Once they had finished their chores, Beth said they could take ponies to ride along the dirt track to the bushland, on the proviso they only walked and trotted them. “If you do well this time, I will let you canter for a short distance next time.”
Jayhan saddled his own pony, Sasha keeping a weather eye on his progress. Once the ponies were saddled up, Sasha led them out into the yard, talking to them and patting their necks as he walked. Tosser, the pony Sasha would ride, was a brown and white mare who tended to toss her head and snap at any unwary person who strayed too close, while Jayhan’s dark grey gelding, a gift for his seventh birthday, was quiet and if anything, a bit sluggish. Jayahn had enthusiastically named him Storm, but gradually Jayhan had come to refer to him as Slug. Sas
