I've got a barefoot angel!

Its Bailey Whitworth's first anniversary tomorow! Thats the first anniversary of him coming to Rockley, having his shoes off and starting his recovery from his collateral ligament damage.  I was reminded because I got an angel through the post :-)

Lainey, who is seriously talented and creative (check out her FB page), sent me this fabulous barefoot-horse-angel, the spitting image of Bailey (even to the halo!) as consolation that I no longer have the boy himself here, because he is off jumping xc, hunting, doing dressage and having lots of other fun :-)

To be fair, I think Lainey did all the hard work, but Bailey definitely contributed his hair (not sure how willingly...)

I'm thrilled to bits - like the real thing, "my" Bailey has gorgeous bare feet with proper frogs - so now its the Rockley guardian angel and Andy and I now have a barefoot angel for our Christmas tree as well!  Bailey's back is almost as lovely as his front...

I can't top that, but I will add a couple of gorgeous shots of Bailey, and a wish that he and every other ex-rehab has many, many happy years of FUN STUFF ahead of them, with countless barefoot angels along the way.

Here's the stunningly glamorous shot that Sam Beckett took of him while he was here...

...and here he is in her opening meet shot for 2010, on his last day, up for big galloping :-)  Go Bailey, and all the other rehab boys and girls - and see you in September!

ETA: Quick Solomon update from Lucie (who has just got a First in her law exams!) came in last night:

"I was in Spain last week and a couple of the girls worked Soli for me and said how fab he was!! One hadnt ridden him for 2 years and said how well he went and the other lunged him for me and couldnt believe how sound he was, she said he looked fantastic on a circle, he was clearly pleased with himself as she said he spent half the time bucking and bronking!!"

ETA: Lainey said the Stanley Harrison quote reminded her of Rockley, but given the weather today I thought I'd amend it:

"Somewhere up near Exmoor's plain
there stands a farm in pouring rain.
The streams run fast, the trees grow tall,
the sun is hardly seen at all,
but when horses' feet are free from pain
back home they go to ride again."

:-)