Girlz Rock! Horsing Around Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  CHAPTER 1

  The Waiting Game

  CHAPTER 2

  Horsey Heroes

  CHAPTER 3

  Dusty and Bucky

  CHAPTER 4

  Pony Express

  CHAPTER 5

  First-time Rider

  EXTRA STUFF

  • Horse Lingo

  • Horse Must-dos

  • Horse Instant Info

  • Think Tank

  • Hey Girls! (Author Letter)

  • When We Were Kids

  • What a Laugh!

  Horsing Around

  Jacqueline Arena

  illustrated by

  Monika Maddock

  MACMILLAN

  First published in 2005 by

  MACMILLAN EDUCATION AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

  15–19 Claremont Street, South Yarra 3141

  Reprinted 2005, 2006, 2007

  Visit our website at www.macmillan.com.au or

  go directly to www.macmillanlibrary.com.au

  Associated companies and representatives throughout the world.

  Copyright © Felice Arena, Phil Kettle and Jacqueline Arena 2005

  All rights reserved.

  Except under the conditions described in the Copyright Act 1968 of Australia and subsequent amendments, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  National Library of Australia

  Cataloguing-in-Publication data

  Arena, Jacqueline.

  Horsing around.

  For primary school students.

  ISBN 978 0 7329 9883 7.

  ISBN 978 0 7329 9876 9 (Set 1).

  ISBN 0 7329 9883 2.

  ISBN 0 7329 9876 X (Set 1).

  1. Horses – Juvenile fiction. I. Title. (Series: Girlz rock!).

  A823.4

  Series created by Felice Arena and Phil Kettle

  Project Management by Limelight Press Pty Ltd

  Cover and text design by Lore Foye

  Illustrations by Monika Maddock

  Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group

  These electronic editions published 2010 by

  Macmillan Education Australia Pty Ltd

  Level 1, 15 -19 Claremont Street, South Yarra 3141

  All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.

  Girls Rock! Horsing Around

  Jacqueline Arena

  Adobe eReader ISBN

  9781458610133

  EPub ISBN

  9781458610140

  Mobipocket ISBN

  9781458610157

  On-line ISBN

  9781458610126

  Macmillan Digital Australia

  www.macmillandigital.com.au

  Visit www.macmillan.com.au/primary to read more about all our books and to buy both print and ebooks online. You will also find subject catalogues, teacher support material and news of professional development events.

  CHAPTER 1

  The Waiting Game

  Best friends Jules and Rosa are on their way to the farm to see Jules’s aunty.

  Rosa “I can’t wait to get there!”

  Jules “I know. You’ve only said that about a million times now.”

  Rosa “I’m just so excited. I can’t believe we’re going horse riding. My first time!”

  Jules “Yeah, well, I s’pose I was excited when I rode for the first time. But there’s plenty of spare riding gear for us. Your mum didn’t need to buy all that stuff, y’know.”

  Rosa is dressed from head to toe in horse-riding gear. She’s wearing a helmet, riding pants and long riding boots.

  Rosa “Oh well, when I get good at riding, I’ll be happy I have my own gear. And besides, these boots are so cool.”

  Jules “Riding isn’t easy. It takes a long time to get the hang of it.”

  Rosa “Yeah, well bring it on ’cause I’m ready—I can’t wait! I’ve watched so many horse movies in the last week, ‘Seabiscuit’, ‘Black Beauty’, ‘Spirit’ …”

  Jules “Wow, you’re obsessed, big time! You’ll probably start off on something easy. Like sitting on top of a fence.”

  Rosa “No way!”

  Jules “Yeah, way.”

  Rosa pulls out a book from her backpack.

  Rosa “This is my book of horse jokes. Here’s one. What did one horse say to the other horse in the next stable?”

  Jules “What?”

  Rosa “How are you doing there, neigh-bour?”

  Jules (groaning) “Oh, that’s so bad! You must be excited.”

  Rosa “I know. I am. I can’t wait!”

  Jules “Well, you don’t have to wait anymore ’cause we’re here.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Horsey Heroes

  Jules and Rosa hop out of the car and walk towards the stables with Jules’s aunty.

  Rosa “This is gonna be so cool. I can smell the horses from here. They totally stink but I don’t care, I love it!”

  Jules “I can put up with anything if it means I’ll be riding soon.”

  Rosa and Jules open the stable door and head inside.

  Rosa “Oh, wow! These horses look unreal. I couldn’t pick between them, they’re all so pretty,”

  Jules “Okay, okay, before you fall in love with them all, come and I’ll introduce you to the gang.”

  Jules “This grey one’s called Jasper. Hi, Jasper, you beautiful boy. I always ride Jasper. He used to be a police horse.”

