Every Day

The kids have been training with 'Jaguar' and 'Orion' virtually every day of late, thanks to the school holidays and a series of early finishes following their return to the cage at the start of the week. Sophie built on yesterday's progress nicely, with easy canters and the fastest trotting I've ever seen - 'Jaguar' was certainly on form today, probably due to the perfect weather for riding. Louis, meanwhile, is training hard with 'Orion' - a horse that requires the same level of subtle control as his stablemate. I'm enjoying watching the boy develop and hone his skills, and would rather he continued on this path than get blinded by the sparkle of light bouncing off trophies. Horses need to be treated with care and respect first and foremost, and as trust and a bond is built up, then you can think about winning as a team. There are too many riders out there who kick and whip the living daylights out of a beast that's not even theirs in order to win a prize. It might feel good to take gold, but there's nothing but disappointment if you come second. On the other hand, if there's a bond between horse and rider - a level of communication that only a true horseman can understand - it doesn't matter even if you come last as long as you gave it your best shot, because you can take home something in your heart that no amount of silverware can replace.