Ein tolles Freizeitpferd

Today was Claire’s first day working as a trainer at Meadowland.

Claire: “Morning, Gillian. Reporting for duty — right on time! I’m so excited.”

Gillian: “So am I! Let’s head straight to the outdoor stalls and I’ll show you your clients.”

I introduced her to the horses.

Gillian: “In the last stall stands Domino. He belongs to the ranch and is at your disposal. Next to him is Farley — he was injured and needs to be brought back into work. And beside him is Corny the mule. Someone simply left him here.”

Claire: “I’ll take a look at Farley first. Let me just change into something more practical, then I’ll start in the round pen with him.”

I still had a little surprise for Claire. Something for a real cowgirl.

Gillian: “Claire, wait. I’ve got something for you. These are much more practical here than your fancy sneakers.”

Jamie: “And a tip for breaking in new boots, from Uncle Jamie… fill them with water before putting them on — then they won’t pinch.”

Claire obediently changed and filled her boots with water. Chatting away, she headed to the round pen, where she first wanted to speak to the physiotherapist.

Claire: “You’re doing Farley’s physiotherapy. Could you bring me up to date?”

Physiotherapist: “Farley’s surgical wound has healed well and he’s making progress. But his owners think it’s far too slow.”

Farley was a promising young show-jumping talent. Despite his age, he had already won several competitions. His injury had been a major annoyance to his owners — he was supposed to really take off next season. That was exactly one of the negative aspects of professional sport Claire knew all too well. After consulting with the physiotherapist, she decided to follow a light, gradually increasing training plan. Farley should have all the time he needed to fully recover. She began with gentle lunging work.

Claire: “Good boy. And now back down to walk… brrr. You’re not moving evenly — you’re probably still in pain. We’ll take it slower.”

When Claire brought Farley back to his stall, I wanted to hear her opinion.

Claire: “Gillian, we need to talk. I’m only at the beginning with Farley, but it doesn’t look good.”

She explained that when lunging at trot, Farley could hardly put weight on his hindquarters. Afterwards, the leg was very warm, and he was slightly lame even at walk. The surgery had been weeks ago — he should normally be much stronger by now. She had seen similar injuries before that had meant the end of a show-jumping career. We should speak to the owners. Together we called them and explained the situation.

Gillian: “…so now you know, Miss Borrow. We’re truly sorry.”

Miss Borrow: “What nonsense, you foolish person! I’ll have Farley picked up immediately!!!”

And she hung up.

Claire: “Oh, I’m so tired of these reactions. Why do people in professional sport become like this? It’s all about success and profit. Without their horses, they’d have neither. Do you understand now why this isn’t my world?”

Less than an hour later, a horse trailer pulled into the yard. Miss Borrow had brought her father along. She immediately turned to Claire.

Miss Borrow: “Wow, Claire Riverton! Don’t you dare bring a horse here — they have no idea what they’re doing!”

Claire: “The assessment came from me. Farley can’t jump anymore. But he’ll make a wonderful leisure horse.”

Mr. Borrow: “Gillian, I must apologize. Of course we’re disappointed. But with his excellent qualities, we’ll use him for breeding. He’ll surely produce outstanding offspring.”

After the Borrows had left, Rowan and Jamie were waiting outside Claire’s door.

Rowan: “So, Claire, how was your first day? And what happened to your boots?”

Claire: “That was Jamie’s advice. Fill new boots with water before wearing them the first time. My feet are frozen solid…”

Jamie: “Ha ha — it was a joke!”

Gillian: “Jamie!!!”

Claire had spent the entire day walking around in soaking wet boots — in those temperatures. Sometimes, dear Jamie was simply impossible.