s bridle. “It matches your mane,” she told him. Sunny crunched a carrot and bumped his soft nose into her shoulder.

On the way home, Tess rested her cheek on Sunny’s warm neck. “We did it,” she said.

Sunny sighed a happy, huffy sigh. Clip-clop, clip-clop, they went, ready for the next show day and the next little rainbow to jump—together.