Musings

It has been a very busy week. I am going to try and be good and write about it all, but I am sooooo tired and sick that it will be a struggle to make my brain work.

Big changes have happened this week - my mother has gone, and my sister has moved back to Spain. It is really odd but wonderful to have the house back to ourselves. I love my mother dearly, but we need to get back to being a unit of 4 again and settle ourselves back home. I felt bloody guilty about it all, something that my mother didn't make easier, but she has chosen where she wants to live (the flat above her best friend), and I know she will at least have a social life now.

Zoe came to visit on her way to the ferry. Whether she is doing the right/wrong thing is her business, but I cannot help but feel that they should have stayed over here - I understand her reasons for going and yes, she needs to sort her property out, but still, Ollie looked really worried and uncomfortable when they left, so I hope he will settle back into Spanish school OK - it is difficult for the wee ones.

So that was my Tues/Weds really.

Last Sunday I took Ted round the long road block - almost 2 hours. He was very good, a little hesitant at times and had 3 breakdowns, but on the whole he was a dude. Lou and Sarah were very impressed with him. When I got to the yard on Monday he was still asleep...
He eventually decided that he could get up so he had a day off, bless him. Tuesday and Weds were hacks out, very well behaved as always, Thurs we went off to jump in the school....Hacked out of the yard and started going up the lane, a little tentative but OK. Then he saw a lady in a garden and stopped to have a look, which is his usual behaviour, except this time he wouldn't walk on. He was up on the verge with an electric fence at his bum and tarmac at his nose, and wouldn't budge. So I tried my spurs, nothing, except stepping backwards, which was worrying as I didn't want to be sat on 17hh of exploding horse when he got tickled with electric! Then he kept trying to step back onto the tarmac but just couldn't bring himself to do it. So I sat there, talking to him, he stood stock still, not trying to spin or anything, and we had a convo. Jackie came and she started to lead him and he walked on fine, then she stopped and he stopped and wouldn't budge again. So I jumped off and led him up - his heart was going like the billy-o, he wasn't breathing, he was just incredibly worried about it all. So I sang him up the lane and he looked at everything and we got to the school where I jumped on and chilled him out - happy days.

Did some very unpressurised schooling and then jumped 8 fences and called it a day as I wanted him to be chilled and happy and not associate the school with stress. This is something to work on, but if I have to lead him to the school it isn't the be all and end all of anything, it is just a quirk. I don't think he will ever be a happy lone hacking horse, but again, this is OK, no big deal. He jumped really nicely and I was happy - sadly no photos of that as I had to prop the camera up and it was impossible to do to get the fences in :-(



Ted IS lazy in the school, which doesn't bode well for me as I am lazy too, so I need to get my act together to ensure that I work and he works - on the plus side we are as happy as each other just pootling about, but that does not acheive anything! I need to get Lee out to give him a massage and I also need the saddler out as he is deffo getting more antsy to saddle, so I don't think he is happy with the fit of my saddle, although I cannot see much wrong with it. I need to get my Wow fitted to him so I can use that, or sell it and buy a lighter CC saddle, we will see.

Right, there you go, brief news of the week. I have probably missed loads out, and I have much to discuss but I am dropping. A quick word about HHO should be in here I suppose, but I don't think I have the energy. I have had some really disparaging remarks thrown my way and I will not be dragged into this crap willingly. I tried to do a good thing, for the good of horses, and now have been labelled by others as a troll and someone with no feelings or who knows the difference between good and bad - HA HA HA. So yes, I am done with HHO on a basic level and this year's party will no doubt be the last I host for open invitation. Times change, people move on and change too. It leaves me more time for my RL activities which cannot be a bad thing, my house has never been cleaner!!!