First night report

Buttie and Newboy seemed very settled after a night on the yard. He is certainly not a "run up and down" horse like Zippy is, or a "stand and cry" horse like Jazz. I turned them out this morning and the two big lads are driving him away, but no serious threats are being made. SH checked on him several times while I was at work and he was fine. I will continue to keep them 2 and 2 at night, because the barn will not support the amount of wee that three very large horses will make. It'll make a lot of work for a few days until the weather brightens up and they can stay out, but I think he's worth it.

I look at him and I really can't believe my luck in finding him. He is so lovely. He and Jazz have exactly the same way of lifting their heads as you walk away, as if to say "don't go, stay here with me". I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders, because he is such a good horse that it should mean that I am happy to part with Zippy for a lot less than he is "worth", because I shan't need the extra money to buy another. Someone is going to get a total bargain, and I will be able to really pick and choose who he goes to. It will make life so much easier than trying to get megabucks for him.

I'm desperate to get Sonny's (hate that name!) clodhopping front shoes off, they are dreadful things. But they are on so tight that I think I will have to wait until they loosen themselves a bit. He isn't brilliant at holding his feet up right now, and getting a shoe off needs time and effort. They have great long heels on them - why is it that if you were desperate for them to stay on they'd be trodden off by now, but if you want them off they stay as tight as a drum?

I found out more of his history in a long chat with his owner last night. Some of it I'm glad I didn't know beforehand! Like the fact that he was broken at FOUR and unridden from then until now, when he is SIX. It's a bonus, of course, because it means he has been allowed to grow into his huge frame before being stressed. But it would have raised all sorts of questions to have known it before. The reason is quite simply that he was bred by a hobby breeder who loves youngstock and doesn't ride. He sort of "forgets" them when they are older, and the stud was quietly looking after Sonny, having told him that they could find a buyer, and a year went by and he was still there, unridden. Just my good luck I guess - the breeder never normally reads Farmer's Guardian but on Tuesday morning he had 5 minutes to spare and came across a copy and saw my ad and "Robert was his father's brother".

His breeding is Hill Farmer cross Shire on the mother's side, and Cavalier (of Call Again Cavalier, Mary King's Olympic ride) on the sire's. His father was called Cruising, I believe a decent TB. I'm not much interested in breeding details but it is a bonus to have good names on both sides, though they aren't in his passport. His brother was sold for £10,000 to Michael Whittaker.

I'm off out to finish the mucking out now, and to pop on him and ride him again. He'll be tired today after being on that hillside all day for the first time in his life.

C