My Horse - Update

This is Day (Damien), my horse who I've now officially adopted from RMJ Horse Rescue. 

Day has not yet left his current home, the rescue centre in Siggiewi, Malta but he, and another ten retired race trotters will all be boarding Truck Pirate on Tuesday to make the long journey of over 3,000 km to his new home with me in Hertfordshire. It will take between 5-9 days.

He is going to be confused, tired, cold and possibly scared. He will not know that he's arrived at his forever home and he will never have to make such a long journey ever again. He will not know me and he will not know Molly and Turko. He will be leaving everything he has known behind. My job as his new owner, is to make Day as comfortable, and welcome as possible to help him settle and relax.

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Day's race name was Demon de la Besvre. He is a Standardbred, bred and trained to trot in harness racing, first in France, then later in Malta. His last race was in June this year and he is now retired and has been rehabilitated by the RMJ to hack, this means to be ridden out of the arena. This is what I do, it is called Happy Hacking; gentle riding in the countryside, much like you might walk a dog, but on horseback. In America they call it trail riding. 

This is a very different life to what Day has known. I hope he will welcome it, but I have no idea how he will react and how long it will take us to become friends. 

Right now I'm getting everything ready for Day's arrival in a weeks time; buying everything he will need, like feed bowls, rugs, hay and feed; registering him with the vets and the farrier and organising insurance. I'm organising and thinking about the logistics of his care.

As the amazing experience of adopting Day is unfolding I am documenting it, with the hope of producing a book. I'm self-funding this with money that was left to me by my mum. She was not a horse rider, but she wholeheartedly believed in realising your dreams and I know she would've supported using her legacy in this way. 

I know the tone of this blog post is measured and controlled. The reality is I'm so excited that I'm struggling to sleep because this is real. Day is real. And this is my childhood dream finally coming true. 

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