I was introduced to horse riding when I was thirteen by my friend Sue. It didn’t take long for horse riding to grow on me and even today fifty years later, I can happily watch a local amateur dressage riding event, or show jumping. It wasn’t until I was old enough (or wise enough) to understand why teenage girls love to go horse riding, but I quickly (and painfully) learnt why the majority of boys aren’t all that keen about it. Most of the following story actually occurred.

My name’s Mark and along with my older brother Michael were what they used to term “latch key kids” back when I very young. You see our mum had to work full time to clothe and feed us two boys, with precious little (and spasmodic even then) monetary maintenance from my father even after the eventual court ruling and their divorce settlement.

This meant that mum had to go back to work as soon as possible after giving birth to me and needed to hire a babysitter to look after me when I was only 2 months old. The person who she chose (Aunty Rose) quickly proved to be a brilliant choice both for me before I was old enough to start school, as well as for my brother who had just started kindergarten at the time.

Each day after school my brother used to go round to her place and wait until her husband came home from work before we were driven home every weeknight usually about 30 minutes after mum got home from work. Aunty Rose (who remained my babysitter to me, even after I got married and moved away) had 4 sons and a daughter. I considered all of them (back then and even today) to be my brothers and sister and in turn they treated me like I was exactly that.

In time Sue no longer came to think of me as another brother, but perhaps more like a sister (maybe a human dolly I sometimes used to think). That’s because there’s a photo album full of photographs (that got opened occasionally) showing photos of me wearing clothes Sue had grown out of. Perhaps what made the photos “worse” was that because money was never plentiful, haircuts for my brother and I were always buzz cut shaves or else you wore your locks flowing – my preferred choice (which my dad use to hate).

I only suffered the indignity of a buzz cut once then after that mistake, always preferring long hair while my brother always chose the buzz cut like a good little daddy’s boy. So most of the time I walked around with long flowing hair which allied with my soft facial features (the mirror image of my mum everyone used to say) could have made a person looking at the photo album, ignorantly think he was looking at photos of an infant girl. At times, mum would trim my hair to at least keep it tidy and manageable.

Since 3 of Sue’s 4 brothers were already married and had moved out of home by the time I was 5 while the remaining brother (8 years older than her) entered the army on obtaining his school leaving certificate, how Sue used to dress me didn’t really matter all that much by the time I was 7 years old. Aunty Rose took it in good humour most of the time, although occasionally she’d step in and firmly say “no” at her daughter antics dressing me.

Thankfully, their home was a secure refuge (to my way of thinking) as I never got teased or smacked (my babysitter A.R. always said I was a “good” baby to mind) and allowed me to wallow in silly play games with Sue, who having endured no girls living nearby to play with, simply substituted “me” for them to have fun with. Admittedly when Sue turned 13, she changed (I finally began to understand why once I did biology at school in year 9) and we played dress up a lot less.

But occasionally during school holidays way back then, when her mum had set off for her walk to the shops, Sue would nervously ask me if I’d like to play dress ups which I never said “no” to. Even as young as I was back then, I didn’t see the harm in doing something such as wearing skirts or dresses (as long as it was inside the house), because both of us would giggle and laugh constantly while we did it. The clothes I wore simply got more “trendy” as Sue grew older and I grew taller.

And when Sue discovered makeup at 15, I’ll give you three guesses who she experimented on! Aunty Rose’s emotions during this period, ranged from humour through to mild annoyance with the occasional burst of anger thrown in, but turned to absolute rage when she came home from the shops one day to discover a fully made up girl, that wasn’t her daughter wearing her daughter’s good clothes! That was the straw that broke the camel’s back (so to speak) seeing me with full facial makeup, hair in a ponytail, wearing one of her daughter’s best blouses (with a bust of sorts) a skirt that was pulled up so far as to make it too short to be considered decent, along with pantyhose and wearing a pair of Sue’s old high heels, all of which Sue had chosen for me to wear.

After experiencing the second of the two times I ever had my babysitter lose her temper at me, Sue and I were both warned that dress ups had to stop “immediately and never again”. Then asking me to stay where I was a moment, Aunty Rose went and got a camera and proceeded to take some photos of me, asking Sue to sit or stand beside me in several of them (which required Sue deciding that she too needed to wear different outfits with me for several of the photos). Once Aunty Rose felt she’d taken enough photos of me dressed up, Sue was ordered to make sure that no makeup got on her tops as I undressed. Then Aunty made me suffer a full cleansing of my face until she was sure any traces of makeup had gone. My fingernails however, even with the polish removed still showed faint traces around the edge of each cuticle.

Aunty Rose use to ensure from then on that the pair of us weren’t to be left alone together for any length of time, which meant we both had to go with her when she went shopping. Several days after being caught by her, I was surprised to answer our front door about 7.30 pm and find Sue and Aunty Rose standing there waiting to be invited in. A quick invite in, while mum then fussed about getting a pot of tea ready, saw my brother quickly exiting to his room under the excuse of studying, so thankfully he didn’t get to witness my humiliation when Aunty Rose apologised to my mother for calling around unannounced, explained why she was and showed mum photographs of me dressed in a satin blouse, short skirt and high heels wearing makeup and looking nothing like a boy in the slightest.

Mum’s mood initially started out at “furious” then moderated slightly too angry, before dropping to annoyed, then becoming bemused, that quickly turned to curiosity and finally astonishment tinged with smirks and giggles, saying with a “mother’s admiration” how pretty and realistic I looked as a girl. She seemed quite amazed how I didn’t look anything like a boy in the slightest and did look seriously pretty (her words) as a young girl. In the end both mum and Aunty Rose were in agreement at how lovely I looked dressed up and Aunty was grateful that mum didn’t blame her in any way for what had taken place. Mum ended up keeping a number of the photos and asked for some of the negatives which she promised she’d return after she had several photos enlarged.....Oh, oh!!!

After they had left, mum had a serious talk with me about what I’d done, even asking me if I liked wearing women’s clothes and actually asked me if I thought I might like to kiss a boy (Yuck No). But she also promised that my brother would never find out about what I’d done….but only if I promised to make my bed every morning and try to stop fighting with him so much.

Nothing more was said about it and over the passing years things quietly faded into the mists of time. Then one Boxing day a month after I’d just turned 14, Mum and I were visiting my babysitter (as we did each year on Boxing day to exchange Xmas presents) which also allowed me the opportunity to catch up with my “sister” (who had started full time work almost 4 years previously) and I rarely ever saw anymore. Sue now had her own car and most weekends she’d be long gone whenever I went round to visit Aunty Rose. Sue particularly loved horse riding (and had since she’d been 6 years old). Most times that’s where she went, a horse ranch at Ingleside operated by Smokey Dawson and his wife Dorothy (aka Dot).

Today however she was home with her mother and waiting for mum and me to turn up visiting them. Whenever anyone called around to my babysitter’s house, they were invariably offered a cup of tea and biscuits/cake then news and gossip was exchanged so after the last of the food had disappeared, her husband Uncle Rob quietly left for the lounge room knowing how women liked to talk women talk without males in the room. I only hung around the table because my sister Sue stayed there as well.

When mum got round to it, she asked Sue what she was doing over the Xmas break, to be told Sue was staying at the horse ranch working for free rides and meals. Unexpectedly Sue asked my mum if she’d allow me to go with her, explaining that there were precious few people there who’d do the hard work for nothing and honestly assured my mother that she’d make sure to look after me if I went. The alternative for me to look forward to was going to my dad’s (by myself) for a week, but if I had a job I had an excuse not to go……. So obviously mum was quite keen to say yes too and I was jumping out of my skin at the thought of not having to stay at my dad’s place.

Sue said that there was just a minor problem with me working there and momentarily hesitating, began to explain to my mother that usually they’d only ever had girls work there part time over holiday breaks, but as quick as flash said if my mum would allow me to wear a pair of Sue’s old jeans and a top, that with my hair in a ponytail and provided I spoke softly and didn’t raise a ruckus, I’d probably be able to work there without anyone being any the wiser.

Mum’s face said it all and she was about to now say no when Sue apologised, then dashed out of the room reappearing a minute or so later holding a pair of very faded red jeans in one hand and several, what appeared to be shirts in her other. Explaining that these would be the clothes I could wear, handing them to my mother. I watched mum quickly look at them before handing them over to me, with a comment that the shirts (blouses) did look slightly girlish to look at, before suggesting I go and change into one of the tops so she could see how I looked, handing me the jeans as well.

