Clip-Clop Chronicles: Stories of a Girl and her Horse Adventures

By Angelica Witherspoon-Cassanova

Set in central Florida, Clip Clop Chronicles follows the journey of Roz, a sassy yet insecure, twelve-year-old, horse-crazy girl, determined to make it to the top of the equestrian world. Nothing and no one will stand in her way.  Not her arch nemesis. Not Florida thunderstorms. Not even her family, who thinks riding horses is a sport that Black people just don’t do.
 
When it comes to sports, her very large family shines in all aspects of track and field. Roz runs just slightly faster than a snail. But riding? She’s a budding star. She has everything she needs to make it to the top: a twin sister who always has her back, a best friend who shares her love of horses and her own business to fund her dream.
 
Roz’s savings account is just shy of the amount she needs to compete in her first Beginner Novice event. When her lawn mowing business takes a hit with the latest thunderstorm, her journey turns into an uphill battle she was not planning for. It’s one obstacle after another including a bully begging for a punch in the face!
 
Roz feels like giving up. Until she finds the support and inspiration she needs from the place she thought she would never find it. Her family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Angelica Witherspoon-Cassanova
• Release date: Mar 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9780998681313

Book preview

For:

Erika

Mom

Dad

Shannon

Grandma E

Grandma R

one

I dare you, lawn girl!

It was a hot day and I was simply minding my business.  Literally.  Lawn work was how I earned money for my horse obsession. I was cutting the grass for one of my clients when my arch nemesis happened to ride by. 

Her name was Zoe Saltz.  If she weren’t my enemy, I might have called her pretty.  She had beachy-blonde hair and light eyes. Hazel I think. She was tall for her age and a decent rider, but not great. Her expensive horse made her a better rider than she actually was. His name was Magic.

Maybe I was too young to have a nemesis. I was only twelve and a half. But from the very moment we met, Zoe and I were not friends.

Did you hear me, Raz? Zoe called out again.

To be clear, my name was Roz.  R.O.Z. Not Raz. 

She sat on top of her beautiful, bay warmblood on the other side of the lawn I was cutting.  The buzz of the lawn mower made the sound of her voice less ... annoying. I reluctantly turned off the engine.

You think that since you’ve been riding for a few years you can ride any horse.  Then ride that one, she called out.

In the neighboring field lived a big draft horse. Her owners didn’t reside there and she hadn’t been ridden—ever, as far as anyone knew. Everyone called her Ghost. Ghost was all white, with one blue eye. She was HUGE! Her hooves were as big as my head. The top of her back seemed to stretch taller than the trees. Rumor has it, when some kid tried to pet her, Ghost stomped on the kid’s foot and would not let him go.  The fire department had to come and spray her with the fire hose before she let the poor boy free.  I’m sure whoever started the rumor was prone to lying. 

It was true; I had not been riding all my life like Zoe. Something deep inside me made me believe I could ride any horse. But Ghost was so big.

I knew you couldn’t do it, Zoe said with a laugh.

I didn’t like people telling me what I could not do. Before I realized what I was doing, I jumped off my trusty lawn mower and hopped over the fence.  It was just Ghost and me.  Zoe turned Magic around to get a better look.

Easy girl, easy, I whispered as I eased towards her.  Easy.

Ghost looked up at me with her blue eye and did not look pleased.  She stomped her hoof and I felt the earth shake beneath my feet. Ghost snorted and tossed her head back and forth.  Clearly she was not happy to have a visitor—not one bit.

I made it halfway across the pasture.  The closer I inched towards Ghost the more she let me know that I should stop. Then it happened.  Ghost had had enough.

The giant, white mare galloped towards me like a train. I wished I had paid attention to her warnings. My brain told my feet to move. My feet refused to listen. Zoe smirked from behind the safety of the fence. I closed my eyes and braced for the worst.

two

Twelve and a half was too young to have your life flash before your eyes, but I knew it was coming. My heart raced as I waited to get trampled. I waited. And waited. There was no flash, no crushing bones and no pain.

Then I felt a warm wind puffing on my face. I wasn’t sure I wanted to open my eyes. I wasn’t sure I could.

Open your eyes. Open your eyes, right now.

What I saw when they finally did flutter open was unbelievable. There was Ghost, standing there, looking at me. Perhaps she wondered why I was there just as much as I wondered why she hadn’t run over me.

Hi there. I’m Roz. Roz Stone. Nice to meet you.

I held my hand out and waited. Ghost tossed her head and stepped back.  My dark skin against her white coat reminded me of an Oreo cookie.

Roz, focus! Your life may still be in danger!

It’s okay. It’s okay, I said softly. I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to get on your back and prove to that girl over there that I can ride you. So maybe help me out a little bit?

From what I’d learned from watching horse movies like The Black Stallion and The Horse Whisperer, I knew I should wait until Ghost decided to come to me. Hurry up already! Zoe shouted. Or are you scared?

I was scared. This wasn’t a movie and Ghost wasn’t some movie star horse; she could actually hurt me. I knew this wasn’t a good idea, but I would not let Zoe tell me what I wasn’t capable of. So I was left with only one choice: ride Ghost.

