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Emma glanced out at the bowls. Liz kept them by the bench in the yard, which had a wooden canopy built over it. It meant that the food stayed dry and the nervous cats didn’t have to go inside for it. Emma smiled as she saw Susie, a thin little tabby, slinking over to see if there was anything left. But then she turned back towards Liz.

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“So … Tiggy hasn’t eaten anything for two days?” she asked anxiously.

Liz shook her head.“Not from here, I don’t think. She’s a good mouser, so maybe she’s just been hunting more. I wish I’d seen her around, though.”

Emma nibbled her bottom lip.“At least the stables is quite far from the main road,” she said slowly. Her Auntie Grace’s cat, Whisky, had been hit by a car a couple of years ago and had broken his leg really badly. He was better now, but Auntie Grace hated him going round the front of the house. She always tried to tempthim back inside if she saw him sitting on the front wall.

Liz smiled at her.“Exactly. I’m probably worrying over nothing.”

She didn’t make Emma feel much better, though. Where could Tiggy have gone?

“Anyway,” Liz said briskly. “We should get on. The others will be here by now.” She got up and put an arm round Emma’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. You know what cats are like – especially these half-wild ones. We’ll get all upset and then she’ll stroll in without a care in the world.”

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Emma giggled. But she wished that Tiggy would stroll innow.

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Maybe it was because she was thinking about Tiggy, or maybe it was just a bad day, but nothing seemed to go right for Emma that morning. Tacking up Sparky took ages. He wouldn’t stay still – he jittered and sidestepped and nibbled at her jacket. Then he nearly trod on her foot as she lead him over to the outdoor arena.

“Are you OK?” her friend Keira asked, as she finally managed to get to the gate. “You look a bit stressed.”

“Sparky’s just being … Sparky,” Emma sighed. “He’s lovely when he wants to be, but…”

Keira grinned and nodded.“I know. Maybe he’s just excited.”

“He’s always excited!”

“Are you ready, girls?” Liz came over to check that their girths were tight. “Now, the jumps are a bit higher than last week, but you’re all perfectly capable of clearing these fences. Just don’t let the ponies try to take them too fast.”

Emma nodded a little nervously. She really did love Sparky. The gentler ponies, like Keira’s mount Jasmine, just didn’t have as much personality as the bouncy grey. But she had a feeling that trying to keep Sparky calm and collected wouldn’t be that easy today. Luckily they were going first so Sparky wouldn’t get bored. The thrill of riding a fast, eager pony took over as they set off, and Emma had a huge smile on her face by the time they’d cleared the second jump.

Then somehow everything went wrong. Perhaps Sparky decided he didn’t like the look of the new rainbow-striped rails that Liz had used for the third jump. He slid round to the left of the jump instead of going over. Emma did her best to encourage him on, but Sparky was determined – he swerved sideways round the jump, and Emma felt herself slipping out of the saddle. There was a horrible, slow moment when she knew she was falling. Then all of a sudden she was on the ground, with her ankle twisted and aching, and Sparky standing over her. He looked quite apologetic.

“Emma!” Liz came hurrying over, catching Sparky’s reins and handing them to Keira. “Hold on to him, Keira, while I check Emma’s all right.”

“I don’t think I rode him at it straight enough,” Emma said, wincing as she tried to stand. “Ow, my ankle…”

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Liz gently felt the ankle through Emma’s boot. “I don’t think it’s swelling up. Do you want me to call Alex and get him to bring you an ice pack?”

“It’s OK. Sorry I messed up…”

“No, you were doing really well. It looked like Sparky just decided against that jump. Can you put any weight on your ankle?”

“I think so.” Emma blinked, trying not to cry.

Liz helped her up.“Are you sure you’re all right?”

Emma nodded.“It was just a bit of a shock…”

“Look, sit down on the bench. We’ll tie Sparky up to the fence, and I’ll come and check on you again in a bit.”

Liz went back to schooling the others over the jumps, and Emma watched from the side of the arena, gently rubbing her ankle. It was starting to feel a bit better already. She clapped as Keira jumped Jasmine clear, and her friend waved at her.