Lucky and the Rough Ride

**"Lucky and the Rough Ride"** is the thirty-first episode of *Spirit Riding Free* and the fifth episode of the show's fifth season.

## Plot synopsis

Lucky is dying for a little excitement when she and her friends are invited on a mustang drive. But she gets way more than she wanted.

## Plot

The PAL help out Mr. Granger with a mustang drive, but discover it isn't as exciting as they believed.

Pru's mother, Mrs. Granger, gives a lesson in frontier first aid in Miss Flores's Class. Lucky proves to be very good at sutures on a tomato. The PAL head back home after school, but are approached by Mr. Granger on their way home. Mr. Granger offers the girls a chance to join the mustang drive as extra help; the PAL eagerly accept. Lucky convinces her father, who seems to be a little overwhelmed by all the wedding preparations to be done, to let her go. Early the next morning, Lucky joins Mr. Granger as he introduces her to the other *vaqueros*, Pablo and Rusty, as well as Javier, the trick rider who had given Lucky some tutorials around the time of the fiesta.

The PAL head off on the mustang drive with high hopes. Lucky tells Javier about joining the circus while Pru wrangles a straggler back into the group. The group sing a traveling song ("A Hundred Mustangs on the Open Range"), but are bored by the end of the song as the PAL realize the mustang drive is actually quite boring.

The next day, Lucky sees two mustangs (a mare and her foal) stray from the group and tries to herd them back to the group by herself. She and Spirit follow the two horses. Javier follows her and tries to warn her against herding without telling Mr. Granger, but Lucky convinces Javier that it will be exciting. The two of them find the mustangs, but one is caught by a few rocks. Javier frees the mustangs caught by rocks as a rattlesnake spots the two *vaqueros*. The rattlesnake attempts to bite Lucky, but Spirit scares it away; however, when Spirit scares the snake, he also scares the mustang Javier is helping, causing Javier to hurt his leg badly. Lucky sees a cut on his leg and attempts to make a splint for his leg. Lucky helps Javier onto his horse and the two of them start to head back to the herd.

Lucky and Javier try to go back, but Javier starts to feel dizzy and falls off his horse, unconscious. Lucky looks at his cut and realizes his leg was worse than she thought. She finds a needle and thread in Javier's saddle bag and gets an idea.

Meanwhile, back on the mustang drive, a murder of crows startle a few of the mustangs. Pru and Abigail chase after the horses.

Lucky sterilizes the needle with a fire and nervously begins stitching up Javier's leg.

Pru and Abigail round up the horses and guide them into the corral at Rancho Conejo. Mr. Granger comes up and congratulates Pru and Abigail. Abigail and Pru then realize that Lucky and Javier are missing. Mr. Granger, Pru, and Rusty set off to find the two, but Lucky quickly appears. Mr. Granger carries Javier (who is still unconscious) away to help him. A while later, Javier wakes up and Lucky comes in to talk to him. Javier thanks her for saving his life and holds her hand.

## Notes & trivia

* The events of this episode take place in late summer or early autumn, after the start of the school year but before Halloween.