Innholdsfortegnelse for 02-Jan-2020 i Horse & Hound

A NEW year is a time for reflection, but also a time for hope. What do you wish for in 2020? My hopes for the horseworld include that we will see fewer riders unsuitably mounted. We know that riders who are insufficiently horsed cause those animals back pain and lameness, and it strikes me as a relatively easy thing to fix — we are breeding bigger horses these days after all. As for welfare concerns that are tougher to crack, a recent news story reporting how a police force in Co. Durham is cleverly tackling fly-grazing using anti-social behaviour law and closing loopholes seems too smart an initiative not to replicate elsewhere. We can all hope the FEI continues to stand up to those abusing horses in Middle Eastern endurance,…

OINGY BOINGY Nici Wilson’s young rider European individual silver medal-winning eventer has died aged 26. He took Nici from Pony Club to jumping clear across country at Burghley, along with British youth teams. JACK PRIDAY The “magnificent and loyal” retired Greater Manchester Police horse has died aged 26. He served in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and policed the 2001 and 2011 riots. POTTERS CORNER The nine-year-old gelding became the first horse trained in Wales to win the Welsh Grand National since 1965 on 27 December. Trained by Christian Williams, he was ridden by 17-year-old Jack Tudor.…

FOX ONESIES A saboteur decided to dress in a fox onesie for his local Boxing Day meet. Which was all very well, until a hound decided to lift his leg on said sab. Don’t think he agreed with your opinions, mate… TROUGHS Hurrah for the Muggle husband who surprised his wife with her perfect Christmas present — a galvanised water trough for the field. And equal hurrahs for the friend who piped up: “I hope you said tanks”. Boom boom. A GOOD BREW Feel for the rider who started giving her horse warmed water in winter, only to find he loves it so much, he refuses now to drink unless his morning bucket is nicely heated. We do make rods for our own backs — but at least he doesn’t…

IT’S HATS OFF TO LOUISE BELL A HUGE well done to Louise Bell and Into The Blue for their impressive performance in the Olympia World Cup dressage freestyle — their debut appearance at Olympia. To finish ninth overall in such exalted company is a massive achievement, especially when you consider that Louise, a showing rider and working hunter specialist, only started in dressage in 2011 as part of Horse & Hound’s challenge series. She had three lessons with Michael Eilberg before doing an elementary test. And Blue, her working hunter partner as well as dressage ride, was bred by showjumper John Whitaker. Showing was always meant to be a stepping stone to other disciplines, for the horses at least; it has proved the same for Louise and I take my…

WHEN you pay a farrier good money to help keep your horse on the road, it’s a huge nuisance to find the horse missing a shoe. If this has happened a few times, you may start to question your farrier and think, “My horse’s shoes are too big and there’s too much metal sticking out — no wonder he’s pulling his shoes.” Surely, shortening the shoe must be the solution? We shoe horses for grip, protection and support. The farrier aims to provide as much support as possible while the foot and limb is under load, when the horse is jumping or landing, or simply standing on his feet for 24 hours a day. We’re not just looking at the horse’s foot when we shoe, but the conformation of the…

WE got Mr Bumble when he was four years old out of training and I was 13; we learnt it all together. He had the heart of a lion and was so incredibly genuine. If I had him today, knowing what I do now, I might be able to do him a little more justice. We went from hunting, Pony Club camp and the bending race to young rider selection, nine Badminton and Burghley runs and selection for the Olympic long-list. He towed my arms out. I remember Lucinda Green saying, “Well done — now you need to learn the finesse of cross-country riding,” after a fast and furious clear round. I genuinely thought it was about being out of control for 12 minutes. The best piece of horse management…

