When Sarah pushes her horse, Scarlet, to learn a new dressage movement too quickly and Scarlet injures herself, Sarah decides to just give up, at least until the step might prove necessary to save their friends from a flooded river. Horseland #4: Rein or Shine By Sadie Chesterfield HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Copyright © 2008 Sadie Chesterfield All right reserved. ISBN: 9780061341700 Chapter One In the middle of a beautiful countryside sits Horseland, a sprawling ranch. Riders who come to Horseland find exciting adventures in the surrounding mountains and acres of wild forest, and create great friendships along the way. With a large stable, a tackroom, and—best of all—an arena for training, Horseland is the greatest place around to board, groom, and show a horse. Shep, an Australian shepherd herding dog, stands in Horseland's arena. Shep is in charge of the stables at Horseland, and is known to rule with an iron paw. He watches Will Taggert, the nephew of Horseland's owners, swirl a lasso over his head. Across from Will stands a wooden post with horns nailed to it, a perfect target for lassoing. Will tosses the lasso, but the loop just misses the post. "I've got to hand it to Will. He sure is persistent," Shep says, nodding his head in approval. Angora, the beautiful gray cat who is always lounging around the farm—this time on a bale of hay—rolls over and opens one of her green eyes. "I'd wish he'd stop," she says sleepily. "He's ruining my nap." Shep watches as Will tosses the lasso again and again. He misses his target every time, but he doesn't get frustrated. He just keeps practicing. "He'll get it, sooner or later," Shep says in his soft, reassuring voice, "just got to keep trying." Teeny, the spotted potbellied pig, stands on another nearby bale of hay and watches as Will throws the lasso high into the air. "It's up, it's flying, it's, it's—" but before Teeny can say another word the lasso flies out of Will's hands and around Angora, who lets out an annoyed meow . "Yup," Shep says with a smile. "It's going to take a lot of perseverance and patience." Shep is right. He's learned firsthand what perseverance can do . . . from Sarah and Scarlet. Continues... Excerpted from Horseland #4: Rein or Shine by Sadie Chesterfield Copyright © 2008 by Sadie Chesterfield. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. Used Book in Good Condition