I once met the late Desert Orchid. He took one look at the assembled, adoring throng, all reaching out to give him a pat, pointedly turned his back on us and buggered off to the back of his stable to chew grass and - I'm certain of it - snigger. For those of you who fancy a horse that will give you a little less cheek, there's always this Riding Simulator robot pony. The idea is that it will allow you to perfect your riding skills without having to mount a real horse and it's designed to respond to your various pokes and squeezes the way a normal nag would (though hopefully without the "chucking you over its neck and running off" part). I'm a terrible rider myself, so I rather like the idea of having this thing in my living room - certainly saves all that grooming, mucking out and saddle polishing.
No prices as yet, but check out the Racewood website for the full stable of simulator breeds
Oh, and if you're bored at work, here's a vid of the legendary Desert Orchid winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1989.
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