Billy said. Daniel gave an absentminded “ummm,” paying more attention to the six ponies cantering around the ring. He and Billy stood back to back in the center, each of them holding a longeing whip, Daniel’s pointed toward Gray and Billy’s toward Teeth. The idea was to keep the other ponies evenly spaced between Gray and Teeth, with all six cantering at a steady pace. Eventually, Daniel hoped to manage them alone, using Gray to set the pace. But Teeth would break ranks and cut across the ring or run up along the pony in front of him or fall back to visit with the one behind, if Billy didn’t keep him focused on the end of her whip. Daniel gauged the distance between the ponies. They were doing much better today, their steps more evenly matched. “Ready?” he warned Billy. “One, two, three—Now!” Daniel and Billy stopped smartly, drawing their whips straight up by their sides. First Gray, then the rest of the ponies wheeled on their haunches to face the center of the ring.
