Do kids from Chicago even go to horse camps? Maria wondered, stepping out of the car onto the dusty road. Three days of driving had brought her to the Paradise Valley Horse Ranch in Texas. Maria had begged and begged to go. She had read about a girl who went to a horse camp for children with disabilities, and Maria thought it sounded wonderful.
She could already imagine the smooth feel of the horse beneath her. She could already feel the sun on her back as she rode around a paddock filled with flowers. Maria’s cerebral palsy was mild. However, she walked in her own way and sometimes she lost her balance. Maria was tired of feeling different. She hoped she would fit in at the camp.
When Maria was alone with the other campers, she wondered if she had made the right decision. Somehow, even in the middle of these kids, she still felt uncomfortable. However, when she met her horse, all that changed. His name was Smoke. Like his name, Smoke was a beautiful shade of pale grey. Maria fell instantly in love.
In the paddock the next day—which was not filled with flowers but was still lovely—Maria sat on a horse for the first time. Smoke’s back really was warm and smooth, and the sun really did shine down as he walked up and down on a lunge line. Smoke seemed patient and tireless and Maria felt her spirits lift. She no longer cared about anything else. She only had eyes for Smoke. She lay forward on his neck and wrapped her shaking hands in his mane. She simply enjoyed the moment.
Which detail from the text shows that this is Maria’s first time at a horse camp?
“Three days of driving had brought her to the Paradise Valley Horse Ranch in Texas.”
“However, she walked in her own way and sometimes she lost her balance.”
“Like his name, Smoke was a beautiful shade of pale grey. Maria fell instantly in love.”
“In the paddock the next day—which was not filled with flowers but was still lovely—Maria sat on a horse for the first time.”