1st May, 2007 Expensive Ornaments

Well, this was going to be my alternative birthday as I spent my last one on an aeroplane to Spain but no-one remembered this time either. I should have mentioned the fact that Rushy is for sale or loan. He would make a fabulous birthday present for someone. I long-reined him for the first time today and he just accepted it with his usual alacrity.

It takes a lot to get me cross these days (thank you Mark Rashid for Horsemanship Through Life) but today I met a lovely family that had been sold a Thoroughbred as suitable for their 12 year old daughter. He came to them in an appalling condition so they can hardly send him back but in the meantime they have to make some heartbreaking decisions as to whether to keep him or sell him. He has been there, done that and bought the tee-shirt but he didn't have a good time of any of it so he gets hurt too. He may end up as an expensive ornament (but a beautiful one at that).

Post-script: I received a telephone call on 1st January, 2008 to say that despite the fact that these owners had brought this horse back to peak condition, paid for physiotherapy, bought a well-fitting saddle, he did in fact have arthritis in his hocks and had been retired.