Quickly leaving the room and using the kitchen to change in, I walked back in wearing the red jeans and a top that had a faded print of tiny horses all over it. I had trouble doing up the blouse’s buttons, (just why do girl’s shirt button up the other way round to boys shirts anyway) and the waist of the jeans was a bit loose on me, but overall I didn’t look “too” girlie or sissy as I walked back into the dining room to have my mother stifle a snort, before Sue walked around behind me and lifted the back of my hair up as if into a ponytail, cheekily saying with a bit of blush I might easily pass for a girl.

Mum was grinning broadly as I stood there beginning to wonder if this was still such a good idea, when my mum said she’d allow me to go but only as long as Sue promised that at the first sign of any trouble she’d drive me home and also on the proviso that she could take the clothes home with us so she could wash and iron them and if necessary sew up any tears or holes showing. When we said our goodbyes an hour or so later, I was holding a black garbage bag containing all the clothes Sue had selected which now included a few pairs of her old undies that were too small now for Sue to wear. As we got out of her car Sue told my mum she’d be calling round to pick me tomorrow morning about 8am and that unless anything happened I’d be home late New Year’s day.

Within moments of stepping through our front door mum had turned into a gale force wind, firstly putting the clothes in the washer and telling me they’ll be dry after an hour hanging in the sun. She also told me to go sit in front of her vanity so she could tidy up my hair, which after she’d finished, had small tufts of it strewn over the carpet from where she had cut out any split ends. By then the washing machine had finished so I was told to go get some hangers and put my horse clothes (again her words) out on the line to dry.

Mum meanwhile went and found our travel case, so when I came back inside after hanging out everything now spied 2 towels in it along with several of her lace hankies, as well as a drawstring plastic wash bag that I discovered held some sweet smelling soap, mum’s tin of body talcum powder, a bottle of 4711 that was practically empty, an opened jar of face moisturiser, a comb, a brush, a facecloth as well as a few other female things. Laughing happily she told me that if I got my monthly, (what were they I wondered) to see Sue and ask if she could help me out.

I was then made to sit back down at her vanity while mum painted my fingernails in her usual colour, which she said matched the jeans pretty well before then putting the bottle along with a bottle of varnish remover into the wash bag and reminding me that if the polish chipped on my nails I was to wipe the nail clean of polish before trying to reapply new nail varnish!

I then had to face the humiliation of being made to strip naked just so mum could see if I had any “stray hair Issues below” which not yet even having any hair down there, must have been an easy inspection for her to do. For the rest of the day, mum acted like a drill sergeant, instructing me in how to walk correctly (which I always seemed to do) stand correctly (another fail) how to move my arms (her poor shattered nerves) and so forth. I must have had to repeat twenty times (at least) how to sit down as a girl/lady would before she was satisfied I sat properly. Eating entailed taking small bites of food and sips of drink, and I had to sit up straight (no slouching), have my hands in my lap if they weren’t doing anything and so forth and so on.

Luckily mum was pleased there was no need to repair any stitching in my blouses or jeans then ironed them all carefully before folding away two of the blouses into my suitcase, before hanging the jeans and a pale pink top up on my bedroom door for me to wear in the morning. In all honesty I’d never seen mum so happy and light hearted in years and had to wonder she’d really wanted a daughter instead of a son.

Perhaps that was why I didn’t whinge or moan when she took almost an half an hour brushing my hair later on after tea. She tried putting my hair it into various ponytails, pig tails, plaits styles (and afterwards re brushed the hair again!) before bobby pinning up my hair, saying she liked that hairstyle on me and whether I knew how alluring my eyes were for a girl!

Before I went to bad that night, mum made me moisturise my face in “Pond’s moisturising cream” and handed me a nightie to sleep in (which I actually liked the feel of on my body). In the morning as I stumbled around still bleary eyed mum informed me I now had cheeks and on looking at the bathroom mirror almost died of shock seeing two rosy coloured glowing cheeks on my face that hadn’t been there going to bed. After some breakfast I showered then had mum throw some body powder over me (a first) and got dressed.

Mum then made me sit back infront of the vanity and proceeded to put a very light coating of makeup on my face. Then she hummed and hawed before unpinning my hair and brushed it thoroughly while deciding whether to experiment with ponytails, single plait, plaits on both sides, or have my hair pinned back up again. But today she finally decided she preferred me with a ponytail, although doing it in such a way that it was actually away from the back of my neck.

While I didn’t mind the hair brushing, (actually it felt quite enjoyable) the messing about before she had settled on how she wanted my hair to look almost drove me nuts. If it hadn’t been for the fact I knew she was actually enjoying herself doing it, I would have moaned ages ago for her to stop and just leave it how it usually was.

Just how much this all meant to mum showed when she quietly clipped a necklace on me and said I looked perfect now. When Sue arrived (on time thank goodness) she could see my mum had worked hard to get me ready and said excitedly she actually liked what mum had done to me, which had my mother beaming with pleasure. A quick dab behind my ears by mum with her perfume followed by a smothering hug and telling me to have fun, saw Sue walking beside her to the car, nodding agreement with all of mum’s requirements for me, while I think I saw the flash of what might have been a $20 note (quite a lot of money back then) being slipped into Sue’s hand as I placed my suitcase on the backseat of her car.

I was already sitting in the front seat of Sue’s car and buckled up, when Sue asked mum what I should be called for the week. Mum actually squealed in excitement at everybody forgetting the most important thing and excitedly told both of us that if she’d had a girl instead of me she would have called me Wendy, which was how Wendy came into being (at least for the next 6 days anyhow).

After Sue drove the car out of mum’s sight, she happily told me how nice I looked and had my mother enjoyed her daughter. I related the entire episode back to her, laughing as parts of it now seemed incredibly funny. Sue used the 40 minute car drive to explain what the coming week would entail. First off was how I needed to act, talk and behave, before lowering the boom and telling me I’d be spending most of each day starting at daybreak, feeding and watering the horses, then mucking out stables and yards or else doing kids pony rides and/or walking behind trail rides and anything else that needed to be done. What she hadn’t told my mum (or hers) was that Smokey had recently found a full time casual guy for doing all the regular maintenance and chores, so we’d let him do all the heavy lifting and I wasn’t under any circumstances to try “manning up“ by trying to lift something heavy or I’d be spotted in an instant.

Sue also took great pains to explain to me that a few of the horses there belonged to young girls who I’d think were spoilt brats (she was right to think that after I met a few). Her instructions to me were that they could order (instruct) me to do anything that concerned their horses, provided it was safe to do so and was necessary. I was also to never talk back, regardless of what they said to me and to never complain to the Dawson’s about anyone. I had to be extremely careful when going to the toilet block and remember to only ever walk into the ladies toilets and to “never, ever” stand up in the cubicle, in case someone passing nearby accidently looked downwards and saw a pair of feet pointed the wrong way under the gap at the bottom of the toilet doors.

My first day - December 27th

As Sue’s car turned off the main road, the entrance to the ranch was through an enormous white painted timber gate. The long dirt driveway made me hope it didn’t rain too often, reinforced by the two minute drive up it till you drove onto an open area of ground about 6 hectares in size where several cars were randomly parked. With a last reminder to talk softly and timidly Sue led me through another timber gate perhaps 7 feet high that quickly revealed the scene of a well maintained sandy dirt road about 100 metres long with a number of buildings either side of it similar to those in a western movie. I could clearly see a blacksmiths stable, then rising up slightly beside it a sheriff’s office, where Sue went to the door of before knocking and entering, leaving me to cautiously follow after her.

That’s where I met Smokey Dawson and his wife for the first time who treated Sue like a long lost daughter while extending a friendly welcome to me, saying that any friend of Sue’s is their friend too and to sit myself down in the jail cell, which doubled as the eating area. Seated there already was a solidly built guy perhaps 6’3 who introduced himself as Steve and was glad to meet both of us. He was doubly so (and said it) after Sue explained, that I would be staying here with her and work through till New Year’s Day which the Dawson’s immediately agreed with.

The next five minutes had me finding out that they were expecting 14 prepaid boarders later in the day who would be staying until the 31st December and they were also well booked with boarders up until the end of the school holidays. Smokey was disappointed when Sue told him she could only stay until New Year’s before going back to start work again. Finishing off the cup of tea Dot provided, Sue then led me outside to show me the horses as well as the rest of the ranch so I could get my bearings.

