Supes stoked to report that I have hired a new horse guy. He starts next week, and not a moment too soon; I’m just too fucking old and decrepit to do all these barn chores by myself on a continuing basis. Of course it will be different and weird at first (nobody can replace our late, great Horse Whisperer), but he was recommended by my vet, seems like a really good dude, knows his equine shit, and — this was the clincher — brought delicious tamales *handmade by his own personal mother in Mexico* to the interview.

Of course the ultimate test of his mettle will come when it’s time to catch our opinionated Arabian mare Pearl when she’s out in the field during a thunderstorm. How hard is she to catch? I once won a free shoeing from my farrier after betting him that he couldn’t catch her in under 30 minutes on a calm, sunny day. Nobody but me or Horse Whisperer has ever been able to do it. She’s a sly one.