The thoroughbred looked cross, with flared nostrils and a pinched expression, so I should have known what was about to happen. It’s always bad news when the mare’s serene beauty drains out of her face and she affects a look like a female daytime television panel member.

She turned round and bit me as I led her in from the field, and she only ever does that when she’s trying to tell me something. In the barn, she nibbled a strand of hay from her net, and spat it back out.

Then she turned herself round in circles several times, before buckling her knees and collapsing herself like a folding sun chair. With a big exhalation she hit the shavings, stretched out on one side with her head on the ground, and stuck her four legs out straight, absolutely senseless from overeating.

She started to roll so I attached the rope back to her head collar and pulled her up. Then I began the process of walking her up and down the driveway while calling the vet on my mobile – out of hours obviously, as it was gone 6 p.m. – and texting the builder boyfriend, who said he was on his way home.

One thing leads to another with horses, and a few hours earlier I had chased back two cows who were coming over the hedge between us and our nearest neighbour.

It was lucky that I just happened to be looking out my bedroom window when they started coming over. I raced out of the house and across the front field roaring at the cows, who had their front legs over the hedge. They jumped back. I........

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