Top Barn Summer Challenge, A Black Eye And A Goodbye

Top Barn Summer Challenge has been underway for nearly 3 weeks now. Charlie and I have been working our socks off. I have completed the Steps Challenge, walking 10K steps a day, every day for 2 weeks. I'm not gonna lie. Some days were hard. I normally do between 8k and 10k daily, but with my dodgy lungs and dicky ticker sometimes its a lot less. One of the days, after having done the horses, I was still 4k steps off. So I went out for a walk with the OH and Doggo. We went to an Open Access Area of a Re-wilding scheme on the edge of town. As per they went off at military pace.  Puffing and panting up the hills, we completed a circuit. "More?" inquired OH. I consulted my Fitbit. Yes More. Off we went on a different circuit. Finally half a mile from where we had parked the Fitbit buzzed 10k.  I sat down. Thats it! I'm done, just leave me here!! I also had a couple of days pacing round the garden which is the size of a pocket handkerchief, but I got there. I'm relieved to not have to be a step nerd any longer.

At the same time I have been doing the 1000 Minutes Challenge with Charlie. Thats 1000 minutes training time in 21 days. So far we are on 817 minutes with 3 days to go. Thats 183 minutes to do in 3 days! 61 minutes a day. I have to run my unwell mother around. Tomorrow we are off to Hospital. At least the nights are light. We can do this, although its going to the wire. Its not that easy to have long sessions in hand, with a pony that has the attention span of a Goldfish. But there is no way I'm starting again!  So its 3 days of hard work!!

As Charlie gets bored very easily, I have been mixing up the serious work of getting him ridden, with some agility, walk outs, tricks, and liberty. We have come on leaps and bounds with the Mounting!! I think he is pretty au fait with the Mounting Block Park and me getting on now. The saddle is no longer scarier than The Grudge Movies. My hat no longer scares me. Although maybe a Full Face Crash Helmet would be more appropriate.

So why would i need a full face crash helmet??  Well apparently learning new tricks are dangerous!  So there we were, learning to pick up mini cones.  I had been lunging Charlie previous to this and for some unknown reason, left the 12ft rope trailing off him. We were both bending over a cone, Charlie stepped forward and stood on his rope. Startling himself he threw his head up.....and wham....he caught me with his head right on my eyebrow! I saw stars! I staggered around with drunken knees, like a boxer caught with a right hook. I sat on my knees for a bit, Charlie came to see what was up. Obviously he hadn't hurt his head. I staggered to the tack room for a wet towel, and a sit down, until the room stopped spinning like a fairground ride. Charlie started calling for me. I asked myself what day it was and came up with the correct answer. I held up 2 fingers and again got the correct answer. I decided i wasn't concussed. So I pulled myself together and took Charlie out to the Grazing. I managed to lock up, drive home and convince my OH I wasn't concussed and was able to go out for Sunday lunch as planned. 

The shiner spread to both eyes and cheekbones. I had a four day headache and I still have bruising and a lump on my inner brow, 10 days on. The moral of this story is....Never leave a trailing rope. Something i should know after 50 odd years with horses!!!!

Today we said goodbye to Lily (WHW Liv). But not in a bad way. Jo got Lily (Liv) from WHW around 4 years ago.  She had been rescued from a roundabout in Cardiff, owned by the infamous "Gypsy King". She was incredibly head shy and nervous.  With us she has blossomed into a confident, sweet and affectionate pony.  She has been backed, and ridden by children and adults. But she had no rider, and was bored and eating a lot of grass! With Jo and I both unable to work because of health issues, and struggling financially, we had to thin out the herd. Sadly Lily was the only one able to be leave.  So today she went back to WHW who will have no trouble re-homing her. We will miss her heaps, but having started her, she will go on to have a happy and useful life elsewhere.