dismounting and handing Libran Charter’s reins to Darragh.
The man shrugged.
‘He turned a somersault. He’s lucky not to have broken his neck.’
Ginny approached the trembling colt, and stroking his sweat-soaked neck, which was caked in dirt, she ran a practiced hand down his foreleg. A gash on his chest and a long cut on his shoulder looked pretty bad, but Ginny knew they was only superficial. It would be the wounds which weren’t visible that would be the most dangerous. She felt heat radiating out of his forearms all the way down to his fetlocks, and his knees were already swelling up. It was hard to say whether he had broken anything.
‘Thanks for your help, I’m sorry to have caused you trouble,’ Ginny said to the man, straightening up. ‘I’ll get a box down here to take him to the equine hospital. Get some x-rays done.’
‘No problem, I hope everything turns out okay.’
‘I hope so too. Thanks.’
*
Half an hour later, Ginny paced up and down the waiting area at Newmarket’s equine hospital. Coaxing Caspian into the horse ambulance had been heartbreaking. He had been a wreck of frayed nerves. With the assistance of a blindfold and a sedative they had managed to help him in, Ginny propping up his side as the crippled colt hobbled up the ramp. The vets had taken x-rays of his legs, leaving Ginny waiting for the results. What would happen if he had fractured a leg or chipped a knee? Would he still be able to race? Would he have to be put down? Ginny closed her eyes, trying to block out the thought.
If it came to that, it would all be Julien Larocque’s fault, she told herself. But a small irritating voice in her head kept telling her it wasn’t. What had he been able to do? He couldn’t have risked his own horse, risked possibly serious injury to both the filly and her rider. What would have happened if Caspian had succeeded? Nobody wanted an unplanned pregnancy in a racehorse. It had been a split-second decision. Perhaps Julien could have just caught him, but in the heat of the moment, getting Caspian away had been his only intention. Perhaps she wouldn’t be trying to pass the blame onto him if he hadn’t hurt her so much with those careless words. To say he was furious was an understatement. Ginny’s temper hadn’t been that much more restrained either. With a shake of her head, she acknowledged she had to take as good as she gave. God, how could she live with herself if Caspian had to be destroyed? She hadn’t realised just how heavily she had been relying on the colt to bring Ravenhill back to prosperity. She gave a silent groan of impending doom and dragged her fingers through her hair when she thought of her father. What would he say about this fiasco?
Ginny stopped pacing when she heard the door to the surgery open and hurried over to Ray as he entered the room. She searched her brother’s face for a clue before bombarding him.
‘Is he okay? Has he broken anything? What did the x-rays show?’
Ray raised and lowered his hands in a calming gesture.
‘He hasn’t broken anything. We’re very lucky there. Christ only knows how he didn’t.’
‘Oh, thank God,’ she sighed, falling back against the wall.
Ray looked at her, his expression set in a sympathetic grimace.
‘But he hasn’t got away with it completely, Ginny.’
She gulped as Ray placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
‘He’s damaged the ligaments in his forearms and wrenched both tendons.’
Ginny closed her eyes, praying the verdict wouldn’t be fatal.
‘Will he be okay though?’ she asked in a trembling voice.
He gave her a grim smile.
‘He’ll be off the track for a while. He’ll need complete box rest, with physiotherapy, and we should hopefully have more of an idea of his future later in the summer.’
‘But we won’t have to put him down?’Ginny said, wide-eyed and desperate for reassurance.
‘No. He just needs time to heal. Lots of it.’
‘Oh, God, Ray. Thank you, thank
The man shrugged.
‘He turned a somersault. He’s lucky not to have broken his neck.’
Ginny approached the trembling colt, and stroking his sweat-soaked neck, which was caked in dirt, she ran a practiced hand down his foreleg. A gash on his chest and a long cut on his shoulder looked pretty bad, but Ginny knew they was only superficial. It would be the wounds which weren’t visible that would be the most dangerous. She felt heat radiating out of his forearms all the way down to his fetlocks, and his knees were already swelling up. It was hard to say whether he had broken anything.
‘Thanks for your help, I’m sorry to have caused you trouble,’ Ginny said to the man, straightening up. ‘I’ll get a box down here to take him to the equine hospital. Get some x-rays done.’
‘No problem, I hope everything turns out okay.’
‘I hope so too. Thanks.’
*
Half an hour later, Ginny paced up and down the waiting area at Newmarket’s equine hospital. Coaxing Caspian into the horse ambulance had been heartbreaking. He had been a wreck of frayed nerves. With the assistance of a blindfold and a sedative they had managed to help him in, Ginny propping up his side as the crippled colt hobbled up the ramp. The vets had taken x-rays of his legs, leaving Ginny waiting for the results. What would happen if he had fractured a leg or chipped a knee? Would he still be able to race? Would he have to be put down? Ginny closed her eyes, trying to block out the thought.
If it came to that, it would all be Julien Larocque’s fault, she told herself. But a small irritating voice in her head kept telling her it wasn’t. What had he been able to do? He couldn’t have risked his own horse, risked possibly serious injury to both the filly and her rider. What would have happened if Caspian had succeeded? Nobody wanted an unplanned pregnancy in a racehorse. It had been a split-second decision. Perhaps Julien could have just caught him, but in the heat of the moment, getting Caspian away had been his only intention. Perhaps she wouldn’t be trying to pass the blame onto him if he hadn’t hurt her so much with those careless words. To say he was furious was an understatement. Ginny’s temper hadn’t been that much more restrained either. With a shake of her head, she acknowledged she had to take as good as she gave. God, how could she live with herself if Caspian had to be destroyed? She hadn’t realised just how heavily she had been relying on the colt to bring Ravenhill back to prosperity. She gave a silent groan of impending doom and dragged her fingers through her hair when she thought of her father. What would he say about this fiasco?
Ginny stopped pacing when she heard the door to the surgery open and hurried over to Ray as he entered the room. She searched her brother’s face for a clue before bombarding him.
‘Is he okay? Has he broken anything? What did the x-rays show?’
Ray raised and lowered his hands in a calming gesture.
‘He hasn’t broken anything. We’re very lucky there. Christ only knows how he didn’t.’
‘Oh, thank God,’ she sighed, falling back against the wall.
Ray looked at her, his expression set in a sympathetic grimace.
‘But he hasn’t got away with it completely, Ginny.’
She gulped as Ray placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
‘He’s damaged the ligaments in his forearms and wrenched both tendons.’
Ginny closed her eyes, praying the verdict wouldn’t be fatal.
‘Will he be okay though?’ she asked in a trembling voice.
He gave her a grim smile.
‘He’ll be off the track for a while. He’ll need complete box rest, with physiotherapy, and we should hopefully have more of an idea of his future later in the summer.’
‘But we won’t have to put him down?’Ginny said, wide-eyed and desperate for reassurance.
‘No. He just needs time to heal. Lots of it.’
‘Oh, God, Ray. Thank you, thank
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