Spirit Riding Free: Abigail's Diary

Diary Entry

I’ve never had a diary before, but thanks to Lucky and Pru, the best PALs ever, I do now. What a nice present! They said I should write down everything about the Frontier Fillies Jamboree because I am so excited.

Wait, hang on a hot minute… maybe they got me the diary so I’d stop talking to them about the Jamboree?

Oh, what am I even thinking? That can’t be! That’s impossible. Pru and Lucky love hearing me talk about the Jamboree and all the things we are going to do there.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to talk about the Frontier Fillies Jamboree?!

It’s going to be the best Frontier Fillies event the frontier has ever seen. At the Fillies Jamboree, everyone can earn badges with their horses!

My brother, Snips, says he’s going with us, but he’s wrong. He says he doesn’t want to be left behind, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Little brothers are not invited, especially not ones like Snips. Only Fillies are invited to the Jamboree.

It’s gonna be three whole days of fun with other Frontier Fillies herds from all over. We’re going to make friends and eat s’mores and giggle and earn those badges! Lucky is already practicing shooting arrows from Spirit’s back for the Boots and Bows mounted archery badge. She’s really good at it, too, and never misses the target.

Pru’s gone crazy about the talent show badge, which is called the Saddle Showcase. She’s been practicing some cool tricks with her horse, Chica Linda. Pru’s amazing. I saw her juggling apples while riding Chica Linda over a big jump. She didn’t drop even one apple!

I can’t wait to earn the Majestic Mare badge. It’s about pretty horses. Of course, all horses are pretty to start, so really, it’s about prettier horses. Sure, some girls will just groom their horses, clean their tack, and make their horses look nice, but my horse, Boomerang, likes to be way spiffier! I have ribbons, bows, and lace to braid into his mane and tail. I haven’t decided what kind of braid would be the best for Boomerang. I can do hunter braids or rosette braids or banded plaits. There are so many choices! This badge was made for Boomerang and me!

The truth is that while I hope to earn all three of the Jamboree badges, there’s a bigger pie in the sky: a peach pie with extra whipped cream, and maybe some chocolate baked into the crust. Yeah, the Boots and Bows, the Saddle Showcase, and the Majestic Mare badges are great, but I really want the Hungerford Heart.

I’ve been dreaming about it ever since we heard about the Jamboree. I’ve explained the Heart about a hundred zillion times to Pru and Lucky. I told them about it so many times that they suggested I write it all down in my new diary. Wait, now I’m suspicious again. I mean, how many times is too many times to talk about the one thing I dream about?

The answer is clear: Too many is never enough! I know that my friends love hearing about the Heart. And I’m happy I get to write about it here, too.

So here goes:

The Hungerford Heart is as amazing as it sounds. Ms. Ginger Hungerford—who, by the way, was the one who made us the official Miradero herd—is the founder of the Frontier Fillies. She created the Hungerford Heart award, named in honor of her grandmother, as a gift to the one very special herd that stands out from all the others.

The entire Jamboree votes for the winner of the Hungerford Heart. So that makes it hard to earn. No one can vote for her own herd, so I gotta figure out how to get the others to vote for us.

There’s nothing I want more in all the frontier than for the Miradero herd to take home the Hungerford Heart.

The trophy itself is a metal sculpture, forged in the blacksmith shop where Ms. Hungerford’s father worked. It’s rumored that she forged the metal herself, heating and pounding a long silver bar and then bending it into the shape of a perfectly proportioned heart.

The statue represents the Heart of the Fillies and sits on a cherrywood base that is said to come from the same tree as President George Washington’s teeth. Engraved in the base are the four noble virtues of the truest Frontier Filly. Ms. Hungerford’s grandmother is said to have been very virtuous and displayed all these best qualities, which is why the award is named for her.

I have the values memorized:

I remember them by HCVH and then thinking of a few of my favorite things: H—Hot dog, C—Cake, V—Vegetables, and H—Hamburger.

See? Not only is the Heart a list of noble virtues, but if I could eat it, it would also be delicious! And that is just one more reason I think the Miradero herd deserves to take home this year’s Hungerford Heart. I mean, I like cooking, so it all makes sense.

I’ve studied everything I can about the Heart. The descriptive pages in my guidebook are wrinkled and dotted with oily food stains since I like to read and snack at the same time. It’s great for focusing and absorbing brain nutrients.

Here’s what I’ve learned: To take home the Hungerford Heart, the Miradero herd must stand out because of our Hot dog, Cake… I mean, Honor, Compassion, Valor, and Honesty.

We’ve got this. No problem! There’s no herd in all the frontier with more HCVH than Pru and Lucky and me! We are the PALs—Pru, Abigail, and Lucky—the worthiest friends.

I have no doubt that after three days at the Frontier Fillies Jamboree, we will earn all three Jamboree badges AND prove to everyone that we deserve the Hungerford Heart.