Some of you (I’m looking at you, Lyn) may know that I’m in charge of the stud side of our Jersey dairy. This started years ago when I was, believe it or not, a really rather successful Jersey showman (woman?).

Anyway, the details are on the Joyful Jerseys Facebook page, but today was rather short on horses because it overflowed with cute kids and adorable heifers strutting their stuff at an agricultural youth show.

They took names, too – first, second and third in one division, first and second in the other.

I only got home quite late, to find the working students (led by the indomitable K) hard at work on the ponies. I felt rather unnecessary, a wonderful thing to feel watching kids one taught much of what they know. Anyway, I tacked up Jamaica and schooled him on the flat. Yesterday’s lesson exercise – two poles set 5 strides apart, 15m half circle, another two poles at 5 strides, 15m half circle, repeat – was still up and I gave Jamaica a good schooling over that. He surprised me pleasantly by being super adjustable, fitting four on the forward stride and seven collected. It’s a quite tricky adjustability exercise but the kids enjoyed it, so it’s staying in my toolbox.

Then we had a bunch of beginner lessons, of which K taught a couple almost by herself with lots of poise and accuracy. The Mutterer rode Exavior, who reared again once to cause another eye-widening but went on to be very good.

And when silence fell, I pulled Magic out of the field and had a session of soul-healing straight from God via that beautiful horse. It’s the most ridiculous thing; the horse who needs constant reassurance that he is good enough, is the one for whom I feel like I’m always good enough. It’s a beautiful thing to be with someone and both be trying with everything we have, even if that someone is half a ton of flight animal.

It was his first time in the new arena, so we started by walking a very tense 10m circle and finished by trotting a relaxed 20m circle. That’s a win in my book.

Glory to the King.