2020: This one is dedicated to the horse
ON the final day of 2020, a year that will mostly be memorable for all of the wrong reasons, I, like many, will be reflecting on what has been an extraordinary rollercoaster ride.
A year that will not be forgotten, however hard we might try.
While many things in my life have changed since Boris Johnson took to the Prime Minister’s podium and first announced lockdown on March 23, one four-legged element has remained constant and for that, I will be eternally grateful.
When you stop and think, we have a lot to thank our horses and ponies for; whether it’s providing an escape from the pressures of work, pushing our boundaries or simply teaching us to appreciate the little things in life - such as the countryside we are privileged to explore with our equine partners in crime.
No doubt there will be plenty of owners, loaners and sharers out there who will share this sentiment, but looking back today I don’t know what I would have done without Ollie, who regular readers will be well acquainted with, to keep me on an even keel while trying to come to terms with living through a global pandemic.
Perhaps the biggest change to my daily routine has been the abrupt shift to full-time home working, something that hasn’t been easy, I will readily admit. Particularly after losing the original black and white boy in my life, Border Collie dog Jake, having something to not only get me out of the house and away from the same four walls, but fulfil that special sense of purpose which caring for animals provides, has been invaluable for my wellbeing.
So thank you, Ollie, for always being there for me, with ears pricked and a spring in your step, come rain or shine. Thank you for all the early mornings, I will always treasure the ‘lockdown sunrises’ we have shared together. And, most recently, thank you for being so patient as I sought to publicly humiliate you with fairy lights, tinsel and a set of antlers. You’ll have your revenge, I am sure!