A New Challenge - Like Climbing Everest, and Spring Is Nearly Here

 Yup! Spring is nearly here.  Nearly but not quite.  Everything has burst into blossom, the swallows are back, my Hay Fever has been raging....and yet.... There is still a persistent breeze from the North East, coming straight off the North Sea and freezing fingers and toes when you least expect it.  Clothes have been on and off (depending on what field we are in).  And there has been a distinct lack of rain, delaying the growth of The Hill Field (Spring Grazing), so every-pony is still in the Winter Paddocks and we are still feeding hay daily.  We are hoping to move them by May 1st. Frankly the daily hay wrestling is becoming a bore!! And May 1st is a very important date.

Yes its the start of The Top Barn Summer Challenge!!!!! Last year I didn't take part, knowing my Dicky Ticker was struggling, and a stay in hospital to have an IV pump fitted was imminent. As we all know that didn't work out for me, but i am now on stronger Oral drugs and am 'stable' (hahahaha).  So Charlie and i are going for it this year.  

The Challenge goes like this:

10000 rider steps per day for 2 weeks daily.                                                        1000 training minutes with horsey over 3 weeks.                                                100 miles with horsey over 4 weeks                                                                  10 challenges over 1 week.

I can do the 10000 steps, the 1000 minutes and the 10 Challenges (hopefully), but the 100 miles seems like climbing Everest.  However the nights are light in June. I can in theory do a mile with Charlie 4 times a day! We have been working at doing stuff with him wearing a saddle (this is where his Lizard kicks off) and me wearing a riding hat (my Lizard wakes up for a look-see at this point). We have also been working on standing at the Mounting Block and me getting on. We are progressing to this happening with the saddle and the hat.  I know this seems weird, but my Lizard wakes up when I put a riding hat on. It thinks I must be doing something dangerous where I expect to fall on my head. If I get on Daisy, for a road hack, The Lizard goes back to sleep, as the idea of coming off her is preposterous.  With Charlie, the Lizard is on full alert as this is a strong possibility. 

However with no tack and no hat the Lizards Sleep. But this is more of a danger! So in the spirit of Health and Safety and Squashing Lizards, we are getting there. My plan is to spend the first month doing the steps, challenges and intense training in the hope that by Month 2, I can ride the 100 miles.  Hope is a wonderful thing.  I am also hoping to find a regular rider for Daisy, to come out with me and Charlie! Of course I could always box him 100 miles away and ride back, but I would need Tess Glanville for that!! Read The Ridgeway Romp on Amazon Kindle. 

So this Challenge is my Everest!  My final push to the top! 12 ish days to the start. I can't wait!!

Charlie in Training