Monday, bloody monday
Not a good day at work today. Ugh.
I suppose it started yesterday really. We were catching up with the hounds, and going through a muddy gateway. I saw the gatepost and thought to myself, there's plenty of room between that and my leg, no worries. The next minute SMASH, BANG, CRASH, OW!, there goes my leg flying away after getting between a solid wooden post and half a ton of horse. No, wait, it is still attatched, flapping around uselessly, I'll just canter down the gully, through the water, up the hill and hopefully by then it will fit back into the stirrup.
Managed to lift my leg back into the stirrup before jumping the spar at the top of the hill....but then we were off on a run, so I had to balance on one leg (luckily Ping was jumping well, so didn't have to ride her properly), as we galloped, jumped and generally got covered in mud.
Managed to get to the end of the day, with some feeling returning to my leg (not much, since it was FREEZING, there really was an icy turn to the weather yesterday), and hobbled around the rest of the day before finally getting home and arnica-ing it up in the hopes it'd be fine in time for work today.
Amazingly, arnica worked it's healing magic, and though my leg was sore, it was entirely functional (only a slight limp) today. Got to work (thankfully have use of a car at the moment) in the FREEZING cold, managed to get on Winston and head over to the track with Lenny in tow. Unfortunately for me, Lenny is a bit of a jogger, and kept smashing against my leg - normally not an issue, but today it rather had me writhing in agony and cursing loudly whilst trying to stop Winston from jogging and biting Lenny and attempting to push Lenny away with the other hand. Needless to say, it didn't work all that well, and I was a little frazzled by the time I got to the track.
I managed Winston's rounds fairly well, discovering my leg didn't like it when he shiied at things (which he did rather a lot today) but was fine to hold me up. Then whoever I rode seemed to be on speed, or definitely had speed as they shot round the track, me sitting up there attempting to keep them to 'quiet' rounds - not bleeding likely the way they were all acting today. Pascal, normally pretty good about listening to the bit, shot around, passing at least 4 or 5 horses, and after 3 rounds (after which they're normally pretty tired, one round is about 1600m) felt like she could go on and do about 20 more without pausing for breath.
Then I got Buzz. He's the horse I learnt to ride track on, and is usually pretty good, though keen. Well, it all went pearshaped, I got on in the stall (as usual) he shot out right next to the partition, pushing me onto his bum, and bucked like a mad thing. Needless to say, I hit the deck (luckily it was nice soft gravel, not the muddy track), and sprung up and caught him looking very surprised. Was annoying rather than painful, in fact come to think of it, I'm surprised that it didn't hurt or wind me at all, but I guess I should be thankful for small mercies!!. Got straight back up on him, and out where he proceeded to bolt on me, galloped one round before I managed to get him back under control to do another 2 at a proper pace. Then, the next horse, who is a bit spastic anyway decided to head butt me when we got to the track - he yanked the reins as I was leaning forward to get ready to go, chucked his head up, colliding with my helmet (luckily) and spazzed, and I was almost on the ground again, but a second later he was going along nicely and I was sitting pretty and fine. Don't know how I dodged that one, but am mighty glad I did!.
Then, riding back I had to lead Buzz, who decided he had to be as close to my horse as humanly (horsely?) possible, and kept squishing my leg which resulted in many oaths and crippling pains again.
Luckily Bella - who seems to be my project horse - I'm trying to get her calm and supple on the track and relaxed - actually went pretty nicely today and almost walked most of the way home, so it wasn't a complete disaster.
There was ice in the feed buckets, after the sun had come up too! FREEEZING today. Am glad to be home and resting, hopefully tomorrow won't be 'one of those days'.
I suppose it started yesterday really. We were catching up with the hounds, and going through a muddy gateway. I saw the gatepost and thought to myself, there's plenty of room between that and my leg, no worries. The next minute SMASH, BANG, CRASH, OW!, there goes my leg flying away after getting between a solid wooden post and half a ton of horse. No, wait, it is still attatched, flapping around uselessly, I'll just canter down the gully, through the water, up the hill and hopefully by then it will fit back into the stirrup.
Managed to lift my leg back into the stirrup before jumping the spar at the top of the hill....but then we were off on a run, so I had to balance on one leg (luckily Ping was jumping well, so didn't have to ride her properly), as we galloped, jumped and generally got covered in mud.
Managed to get to the end of the day, with some feeling returning to my leg (not much, since it was FREEZING, there really was an icy turn to the weather yesterday), and hobbled around the rest of the day before finally getting home and arnica-ing it up in the hopes it'd be fine in time for work today.
Amazingly, arnica worked it's healing magic, and though my leg was sore, it was entirely functional (only a slight limp) today. Got to work (thankfully have use of a car at the moment) in the FREEZING cold, managed to get on Winston and head over to the track with Lenny in tow. Unfortunately for me, Lenny is a bit of a jogger, and kept smashing against my leg - normally not an issue, but today it rather had me writhing in agony and cursing loudly whilst trying to stop Winston from jogging and biting Lenny and attempting to push Lenny away with the other hand. Needless to say, it didn't work all that well, and I was a little frazzled by the time I got to the track.
I managed Winston's rounds fairly well, discovering my leg didn't like it when he shiied at things (which he did rather a lot today) but was fine to hold me up. Then whoever I rode seemed to be on speed, or definitely had speed as they shot round the track, me sitting up there attempting to keep them to 'quiet' rounds - not bleeding likely the way they were all acting today. Pascal, normally pretty good about listening to the bit, shot around, passing at least 4 or 5 horses, and after 3 rounds (after which they're normally pretty tired, one round is about 1600m) felt like she could go on and do about 20 more without pausing for breath.
Then I got Buzz. He's the horse I learnt to ride track on, and is usually pretty good, though keen. Well, it all went pearshaped, I got on in the stall (as usual) he shot out right next to the partition, pushing me onto his bum, and bucked like a mad thing. Needless to say, I hit the deck (luckily it was nice soft gravel, not the muddy track), and sprung up and caught him looking very surprised. Was annoying rather than painful, in fact come to think of it, I'm surprised that it didn't hurt or wind me at all, but I guess I should be thankful for small mercies!!. Got straight back up on him, and out where he proceeded to bolt on me, galloped one round before I managed to get him back under control to do another 2 at a proper pace. Then, the next horse, who is a bit spastic anyway decided to head butt me when we got to the track - he yanked the reins as I was leaning forward to get ready to go, chucked his head up, colliding with my helmet (luckily) and spazzed, and I was almost on the ground again, but a second later he was going along nicely and I was sitting pretty and fine. Don't know how I dodged that one, but am mighty glad I did!.
Then, riding back I had to lead Buzz, who decided he had to be as close to my horse as humanly (horsely?) possible, and kept squishing my leg which resulted in many oaths and crippling pains again.
Luckily Bella - who seems to be my project horse - I'm trying to get her calm and supple on the track and relaxed - actually went pretty nicely today and almost walked most of the way home, so it wasn't a complete disaster.
There was ice in the feed buckets, after the sun had come up too! FREEEZING today. Am glad to be home and resting, hopefully tomorrow won't be 'one of those days'.