In mid-May, two mares trucked in for late foaling had brought a skin fungus into one of the barns. Marcus organized the regular grooms and interns into an anti-fungal operation and had them scrubbing down stalls, replacing bedding, and spraying down the walkways while the affected mares grazed in the quarantine paddock. It was hot, miserable work. By lunchtime, everyone had puffs of the bedding sawdust and dirt on their faces and arms. Their shirts and pants were soaked through with sweat.
“All right, everybody, take a break. Pizza’s on the way!” Marcus called from the golf cart. He unloaded a cooler full of soft drinks, Gatorade, and water, his arm and back muscles bulging as he grunted the big tub to the ground. The dozen workers crowded around, the university interns and hired hands g