As we headed for the stables, the first thing that struck me was the smell also quickly discovering that when you entered a stable the stench grew considerably worse. But by the end of the day it no longer affected me sense of smell, because by then I’d shovelled manure into wheel barrows for most of the day, then wheeled them away to spread over the dirt where the car was parked (to make the grass grow out there)

There were a number of young teenage girls already there walking around and talking to each other. They all knew Sue because they’d all seen her riding skills so they treated her with respect and would often ask for her opinion to settle an argument over something to do with horses. As I was introduced to a girl by Sue, it was always as Wendy’s cousin and I was staying there with Sue to help out at the ranch till Saturday (New Year’s Day). Without exception I was warmly welcomed by one and all and was quick to tell them I’d just finished year 7 (first form) at Burwood Girl’s high, which was where Sue had gone. All the young girls who regularly visited the ranch each week were known as “Ranch girls” Sue told me on the drive there (author’s note - I’ll use that term from now on).

With little ado, I was handed a shovel by Sue (she already held two brooms in the other) and pointed towards a wheelbarrow with instructions to bring it over to the stable we were standing infront of. Strangely enough the ranch girls gathered around watching us didn’t get in and help muck out. In fact after a few minutes, they all seemed to wonder off in different directions.

Sue’s only comment about my noticing that was “typical brats” before suggesting we move on to the next stable. All the stables had wooden railway sleepers for floors, so cleaning was mostly sweeping fresh horse droppings into small piles and then using the shovel to scoop them it up into the wheel barrow. It only took three stables to fill a barrow and wheeling the barrow behind Sue, was led to where the barrow had to be emptied and then spread out as thinly as possible “near” to green grass but never actually on the grass.

Sue broke up the monotonous muck shovelling, by showing me the tack room and after both of us were holding onto saddle, bridles and reins, proceeded to show me how to saddle a horse, along with all of the tricks to ensure you attached everything properly to the horse. After a few attempts at it, I mastered putting the bridle on, but my first few tries had me nervous about being bitten. A “Sue tip” suddenly made it a simple task and we saddled up 8 horses (I think) for the public to use when they turned up.

A short break for a long overdue morning tea break saw both of us returning to mucking out the rest of the stables and then the yards, which were relatively easy as you only had to rake horse droppings (out of the dirt) and into small piles then shovel them into the barrow (much easier than using a broom on stable floors of used railway sleepers, particularly if the horse had trodden on its droppings). A few of the girls actually came over and helped us, which Sue told me was only because while each ranch girl had a favourite horse, they’d only ever help muck out one yard before they’d walk off and the only ever did it for “their” horse’s comfort!

By lunch time I was able to converse with the other girls using small talk, but doing it shyly and quietly. Sue said I looked to have already fitted right in with the other girls who thought of me as a “horsey” friend. That morning I learned that Juliet (fav horse - Tally) was having her first period, (t.m.i. Juliet) Nicole her sister (fav horse – Stormy) was in love with David Cassidy of all people, Helen (fav horse – Treasure) was a dream to look at with the most alluring eyes and smile, and I met Googy Wither’s daughter Amanda (fav horse – Champion or Cherry) who while a little stuck up at first, soon thought of me as a friend once I said I’d re-clean Cherry’s stable when she was out riding her!

Smokey called Sue and I in for lunch around 1.30 and right in the middle of eating it, the first 8 guests arrived, which meant having our salad go “warm” while we lugged suitcases to a large bunk house that held 9 beds and helped them settle in. Sue then delegated me to give them a short tour, while she and Steve (who I hadn’t seen do a thing since we’d arrived) saddled up several more docile horses for the boarder’s first ride. Each guest got two 1 hour rides every day except for today because they’d arrived in the afternoon, as part of the boarding charge their parents paid for, which Sue told me that night was $30 a day (very expensive back then).

Of course paying customers always got preferential treatment, so when they went on their first trail ride, Sue, me, Steve and Nicole escorted them around for the hour (except Nicole and I had to walk). Since these guests were all aged under12 it was mostly excited squeals and giggles when they were out riding. Sue and I never got to finish lunch that afternoon either!

While Sue and I had been busy the entire time since we’d been there so far, she quietly let me know that today was very quiet for customers because it was the break between Xmas and New Year’s. Around 3.30 the other 6 guests (who had been expected about then arrived in several cars (they were aged 13 to 16 this time). Smokey had decided their accommodations the previous day and they were to occupy two bunkhouses (each with 4 beds) but that entailed their various parents being the demarcation judges as to where each girl slept and with whom she bunked. Eventually the two oldest girls Lauren 16 and Jill 15 (not related) took one bunk house by themselves while the other 4 stayed together (because they were two different sets of sisters who all went to the same school).

Usually the ranch closed around 4pm (unless there were confirmed bookings for a “dusk” ride) and the ranch girl’s parents came and collected them and with it being school holidays everyone said they’d be back tomorrow (young girls and horses). Steve prepared the boarder’s evening meal at the large covered shelter (which had a long concrete table that could seat up to 50 and had a cooking pit 20 feet long).

Sue decided she and I were to take all fourteen girls for a walk through the fake western town, which was often used for movie or television filming where an American looking Old West main street scene was required. They had already discovered the buildings were simply building fronts with signs and precious little inside each one but none of the girls minded though, being simply excited just to be there and listening to Sue tell them (imaginary) stories about the ranch that soon had a trail of admiring worshipers hanging on her every word.

The smell of the BBQ cooking filled everyone’s noses and once the 14 girls had been fed and watered, they were offered the excitement of helping to feed the horses their evening meal (which normally happened around 4.45 (today had been refigured to cater for the late arriving guests). Once they had all helped feed the horses and learned about what each horse’s diet contained they all separated to look after themselves for the evening with board games, chasings, and whatever they wanted to do, while Smokey, Dot, Steve Sue and I sat down to have our meal which this time wasn’t interrupted.

Above the eating area a small stage had been built for concerts which were held spasmodically for one charity or another. I mention this because every night after this would see Smokey hold a singalong for the 14 girls as part of their experience of staying at a horse ranch. He always grumbled about doing it, but it was all bluff because he loved to perform to others with both songs and storytelling of his experiences in the past.

Sue and I went and collected our bags out of her car and placed them in the small two bed bunkhouse between the blacksmith and the sheriff’s office. It had a small shower area, so “that” problem (for me) was solved without even trying although we’d have to walk to a toilet block for any nature calls. That meant I’d often need to make a 50 yard walk in the dark, while also occasionally having to dodge any horse let out to roam on the grass if a night. I also learnt the hard way you should never ever step in a pile of warm horse manure in the dark! Always wear shoes if you need to go somewhere too!!

Day 2 – December 28th

The tinny sound of a wind up alarm clock shattered me into awareness and I quickly realised the room was still pitch dark. Unlike Sue I didn’t feel the need to relieve myself, having had a horrible call of nature last night. I’d ended having to wash horse manure off of my left foot in the dark under a cold water tap, because in the darkness I’d trodden in a recently manufactured pile of horse dung. Sue turned the bunkhouse light on as she left, possibly making the room even darker so faint was the light cast from it. I grabbed the alarm clock and almost screamed as the clock face read 4.05 am!

With Sue out at the toilets, it left me able to dress myself without having to worry about any embarrassment. Mum’s reminder to me never to wear the same pair of panties two days in a row, saw me rummaging through my suitcase and choosing what seemed to be a faded light green pair of nylon panties to slip into. A slight powdering on my nude body saw me then begin to start sliding, part jumping and finally wriggling my hips into them the panties, then I put on my socks, followed by a small “AA” cup training bra over my chest (Sue only had two to give me) and then a fresh blouse, before stepping into the same faded red jeans I’d worn yesterday, before sitting back down on the bed to put my shoes on.

I had just finished washing my face in the cold water and was finally awake when Sue came back in and quickly appeared behind me holding a towel and some clothes. She simply told me not to make any noise and don’t dare try looking round the partition, before I took the hint and returned to my bunk and stayed there while she showered and got dressed on the other side of the wall.

By the time we both left the bunkhouse, the sky was getting lighter, although you couldn’t look to far till you saw it was dark in the west. She led the way to the feed room and immediately handed me a large tin and said a horse’s name, which was all I needed to carry the tin of feed to the necessary stable and empty it into the food trough. Sue fed the stables closest to the feed room while I looked after the furthest stables and all the yards. After the first stable I left feed in, Sue told me to make sure the water toughs in each stable/yard had enough water in them. After we refilled all the horses feed tins, we took turns with the various hoses nearby to refill any water troughs needing to be refilled.

It was now light enough not to need the lights on the stable paths, so following Sue she turned off each one as she passed a switch, heading for the jail where we raided the fridge and cooked toast and boiled the water for coffee and tea. Asking her did we have to do this every morning so early had me being told that Steve (the hired help) usually didn’t feed the horses till around 7am and that Smokey didn’t stir much before 7.30.

The blank look on my face (or it must have looked that way) saw me being informed that we’d (Sue and I) now be able to get first ride on fresh horses, which she told me was much better than waiting until the end of the day when both horse and rider (us) were exhausted. Also because of boarders, she told me it was now or possibly never, as the boarders timetable had a morning trail ride between 8 and 9 o’clock.

