Sizzling Away

It was a hot one yesterday - seriously hot! But horses need their exercise, and riders need their practice, so it was business as usual, albeit with everything conducted at a somewhat slower pace than the norm. With Louis at an athletics practice, training for the weekend, Sophie was able to do things without any time pressure. However, the biggest improvement I saw in her yesterday was in her general horsemanship - she brought Jaguar up from the lower stables, cleaned his hooves out and put on his protectors before riding, and helped wash him down before leading him back to the stable at the end of the session. This may all sound insignificant, but if you know Jaguar's character, then you would doubtless tip your hat towards the girl. With mucking out and changing water (a heavy job when you're dealing with the volumes horses consume) now second nature to her, she's starting to make a fine stablehand...