Royal Ascot

I saw a wonderful statue in Paris of what looked like a WW1 soldier standing next to a horse; it reminded me of War Horse. I've googled it but can't find anything that resembles it. The tour guide didn't know which statue I meant, either. Iam; it's the smell of hoof oil that gets me. We used to have an old arthritic pony that wouldn't lift it's legs but I always dreamed of having a pony that just lifted whichever leg you pointed to [I saw a gypsy do that one day]. Our last pony did that. OK she was a real madam about everything else, but I was so proud of the leg lifting . I daren't go near a horse market, cause I know I would come back with one. I never actually rode them but reckon it was years of muck picking that ruined my joints .

My great uncle was a farrier sergeant in WW1 and I always remember him telling me that the cavalrymen all made a pact with their friends that they would shoot each other's horses if necessary, so that no one had to shoot his own. He also told me that you could smell a horse with navicular disease from half way down the road but I never got a chance to try that one out.