  Rosa “Cool! It’d be so great to ride a police horse and get paid for it!”

  Jules “I know, wouldn’t it!”

  Rosa “Imagine if we were on our police horses and we saw a robber take an old lady’s handbag.”

  Jules “Yeah, and then we’d chase after him.”

  Rosa “And we’d jump over rubbish bins and park benches.”

  Jules “Then we’d catch the robber by throwing a lasso around him!”

  Rosa “And then we’d be heroes. And famous!”

  Jules “Yeah, and people would say when they see us ride by: ‘There go those cool police girls and their amazing horses!’”

  Rosa “Yeah, that’d be awesome! Wow, look at him. What’s his name?”

  Jules “That’s Lightning Dust, or Dusty for short.”

  Rosa “I really like him. He looks so proud, as if he owns the place. Guess he must go like the wind with a name like that.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Dusty and Bucky

  The girls move a bit closer to Lightning Dust.

  Rosa “Dusty’s huge! Hi, Dusty.”

  Jules “Yeah, he was a champion racehorse. I think he even ran in the Melbourne Cup.”

  Rosa “Really?”

  Jules “Yeah, really. It’s one of the biggest horse races in the country.”

  Rosa “Oh, derr! I think it’d be unreal to be a jockey and ride horses all day. And to win a race like the Melbourne Cup would be totally brilliant.”

  Jules “Yeah, imagine if we were in the Melbourne Cup.

  “And Rosa takes the lead, but look out, here comes Jules on …”

  Um, what would I call my horse?”

  Rosa “How about Britney?”

  Jules
“Nah, we’re not on the stage, y’know. It’s gotta be something more speedy like Flash Bolt.

  ‘And here comes Jules on Flash Bolt. They take the lead and yes! They win the Melbourne Cup!’”

  Jules turns around to see that Rosa has moved to the far end of the stable to meet yet another horse.

  Jules (shouting) “Be careful of him, Rosa. He gets nervous with strangers. He’s a little jumpy.”

  Rosa “And what’s his name?”

  Jules “He’s Bucky and he’s a wild boy. He used to be a bucking horse in a rodeo.”

  Rosa “He doesn’t look too wild to me.”

  Rosa gently pats Bucky on the nose.

  Jules “Wow, that’s amazing. He must like you. He never usually lets people get close to him.”

  Rosa “See, I told you I love horses. I think being a cowgirl at a rodeo would be totally cool. I know I wouldn’t get bucked off but if I did, I’d just land on …”

  Jules “Your butt?”

  Rosa “No, on my feet, Smarty. So, d’you think I could ride Bucky?”

  Jules “Don’t think so. Not for your first time.”

  Rosa “What about Dusty, then?”

  Jules “Nuh. He’s my aunty’s horse. No-one ever rides him except her.”

  Rosa “Then how about Jasper?”

  Jules “He’s mine.”

  Rosa: “Then which horse can I ride?”

  Jules “Maybe him—Brutus. He’s a Shetland pony.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Pony Express

  The girls make their way over to where Brutus is grazing.

  Rosa “A pony?”

  Jules “Yeah.”

  Rosa “But he’s so small.”

  Jules “So, he’s still fun to ride.”

  Jules opens the gate to Brutus’s pen. The girls walk in and pat the pony.

  Rosa “He’s tiny. He only comes up to my chest. Are you sure I can’t ride Dusty?”

  Jules “Yeah, pretty sure. But why don’t you just sit on Brutus and see what you think?”

  Rosa “How do I get on his back?”

  Jules “Just hold on to his mane to pull yourself up. That’s it. How does that feel?”

  Rosa “Wow, it’s really high up here. But it feels good.”

  Jules (scoffs) “And you wanted to get on Bucky.”

  Rosa squeals and startles Brutus. Brutus bolts from his pen and gallops out the main gate—with Rosa on top!

  Jules (shouting) “Hold on, Rosa! Hold on!”

  Jules grabs a nearby bridle and runs after Brutus and Rosa.

  Rosa (screaming) “ARRGGHH!! Jules, make him stop!”

  CHAPTER 5

  First-time Rider

  Rosa holds onto Brutus for dear life as he gallops wildly across the paddock, disrupting everything in sight.

  Rosa “Woah, fella!”

  Suddenly Brutus stops, throwing Rosa off.

  Jules “Rosa, Rosa, are you okay?”

  Rosa “That was SO cool! I wanna do that again.”

  Jules “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Rosa “Yeah, I’m lucky I landed in this grass. Whatever this padded thing under me is, it sure is soft.”

  Rosa stands up to find she has landed in horse poo.

  Rosa and Jules ”Eeeww! Gross!”

  The girls collapse with laughter.

