An unexpected gift from above rained down on a cash-strapped Steve on Sunday morning. With pay day more than a week away, and having lost money on his favourite racehorse Mister McGoldrick, he was praying a blessing would fall on his head.

As he walked the lurcher within the sound of the village church bells, a voice spoke from on high.

“Excuse me,” it boomed.

Steve looked right, left – and then above. As he craned heavenwards, the voice continued.

“I’m having a clearout.”

A villager, maybe reading about Steve’s “prehistoric” jodhpurs in last week’s Diary – although certainly not knowing he is still wearing them – was keen to help.

“I don’t need these any more. I thought you could use them,” he said, dropping a pair of jodhpurs from an upstairs window.

Steve’s waistline has expanded since he gave up smoking more than two years ago to pay for Daniel. He can only hope his “Jodhpurs from Heaven” will fit.

We have both been on a diet for a week, even eliminating our shared bottle of wine a night.

Now, it seems, it is Daniel’s turn.

“It’s like Run Fatboy Run,” said local event rider, David Elms, as Daniel puffed around the school on his lesson with Sophie.

Steve and Jenny, watching proudly as Daniel – sleek, black, but wobbling – trotted balanced circles, were dismayed.

“He’s got beautiful paces, but he’ll go even better when he’s half the size,” David added.

His wife Joanne listened sympathetically. She had bought an “indestructible” haylage bag to ration her horse, Father Ted.

She found him with his head buried inside, having burst into the small rectangular hole he was supposed to nibble his dinner through.

“Yer don’t need to do ’owt drastic, like buying one ’o them contrapshuns,” said Daniel.

“It’s every thin in moderashun, includin’ them diets.”

Steve Wright & Jenny Loweth