Change...

The nights are getting longer and colder and this is Chester’s first bed of the season, looks snug doesn't it.

Yes, it's time for him to come in from the field and for us to start shelling out the cash. Stabled horses are expensive. I learnt to make his bed last year and how to muck out a stable with the minimum of effort. It isn’t as easy as it looks and it’s still bloody hard work. The back of the stable bed is banked up a little higher than the rest and it’s quite an art to get the straw laid to the same depth with a nice straight line at the front edge. I think I’ve done a pretty good job all things considered.

Holly’s had Chester a while now, they look great together and he’s a good horse, thoroughbred, ex-racehorse, but now she wants to spend more time at home, less time in Wales – some of it’s about school friends, but most of it is about boyfriend. Of course it was always coming and we knew that would have had to rethink Chester at some point with GCSE’s, ‘A’ levels and university rushing towards us like a freight train.

Having a horse for a pet just isn’t an option. Horses are expensive to keep and they need riding regularly, it just isn’t fair to keep them as pets. We either have to sell him or put him on loan. If we can find him the right home with someone that will care for him and ride him them we’d probably let the loaner keep him as soon as Holly loses interest completely – which will happen in the not to distant future I’m sure.

It’s funny really, I didn’t like horses, they scared me, but I’ve enjoyed looking after Chester and I think I’m going to miss him. Making his first bed of the season made me realise just how much a part of my life he’s become. I felt a real pride making his bed for him - how strange.

Oh well, he’s destined to become another memory to take out occasionally and let run in my head. Better put another light bulb in the projector Charlie.