Roland’s nags and nails: got bitten and missed Olivia Newton-John
It’s not been the best week for me. I missed meeting Olivia Newton-John and was bitten hard on the back by a horse I was trimming.
The truth be known, I was more unimpressed about being bitten as, not only did it really hurt, but it was the first time which means I’ll probably be bitten a lot from now on.
Funnily enough, I was only just congratulating myself about not yet being bitten as I have done a year and four months of my farrier apprenticeship, so felt that was worth a mental pat on the back. I think I’ve opened the flood gates now. It’s a bit like thinking how good the traffic is. It’s fatal!
Celebrity spotting is not one of my fortes. I can count on one hand the famous people I’ve spotted and, without being rude, none of them are worth talking about. Is David Bellamy at Kings Cross station worth a mention? Perhaps not.
Anyway, if I had bumped into Olivia Newton-John in an Exmoor yard, while stinking of smelly horses’ feet, that would have trumped most people’s celebrity spots. Extra marks would have to be awarded for being outside of London and not at an event. And of course Olivia has to be an A rate/B rate celebrity — certainly a few notches above David Bellamy (sorry David!). It would have been a good spot, without a doubt.
Well Kris, my training farrier, did spot Olivia and said hello to her. I’ve had this independently verified, as I had my head under a horse when she passed by. If I’m really honest though, had it been Kris under a horse and me walking between stables, I wouldn’t have had a clue who she was!
Until next week
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Roland
www.twitter.com/nagsandnails
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Roland owned a computer software business until he realised he didn't want to be stuck behind a desk for the rest of his working life. So in 2011 he started the four-year apprenticeship to become a farrier on the borders of Somerset, Devon and Dorset. He became fully qualified in 2014.