2012 Highs and Lows

Lows

Continuing box rest for the boy
Losing Millie cat
Losing yard cat
Losing our little rescue cat
Slow slow healing of C's ligaments
Looming redundancy (mine)
Fred's dental pulp having been exposed by previous EDT

Highs

Riding C again
Being allowed to ride Pooh in an outline
Flying changes on Pooh
Olympics
Being married to a good man
Oliver coming sound
Being allowed to wear spurs on Pooh
Getting droppable elbows on Blackberry
Bruce Springsteen in Hyde Park
Obama getting re-elected
Having Pip in my life
SFO being well SFO
Spanish Riding School at Bercy trip
Barry the BMW
Sophie
Avoided redundancy but looms for 2013 (again)
Fred and the magnetic rug
My wonderful patient farrier to whom I can talk and doesn't get the hump
Chez Bruce
Husband finding MA subject (Julia Margaret Cameron)
Lion Witch and Wardrobe in Kensington Gardens
Sitting in the National Gallery with wine listening to Bach's Cello Concerto
Discovering (late!) the Killers (Miss Atomic Bomb)
My vet
My physio

Overnight at Arrow

So Friday went with J to meet SFO at Chase Distillery had a fab time tasting their products but sadly as a driver could do no more than let the liquid moisten my lips then put the glass down and lick lips. made up for it by practically buying the shop!

Planning to go back with taxi booked so can do a proper tasting session.

then drove the 30 minutes to Arrow whilst SFO came back via the Horse Boutique and Sue Adams so time for crumpets and tea; clearly J being a non driver and thus finishing up all the glasses had too much to drink as refused to take boots off in house as as predicted Ron came in, and of course being drunk she had to make sure Ron knew she had her boots on in the house by pointing it out and then wonders why he gets cross!

Saturday

So onto Blackberry worked on filling the right side with SFO putting her hand on my right side above my waist and my having to push her hand whilst staying on my seat, rope around waist to test core stability, worked on legs and letting go so legs can just hang.

I am now allowed to wear spurs another milestone :-)

Pooh well this was mostly about elbows and why do I think it all changes once I am on a real horse? On BB I keep a good pointy elbow and droppable forearm but put me on Pooh and it goes to pot.

Is it because he is crooked and somehow I am trying to compensate in my body? Biggest issue is if I concentrate on keeping my elbows I lose awareness of my crookedness.

So SFO worked on my regaining awareness of my crookedness with SFO pointing it out whilst we changed rein frequently which helped then worked on elbows whilst trying to stay straight, spurs really useful for keeping him off my right leg and we got some decent work :-)

Watched J and then SFO ride Crisp bareback interesting how he connects better through back when bareback he did some good forward stretching with SFO

Got back to stables at 19:00 with Ron expecting us in for supper at 19:30 oops! So quick shower then grabbed two bottles Champagne out of fridge, a lovely bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and a toothsome red.

Supper was brilliant fun and the party finally broke up at 23:30 when SFO, J and myself did late night stables.  Pooh had managed to get out of his rug (!) J then managed to insult SFO by how she compared it to the wonderful wonderful Dovecot

Sunday

Quick session on Blackberry working on contact, then onto Pooh much better from start got some really good work so good that SFO decided he wouldn't be ridden afterwards as had been planned. Me I was well chuffed.

Cup of tea with SFO then left later than planned (oops) and stopped for a very late lunch at Trumpet Corner 

I am going to scream if I hear one more time about 'my small house'; last time it was about how much easier it must be having a small house, yesterday it was surprise at our being able to have a Christmas tree in our 'small house' FFS it isn't that small and I am getting totally fed up with the lack of tact.

Next time I will be CROSS!

You put your trust in a professional only to be let down

So my oldest horse Fred had his teeth enthusiastically over rasped/floated by the previous equine dental technician and because of this now has two molars rasped down to the dentine and the (dead) pulp exposed.

arse!

Finally sound

So first session was 19th June going three times/week then twice weekly and then weekly at £55 pop for the pair of them and today he is functionally sound

Lily now loves her swimming and literally cannot wait to get into the pool.

Hopefully can reduce to fortnightly after Crimble :-)

Back to Arrow

So yesterday I made it back to Arrow, did think the IBS was going to stop play  but just mentally thought do your worst as having not been since October I was pretty determined to go WHATEVER!

Set off with loads of time to spare and ended up getting there 5 minutes before my lesson, no matter what time I seem to leave I get there 5 minutes before lesson. Yesterday I crawled from the A40 to the M5   behind gawd knows what as there was just a huge queue of us all doing 20 mph   but did see nice gunmetal grey Ferrari

So started off on Blackberry apparently I now have droppable  forearms so as SFO said whatever I am doing is working. Right side still in need of attention.

Onto Pooh Bear started off on buckle picked up contact and seems like I left the droppable forearms behind in the simulator room   SFO did at one point say you can ride better than this

So lengthen reins ignore Pooh and assume he will go around corners and just go back to being on Blackberry, point soften so that starts to improve things. I had a lightbulb  moment when I twigged the reason I was giving away my left elbow was Pooh was heavier left rein and I was giving rein OK not on a conscious level as issue is not enough right rein. So SFO asked how I would correct it which always makes  me  so I said bend in squash out, then got asked which way and I'm thinking crap crap crap as I'm not hugely convinced I actually know anything at a sufficient level to verbalise it so said bend in left as that is side he is holding, squash out right to get him to fill right rein and :hail: SFO agreed :hail:

Did shoulder in and counter shoulder in initially SFO couldn't see which way was which so suggested she look harder (!) did get Pooh much better aligned, will be a good exercise for the Chorrie . Also starting to feel when Pooh isn't off my left/right leg, just need to refresh more often and thus keep him aligned.

Overall it was just so nice to be back and whilst I didn't just carry on from where I left off on Pooh I did get him aligned.