CaymanStar
When Liz walked up the footpath from the bridge over the stream, to find her way blocked by the most enormous and most beautiful horse she had ever seen – who happened to be standing there, dozing magnificently in a sun ray – she had no idea what an incredible, life-changing journey was just beginning.
Told through a horse’s eyes, this true story – often humorous, sometimes sad, always empathetic – chronicles the growth of a deep horse-human bond over nine years, from an unpromising start, to a profound union. A bond galvanized on very long rides in all seasons and all weathers: exploring and getting lost, holidays by the sea and up mountains, gallops in sunshine which were better than flying.
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Excerpt:
Chapter 14 ‘The Bradshaws’
July, when I was twelve, was the hottest July ever. It was so hot that some days were too hot for Liz to ride me. I could spend all day standing in the cool stream, under the trees, with Corris. When we did go for a ride, it was usually a long one.
Time is important for people. Liz said that when she was with me, time stood still. She often seemed cross with herself, because she did not have enough time to spend with me. Then, things changed; Liz was with me every day. My back shoes were so worn out from being ridden that my new farrier, Stuart, put some extra metal in them, to make them last longer. We would often be out for so long that when I was eventually turned out into my field, I thought that I would not be able to get enough grazing done before it was time for me to go back into my stable for the night. But I enjoyed our long rides – there was just Liz and me. When Liz did not have another person to talk to, and I did not have another horse to talk to, we were peaceful in each other’s company.
The Bradshaws is quite a long way away, so we did not go there very often, but now that Liz had more time, we could go. There is a really good gallop on the Bradshaws, to start it we turned at the metal tank by the gateway. The track ahead of us looked so inviting. On one side is the hedge, and on the other side a big field. The track is wide and grassy, it is long and goes slowly up hill. It is so long that I could gallop and think how good it was to be galloping – and still gallop even more after that. Most gallops, apart from ‘The Long Mile’, were not long enough; I would just start thinking how good it was to be galloping, when I would have to slow down because we were coming to the end, or we had to stop to open a gate.
******Usually, when we did this gallop on The Bradshaws, the field was ploughed earth, which smelled damp and fertile, but in July the whole field glistened with ripe corn, and the air smelled warm and appetizing. The sky was bursting with sunshine – its energy shone into me and it made me feel even happier. I knew when Liz was thinking about galloping, and she knew when I was thinking about galloping. We usually thought about galloping at the same time. So, when Liz said:
******“Come on Boo Boo! – let’s gallop!” we both already knew that that was what we were going to do. I was so full of joy in the sunshine with Liz, and there was so much power in my back end, that as I surged into a gallop, I felt that if I did not concentrate on keeping my hooves on the ground, it would not be at all difficult to soar into the sky.
******Liz told people that she and Mrs B. had seen “The Devil’s Horsemen” at Burwarton show. She was impressed by a lady on a white stallion, who galloped with the reins in one hand and her other arm extended sideways at shoulder height, and curved upwards; that lady shrieked and yelped as she rode. Liz was so impressed that she decided to do the same. She was sitting very light and relaxed in the saddle. I could tell that she had the reins in one hand, and she had no rein contact at all. I think that she had her arm up, and she was definitely shrieking and yelping; this did not frighten me – I was used to it. I knew that Liz must be enjoying this gallop! We flew up the track.
******When we got near to the top, I slowed myself to a canter, then trot, then walk, before I halted, stretched my neck and put my head down to get my breath back. My sides were heaving and my neck and shoulders were wet with sweat. As soon as we stopped Liz collapsed flat on my back, she put both arms round my neck:
******“Wow! – well done Boo Boo, that was fantastic!” She sounded out of breath too – but very, very happy. We both knew that we would never forget that gallop. As we walked steadily past the pine wood, towards the farmyard, we were peaceful. It was a long way home, but we hardly noticed the journey, just the smell of honeysuckle rising in clouds from the hedges that we passed.
‘Let’s gallop!’
Details
CaymanStar is a luxurious, cloth bound, hardback book (198mm x 129mm), with silver foil blocking on its spine, and a full-colour glossy dust jacket.
It contains 18 original colour photographs, and has 252 printed pages, with sapphire blue end papers.
Readership
General. For anyone from age 10 – 110 who loves horses.
Publisher
Fleet Publishing Ltd
ISBN
978-0-9570014-1-1