Ghost continued to back away. I kept moving towards her. She took three steps. I took three steps. She trotted to the edge of the field and I ran after her. I think I wore her down because soon the distance between us faded away. She stood quietly right beside me.

I rubbed her neck and she whinnied softly.

Okay, girl, I’m gonna ride you, I said, hoping we both believed the words. Normally, I wouldn’t think of riding a horse without a helmet. Today, I would just have to hope for the best.

She was way too tall for me to swing myself up, so I made my way to the fence and she followed.

I climbed up to the top rail. Ghost moved away. This was not going to be easy. I leaped from my wooden perch just as Ghost stepped out of the way. I sailed straight to the ground.

She’s a smart one, I thought as I crawled up from my ‘belly-flop’ on the grass. A few minutes of that back and forth and Ghost finally stood close enough to the fence. Just like in the movies, I wore her down! I was able to grab on to her mane.  She slowly walked away as I hung on for dear life to her massive neck. My legs dangled off of her right side. I tried to pull myself up. The more I tried the faster she moved.

Whoa girl, whoa, whoa, WHOAAAA!

three

I guess Ghost didn’t understand that whoa meant stop. She started trotting. All the bouncing actually made it easier for me to pull myself on top of her.

Finally I had one leg on both her sides. My fingers gripped tightly to her mane. The training kicked in; my back was straight and my heels were down. I was riding her! I WAS RIDING HER!

It was bumpy and I slid all over the place, Ghost was huge after all, but I was doing what Zoe said I couldn’t. I looked around and spotted her. The smile on her face disappeared. 

Hey Zoe! Pretty sure this is what you call riding Ghost! I said as I waved.

My mother often talked about being humble. No one liked someone who bragged. I wish I had listened.

While I boasted and waved, I lost my balance. My okay ride quickly turned into something bad. I felt like a ragdoll bouncing around on Ghost’s back. I tried to hold on; I was unsuccessful.

Ghost was moving too fast now. My attempts to slow her down failed and I knew what was coming.

It happened. I hit the ground. All I could hear was Zoe’s laughs and Ghost’s hooves pounding away.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. I still had to finish mowing two more yards after this one. I brushed myself off, climbed back over the fence and headed back to work. Ghost munched on grass and didn’t give me, or our epic ride, another thought.

Zoe would probably only remember the fall and not the couple of minutes I managed to ride Ghost. That was okay. I knew the truth.

four

I had about twenty minutes before I needed to be at my next client’s house, which was good because that would give me a few moments to say goodbye to my twin sister, Estelle.  She was going away to surf camp for a week.

With the lawn mower blade up, I could drive it along the street. It was about a five-minute ride to my house.  I made it there in four and just in time! As I pulled into the yard, Estelle walked out the house carrying her suitcase.  She looked almost exactly like me, except better. She had muscles and I had fluff.

I thought you weren’t going to make it, she said. 

I wouldn’t miss it for the world! I responded.

Why is your face so dirty? she asked.

She pulled out her camera phone and held it up like a mirror.  Sure enough there was a green substance that smeared from my afro-puff down to my cheek and all along the right side of my body. 

Thanks, Ghost.

Oh, well, let’s just say I ran into Saltz and she underestimated me, I said, trying to rub my face clean.

Again? Estelle replied with a bit of a chuckle because she knew the history between Zoe and I.

I nodded my head. "Sounds like another story for the Clip Clop Chronicles," she continued. That was what we liked to call my horse adventures.

Exactly!

My mother walked out and started her golden-colored Land Rover. She was petite and curvy and pretty.  Alright, let’s get going, she said. I told your cousin we’d meet her halfway.

Estelle pulled me into a hug and whispered, I’ll miss you.

Me too.

Before I let her go, I slid the twenty-five dollars I just made into her hand. 

I want you to have a good time, I said then finally released her.

No, you need it for your show! she cried. 

Estelle was always thinking about me.  Besides, I have my babysitting money.

I know, but I want you to have it, I replied.

Estelle made money watching the neighbor’s sons, not as much as I did mowing lawns, but a good amount.  Her sport was less expensive than mine. She ran track, just like the rest of the family.

She pocketed the cash and slid into our mother’s car. I can’t wait to hear about this latest adventure!

I’ll text and video chat!

See ya in a week, she said,

Then they pulled out of the yard.

I waved and smiled.  But I was sad.  I was going to miss her.  I missed her already, but I didn’t have time to think about that now though. I had to get to my next client.  I hopped back on my lawnmower and off I went!

five

You need to slow down, my grandma called from the kitchen window. She was my next client.

She waved her arm to flag me down. I waved back at her from on top of the lawn mower. I heard what she said but there was no way I was gonna put this baby in the slow ‘turtle’ mode.  There was a reason there was a fast ‘rabbit’ mode.  The faster I went the faster I finished. Although I did wish there was a ‘turtle’ mode for Ghost.

What’s that, Grandma? I shouted.

Slow down! She continued to wave her hands.  I know you hear me, Roz!

I waved back. I love you too, Grandma!

Then I made a right turn at the corner of the yard, and continued on.  I was a pro at selective hearing.

Riding a lawnmower