Elf On A Shelf
...
Today is a day I never thought would come. The most resilient, tough, reliable horse I have ever had the pleasure of working with was put down this morning ? Out on his holidays in the field ?
Big Bad Boris - here's to you x
Right from the very first time I tried to clip you I knew you were tough. You smashed me off of walls and stood on my feet, you begrudgingly let me clip your body but your head was out of bounds. But who cared? You were 3yo and weren't going to be racing any time soon.
In your first race you were useless, sorry pal but you were ? I didn't look after you then, I looked after Kayley who came a short headed 2nd in that very same race. Your next few starts weren't much better and your refusal to be saddled in stalls made life quite difficult at times - yes I am talking about the day you went up on your back legs, boxed out at me and came down at me because your girth was getting done up. Then you grew up a bit.
When I took you on it wasn't intentional. It was a spare ride for me that day as your usual rider was off and I have to say I was far from impressed at what I found underneath me. You were a lazy pig who went from A to B and B to A doing as bare minimum as possible. I said to the powers that be that you needed a different work rider to bring out the best in you. Not intending to pick up your reins myself but they had other ideas. I know I was hard on you over the next couple of weeks. I made you angry, I made you fight me and the horse next to you for every inch of that gallop. I know you hated me for that but it worked didn't it? You went out and won for the very first time 3 weeks later! And so started the season of hiding behind my hands, peeking through my fingers when you ran! If you weren't bang there on the line you face planted the turf and rolled around a bit - the 3rd last at Ayr 3x in a row to be precise! Idiot! This was the season you earned your name of Big Bad Boris.
Once you got the idea that being fit was far better and far happier than being lazy you were a completely different horse. You enjoyed your work, you relished the challenge of work. Few horses could withstand your relentless gallop in a piece of work and yet at the same time you looked after everyone. Human and horse. You put up with crazies climbing on your heels, crashing into you, giving them a lead past what ever happened to be scary. You put up with me rallying you around the place, dropping you out stone cold last to take videos of the string going up the gallop, standing you at the side of the schooling fences whilst everyone else flew past you so I could take pictures. And you did it all with your ears pricked and a smile on your face.
In what turned out to be your final season you provided a truly once in a lifetime experience - you dead heated in a race! You fought for every inch of that race and you deserved to win. You clearly thought so too with the faces you pulled at your co-winner in the paddock afterwards ? In your final race you went down a short nose fighting every stride. We were all screaming you home that day!
Never have I had the pleasure of working with such a tough, honest, genuine horse who had no fear of anything.
Boris you truly were one in a million x til we meet again buddy x
Big Bad Boris - here's to you x
Right from the very first time I tried to clip you I knew you were tough. You smashed me off of walls and stood on my feet, you begrudgingly let me clip your body but your head was out of bounds. But who cared? You were 3yo and weren't going to be racing any time soon.
In your first race you were useless, sorry pal but you were ? I didn't look after you then, I looked after Kayley who came a short headed 2nd in that very same race. Your next few starts weren't much better and your refusal to be saddled in stalls made life quite difficult at times - yes I am talking about the day you went up on your back legs, boxed out at me and came down at me because your girth was getting done up. Then you grew up a bit.
When I took you on it wasn't intentional. It was a spare ride for me that day as your usual rider was off and I have to say I was far from impressed at what I found underneath me. You were a lazy pig who went from A to B and B to A doing as bare minimum as possible. I said to the powers that be that you needed a different work rider to bring out the best in you. Not intending to pick up your reins myself but they had other ideas. I know I was hard on you over the next couple of weeks. I made you angry, I made you fight me and the horse next to you for every inch of that gallop. I know you hated me for that but it worked didn't it? You went out and won for the very first time 3 weeks later! And so started the season of hiding behind my hands, peeking through my fingers when you ran! If you weren't bang there on the line you face planted the turf and rolled around a bit - the 3rd last at Ayr 3x in a row to be precise! Idiot! This was the season you earned your name of Big Bad Boris.
Once you got the idea that being fit was far better and far happier than being lazy you were a completely different horse. You enjoyed your work, you relished the challenge of work. Few horses could withstand your relentless gallop in a piece of work and yet at the same time you looked after everyone. Human and horse. You put up with crazies climbing on your heels, crashing into you, giving them a lead past what ever happened to be scary. You put up with me rallying you around the place, dropping you out stone cold last to take videos of the string going up the gallop, standing you at the side of the schooling fences whilst everyone else flew past you so I could take pictures. And you did it all with your ears pricked and a smile on your face.
In what turned out to be your final season you provided a truly once in a lifetime experience - you dead heated in a race! You fought for every inch of that race and you deserved to win. You clearly thought so too with the faces you pulled at your co-winner in the paddock afterwards ? In your final race you went down a short nose fighting every stride. We were all screaming you home that day!
Never have I had the pleasure of working with such a tough, honest, genuine horse who had no fear of anything.
Boris you truly were one in a million x til we meet again buddy x
it’s never easy but some are especially tough to deal with.
