Every day of ranch life passed at the same steady pace, yet somehow each one felt subtly different.
The reason was that the brain and body automatically fast-forwarded through routine scenes that never changed and held no interest.
But conversely, if something memorable happened—something worth preserving in the mind—then that day became different.
Today was one of those days.
It was hoof-trimming day for the stallions.
There did not seem to be any especially obvious difference from usual, but from the very start of the day, scenes worthy of becoming memories had already been made.
During the morning stable inspection, Better Next Time happened to be preparing to leave for his hoof trimming and latched onto me as I passed down the corridor.
There were other things that needed attention, but Better Next Time shoved his head into my arms as if saying, "Hurry up and pet me," so I had no choice but to surrender and temporarily change my plans as he wished.
It was not only mares, foals, and yearlings whose hooves required regular care. In fact, stallions also had their hooves trimmed every half month or every month.
Though he had been unusually excited from the moment he left his stall, Better Next Time stood perfectly steady without swaying at all, allowing the deputy ranch manager to finish trimming all four hooves without much trouble.
As a part-time teaser stallion, he had been less noticeable than the other stallions during this period when the breeding season had officially begun—he had received only two breeding applications so far—but Better Next Time was one of the rare types on the ranch with beautifully shaped, sturdy hooves.
Even Zepp kept praising him during the trimming, saying things like, "His hooves really are solid," and, "Isn't that impressive?"
Lucky seemed to