The practical side of yard life
A day in the life of a horse owner
Fictional yard diary · Ellie and Rob
A quiet weekday with Ellie, Rob and Bramble, from the first yard visit to the last look back at the gate.
I got to the yard before my tea had cooled. Bramble was at the far end of the field, and I could just about see his ears above the hedge. I called his name. One ear turned. The rest of him took its time.
Before work
Rob and I had agreed the night before that I would do the morning visit and he would come back with me after work. I checked Bramble, his water and the gate, then took the wheelbarrow down the side of the field. Halfway back I found the glove I had lost on Monday. It had been run over, rained on and apparently claimed by a slug. I left it to the slug.
A short visit after work
I had planned to ride. By the time I finished work, the light was already going and I was tired enough to put the car keys in the fridge while looking for the milk. We gave ourselves time for a quiet groom and the usual evening jobs. Rob swept the bit of the yard he had just swept, because I walked straight through it with the barrow.
The last look back
Before we left, we did the gate check together. Bramble was back by the hedge. This time he looked up before I called. That was the part of the day I told Rob about on the drive home, even though he’d been standing next to me.