The New Normal, A Feral Pony, Football Mania, and The Top Barn Show.

 Well its all been happening!!! I got the call from Papworth to go in and have my Hickman Line fitted.  I was held captive for 2 whole weeks!!! And I mean held captive. Due to Covid, I was literally stuck in my room the whole 2 weeks, except for the day a nurse felt sorry for me and snuck me outside for 10 minutes. I was literally pacing the room (all of 3m x 5m), and was thinking how a stabled horse must feel.  Although I am pretty feral, I am after all a Human Being and designed to live indoors. However, horses are designed to live outdoors, and in a herd. I also had stuff to occupy me mentally. Reading, Binge watching Heartland, I even learned to French Knit!  But a horse does not have that luxury. If i was box walking, imagine how they feel.....no wonder stabled horses develop "vices". 

Anyhoo, I am now attached 24/7 to a pump (called Paddy Pump after my old pony). I wear it in a fetching Bum-Bag or an elasticated "pocket" at all times. It pumps drugs up a line which dives through a hole in my chest, into my heart. Its a pain in the arse, and I now spend at least half an hour a day changing the line and mixing new drugs. But I do believe I am starting to feel a little better, and am not panting like a sex phone line worker at the slightest exertion. If you are squeamish, please scroll through the next pic.  This is the New Normal.

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We had set up a track system before I left, in The 3 Acre.  Big Ponies to the right, Minis to the left.  But typically the Big Herd, couldn't wait for Jo to expand their grazing so barged out, breaking yet more expensive plastic poles. So Jo let them out into the middle ground, while poo-picking and rearranging the fence configuration. And so Charlie became feral, refusing to be caught, and spending at least one night alone in the middle knee deep in grass. He had become allergic to his headcollar.  When I came back, I childishly expected him to have missed me as much as I had missed him. In my fantasy, he galloped over, jumping up and whickering (like the dog had). In reality though, he accepted a scratch and blew through his nostrils, before returning to the more important grass.

I thought it may take a while to re-tame him. Coinciding with Football mania in England, The Trick Academy had a challenge to send in ball playing pony vids. I donned my England shirt, blew up an inflatable ball, collected my England Flag and set off to the Field to make a video with the Feral Charlie. As expected his head-collar allergy was still there, so I pottered about with the ball and flag, and his curiosity got the better of him.  Soon we were playing Football and waving flags. Charlie the Trick Pony is back!

Now I have a real challenge on my hands!! Whilst bored in Hospital, I entered the Top Barn July Competitions.  I must have been High on painkillers!!!! I have entered the Groundwork Comp, which includes lunging.  Charlie DOES NOT lunge!!! Errr...so thats 2 weeks to teach him then! Big challenge as he prefers to work at Liberty and being partially sighted in his O/S eye, he like to stick with me, rather than move away. Hmmm.  I also entered Prettiest Head. Well I think he has a beautiful head!  And then I entered Best Pony. Get pony bathed, Yup, Get Dressed Up, Yup, Walk, Trot (maybe Yup, the drugs should allow me to run a little), but before my incarceration I literally hacked off his mane in case it was blazing hot. Now I have to figure out a way to plait a thick short stubby main 😅

SUMMER HAS ARRIVED!!!! And Trust Is a Two Way Thing.

 Yes you saw it here first (well actually you may have noticed), SUMMER IS HERE!!!! Finally the temperatures have soared into the 20's.  I have had my old fleece surgically removed from my body. I have cautiously cut a pair of jeans down (only to knee length, I mean I do not want to subject the world to my blue thighs yet). The boots are where they should be at this time of year, in the Boot cupboard, and the Crocs firmly glued on. I may even have a Watch mark appearing!

So after a trip to Papworth recently, I found out my Dodgy Lungs are ever more Dodgy, and my Dicky Ticker is very Dicky. I have agreed to have a Hickman Line fitted this Summer (now its finally arrived). Without going into boring details, a Hickman Line goes from the Heart, pops out of a hole in the Chest area, and attaches to a pump (worn in a fetching Bum-Bag at all times), which continuously pumps drugs in every 5 seconds.  Apparently this is not to be used for recreational drugs....Spoilsports!!!!  This means A) my Heart may cope a little better when its fitted, and B) I have to take it easy until then.