SPARSHOLT COLLEGE 18 Dec: prelim 17Q (R Dobson) silv.— 1, Wonnacott (A Pearse) 74.31. prelim 19Q (C Weston) silv.— 1, Wonnacott 70.21; 2, Solomon’s Seal (G Ivey) 66.25. brnz.— 1, Hilltop Lady Cardinal (H Carter) 62.71; 2, Alston Snap Dragon (G Laanisto) 62.1; 3, Nairobi Van’T Goedleven (L Haynes) 55. nov 23 (R Dobson) silv.— 1, SOS Sealpoint (K Oppenheimer) 66.67; 2, Ashley Rancher (S Roberts) 66.04; 3, Glen Morange (Y Blachford) 65.83. brnz.— 1, Scarlet A Dancer II (K Robinson) 61.46; 2, Flynn VI (C Fricker) 60.21; 3, Sunny I (S Lai) 57.92. nov 37A Q (C Weston) silv.— 1, SOS Sealpoint 72.04; 2, Delsie (E Halfpenny) 65.56; 3, Ashley Rancher 62.78. brnz.— 1, Solomon’s Seal 63.15; 2, Sunny I 62.6; 3, GFS Coco Loco (G Laanisto) 61.85. elem…

OLYMPIA. What a triumph, not only for British dressage results but because of the attendance on the opening Monday. Finally, we got it right. The innovation of Simon Brooks-Ward and Richard Davison in coming up with a concept that could fill the arena on day one was masterly. Looking at other World Cup dressage qualifiers, such as Stuttgart and Lyon, where the grand prix was held around 8am on a weekday, inevitably they were lucky to attract even a third of an audience. Olympia put on “Dressage Unwrapped” at 4pm with several different presenters. Gareth Hughes was clear and concise, providing much needed exercises through the levels on his up-and-coming small tour horse; Richard Davison and Stephen Clarke put on a brilliant display with an inter I test ridden by…

MOUNT BALLAN 14 Dec: prelim 15Q brnz (F Foy).— 1, Toffee IV (C Forster) 67; 2, Foxcourt French Lady (R James) 64.6; 3, Haka (R Hunt) 61.4. prelim 17AQ brnz.— 1, Haka 66.9; 2, Toffee IV 64.31; 3, Poppy XXIX (E Thomas) 62.76. nov 23 silv.— 1, Llancayo Danny Boy (C John) 72.08; 2, Bryan Habana M2S (I Allott) 65.42; 3, Fleurike (S Allott-Davey) 60.21. brnz.— 1, Dimucci (L Gaunt) 65.83; 2, Landsome T (J Peters) 60.21. nov 39Q silv.— 1, Llancayo Danny Boy 75.77; 2, Bryan Habana M2S 67.31; 3, Del Boy VI (S Armistead) 62.88. brnz.— 1, Dimucci 64.62; 2, Landsome T 63.46. elem 40 (S Clinch) silv.— 1, Tremadoc (S Whyley) 70.65; 2, Kelsons Fantasy (S Sweet) 68.71; 3, Rarumba (A Payne) 66.45. brnz.— 1, Bryndolfor Aderyn…

‘It was a very exciting, fast course’KOOS DE RONDE FEI World Cup driving, presented by EuroflipInternational, London International Horse Show, Olympia BOYD EXELL’S FEI World Cup season has been unprecedented this year, even by the standards of this most lauded carriage driver. The Australian came to Olympia having won five out of the five legs he contested and followed up with a week of immaculate performances. He won the warm-up extreme driving class and both heats of the World Cup without registering a penalty. Drivers praised Dutch course-designer Jeroen Houterman’s course, which was fast and flowing without being overly technical — as this can lead to sticky rounds at Olympia, the smallest of the World Cup arenas. “The plan was to keep everything as simple as possible,” said Jeroen. “For…

WELSH SECTION A: A Stunt’s Lledrith Nemesis WELSH SECTION B: S Roberts’ Colby Silver Sprite WELSH SECTION C: L Scott’s Lynuck The Showman WELSH SECTION D: E Boardman’s Dyffryngwy Sir Picasso DARTMOOR: L Calcutt’s Shilstone Rocks North Westerly EXMOOR: D Johnson’s Stowbrook Red Kite SHETLAND: J Stone’s Firle Ricardo CONNEMARA: R Fallon’s Cashelbay Rocket NEW FOREST: L Cook’s Okedene Justin HIGHLAND: G & M Stanford’s Benbreac of Croila DALES: H Sheldon’s Nipna Golden Poppy FELL: C Gough’s Lunesdale Dixie…