I’d been shown early on the previous day how to measure up the stirrups before mounting up and my horse this morning was Cherry a brown and white horse (Sue said she was Skew-ball coloured while black and white horses were generally called Piebalds). Sue got up on Champion, who every girl I’d spoken with yesterday said was “the” best horse on the ranch and only for very experienced riders. As we led the horses out past the yard gate before mounting them, several of the girl boarders were up and exploring around the stables and yards, possibly wondering where we two were going.

My first trail riding experience (actually riding a horse and not walking behind one) was a revelation for the pleasure I felt riding in the cool morning air, on a horse that while docile, showed signs of hidden life. Sue quickly explained and showed me about rising to the trot and after a few minutes I found my timing and was now far more comfortable in the saddle. Occasionally the horses would break out of a trot into a light canter, which felt absolutely fantastic. With Sue calling out advice to me as she rode just ahead of me on Champion, I gradually started to understand what and why you need to do to make the horse obey your instructions.

It was a little later on in the ride and when I was leaning slightly forward rising up and down to the trot, that Cherry started suddenly stopping dead in his step. Unfortunately for me it was at the same time my body was coming downwards, with me leant well forward so my groin pressed down onto the very front of the saddle causing a considerable amount of discomfort and bringing a loud scream of pain.

Now breathing very loudly and taking fast deep breaths, Sue immediately understood (good humouredly while also understanding how much pain I must have been in) and told me that girl’s didn’t have happen to them what had just happened to me. After five minutes with my horse standing still, still feeling tender down there but at least was now breathing more normally, Sue led us back to the stables with both horses walking sedately, although she made me stop when she saw a stretch of flat track, which she then used to race Champion quickly over, then signalled for me begin walking Cherry towards her and Champion who stood and waited.

By the time we finally reached the gate and dismounted to lead our horses back to their stables, it had been almost an hour. True I still felt very tender and shaken between my legs, but overall I now knew why Sue loved horse riding so much. It was still only 6.40 am, although already quite warm and because of their being boarders, we were seconded by Steve to help prepare a very early breakfast for 14 hungry girls. Cereal then toast with jam, honey or vegemite and as much milk as the girls could drink. After that Sue and I carried trays stacked with dirty plates and glasses over to the jail where we washed and dried them for the lunchtime meal.

During their breakfast several of the boarding girls asked why we had gone out riding so early. Later on I learned that a number of the boarders had begged Smokey to let them go for an early morning ride tomorrow, which saw Sue and I being firmly told that because of us, tomorrow, we were in charge (under Steve’s supervision) of arranging for an early dawn ride for the 14 girls!

As soon as possible after the rebuke to Sue by Smokey, I left for the stables to start mucking out while Sue, Steve and Smokey stayed in the jail to linger over breakfast. Almost as soon as I started mucking out the first stable I was inundated by young boarders helping or hindering me as well as asking questions, while anxiously waiting for the horses to be saddled for their morning ride. When a horse lifted its tail to leave something while I was mucking, there were groans, screams, squeals and comments ranging from “yuck” through to “why don’t I let the horses walk around outside the stable, where they can poop on the grass”.

Two of the hardier girls actually started helping me muck out a few stables and surprisingly found they enjoyed it, staying with me till Sue called me away to start saddling up the rest of the horses. I asked the two girls who’d helped me (Maree and Robyn) to follow me and with Sue’s OK showed them how to put the bridle and saddle on, before taking both items off and making each of them do it too (which Sue happily approved with me doing) while their friends had to watch on enviously.

Because the ranch didn’t have enough docile horses for 14 beginner riders, several girls were told they could have their morning ride when the first group came back (groans and moans there). When that group went out (at 9am instead of 8) Smokey had saddled Flash (his show horse) and led the ride which comprised of the older/bigger girls, who were very noisy in describing “their” ride when talking to the others afterwards.

While the first group of girls were out riding, a lot of the ranch girls must have been dropped off for the day so that when the first boarders group arrived back, the yard was now overflowing in young teenage girls as well as boarding girls, all mixing with one another. I was spared helping the second ride, to continue mucking out! Most of the ranch girls from yesterday turned up again and after numerous hellos, I found myself gossiping with several of them if they passed a stable or yard I was mucking out.

There were three older girls who hadn’t turned up yesterday, all around Sue’s age, who introduced themselves to me as Lois, Annette and Cathy after they’d already caught up with Smokey in the jail for a while. All three girls had “the bug” just like Sue and armed with brooms and shovels, they attacked any yards I hadn’t done yet. The ranch girls all knew them and treated them just like they did Sue….reverently due to their horse riding skills.

Unfortunately for me today I also met my first “horse owners” who turned out to be three girls, Joanne and Sally (both 14) and Amanda (16). These girls behaved like spoilt brats when talking to me, unbelievably saying to me that because I was a paid worker there, they’d been told (I assumed by Smokey) that if they needed anything done, to find me (or I suppose Sue or Steve) and one of us would arrange to do it. The trio obviously thought that whoever told them that meant they could treat me (and speak to me) as if I was their personal serf.

I was constantly being called out for to go over to one girl’s stable or another’s and given whatever distasteful task they could see or think of. The most spiteful thing they could have done was to tell me each of their horse’s yards needed to be mucked out, and needed to be done “immediately” (their horse’s stables were still spotless from my early muck out and Sue had already told me which yards needed to be mucked out). The size of each yard for private horses was considerably bigger than other yards (boarded horses also had bigger stables) as sometimes an owner might not visit for several weeks or even months Sue advised me later on, after she and Lois rescued me from their meanness.

An hour and a half, and two now clean yards later, I was a dirty sweating mess, perspiring freely over my face and wilting under a boiling sun. The three girls seemed to care not one iota as they moved from one yard to the other watching me finish one before moving on to the next. Joanne although nasty, appeared to be nothing more than a follower, while Sally was clearly Amanda’s deputy and agreed with anything that Amanda said. Oddly enough neither Dot nor Smokey said or did a thing as they regularly saw me monotonously wheel barrow full after barrow full of dried manure and dust past the office jail and proceed to dump and spread it out over the open area out front.

Half way through Amanda’s horse’s yard (Trojan), Sue and Lois came over, (after hearing from one of the ranch girls about where I was and what I‘d been doing) and asked me why I was cleaning out the yard, which I explained. I swear the look they gave those three girls should have seen my tormentors burst into flames, before Sue told me that some morning tea was waiting for me in the office jail (a lie) and both girls followed me back there. Once inside there and in the presence of Smokey, Dot, Steve, Annette and Cathy, Lois angrily told me to tell everybody (there) what Amanda and her friends had had me doing since the start of the 2nd trail ride for the boarders. As I explained what I’d been doing, Smokey and his wife became furious at what had happened and told me I was to stay in the jail out of sight and rest for a while.

For my silent efforts in trying to appease private horse owners (especially rich parents ones), Smokey and Dot realised how much like Sue I was both work wise and temperament wise (never a complaint) and that I’d need to be protected from “silly” young owners to avoid burnout (which perhaps they might have feared I’d turn into a ranch girl, who usually did almost nothing there except have a paid ride, gossip with other friends and think they owned the horse they liked).

After I been given a cold drink and rested, Sue told me to go and take a cool shower and then she, Lois, Cathy, Annette and I were going for a drive down to Narrabeen to get some KFC. Sue came into the tiny bunk house shortly after I had turned off the cold water shower to find me sitting on my bunk with 2 towels draped over me. Chivvying me to get dressed, she then put a light make up on my face before I went back outside in fresh blue jeans and wearing Sue’s old horse print blouse. We travelled to KFC in two cars and Lois stated they wouldn’t be bringing me back for at least an hour. So for an hour or so I sat at a table in KFC and listened to Sue and her friends play “remember that time”. After we got back to the ranch, all of the adults made sure I didn’t do anything strenuous although I did accompany the split afternoon trails rides for the boarders.

I learnt that evening during tea, that Dot had gone and explained to Amanda and her two friends (firmly she informed us) that unless it was necessary, I along with Sue/Steve were needed to help supervise trail and pony rides. If any of us were free and someone needed assistance or help, they should see Dot or Smokey first and ask if they could borrow one of us to assist them. She said she also told Amanda her yard would finish being cleaned tomorrow which apparently Steve had been told to organise after the boarder’s morning ride (but then Dot spoilt all she’d said so far by saying that she’d also apologised to Amanda and her cronies for it not being done sooner!)

