Having Fun_M&M4_SAMPLE by Collins

For

my wonderful mum, who gave me a love of horses

Published by Barrington Stoke

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Westerhill Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, G64 2QT

www.barringtonstoke.co.uk

HarperCollinsPublishers

Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper, Dublin 1, DO1 C9W8, Ireland

First published in 2025

The moral right of Tanya Landman and Sònia Albert to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988

ISBN 978-0-00-871833-6 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in whole or in any part in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher and copyright owners

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Printed and bound in India by Replika Press Pvt. Ltd.

CHAPTER 1 The Birthday Miracle

Meg had learned a lot in the last few months, she thought. Her whole life had been turned upside down but in a good way. She felt like a different person!

It had all started on her tenth birthday when she’d looked out of her bedroom window and seen a pony standing outside.

Meg had always longed for a pony of her own, and she had so hoped that this one was a surprise birthday present. But the pony –

Meg and Merlin: Having Fun

Merlin – belonged to a woman called Mrs Hill and her daughter Isobel. Isobel was away at university and couldn’t ride Merlin every day. So Merlin had got bored, escaped from his field and ended up in Meg’s front garden.

Meg had ridden him home to Mrs Hill’s field, and then there’d been a birthday miracle. Mrs Hill had said Meg could come over to ride Merlin whenever she liked.

The

Birthday Miracle

For Meg, “whenever she liked” was all of every day. She would have moved into Merlin’s field and lived there if she could.

Things like school got in the way, but, even so, she’d ridden him most days since then. And she’d learned so much! Not only had her riding got better, but she’d learned other things too.

She’d ridden Merlin in a local show and learned that stuck‑up Sam Houseman, who was in the year above Meg at school, wasn’t really stuck‑up at all. Sam was just very shy.

Meg and Merlin made friends with Sam and her pony Alfred, and soon afterwards they’d all gone for a lovely picnic ride that had included a wild gallop up to the top of a hill.

At the end of the picnic day, after Meg and Merlin had said goodbye to Sam and Alfred and were heading back to Mrs Hill’s, Meg had

Meg and Merlin: Having Fun

learned something else. She’d learned that even lovely, safe ponies like Merlin could do dangerous things.

A branch from the side of the road had got stuck in Merlin’s tail, and he’d thought it was attacking him. He’d bolted, and they’d almost ended up galloping onto the main road. But at the last minute, just before the busy road, Meg had stopped him, and after that the pair of them had learned to trust each other even more.

And now Meg and Merlin and Sam and Alfred were going to have another new adventure.

Today was “Fun Day”. Was it really going to be fun? Meg asked herself. She wasn’t at all sure. Fun Day had been Sam’s mother’s idea. At the end of their picnic ride, Sam’s mother

had asked if Meg was in the Pony Club. There was a rally coming up, and she wanted Meg to go along.

“It’s lots of fun,” she’d said. “And it will improve your riding no end.”

Meg and Merlin: Having Fun

When Meg got home, she looked up the Pony Club online and saw that joining the Pony Club cost money. Going to a Pony Club rally cost money. The Pony Club tie and sweatshirt cost money too.

Meg knew there was no point even asking Mum and Dad – they couldn’t afford it and that was that. And Meg was glad. She didn’t really want to go to a Pony Club rally.

At school the next day, Meg told Sam that she wouldn’t be able go, and she thought that was the end of it.

But Sam’s mother had other ideas. If Meg couldn’t join the Pony Club, there were plenty of other pony rallies she could go to.

Sam’s mother was a riding instructor, and the stables she taught at were having a “Fun Day”.

The Birthday Miracle

Sam’s mother was pushy. She didn’t hint that something might be nice or politely invite anyone to come along. She gave orders. Sam and Meg were jolly well going to “Have Fun” whether they wanted to or not.

During the Fun Day, they were going to have lessons about riding and about looking after ponies. But Meg didn’t think it would be much fun if Sam’s mother was teaching them. She remembered her at the show, yelling at Sam: “Get him moving, Sammy! Legs! Legs!”

The thought of spending the day with Sam’s mum made Meg really nervous. She had butterflies flitting around her stomach and didn’t think she’d be able to eat the packed lunch Mum had made for her.

But it was too late to back out now. Meg put a brave smile on her face and set off with Dad to Merlin’s field.