Ladbrokes Christmas Festival, Kempton Park, Surrey CLAN DES OBEAUX won by one of the largest margins in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase when he became the 15th horse to win Kempton Park’s Boxing Day feature more than once. The King George is a unique race that lends itself to multiple winners. Though it is meant to be an easy three miles around Kempton, it rarely is — the pace they go means that they invariably “walk” at the end of the race. The runner-up, Cyrname, finished a tired second, five lengths in front of Footpad — with Aso the only other finisher. If not quite dashed, the dreams of Gold Cups have been put on hold for Lostintranslation — the new kid on the staying-chase block and Betfair Chase…

ASCOT’S meeting on the last Saturday before Christmas, 21 December, lost some of its glitter when Paisley Park was withdrawn from the Marsh Long Walk Hurdle because of the heavy ground. But it threw up a couple of horses that could figure prominently before the season is out. The day’s most valuable race, the Betfair Exchange Trophy, is normally a competitive affair, while the Hughie Morrison-trained Not So Sleepy had no weight, which is such an advantage in heavy ground, although his style of running —making all at quite a lick — can be less helpful. But turning in, jockey Johnny Burke, who admits he has little say in the tempo at which he goes, was sitting with a double handful, while most of the opposition behind him were off…

THE crowds of thousands that turned out to support Boxing Day meets across the country once more are testament to hunts’ determination and landowners’ generosity — as well as the level of public support. The Countryside Alliance praised the resilience of packs in an “incredibly wet” season, which meant preparations for the annual spectacle could continue, allowing supporters to pack high streets and town squares. Alliance head of hunting Polly Portwin said: “Boxing Day meets offer hunts the perfect opportunity to showcase their legal hunting activities to the public and the media. “Yet again hunts have been joined by vast numbers of supporters who have gathered in town squares, outside pubs and in fields surrounding stately homes, to welcome hounds on Boxing Day.” Oliver Dale, joint-master of the North Cotswold…

VETS SECURE THE PUBLIC’S TRUST VETS are among the UK’s most trusted professions, research has indicated. A survey commissioned by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) asked 2,000 adults about satisfaction with the service animals received and trust. Results showed 94% of people either completely or generally trusted vets (34% and 60% respectively), a favourable score compared to past general surveys on trusted professions. RCVS president Niall Connell said: “The basis of all good relationships is trust. It is fantastic to see our clients continue overwhelmingly to trust our knowledge and expertise.” CHANGES IN LINE FOR ARAB RACING PUREBRED Arab racing is to be integrated into British racing in 2020. The Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) will work with the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) to align Arab racing practices with…

Eventer Piggy French won the Tony Collins award for being British Eventing’s top rider of 2019, earning 1,768 points. Piggy said she was “very proud” of everything her team had achieved. Showjumper Millie Allen, 22, received the 2019 Ella Popely award. The award, set up by Lea Popely and Lauren Hough in Ella’s memory, offers a year’s mentorship with Anthony Condon. German Olympic eventer Ingrid Klimke is eligible to complete in both eventing and dressage at Tokyo 2020 after she scored 76.12% in the grand prix special at the CDI in Frankfurt. Amateur rider and assistant trainer Becky Smith won the 2019 Alex Scott future trainers travel scholarship. Becky will use the £3,000 award on a month’s work placement in Australia. Social media star This Esme has been named an…

THEY’RE known for their superb musical ride — but a member of the Household Cavalry was a star of Olympia for another reason. Trooper Jonathan Adams enlisted the help of his colleagues, equine and human, to propose to girlfriend Megan Baldry. After the performance on Saturday evening (21 December), Jonathan asked Megan to be his wife in the collecting ring, with a guard of honour and fanfare from his fellow servicemen. He told H&H he had been planning the moment “for months”, adding: “For it to come off so well was a huge relief!” Jonathan said Megan, who has ridden since childhood, had had no idea beforehand — and she said yes.…

COMPLIMENTS A rider was rather pleased to have temporarily robbed her trainer of speech with one rather smooth round in a lesson. “That didn’t look like Alfie — it looked like a proper jumping horse,” said the trainer, once he had recovered his tongue. There is a compliment in there somewhere… FENCE HEIGHT The same trainer, after said round, asked what the rider would like to do next, go round again or jump bigger. “What height are these?” the rider asked, not used to being given the option of staying smaller. Without a word, the trainer started putting them up. Oh well, back to normal. PIANOS A rider whose sister was given a piano for Christmas took advantage of the old one being dumped outside — by using it as…