Sue’s girlfriends stuck around after everyone had left the ranch and at Smokey’s request assisted helping to feed the boarders and stay for tea afterwards (after the younger ones had had to be ordered by Dot to shower first) where catch up talk went on for quite a while. Lois, Annette and Cathy advised everyone that they’d be coming to the ranch each day while Sue was there, as they enjoyed the get together today. At about 8.30 and perhaps because some of the boarders were appearing to be bored, Smokey got his guitar and performed another singalong that lasted till Sue’s girlfriends said they had to leave, with Lois offering Steve a lift with her so he could visit a friend near the city and Steve assuring Smokey he’d be back by 4am to be in time for the morning feed and the boarders early trial ride (who had been assured by Smokey they could do a dawn trail ride tomorrow)

In our bunkroom later on dressed in one of Sue’s old shiny soft nylon nighties I’d already worn the night before, she told me how pleased she was at the way I’d fitted in so well with the ranch girls and praised how I’d handled those “three spoilt little bitches” especially Amanda (again her words, not mine). I also learnt that Smokey and his wife Dot were absolutely thrilled with how enthusiastic I was to help out with everything. I had trouble drifting off to sleep that night even exhausted as I was because of everything that Sue had told me.

*****

Day 3 – December 29th

That damned %$#! alarm clock. My young body was telling me how “it” felt this morning while walking to the toilet block with Sue, who was shining a flashlight on the ground just ahead to guide us since it was definitely darker than yesterday. Who showered first was also quickly decided and after doing so first, saw me not wasting any time getting quickly dressed and stepping out of the bunkhouse to allow Sue her privacy.

Waiting outside our bunk room I noticed a wavering light out of the corned of my eye and also heard young girl’s whispered shouts to friends behind warning them not to tread on something on the ground upfront. Smokey’s thinking that none of the girls staying there would even be awake for a dawn ride was certainly wrong, as an occasional stifled high pitched squeal proved that two or three of the girls mustn’t have seen what they stepped on before they did and had me quietly chortling to myself.

Re-entering the bunk room when Sue said I could come in again, had me telling her that some of the boarders were up. Sue then sat me down and touched up my face with some makeup and fixed my hair into a high ponytail, before leading me outside and towards the feed room before the boarders knew what was going on. The dazzle of car headlights (this early!) had Sue and I seeing Lois and Steve from the dark shadow we were standing in have a last long snog in the front seat of her car before getting out completely unaware they’d been seen. WELL a few people must have had fun after they left I thought! Sue dragged me away to the feed room making me promise not to say a word to anyone about what we’d just seen, and with Sue quietly muttering “bloody hell” we came up to the feed room where almost all of girls staying there were lined up and waiting excitedly.

Feeding the horses that morning must have taken about a third of the time it normally took, as each girl was asked by Sue which horse she wanted to feed then Sue would lift down that horse’s food tin and hand it to the appropriate girl or girls if two wanted to feed the same horse. I helped Sue refill the empty tins as they came back, so when Lois made a belated appearance she was amazed to learn that the boarders had helped feed the horses. Steve appeared a few minutes after Lois (stage managed I wondered?) and grinning at hearing the same news, suggested we go to the Jail for a quick cuppa and some toast adding that the boarders would be getting breakfast after the ride.

Lois quickly nixed that idea and said we should start saddling the horses right away after we filled any water troughs that needed it, adding that Steve should get the boarders involved as well. Rounding up young girls while still quite dark was quite a chore. By the time he’d done so and everyone was standing outside the tack room (the water troughs refilled), Lois took over and told the girls what she wanted them to do, that saw Sue, me, Steve or Lois carrying a saddle and bridle with 1or 2 borders following behind to a respective stable or yard. We got some unexpectedly but appreciated help from Cathy and Annette who eventually drove up separately and although late, were still in time to help out with the saddling. Both girls claimed that they thought they’d arrive early enough to help out and were stunned to discover how far along the chores had already been done.

Lois also determined that although the boarding girls were mostly inexperienced at horse riding, with 6 people escorting them, some of the older boarders might be better able to manage a less docile horse. Annette suggested that with the fourteen boarder’s horses saddled and ready, it was time to choose “their” horses for the ride as there were still enough horses there to choose from, so a hasty roster for the following few days was organised so that each of them got to ride the best horse(s) on the early morning rides (which they were all in agreement Smokey would be OK with when they told him later on over breakfast). The dark of night slowly gave way to dawn and with a nod of agreement between the Sue and her friends, I was allocated to a horse (Buccaneer – Bucky) that normally only an experienced rider would ever be allowed to ride (Sue said I’d be OK on this one with her guidance).

So once it turned 5.30am, 20 people on horseback (with Lois leading) left the front yard gate, leaving only the privately owned horses, Smokey’s horse Flash as well as two other horses with known bad tempers along with ranch’s Shetland ponies behind. Steve quickly understood his place on the ride, since Sue and the other girls had already agreed that Lois would be the designated boss of this morning’s trail ride that I’ll always vividly remember for its enjoyment.

As we slowly headed for the bushland Lois explained to the boarders how and why to rise to the trot, how to sit in the saddle during a canter, how to do beginner’s dressage and even demonstrated (when the group came across a poorly constructed one) how to jump a fence (although not allowing any of the girls to do so) with Sue, Cathy and Annette also showing how easily you could do it once you had been riding for a while.

With clever management, Lois arranged it so with only 5 minutes or so left of the trail ride the entire group came out of the scrub onto the huge clear frontage that lead up to the ranch buildings. Lois quickly bought every horse to the canter by starting to canter forward first and raced for the yard gate (a horse always knew where their stable/yard was and could gallop quickly if they thought that’s where they’re going). Lois finally shouting out to pull the horses up saw the horses come through the front yard gate at a fast trot, then being quickly pulled up to a walk and finally a halt, Steve and I being the last through the gate.

With an audience of one (Smokey) standing on the decking outside the sheriff’s office looking completely stunned at the sight he’d just witnessed, everyone dismounted with the boarders all making excited remarks about how great the ride had been. Smokey to his credit, didn’t miss a beat and cheerfully asked a lot of the girls about their horses and listened to the excited answers before saying everyone should help put their horses away, before cleaning up for breakfast.

Once that was done, Sue and the girls, Steve and I headed for the jail to start help getting the boarder’s breakfasts ready. Once inside (out of hearing) Smokey let it angrily be known about the stupidity of racing so many horses together and with a few other remarks as Lois’s retold about where the ride went and what they did during the ride, had Smokey saying in better humour that at least this morning’s ride was out of the way early and if he could wake up early enough tomorrow he’d join the ride tomorrow as well, so he could keep control of it as he looked straight at Lois meaningfully!

After helping carry trays to the dining pit and Smokey calling out that breakfast was ready, Steve drafted me to help cook the toast over several hotplates he had lit a fire under. I had no idea how to do toast over a flame but eventually mastered it, and witnessed how some way or other 5 loaves of sliced bread along with “six” 4 litre cartons of milk were drunken by 14 young girls, Steve, Smokey, Dot, the four adult girls and myself (and THIS was only breakfast!)

Anyway another weird thing happened after we had cleared away the breakfast things. As soon as everything was washed, dried and put away, I made a hasty retreat heading for the stables to start mucking out early to try and avoid the heat later on knowing that’s Sue and her friends would be over shortly as well. To my amazement I was quickly joined by not only the two boarding girls who had helped me yesterday, but now by “all” of them, which I somehow organised to start on the stables either side of me if they could find enough brooms or shovels and wheelbarrows.

When Sue and her friends made an appearance, they loudly proclaimed how quickly all the girls there had become fully fledged “horse nuts”. Obviously someone must have gone and told Smokey, because he appeared soon after to tell the boarding girls they didn’t have to do any of this, only to hear various replies about how Lois had told them on the ride this morning that to be good riders they first had to learn the basics, however messy and smelly they were!

He walked away looking nonplussed at what he’d just seen and heard, but seemed happy with the young girl’s replies, remaking on it at morning tea, then lunch and several more times during the day. Of course Wendy, Lois, Cathy and Annette got bombarded with all sorts of questions from the girls during the mucking out, asking things about horses as well as where they were going for their afternoon ride, which had Lois telling them if they wanted to be shown how to ride a horse, they’d start riding 101 this afternoon. By 9.15am everything around the ranch that needed doing was done. The regular girls when finally driven up to the ranch by their parents were quickly jealous on hearing the excited boarders relate to them all about their dawn morning ride, what they did during it then how they helped clean up the stables wondering what they’d be doing this afternoon on their ride.

