The horse transporter came straight from Dover after a stormy crossing from Calais. Manet and Rodin, handsome 30-month-old Percherons, had been on the move for half a day so I was pleased to tuck them up separately in their paddocks.
After a day apart we put them together. The barging and sniffing started, then 45 minutes of boyish play that left them hot and exhausted. First they bumped one another, then they sank to their knees and wrestled. One pushed the other around the field, then the positions were reversed, until they stood quiet together, exuding steam in the cool morning sun. It is still open which horse has emerged on top; my money’s on Rodin.
The new arrivals have provoked much squealing from the