FIRSTLY, I would like to commend the organisers of Olympia for yet another fantastically entertaining show. However, during one evening’s jump-off, I was disheartened to overhear people yelling at the international riders various things such as, “Have a pole,” and, “Get one down.” Our shows would likely not be able to survive without them; wishing them misfortune is simply unacceptable. Please, if you are watching any competition, whether local or international, give other competitors respect. Cora Moore East Grinstead, W Sussex The writer of letter of the week wins a bottle of Champagne Taittinger…

THE mere thought of Christmas scares me. This year, however, I have enjoyed it more than I normally do for many reasons. My daughters have been excited for weeks and have been amazing in all their preparations. I have managed to avoid wrapping a single present and have done all my shopping online with their help, so the dreaded shopping trip has been avoided. When does Christmas really start? The answer for my 13-year-old twins, the Frampettes, is the Christmas Eve meet. I hadn’t really “got it” until now, but for them and many more this is the meet not to be missed. The girls got up earlier than they would do on Christmas Day. All the horses and kit had been prepared the night before and the lorry sailed…

‘Ben was as nimble as a cat. If you were bold enough to point him at it, he’d go’ IF only we all had the great eye of Graham Higgins, joint-master and former huntsman of the East Cornwall. “I saw a hairy thing, really hairy, in a field when I was out autumn hunting,” says Graham. “The way he trotted, head up, I could see the potential there.” Graham paid £300 and took Ben, then three, home, tidied him up and broke him in. The following year, he jumped his first five-bar gate. “He was a real huntsman’s horse,” Graham remembers. “I’ve jumped the biggest fences in Cornwall on him.” Being “born on Bodmin Moor”, no one knew Ben’s breeding. “He was 15.1hh when we bought him, off poor ground.…

Martin Collins Enterprises Christmas tree stakes.— 1, King Kong D’Avifauna (W Vermeir) BEL; 2, Denver (H Smith) GBR; 3, Zampano Z (C Ahlman) GER. Equine Rescue Services mini stakes.— 1, Priestwood Hardy (M Lawson); 2, Living The Dream (T Kyle); 3, Kamizion (S Wicks). Turkish Airlines speed stakes.— 1, Carlotta (E Gaudiano) ITA; 2, Denver; 3, Gin D (B Bles) NED. Voltaire Design U25 British championship final.— 1, Salt’n Peppa (J Hall-McAteer); 2, Quintella (G Tame); 3, Scenletha (J Whitaker).…

CLAN DES OBEAUX The seven-year-old claimed a second consecutive King George VI win at Kempton on Boxing Day. Ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies, the French-bred gelding made it 11 King George triumphs for trainer Paul Nicholls (report, p68). ZAGREB Philip and Sally Ellicott’s 16-year-old, ridden by Alexander Bragg, jointly topped the British Eventing 2019 points leaderboard with 423 points. His successes included a win at Gatcombe and third at Luhmühlen. BALLAGHMOR CLASS The 13-year-old, ridden by Oliver Townend and owned by Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan, joins Zagreb on points. He was in the top three at every event he completed, including second at Badminton.…

SEVEN equestrians were given the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) medal of honour at Olympia, the London International Horse Show. Showjumpers Holly Smith and Amanda Derbyshire, para dressage rider Georgia Wilson and eventer Harry Meade received the award, given to those recognised as having completed “acts of international endeavour” in relation to equestrian sport and for outstanding services to the BEF or member bodies. Cathy Butler, former chair of the Event Horse Owners Association, British Eventing board director Les Smith, and chairman of British Reining and former Team GBR member Francesca Sternberg also received the award. Holly and Amanda’s achievements include being part of the bronze medal-winning team at the European Championships in Rotterdam, securing Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualification, while Georgia was part of the silver medal-winning squad as well as…

A RARE collection of antiquarian equestrian books with a combined worth of more than £100,000 are to go on sale. The Billmyer-Conant collection features some 150 works, from horse whispering and veterinary titles to early riding manuals among others. The first books were bought in Europe during World War II, where conscientious objector John Billmyer was serving with the American Red Cross. He built the collection with his wife, Mina Conant, over 50 years. Their eldest daughter, who added to the collection with her husband, has decided the time is right to “send the books into the current generation to be loved and watched over”. The books are on display at Bernard Quaritch Ltd in Bloomsbury. A catalogue will be published this month.…