Cathy and Annette had decided to drive off and get a cake for morning tea in the jail, so morning tea was not only a “very” long one, but also used as a strategy session to plan the rest of the boarding girl’s holiday there. Sue, Lois and the other two proceeded to plan the rest of the day and the following few days up until when the girls left. Smokey and Dot seemed glad they wanted to do so as well as offering advice or questioning some idea being bandied about. Smokey’s only complaint about what had happened on the dawn ride this morning, was that every ranch girl who had now heard about it, wanted to go on tomorrow’s ride and had to be told by him that all the horses were needed for the boarders.

Of course that didn’t matter to those girls who owned horses, as “they” quickly decided “they’d” be part of tomorrow’s dawn ride too, Amanda being the biggest pain as to how the ride should be done (knowing that Sue and her friends were out of earshot although I heard every idea she spruiked while sweeping up). Later in the day, several more girls who had horses lodged at the ranch turned up and surprisingly some of them seemed quite nice and not snooty. I quickly made friends with them after they found out about the ride this morning and what had occurred during it.

In fact one of the girls, Elizabeth (Lou to her friends) was grooming her horse Dumdum for the afternoon ride later on and asked me to help curry comb her horse (wasn’t I the privileged one!)
As a few of the boarding girls came over to the stable they’d asked if they could help groom Dumdum as well, Annette telling me later that showed that Lou at least was quite happy to know me if she’d let me help groom her horse - woohoo!!!

Around 11am, the “public” started arriving to for horse rides although a few only came to give their small children a pony ride. While Smokey (and Steve) organised horses for different people or groups (asking about riding experience straight away to determine the horse to be selected for the customer) I was told to saddle up the two Shetland ponies which with Cathy leading one (Susie) with a child on the horse, I followed along behind with Blossom and another child as Cathy led us everywhere possible in either 30 minutes or an hour depending on how much was paid. Obviously I reluctantly ended up in a number of photos being taken, since I’d had to hold the pony still while the parent photographed their child (sometimes a boy instead of a girl) sitting in the saddle beaming back happily at the camera.

Annette had already instructed me into how to ensure the pony didn’t break free of my grip and bolt with a toddler still on its back. If there was only one pony needed, “Muggins me” invariably ended up leading the pony, as Annette would find an excuse to disappear into the jail office for a rest. Having been shown the Sand Ring on the first pony ride, and because it had a fence surround it, wherever possible I led the child and pony there to walk them around for the ride heading back to the yard for the last part of the ride.

During most of the pony rides around the sand ring, several of the regular “ranch” would come over to watch and talk with me (but never to offer to take over and handle the pony ride) and every one of them asked me about the ride this morning, where did I live, how many were in my family, did I like working there, how old was I, what school did I go to and what grade was I in, why I was wearing sandshoes (every regular “ranch” girl there wore elastic sided riding boots I quickly discovered) who my favourite singer was, what did I think of David Cassidy (oh brother), as well as some very personal questions, which I’d answer “I haven’t had my first period yet” (curtesy of Sue suggesting the answer for me to tell any of the girls who asked…..she was so confident it would be asked).

Without exception I was welcomed into the fold of the teenage girls except for some of the snootier ones (three in particular), who one time came over as a trio, looked at my leading the child and pony, remarked about my sandshoes, the awful blouse I had on, that my hair style didn’t suit my face and that I was just another loser drone working for Smokey and they’d see how well I rode in the morning when “they” led the dawn ride, before walking off laughing amongst themselves, the spoilt little bitches.

A girl and boy came over along with Nicole during one pony ride I was leading to apparently talk and who I’d never met till then, although Nicole I felt was now another girl friend of mine to talk with. As soon as she came up close, I lost my young heart completely…… as soon as Dianne (fav horse Strawberry) said “Hi I’m Dianne and this is my brother William (adding he preferred to be called Will) you must be Wendy, Sue’s friend?” She had a soft but definite English accent, a perfect English rose facial complexion in that her skin was without the slightest blemish and was milky white, her eyes were blue, and she had the most white (hardly blonde) long hair that ended around the upper part of her back. She had a beautiful smile and a friendly face and personality. If I’d been a real girl, she’s who I would’ve wanted to look like…..I was infatuated although acting shy and timid to her whenever we spoke to one another.

Dianne also wanted to know what happened during this morning’s ride although stating she’d been told by so many girls about it already. Unlike the other girls, I actually exaggerated slightly retelling what had occurred during the ride and wanted her to listen to me tell her about it…….Yep, I was entirely smitten with her and actually didn’t want her to go when the three of them eventually did walk off to see someone else nearby!

I got relieved from pony rides by Annette so I could have lunch in the jail office where I was welcomed with open arms by both Smokey and Steve who both thanked me for my hard work so far and recommended I don’t exhaust myself unnecessarily helping customers while out overseeing their rides. I was told that hopefully the rest of the week would only get a few customers wanting a horse ride because of the number of boarders we had that week and when they took their ride of an afternoon.

Shortly after I’d taken my last mouthful of salad, 3 new customers meant I was allocated to look after them on their ride and was told that any other people turning up today would have to be knocked back. When I finished my last trail walk for the day, I made it known to Lois that I’d go on foot, as Sue, Lois, Cathy and Annette looked after the boarder’s afternoon ride.

As the horses were positioned in the mounting area, several of the boarding girls asked me which horse I was riding as I wasn’t holding onto one, which had me saying I wasn’t riding but would go with them and watch Lois teach them how to ride a horse and learn as well. Some of the boarding girls seemed disappointed I wasn’t coming, which made me feel glad to be so accepted.

Apart from the 18 horses allotted for the afternoon ride, all of the girls who owned horses were mounted as up and waiting over to the side as well. Lois then spoke to the group and explained what they’d be doing on this afternoon’s ride, ending with reminding the boarders the best time to ride a horse on a trail ride was always of a morning when they were fresh and spritely, and that because most of the horses they were on now had been ridden for several hours almost nonstop, this afternoon’s ride would be all about learning and they’d all have fun on tomorrow’s dawn ride.

The group went for a quick trot and ride around the “waterhole” before slow cantering back to the Sand Ring area, where Lois, (along with Wendy, Cathy and Annette demonstrating) explained simple riding tips making each of the boarding girls do them repetitively until she was satisfied. The girls with their own horses watched on and tried to show off by asking questions far beyond the level Lois was trying to work at. Head bitch Amanda finally remarked loudly about not wanting to waste any more of her time among beginners proceed to direct her horse off towards the trails encouraging the other horse owning girls to follow her, which they did.

None of the regular ranch girls followed them (since they didn’t have a horse to ride anyway) and instead stayed to watch Lois continue her class with the boarders. Lois would occasionally (to break any signs of boredom among the ranch girls) ask one of them a question and if answered correctly loudly praise the girl publicly, telling the boarding girls that what they had just been told by Nicole (or Juliet, Dianne, Helen or Judy) was absolutely correct and should be remembered if they were to ever going to learn how to ride their horses correctly. Smokey came down towards the end (which was already over the hour allotted) to offer some advice and encouragement, before raising Lois to new heights of worship among the regular ranch girls, by asking her if she’d ride Flash around afterwards for a while to get him ready for Smokey to ride tomorrow morning with the group.

After the lesson was over and the horses put away, unsaddled and fed (which was easy with so many helpers) everyone except Dot decided to go watch Lois saddle up Flash and start exercising him, with Smokey telling the crowd of girls how Flash had been trained to be a movie stunt horse, asking Lois to show everyone how to make a horse walk backwards, sideways, prance, rear up and so forth, all to amazed gasps of delight, excitement as well as (in a few girl’s cases) envy and jealousy. Any parents who had come to collect their daughters were told by them that they wanted to stay and watch as Flash was ridden about and demonstrating tricks, then they’d leave.

By 5pm though every girl and (single) boy not staying had been picked up and driven home. After the boarding girls had been given their evening meal and were now playing among themselves, all of us left (besides Cathy who’d had to get home before 6pm) had a meal of stew, then ice cream and peaches washed down with cups of tea were talking about not only tomorrow, but discussing a last minute idea by Annette who suggested she could get a New Year’s Eve party organised at her place (in the back of Ingleside – only a few miles away we were promised) and invite all the regular ranch girls and their parents (if they didn’t have other plans for the night) which seemed to Lois, Sue, Cathy, Steve Smokey and Dot like a great idea, although Smokey said he and Dot had to stay to look after the boarders. Saying she’d talk to her parents about it tonight and let us all know in the morning when she’d be back for the dawn ride, Annette left excited at the prospect of holding the party.

