The unlikely duo had been working hard the last few weeks; with the incredible Grade One Stallion, Silent Snap joining their ranks as a lease, and the 3yo Unraced Filly Fever Pitch about to have her first start, it was due time for a relaxing dip down at the river. It wasn’t the warmest of days, but the weather was fair and the sun high. Leo and Connie were both quite warm from working horses all morning, and readily accepted the joint idea of taking the two, polar-opposite horses for a quick exercise down at the river that bordered the property.

Though it was their idea to go for a swim together, it quickly became apparent there was going to have to be a whole lot of distance between the two riders and their mounts. “Make sure you keep her behind him, we don’t want to risk giving him any ideas,” Leo, atop Silent Snap, called back to Connie. She was a little airy-headed in all honesty, Silent Snap was Leo’s responsibility; he had gaped in awe at the amazing horse when he was offered to Highgrove as a lease, jittering excitedly like a kid in a candy shop. Connie had no intention of dealing much with the stallion directly, after hearing of his difficult antics, and this was one of the first times she’d been able to admire him closely. He was quite the picture.

They approached the water finally, and surprisingly like a veteran, Snapper marched straight into the shallows. Considering his poor attitude the whole way to the river, Connie was somewhat impressed. Meanwhile, Fever Pitch moved onwards with a curious vibrance, but ever-trustworthy. She had been here a thousand times, swimming her had been a key part in the healing of her fetlock injury as a juvenile and as such she was more than familiar with her surroundings. She was captivating in the completely opposite way to Snapper -- he demanded attention, with almost violent tendencies and dramatic theatrics, coupled with his dazzling, masculine appearance. Fever was a quiet soul, easy going, reliable, attractive to look at but not a horse that screamed for admiration in the least. They hoped she would take the racing world by storm in her debut.

A short distance away, Leo submerged the stallion into the depths. Perhaps river swimming was a little different to the pools he may have been used to, and he seemed to zoom about in search of the guidance of walls. However, typical to Leo’s abilities, with a firm hand he guided the stallion into a straight progression and began to swim him upstream. Fever Pitch was in no hurry to enter, and moseyed about in shallows for a short while, pawing at the water before she was finally convinced by Connie’s request. She however, plunged somewhat elegantly into the deeper portion of the river, and began to swim in the same direction of Snapper, as effortless as a pro.