Shoeing day

Enjoying tremendous hospitality at the Joy hotel which is part of the holiday complex outside Guyuan where the horses have been based since my fall. The stable boys tried out a couple of the horses yesterday and Zorbee was true to form with an introductory bronco session, and followed this by taking off with his rider and depositing him at our feet. Apparently the second person he has decanted since I hit the deck so I am not alone! Unfortunately in the last couple of weeks the boys have also managed to give Bajiu a couple of girth galls. They meant well in trying to get the horses ready for us, but I hope it will not be a problem.

Today was shoeing day, and the horses apart from Hei Feng were all strapped up one by one to a shoeing frame to be shod the traditional Chinese way. Even the recalcitrant Zorbee ended up with a new set . Peng has now given the now not so thin and considerably more sharp un-named horse the inspiring name of Shandan!

Hei Feng's back leg injuries are unfortunately too bad for him to continue and we will have
to leave him here. It seems he slipped on a concrete slope on the yard, and of course he is so wild to handle it would have been impossible to treat him properly.

The place is swarming with police at the moment - there is a police conference and sort of Chinese policeman's ball going on.