I was brought up in Maidenhead and never thought I would end up being involved in Ascot — in fact, I’m not sure that I knew the racecourse existed until I first attended a meeting there in 1953. My first day as a raceday steward was at the 1991 Royal meeting and I remember the Gold Cup being won by Indian Queen and Walter Swinburn. This race has always been my favourite, and the year Prince Andrew handed the prize to his mother, The Queen, when her horse Estimate won was a tremendous moment for us all. When I first started, you were paid £40 in an envelope at the start of the day. But that was not a great idea — a few of the old boys used to…

EVENTING Susie Berry THE Irish event rider took the bridesmaid spot in two three-stars (Burgham and Hartpury) on Jonty Evans’ former ride John The Bull. She was also seventh in the under-25s at Bramham back in June with Stonedge (pictured), who has given her some other credible placings at four-star level. H&H PREDICTION: after five seasons with Piggy French, Susie will be starting out on her own during 2020. Her top rides John The Bull and Stonedge aren’t showing any signs of slowing down and she also has a handful of talented young horses waiting in the wings. EVENTING BubbyUpton BUBBY (real name Isabelle) was best of the Brits at the young rider Europeans this year, with team gold and individual silver on Cola III (pictured). The former junior European…

Joint-masters: Sam Townend and Jake Richardson Huntsmen: Sam Townend and Jake Richardson Chairman: Michael Abrahams Amateur whipper-in: Chris Pedley Hon sec: Sharon Fletcher Field masters: Warwick Bailey, Charlie Duffus and Steven Ward Fencing man: Dave Fletcher Countryman: Sean Bohanna Star man: John Errington, who collects the hounds from the Bedale kennels every hunting morning Quotes of the day: Jake Richardson: “Having Tom Ramsden and Tim Easby as our mentors, who have both hunted the hounds themselves, is a huge help.” Former master and MFHA director Tim Easby on the relationship between the West of Yore and the York and Ainsty North: “No one mentions the ‘A’ [amalgamation] word, which would send elements of both hunts running for cover.”…

Sparsholt College, Hants ALICE OPPENHEIMER “put on her brave pants” and took her two home-bred siblings Headmore Dirubinio (Robin) and Headmore Davina to Sparsholt College for their first grands prix. Both are by Dimaggio out of Alice’s late mare Rubinsteena, and 10-year-old Robin won the class with 68.7%, while nine-year-old Davina was runner-up on 66.5%. “I wasn’t sure I wanted to do them both on the same day, as it’s quite a lot starting two horses at grand prix, but Charlotte [Dujardin] told me to man up and get on with it,” said Alice. “Robin went first and considering he hasn’t done much competing, he was brilliant. He had mistakes, but they were so genuine. It’s just about building his confidence. “Davina hadn’t competed since the nationals and I wasn’t…

KATE WALLETT and seven-year-old Irish Draught Cassanova King won both novices with plus-68% at Northallerton EC, North Yorks. Kate bought “Cobs” after swapping her daughter’s horse for him from Angus Smales three years ago. Having taken a decade’s break from riding following a back injury, she returned to riding when her daughter gave it up. Kate puts her success down to training with Jane Bartle-Wilson. “She’s a fantastic teacher and Cobs has been amazing, even when he’s naughty,” Kate laughed. “He has neck arthritis which we have to manage, and it caused problems in his hocks, but we’re back in the swing of it now, and will move up to elementary.”…

SCARLETT THOMAS and Ringwood Gold Dust won both novices, both with plus-76%, at Addington Equestrian, Bucks. Scarlett bought the nine-year-old by Tinarana Goldwave out of Ringwood Audacity from her trainer Kylie Roddy in August and this was their first competition together. “Dusty has evented up to novice level with Kylie,” said Scarlett. “He’s teaching me a lot and my aim is to get him qualified for the regionals. We only need one more point.” Scarlett describes Dusty as “an absolute sweetheart” apart from his only quirk. “He doesn’t like being shod and requires a lot of sedation and earmuffs,” said Scarlett. “Something has happened to him, but we don’t know what. If he sees a farrier, he loses his marbles. Kylie has been a great help as she knows him,…

