Photo-a-Day  (Monday, 29th April, 2019)

Another peaceful Spring scene.

Nice one, Ron.

Don't come much better than that - and Wuchy much cleaner, more rural than 60+ years ago.

Another lovely scene.

I'm still a bit puzzled by the bulky horses desire to clear a fence - a far cry from the darting leap of the hare -, despite them having done so since time immemorial. A spectacular sight nonetheless. Thanks Ron.

Growing up in Wigan the only thing I knew about horses was the Grand National. I had
a winner one year on a horse called Anglo or something . I bought fishing rod . The excitement of winning was unbelievable!
When I left Wigan , in later years I had a relationship with a lady who had a horse and had grown up with them since a child . We would go to the stables daily. Coming from my background , being around horses and seeing them first hand was such a wonderful experience. We went to places where I saw tiny children riding ponies with breathtaking skill. Parents , who deemed their child should ride as soon as they could walk .
Mixing with horses had a huge impression on me which I never forgot . I must admit though , hearing how long standing bikers talk , if there is not the same feeling of experience , between a throttle through the
lanes of the countryside and a horse imaginarily running beside them .

Serenity in a photo..thank you Ron.

XPat's mention of 'catching them young' reminded me of a situation that my brother and I witnessed at Haydock Park races about three years ago. A short while before the first race had begun, two riders had sped their respective horse down the far side straight, and as neither horse would have taken part in any of the day's races, we assumed that connections had been given special permission for those 'fact-finding runs'. A short while later we watched both riders as they dismounted, one of whom was a 'lad' and probably in his late-twenties, the other a fresh-faced girl of no more than five feet tall and, seemingly, much younger than her colleague. They then spoke casually to connections; perhaps reporting 'Went well, but became a little tired towards the end, sir.' Thirty-five/forty miles per hour down Haydock's back straight; some fact-finding mission.

Indeed Philip , just a canter! One can but dream, especially when you know you can hold and hold then pull the trigger and let them go .. ..knowing .
How do you rate Altior Philip?

Ps My lady friend taught me to muck out ! I felt good when she complemented my work after numerous failures . What a gorgeous smell .
To all young Wigganers out there .
Introduce your children to horses . I promise you they will gain and will be forever thankful to you for doing so .

Thanks for your great response XPat. Your early days in the 'Horsey' world had indeed been well-spent and, yes, the shifting horse is a sight to behold.
Altior, eh? I enjoyed watching its recent success on TV as its rivals battled for place money. However, its jockey reported later that it's lost some of its speed, while the trainer confirmed his decision to send it over a longer distance next season - makes sense, doesn't it. Here's hoping. You take care.