Good things come to those who wait!

Its not often riders of any age, level or attitude can say that another fall off their horse was a 'really good thing'.  Don't think me mad - it was a couple of weeks before I saw it quite like that!

It was a Thursday November evening - i'd not long been back in the saddle after fall no.1 (but who's counting)!  It happened suddenly as with all falls, one minute we were walking calmly on a  long rein, next she was vertical, spinning and rearing.  I remember panic stricken thoughts "not my ankle, not my ankle" before hitting the ground - back first with a pain searing thud!

It was some time before I could move in the dirt of the menage floor.  Others were there to help and capture Grace. No need to re-visit the memory in detail (not good sports psychology) - as this time no A&E visit.  I do recall being full of intention not to let my husband find out i'd fallen off again although how I planned to cover it up wasn't clear.  Rubbing horse linament into my back was the first step and my sincere thanks to a fellow livery for slapping it all over me - right down to my underwear!

Within a few days another livery's trainer walked onto the yard.  Almost as soon as I saw her I knew I wanted her to help me with Grace.  I had a plan!  The horse needed riding.  I couldn't ride.   I needed a replacement jockey.  SJL entered our life. 

I never had to think before, about how i'd feel having someone else ride my horse.  I welcomed it with open arms.  The horse needed exercising or would be dangerous for me to re-mount when I was ready.  I kept remembering Tom's words to me "this is a competition horse".  I still had no idea what that meant but consistent ridden work was probably part of the picture, and something I was finding hard to achieve.

Within 3 weeks of SJL coming to ride 3 times a week and me lunging her inbetween the benefits to me were clear.  It was great to see my pretty horse working and moving nicely.  It was morale boosting to have list 2 judge praise the horse's movement, relaxation and work attitude.  It was confidence boosting to see the horse 'behave' - no rodeo shows or circus tricks.  I was able to learn how to ride her by watching not doing - and it felt right.

"Good things come to those who wait" my mum always said - I think im earning credits on the waiting game score!


 

Silver linings!

3 horses; one nearly 17hh, young and new to me, is a challenge to care for with a full time job WITHOUT crutches so grooming on my hands and knees in week 2 of ownership of Grace wasn't quite the picture I had imagined for us both.

However, every grey cloud has a silver lining as they say.   Unable to weight bear or ride, I set about learning to understand my horse from the ground. 

The next 3 weesks as my ankle began to return to human proportions and flesh colour - we worked one legged on the lunge.  Granted I got dragged and pulled around a bit.  Only to be expeced as we had a lot to learn in the art of communication.

Quickly I bought myself some Lunge lessons from my trainer to help me understand how they do things on the continent and the sounds Grace was most likely to understand.

I learnt to watch her movement, read her facial expressions and most importantly figure out when she was genuinely confused, versus 'having a laugh' (at my expense).

Insight no.1 about Grace - she is very willful, determined and will bully me If she can.  

I hadn't planned a second tumble from Grace (but more of that later), nor a second phase of 'no riding' however it seems life long learning could be an early theme for my love affair with Grace.

It's now June.  I haven't ridden for almost 6 weeks.  Fortunately im not injured.  This pause in our mounted work is a result of very poor feet.   The  last 90 days has been the ultimate test in what's most important to me?  Short term or long term?  Following the crowd or finding my own path?  Believing in logic and 'experts' or taking 100% accountability for the welfare of my horse and listing to my instinct?

I decided on March 20th 2012 to take a risk.  Of course the only risk is one of being "wrong in the pursuit of doing what is right"  - I can live with that - but that wasn't exactly how I was feeling in March this year...

Insight no. 2 about Grace... her young body bounces back to health with such speed it has left experts and I gobsmacked!  Thank you Grace for showing me to keep the faith!

Ride 1, Fall No.1...

Imagine my joy, its been 10 days of owning my beautiful big Grace.  We've groomed, chatted, walked back and forth to the field, and done not much else.

Week 1 - The dentist came and found my poor girl had a big old mouth ulcer on the inside of her left cheeck (glad I know as this will need a few days to heal). 

Week 2 - Saddler arrived.  Good news, the saddle will fit (the benefit of a balance saddle system). That was all I needed.... the offical 'green light' to now get on and ride for the first time since buying her.

1.30pm the saddler left.  I tacked up.  By 2.15pm it was 'light's out' and I was injured!  I got on my girl and in less than one minute found myself sommersaulting into the air, right ankle sticking in the stirrup and ending up under neath a bucking bronko.

Shaken and limping badly I took her back in and brought her out again for a lunge - If only i'd done that BEFORE I got on!

By 5pm I was in A&E with an ankle the size of an elephants.  School girl errors can be costly - in my case 5 months of ankle pain when riding, weekly physio (lots of painful ligament rubbing), crutches and trainers instead of kitten heels!  Yuk!

As I said; a valuable lesson learnt! (I hope)