Courtesy of Tropical Storm Elsa, our paddocks now have the most incredible boot-sucking mud. It’s seriously bad. I’ve been feeding the horses in the middle of the field as I hate for them to stand in the mud by the gate, although to be honest, it’s pretty hard to find anything that resembles dry land. At times like this I am grateful that none of the horses are wearing shoes, because we’d never find them. It’s hard enough keeping my muck boots on my feet. The trick is to keep moving. If you pause, even for a moment, there’s a good chance you’ll leave the boot behind. It’s happened — and it’s not pretty.

So, I apologize to my friends in colleagues in the West, who are having drought conditions. I would have gladly shared some of the torrential rain that came our way.