  Jules “We’d better get Brutus back in his pen before anyone gets back. Come here, boy, I’ll put your bridle on.”

  Rosa wipes her hands on the grass, then heads off with Jules and Brutus. She makes a squishing sound as she walks.

  Rosa “There you go, Brutus, back in your pen. Sorry I scared you.”

  Jules grabs a wire brush and some old rags and helps Rosa clean the poo off her pants.

  Rosa “This is the part of horse riding I don’t like. Yuk!”

  Jules “Just breathe through your mouth. There, I think most of it has gone.”

  Rosa “Thanks, Jules. All part of the lesson, I guess.”

  Just then, Jules’s aunty returns. She asks Rosa if she’s ready for her first ride.

  Rosa (grinning at Jules) “Um, yeah, I can’t wait.”

  As Rosa turns around, Jules’s aunty sees her pants and gives Rosa a puzzled look.

  Rosa “Those horses sure make a mess!”

  Jules “Pity you fell over in the stables.”

  Rosa “Yeah, real pity! Now it’s time for some good clean fun.”

  Then, with a wink, the girls get ready for Rosa’s first (official) riding lesson.

  Horse Lingo

  bolt When a horse suddenly takes off running.

  bridle Straps that go around the horse’s head for the reins and bit to attach to.

  mane The long hair that runs along the top of the horse’s neck.

  stud A farm for breeding horses.

  thoroughbred A racehorse bred from one pure breed.

  Horse Must-dos

  Always wear a helmet—but you can take if off when you’re sitting in your mum’s car.

  Be calm when you’re around horses. They can smell fear!

  Wear good, solid boots. Imagine if a horse stood on your toes while you were wearing sandals—yeow!

  Before patting a horse, let it sniff the palm of your hand. Keep your fingers flat and close together so that it can’t bite at them.

  Sing gently to horses. Country and western is their favourite music!

  Before you go riding try to get into the horse mood. Watch movies such as “Seabiscuit”, “Spirit” or “Black Beauty”.

  Breathe through your mouth if you step in horse poo or you might pass out if you get a whiff of it!

  If you’re lucky enough to name a horse, call it something that describes its personality or the way it looks.

  Horse Instant Info

  The most horses ever to run in a horse race was 66. It was in a race called the Grand National in England, in 1929.

  The prize for the richest horse race in the world is $6 million. It’s the Dubai Cup in a country called the United Arab Emirates.

  “Sire” is the name used for the father of a horse and “dam”, for the mother.

  The oldest recorded horse was an English barge horse called Old Billy. Old Billy lived to be 62 years old. The average life span of a horse is 20 to 25 years.

  There are over 350 different breeds of horse.

  Horses can walk, trot, canter and gallop.

  A stallion is a male horse and a mare is a female horse.

  A horse’s feet are called hooves.

  A person who cares for horse’s hooves is called a blacksmith or farrier.

  Many movies and television shows have been made about horses. Some of the famous ones are: “The Horse Whisperer”, “My Friend Flicka”, “Mr. Ed”, and “National Velvet”.

  Think Tank

  1 Seabiscuit is a cookie made out of seaweed. True or false?

  2 What is the name of the oldest horse?

  3 What piece of horse equipment does the word “bride” remind you of?

  4 What type of music do horses love?

  5 Name two things you should wear when you ride a horse.

  6 What do Brutus, Jasper and Bucky have in common?

  7 What do you use a horse’s mane for?

  8 What’s a stud? (not the earring kind!)

  Answers

  1 False. Seabiscuit was a famous racehorse. It’s also the name of a film based on the great champion.

  2 The name of the oldest horse is Old Billy.

  3 The word “bride” should remind you of “bridle”.

  4 Horses love country and western music.

  5 You should wear a helmet and a smile!

  6 Brutus, Jasper and Bucky are all horses.

  7 Riders grab onto the mane to help them onto the horse.

  8 A stud is a farm where horses are bred.

  How did you score?

  • If you got all 8 answers correct, you’re horse-crazy! You probably have posters of horses stuck up on your bedroom wall
(and if you haven’t, you should).

  • If you got 6 answers correct, you like horses and don’t mind watching a great horse movie.

  • If you got fewer than 4 answers correct, you’d rather ride your bike!

  Hey Girls!

  I hope that you have as much fun reading my story as I have had writing it. I loved reading and writing stories when I was young.

  Here are some suggestions that might help you enjoy reading even more than you do now.

  At school, why don’t you use “Horsing Around” as a play and you and your friends can be the actors. Get a horse-riding helmet (a bike helmet will do), some high boots and a broom (as your horse) to use as props. So … have you decided who is going to be Rosa and who is going to be Jules? And what about the narrator?