Today was asked to go and meet a client's new horse. Basil, as he is now known, has worked in a riding school for a number of years. Originally from Belgium, he is a good solid chap physically and temperamentally and his claim to fame is that he was ridden by Matt Baker on Countryfile when he rode out with one of the New Forest agisters. His only fault (if it can really be called one) is that he has a tendency to put his ears back around new people. I think this is attributable to ambivalence about being approached - like many horses that suffer the attention of lots of different people he has probably been patted and petted in ways that he didn't really appreciate; he has also been hand fed and of course horses naturally put their ears back when they are taking food from each other. Fortunately he takes it no further and it is hoped that once he can trust people to touch him in a way that he likes, and now that no-one is hand feeding him, he will be able to relax a bit more. Other than that he is perfect and everything that this particular owner needs. For a big horse (and he wears a Blue Dually!) he has a very pretty face.
I'm going back on Saturday to lead him out. He is a fast striding horse so I think it will come under the heading of a brisk walk.
