Chex has always been a try hard. He recently turned 4 years old but he acts older because he's so mature. Don't get me wrong he has a spark in him but typically he's pretty laid-back and quiet... and obsessed with his food. He's been turned out with Blackstone's Nikora (Nikki) for some time now and they seem to have bonded. It's nice for Chex to have a buddy to keep him company because he's a sociable, friendly horse who likes to be around other horses or people. Callum tells me he used to absolutely adore their old German Shepard named Alfie and I'm pretty sure Callum is looking at getting another dog or two to guard the barn though I know they'll end up as family dogs living inside the home because he falls in love with almost every animal he comes across. Callum is one of those that pretends he's cold and thick-skinned but he loves any animal and will put their needs before his own. I really hope he brings in some Australian Shephards because he was hinting about getting one, either that or German Shephards but we'll see. I'd love to keep them in my cabin since it can get pretty lonely sometimes but there's not much room to even turn around let alone allow a dog into the small space. 

Today I rode Chex in the indoor school and Callum set up a few jumps. We may potentially have a new member of staff working with us but she's technically not "new" because she's Callum's friend from way back when he was a young teenager. She's horsey with a lot of knowledge but she's still a little scratchy when it comes to riding which isn't surprising since she worked on a stud farm rather than Phoenix Hill which is a competition yard where horses are ridden regularly. I know some stud farms the horses are ridden but for hers all two feet remain on the ground. It's been nice having some company around the farm and a helping hand too especially because she's a lot friendlier than Callum and my boss Maxwell. She's currently living in a cabin near to mine situated on sight and she's supposed to be staying for six months but Callum has said if she likes it she's welcome to stay and compete here. I guess we just need to see how she gets on. I'm mostly supervising her when she rides though but she usually rides Nikora or Chex because they're laid-back, sensible horses that are pretty push button and easy to ride. Nikora has been pretty mareish since she's been in season this month which is unusual because she never really tends to get mareish but she's never shared a field with a gelding before so she is constantly flirting with Chex. He takes no notice and is much more interested in snuffling up all the grass. Callum helped me school Chex over his first jump and the trusty gelding took it all in his stride. He has a scopey jump with room for improvement of course but he behaved wonderfully and gave it his all. We used ground poles before the fences to help him find his stride because initially he was struggling with finding a distance. Trying to put Chex on a distance is like trying to drive a car forward in reverse gear - he just doesn't get it but we'll get there eventually, he just needs practise. Chex is one of those horses you can train easily because he picks up on things so quickly.