London International Horse Show, Olympia THERE was no doubt the crowd were in the hands of a master when Scott Brash revived British hopes from last to jump in the Turkish Airlines Olympia grand prix. Almost one second down on the clock as he approached the penultimate double, the 34-year-old opened up the gallop of his new ride Hello Vincent to storm the final fence, overturning a stunning lead set by Australian Edwina Tops-Alexander and Identity Vitseroel. “I heard the crowd roar and saw a good distance to the oxer from the turn at the top,” said Scott, who took over the ride on the 10-year-old stallion four months ago. “He’s a horse who loves going against the clock — he trusts me, he looks for the next fence, and…

I HAVE a big year coming up. As well as the Olympics, I’m also getting married — there is plenty to do. To be competitive at five-star shows — such as here at Olympia — every week, you need around 10 top horses and they are so hard to find. I don’t have scouts — the horses tend to find me. I spot them at shows or friends phone me when they’ve seen one that might suit me. I have a reputation for liking quirky horses, but that’s because the ones that are easy to ride and go beautifully on the flat are usually too expensive! I can afford the quirky ones and they often suit me. I like it when horses think for themselves and express themselves as individuals,…

London International Horse Show, Olympia SOME 19 years after making her Olympia debut with the four-year-old Dartmoor mare Dykes Daisy Mead, newlywed owner/producer Emma Burrow (née Boardman) landed her first LeMieux British Show Pony Society mountain and moorland supreme ridden title ahead of possibly the strongest competition field to date. Her nine-year-old Welsh section D gelding Dyffryngwy Sir Picasso, a canny £600 purchase from Brightwells Sales as a foal, proved his worth yet again with good conformation scores from both judges, sealing a foot-perfect, expressive show performance which managed to contain his undoubted presence and forward-going type with perfect manners and correct schooling. This improved on last year’s third spot, winning by one mark and more than compensating Emma for her 700-mile, 14-hour round trip from Carlisle and 11pm start…

‘Competitors shouldn’t be disheartened’ BEFORE I was allowed to have my own pony as a child, my parents would always take me to London with a friend to watch Olympia as a present for my birthday, which falls the week before the show. This was my first time judging there and the standard was incredibly high. Each breed was well represented and on the whole everything went in accordance to breed type. However, across the board — in plaited and horse ranks, too — we are at risk of types bleeding into each other. As a judge, we should be able to put the animals we have in front of us in a specific class. Our champion (Dyffryngwy Sir Picasso) was impeccable. He looked through the bridle, was light on…

THE big prize on the first day of Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival — the Racing Post Novices’ Chase — was billed as a match between the Willie Mullins-trained mare Laurina and Joseph O’Brien’s Fakir D’Oudairies. But it was won by the Henry de Bromhead-trained Notebook, under Rachael Blackmore (pictured). The winner, who was well beaten in last season’s Ballymore Hurdle at Cheltenham before finishing second at Punchestown, looks like a chaser. He took it up three out for Blackmore and, although Fakir D’Oudairies looked to be travelling well in behind him on the bend for a few strides, the writing was soon on the wall because Notebook was not for stopping. De Bromhead’s previous win in the race came with Sizing Europe ten years previously. “They went some gallop and that…

I HAD a rare Boxing Day watching the racing on television. It was not planned as my intended five runners were all meant to be at Huntingdon. However, sadly too much water had spilled over from the local stream into the racecourse stable yard and the weighing room — two areas that racing rather needs to go ahead. This resulted in me channel-hopping from ITV, Racing TV and Skysports Racing all afternoon — yes, all rather stressful — but I was not able to watch racing from Ireland as I had run out of fingers and time. Kempton has always been the highlight of the Christmas racing calendar. This year, with only five runners in the King George VI Chase, you might have thought that was disappointing but it wasn’t,…

I WAS coming in from the stables yesterday afternoon, just as the light was failing, and I saw our fox lurking by the front door. I greeted her as normal, “Hello friend,” much to the amusement of the children, and she twitched her brush and gazed at me expectantly as if to say, “What’s on the menu today?” I think she’s developed a taste for human food, although I wish she wouldn’t thank me by peeing on the plate after she has finished. It has been a year now since this puny little vixen arrived on the scene, hanging out brazenly around the house at all times of day and night. She has become a bit of a tourist attraction here; dancing along the top of the wall at lunchtime…