Old boys Cougar, 25, and Jonny, 16, have a bro-mance going on! Up until the autumn Cougar had been retired for two years, living his best life eating grass by day and having a warm cozy stable at night! 

“Cougar is a 16.1hh Holsteiner who was a Grade A showjumper before he came to us for a change of career 12 years ago. Thankfully he wasn’t retired due to injury or ill health, we just didn’t have the time to keep him going as my daughter, Maisie, and her ponies took priority”, explained Kate. “Maisie finished competing on ponies this summer and whilst our youngsters are having a holiday we thought we would see if Cougar would enjoy coming back into work  – he’s absolutely loving it, and it’s giving Maisie the chance to jump some bigger fences too!

“Management-wise I’m mindful that Cougar is getting on in years, both horses have regular dental checks and I keep a close eye on their weight as they’re good-doers. They were on Dengie Hi-Fi Senior and Alfa-Beet but now their workload has increased I’ve switched to Dengie Alfa-A Molasses Free, to supply a few more calories and continued with adding in Alfa-Beet alongside a performance balancer. They’re turned out together every day, whatever the weather, appreciate their cozy stables at night and enjoy plenty of hacking alongside some schooling; I’m just keeping it varied and fun, so they stay happy and healthy!”