Johnnie Green had often ridden bareback. Lacking a pony, before
Twinkleheels came to the farm to live, he had ridden the old horse
Ebenezer back and forth between the barn and the pasture, guiding him by
his halter rope.
Ebenezer was a steady old fellow. He never jumped nor shied. He
preferred walking to any other gait. Without a whip Johnnie Green had
hard work to make him trot. It took a great deal of drumming against his
ribs by Johnnie Green's heels to induce him to hurry his steps.
Twinkleheels was different from Ebenezer. He was frisky. Yet Johnnie
sometimes put a bridle on him and rode him without a saddle. Especially
after the circus men came along and pasted posters on the barn Johnnie
Green liked to ride bareback. He had a notion that some day he would
learn to ride standing on Twinkleheels' back.
Farmer Green, however, did not approve of that plan. When Johnnie
mentioned it to him he said "No!" in a most decided fashion. "That pony
would be sure to throw you," he told Johnnie.
"I could try standing on Ebenezer first," Johnnie suggested. "His back
is broader. And he certainly wouldn't object."
Somehow his father didn't care for that scheme either. "We don't want
any broken legs around here," he declared, "nor necks, either. Broken
necks are very slow to mend."
So Johnnie Green had to give up his plan, for the time being. He made up
his mind, however, that when he was grown up he would learn to ride
standing up--and turn somersaults in the air off a horse's back. But now
he knew that he must content himself with less risky sports.
Something happened one day that caused Johnnie to admit to himself the
wisdom of his father's advice. He was riding Twinkleheels along the
road, bareback, after a heavy rain. And the first thing that Johnnie
knew he was sitting almost on Twinkleheels' tail. Instead of splashing
through a big mud puddle, Twinkleheels had taken it into his head to
jump it.
His leap took his rider unawares. Johnnie had slipped to the rear as if
Twinkleheels' back had been greased. And if he hadn't clutched the
bridle reins he would have dropped off into the very middle of the
puddle.
After that Johnnie kept a sharp eye out for mud puddles. When he knew
that Twinkleheels was going to jump one he had no trouble in sticking to
his seat.
Soon Johnnie decided once more that it would be easy to learn to be a
circus rider. Certainly it was no trick at all to sit on Twinkleheels'
bare back so long as he knew what the pony was going to do. It was as
easy as walking a tight rope. And that was a feat that Johnnie Green had
already mastered.
He only broke a collar bone learning that.