That left Lois to talk about it with the rest of us before asking Steve if he was going anywhere and needed a lift, which saw his eyes light up and say if she’d give him a few minutes to get changed!
Sue had a smirk on her face and Lois couldn’t understand why until after Smokey and Dot left, then Sue asked her did she like riding tall horses, which saw Lois blush profusely, asked what she meant, to be informed that we both saw her and Steve this morning in her car, so she simply smiled and said “sprung”.

Sue assured her neither of us would say a word about it to anyone before asking how she’d be able to explain any of this to everyone if it got out at Cathy’s New Year’s party. The sound of a car pulling up around midnight and whispered voices nearby followed by silence and a soft goodbye told us that Lois had driven Steve back before a few minutes later heard her car slowly moving away down the dirt drive.

Day 4 – 30th December

This morning, everything happen the same way it had yesterday, but this time Cathy, Lois and Annette arrived on time if not together. With Sue added, the four of them were smiling excitedly as all of the boarding girls eagerly took handed down tins and set off to feed “their” horse and check the water. I did practically nothing except stand around outside the feed room as the four older girls refilled each tin for the evening meal. Of the six privately owned horses at the ranch, four of the girls had turned up, sadly for me Lou being one of the exceptions, to already find their horses had been given their feed and water checked, so they simply wondered around in the dark talking among themselves. The fourth girl called Tricia (Patricia) owned a large bay coloured gelding called Samson and was another who I’d term a follower and one of Amanda’s admiring sycophants.

Steve hadn’t even bothered to help with the horse feeding after seeing the swarm of young girls already doing it and retired to the Jail office where he prepared several heaped plates of buttered toast and jam, coming out to call the boarding girls over to partake of a light snack before breakfast while apologising for there being no milk yet, (it usually being delivered to the ranch about 7am and by a milko who always enjoyed the increased school holiday business).

When Sue and her girlfriends along with me walked into the jail after being helped by eager excited girls to saddle all the horses, it was to see Smokey and Steve sitting down eating toast and drinking tea, Steve declaring that he’d kept enough milk for the five of us for a cuppa.

Annette then advised all of us that her parent’s would be out for New Year’s but were more than happy for her to hold a party there as long as everything was cleaned up by the morning. It was quickly agreed upon that there’d be a general announcement about the party at morning tea time when most of the ranch girls would have arrived for the day. As the light outside turned slowly from black to light, eventually Smokey got up and said we should get started, to allow the horses time to rest and cool down before the heat of the day started.

When everyone had finally gotten mounted on their horse, Smokey took charge and led the riders out of the yard towards the trails after first reminding the privately owned horses before they started to make sure they didn’t do anything to spook any of the beginner’s horses. Since Smokey was in charge he determined which trail we all took and decided on one that normally would never have been considered and I didn’t even know of. The trail (if you could call overgrown scrub that) allowed for twists and turns a plenty, as well as several lengthy stretches of straight dirt track so the horses could canter at times as well. For a special treat we also passed a small set of jumps that had been set up by other ranches and Smokey proceeded to show how good Flash was at taking the jumps so easily.

That allowed the private girls (at their own violation or perhaps because they felt bored) to show off their horses as well, which saw one of the girl’s (Sally) horse (Mystery - Misty for short) refusing at one of the jumps and his owner gracefully (or ungracefully depending on those watching it) flying over the horse’s head before landing sprawled in the dirt with a muffled thump, which once everyone saw she her get up unhurt had everyone laughing, while I knew Sally’s pride was definitely bruised if not broken.

Of course the four older girls Lois, Sue, Cathy and Annette showed off their jumping and getting Smokey’s loud approval as each girl took the short jump course perfectly. Smokey then asked Sue and Lois to lower one of the jumps (alone off to one side) to about a foot off the ground before designating a few of the horses the boarders were riding (which using his knowledge of the horses knew which ones could actually safely jump the short height) and after carefully explaining how to make a horse jump a hurdle by doing it several time on Flash, saw the 6 lucky girls experience probably the thrill of the lives up until then, as each successfully managed to take the jump without falling off her horse, which I think (judging from Sue’s worried expression) was to the relief of the rest of us.

Heading back, Smokey would take turns critiquing a private girl’s riding style, which entailed them being instructed to trot ahead and canter coming back to show their posture, seating etc. Smokey either cowed them completely as in Amanda’s case, where Smokey was quite harsh in his comments about her riding ability, or if he thought the girl’s style was acceptable, increased the girl’s confidence (and ego) with encouraging praise. Whatever idea he’d had for doing it, the private girls eventually began mingling with the boarding girls throughout the rest of the ride, (after he suggested the private girls should think about helping the inexperienced boarding girls) so perhaps that had been what he wanted to have happen all along.

As we broke out of the scrub and onto the flat ground ahead, with the ranch buildings plainly in view, Smokey called a halt and proceeded to position everyone into forming one long line, the private girls at one end along with Cathy and Sue, with the boarding girls clearly separated into two distinct groups elsewhere along the line, before indicating to the private girls that he wanted them to charge full speed beside him as if they were the cavalry but not to gallop through the front yard gate. Having received loud O.K’s he lined Flash up beside Amanda at one end before shouting “charge” and sent Flash into an immediate gallop. The private girl’s horses along with Sue and Cathy horses, raced away too before finally pulling up just before the front gate, Smokey well in front had already turned Flash round to head him back to the rest of the rider’s horses still strung out in line waiting excitedly. There was two more charge of the light brigades as they were quickly named (Flash winning all three of them) that was certain to be the main topic of conversation for the day when the rest of the regulars arrived and found out what had happened this morning!

As with earlier on, each boarder helped to restable or yard her horse then ease the saddle girth a few notches before dashing off to wash off or shower. Steve seconded me to help him toast the bread at the BBQ pit, while the 4 older girls helped load the cereal and plates onto trays and decant the milk before carrying it over to the dining area for the boarder’s breakfasts. When the adults (I include myself in this today) had eaten breakfast and cleared away everything it was still only 8.30 although the sting of a summer’s day was already starting to be felt.

Cathy took Sue aside and after a few hushed words, Sue asked me to follow her and Cathy. She immediately headed for our small bunk room and once I was inside shut the door and told me I’d been found out! Bewildered over this because I’d been so very careful I’d thought asked her how and who found out and what did Smokey say, was he angry with her. Cathy cut in and in a friendly tone told me that only she knew about me having guessed something about me from the previous day’s episode.

Apparently her brother who had left home after an argument, now lived fulltime as a woman and Cathy recalled watching him living at home during his necessary 2 year full time trial as a woman. She told me I’d had her fooled completely until she’d seen me in the tack room adjusting myself when I thought no one was looking and unluckily for me she said it tweaked something in the back of her head which an obtuse answer from Sue while we were clearing away the breakfast things she told me, had Sue admit to something that Cathy hadn’t really been all that positively certain of!

She happily asked me several more very personal questions (to my way of thinking) a few of which I was reluctant to answer, although Sue eagerly expounded on those few explaining our relationship to Cathy reminding me she “had” known me since I was a baby.

Cathy assured me that no one in their right minds would even think I’d be a boy because of the way I looked and behaved so convincingly, adding I even looked quite a dish with my long hair and face before happily snapping my left bra strap. Sue cut in and told Cathy that she’d been friends with Annette and Lois as well since she’d started coming here and genuinely believed we should now tell the other two girls about me, so they could help me if I ran into any problems over the next few days and particularly now because of the New Year’s Eve party, which I hadn’t even thought about or any of the possible repercussions of attending it. In the end my thoughts about what had just been discussed didn’t matter, as Sue left me and Cathy alone to go and find Annette and Lois.

A bunk room that only holds two beds can be quite crowded when you have 5 people in it……..
Sue told Cathy to explain about a possible problem to the other two and as she did, I nervously looked at two faces start to show expressions of absolute shock and dismay, with both girls claiming that Cathy and Sue were trying to pull their legs. I ashamedly nodded my head to Lois’s question when she asked me if I really was a boy and my downcast nod had her almost wet herself in hysterical laughter and still gasping for breath said she’d been completely fooled and would never have realised it if she hadn’t just been told and seen me admit to it! Annette reacted the same way and Cathy had to shush them in case there was anybody in the jail next door who might hear the laughter. Both of my shoulders were soon stinging from multiple bra strap snaps they each gave me.

Once some decorum was restored, I answered Lois and Annette’s questions which varied little from what Cathy’s had been. Lois was still convinced it was some sort of practical joke, so Sue told me to show “it” to the girls, which I did hesitantly and with my face flushed red in embarrassment. “That” was the clincher and with still incredulous expressions on their faces, Sue and Cathy explained why the other two girls needed to know about my secret reminding them about the New Year’s Eve party.

