* * * *
I led my gelding out of his stall and looped the lead on his halter to a ring that was placed at a comfortable height on one of the stable supports. When we’d come in from the exercise ring earlier in the afternoon, I thought I’d detected a little heat in his near foreleg. The last thing I wanted was for my mount to pull up lame before the first round of jumps, but the Olympic vet had checked him out and found nothing, and Jack’s leg seemed fine now.
I took his brush and curry comb, pushed his dark mane to the other side of his neck, and began to work on the side nearest me. Jack loved being groomed and stood in a hip slouch, his eyes half closed, occasionally flicking his tail or stamping a hoof. His ears swiveled to catch the Ray Charles tune I hummed softly.
“So this is where