Then Sue accidently (I hope) gave me some small measure of revenge as she deliberately warned Lois about not telling her new flame Steve about me, which brought more looks of astonishment from Cathy and Annette with each stating that Lois had simply moved quicker than they should have, such was how Steve’s rugged good looks and strapping appearance affected women both young and old (every ranch girl seemed to have a crush on him as well)

The four girls then indoctrinated me into what they said was the “pinkie promise”, whereby with the little finger of one hand from each girl wrapped around my own little finger, they promised to protect my secret from anyone and everyone, then all of them gave me a peck on the cheek to seal the promise. Before we all tried to leave and disperse without anyone noticing Lois made me stand still and let her make my face up better, so proceeding to take some of Sue’s makeup she actually made me “more” pretty and feminine than I already appeared to be, before happily telling me not to go showing off around the ranch to the other girls.

Once outside again everyone scattered in different directions assuming that no one would notice and surprisingly it seemed to work. When the public started slowly driving up to have paid horse rides, I’d usually be the first chosen to accompany them, since I could be so often seen wheeling horse manure outside or moving from yard to yard, usually accompanied by several other girls (boarders mainly) asking me questions I couldn’t always answer. Most of those barrow trips were with ranch girls telling them about this morning’s ride and particularly about Smokey and Flash, having to repeat the description of “the charge” countless times. The girls also all liked hearing about how Sally had fallen off her horse taking a jump, which backfired on me several hours later in a pique of spitefulness by Sally and some of the other horse owning girls.

It must have been just before noon and I’d just put away the Shetland pony Blossom I’d been leading on a child’s pony ride in her stable, when I saw Amanda and Sally walk up to me and Sally throw a cup of something liquid over me, that I quickly realised was horse urine which smelled revolting while they spitefully told me that the next time they saw me alone would be worse if I ever told anyone about what they’d just done. The foul smell in my clothes was bad enough already, but now I’d have to sneak back into our bunk room and take a shower to try and get rid of the smell as well as wash out the clothes I had on by hand and hope when they were dry didn’t smell of horse pee.

I managed to sneak into the bunk room and shuck off my clothes leaving them piled on the floor next to the shower stall, while I proceeded to take a coolish shower soaping my body thoroughly and even using some of Sue’s hair scented shampoo on my body in an effort to get rid of the horse pee smell. My luck running as it was found Sue needing to come in and get something and she immediately remarked on the odour in the room, before walking around the partition and seeing the pile of clothing on the floor then pulling the shower curtain across and asking what I’d done, to simply tell her I’d tripped and fallen, landing on a patch of grass a horse had recently peed on.

Still naked infront of her, I calmly stepped out and gathered up the clothes and stepped back under the shower before beginning to soap scrub my top, jeans and panties. Sue didn’t believe a word, but decide to let the matter go, telling me to hang my clothes on the line up near the Dawson’s cottage before leaving me to continue washing out my clothes.

After I’d finished and walked to where the clothes was and hung up my things, I heard my name being called for by Steve’s voice and jogged towards the jail office where thankfully he only wanted me to help out getting the boarders lunches ready. Throughout serving lunch at the dining area, I felt rather than saw eyes watching me and after helping clear away the lunch time things and with nobody out riding, I went looking for where the rest of the girls were hanging out eagerly discussing the news about the New Year’s party tomorrow night.

Around ten regular girls were gathered under a tree behind the barn and I was going over to join them but out still out of sight due to the barn wall was suddenly confronted by Amanda, Sally and Joanne, turning the corner who blocked my path all looking very angry. Joanne then accused me of laughing at her friend’s mishap this morning and said I was no better than rubbish and Sue’s pet before without realising it, Sally stepped forward and pushed me in the chest which sent me stumbling back slightly to find the back of legs being lifted up by someone (Amanda as it turned out) as I eventually ended up landing on my head and neck, that momentarily left me concussed.

Sally then deliberately placed her foot on my stomach before putting all her weight and turning it walked off with the other two girls leaving me winded and gasping for breath. My loud scream of pain while she stepped on my stomach before walking away saw several of the other girls appear from behind the barn and run over to see if they could help me. My three tormentors were quickly walking away, now perhaps twenty yards or more distant.

After being helped up, I was shakily helped behind the barn where one of my rescuers Dianne (ah sigh) made it blatantly clear to the others that the “princess brigade” had tried to hurt me and weren’t worried about being seen. I begged all the girls there not to mention what had happened to anyone else, claiming I didn’t want any trouble raised from what had happened adding that it would only make the “princesses” more determined to try some other way to hurt me.

In the jail office later on after lunch Annette noticing how quiet and reserved I was behaving (and I always tried to act like that anyway) wanted to know what was upsetting me, which simply had me saying that nothing was except I felt a bit tired, that seemed to satisfy her. Later on when Sue, Lois and Cathy remarked on how Annette thought that something must have happened that I didn’t want to talk about, saw me angrily telling them that I just felt a bit tired and rudely stormed off.

After accompanying the boarders on their afternoon ride, which was more of Lois’s training lessons and unsaddling the horses for their evening feed saw me for the second time that day, another cup of horse urine being deliberately splashed on my back and this time Amanda was threatening me not to turn up at tomorrow night’s party if I knew what was good for me, before she and the other two walked off. What none of the four of us saw as it turned out, was Cathy who (I found out soon after) had seen the entire incident from where she had been in Boxer’s obscured yard.

After dashing off to take another shower and try to wash the urine stench out of my clothes, I was under the shower naked frantically scrubbing my clothes in our bunkroom’s shower when the door opened and an angry Sue loudly stated we needed to have a talk. Saying I’d be finished in a few minutes and after I was dressed I’d find her, certainly didn’t expect to have the shower curtain yanked to one side and see Sue, Lois and Cathy with anger written on their faces looking at me naked again, or hear Sue loudly ask me “well what caused THIS shower?” then stared at me unsmilingly.

Asking if I could at least get clean and dressed in an embarrassingly distressed way, was in an annoyed voice informed by Sue that she and her friends would be sitting just around the other side (of the partition on the beds) waiting to hear my explanation. I then had to shame faced (having not expected for anyone else to be there) walk out with a towel draped round my hips and bend down to get my only other (and last) clean pair of underwear and clothes out of my case, before hurriedly dashing back behind the partition to get dressed. A humorous remark from (I think) Cathy telling me to never take a shower in a strange house without first taking your underwear into the bathroom with you, had me hoping that it wasn’t me in trouble if (Cathy at least) could make a wisecrack remark.

Since I quickly decided now to tell them what had happened, obviously there was no use worrying about if they’d be angry with me, because I hadn’t deliberately done anything to cause what Amanda did to me, so feeling a little less nervous I went and sat down beside Sue and explained why I’d been under the shower. Luckily for me I didn’t try to lie to them since Cathy crossly confirmed how she’d seen and heard exactly what I’d just told them and even earlier on had overheard the three girls saying to several of the other girls I was a dumb ugly troll only fit to shovel horse shit.

Thinking now would be the time to confess about the other times, saw me telling them about what had happened a few hours before near the barn when Sally had stepped on my stomach, then quickly assuring them (as their four faces turned angry) I was fine now and no one need worry said I’d be staying clear of any of the three girls from now on and make sure never to walk around the ranch without someone else next to me. I knew without the slightest doubt that any or all three of my young female tormentors would’ve been hurt if they’d been anywhere nearby just then judging from how the older girls looked.

Sue and her girlfriends angrily assured me they’d see to it that I wouldn’t be bullied anymore, with Lois saying she’d let Smokey and Dot know about what had been happening to me and also suggest to Smokey that perhaps he should tell Amanda, Sally and a few of the others parents about their antics. Sue (and me) while sceptical of it working decided to accept Lois’s idea while Annette said she’d tell the three young girls about not being allowed to her party tomorrow night unless they stopped harassing me.

Cathy didn’t say very much about any of the suggestions being discussed remaining unusually subdued, before she slowly began to grin to herself that developed into a deviously looking smile as an idea occurred to her. Interrupting with enthusiasm streaming from her she slowly announced that there might possibly be another way for me to get some revenge without asking Smokey, her grin growing even wider as the thought in her mind came to an agreement. She excitedly told Lois, Annette and Sue that she still kept in touch with Char and if she didn't have any plans for tomorrow night might be able to come round and help make her idea work. Then turning to look at me with a beaming smile she said “if I can get Char to help us with a little bit of her magic Wendy, you just might be the envy of every ranch girl at the party tomorrow night”.

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Authors note……I had no idea when starting to write this story that I’d need to write so many pages, although I’ve often been accused of needing to use 10 words when 1 would’ve sufficed. I’ll reveal the rest of this story in the 2nd (and final part) when I upload it in a few days ……Wendy C.