So with this in mind, I have abandoned trying to ride Charlie and resumed with Tricks, Trust and Connection. Charlie loves playing games and learning new tricks. He is curious with new things.  This is NOT because I have desensitised him by flooding. It's because he trusts me. There is a lot of talk in the Horse World about Desensitisation and 'Flooding' is often used. I.E Horse is frightened of the Hose? Hold him down and hose him, until he gives in!!  And there's a mind trick for you!!!! Trying to think of an example of 'Flooding' I came up with Hosing!!!!!! But this happens with anything...Saddles, Clippers, Traffic, Umbrellas, Noise, Dogs, etc etc.  The Horse has not 'got used to it', he cannot get away and has shut down in fear!!  For example if you are out on a Hack and your horse freezes at the sight of a cow? You shout at him, maybe take a whip to him? Eventually he passes the cow. But this has only added to his fear of cows!  Next cow he sees? Same scenario happens.  It is impossible to Desensitise your horse to every single thing.

But if your Horse trusts you its a different matter. Something scary? You gently say "Have a look, think about it. I'm Not Scared. Its Ok". It may take time, but if the Horse trusts you, he will eventually pass the scary cow/dog/giant green alien and Hey Presto....Nothing bad happened. The Horse trusted you, and you were right! Next time out...Cow? Scary? I don't think so.

So that's why i work at Liberty with Charlie. There is no reason for him to stay with me, when I introduce something new. But there is also no reason for him to run away. He trusts me. I do not chase him down, but stay put with whatever weird 'toy' I produce. I let him come to me. Last week I collected a Carrot Cannon from my friend Amanda.  It's genius! Two short pipes that swivel on a wooden frame. Treats go in one end, the Cannon is tilted up, and the Horse has to work out to push on the pipes to get the treat out.  When I first put it in the Field, there was snorting and spooking from both Lu and Charlie.  But when they realised I hadn't been eaten by the scary contraption, they both came over. Charlie approached first, but Lu figured out the connection quicker (It's a Girl Thing).

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Don't forget, Trust is a Two-Way thing.  You cannot expect your Horse to trust you, if you do not trust him. I often work in bare feet with Charlie. I like being bare-footed!  It does not occur to me that he might stand on my feet, because I trust him not to. I like to lay down with the Herd. I trust they won't stand on me....because they don't. I used to ride back from the Pub in the dark on my old pony Paddy. Couldn't see a damn thing....But he could, so I trusted him to get me home.

Have a good Summer with your Horse. 

Colic, Cold, Warm, Children and Side Effects

Strange title.....but then its been a strange couple of weeks!!  We have had snow, 40mph winds....and sunshine.  And sometimes all at once!

Anyway as I may have mentioned, I have been on a drug trial for my dodgy lungs and dicky ticker.  Having spent a week in Papworth ( our number one heart and lung hospital in this country) I found out I have been on the Placebo! So Phase Two begins....the real drug. OMG the side effects have knocked me on my ass. Each time they up the dosage the side effects kick my butt. A few days of blinding headaches and sickness. It only lasts our hour or two, after the dose, but that means for 4 hours each day at the moment, I am confined to the bathroom floor!! Taking Co-codemol helps, but it also mongs me out, so I am next to useless at the moment.

This has coincided with the bad weather and an influx of children from a nearby barn conversion to "help". While they are lovely children, its a little like baby sitting and hope that they don't get bowled over by a pony! Still yesterday I brought Dora down for them to groom and plait etc. Slightly worried that she may be over-whelmed by four of them crowding around her, I still left them, desperate to take advantage of the nicer weather and do a little clicker training with Charlie.  Thankfully Dora loved the attention, and Charlie remembered everything he has previously learnt. 

Jo went to take the kids home, and I started filling the water. I noticed Lu scenting. I thought she was smelling the water. But she continued to do it. I then noticed she was standing uncomfortably.  Alarm bells started ringing as the pieces clicked together in my somewhat slow brain. She wasn't eating the hay. She hadn't mugged me when I brought Charlie in. As I watched she pawed the ground. That was enough. My Colic Radar went off loud and clear. 

I had just brought her in when Jo got back, possibly somewhat surprised to find me holding her pony down by the tack-room. Everything screamed colic, except the constant scenting. She refused a bran mash.  I half thought she had something stuck up her nose, so had a good poke around.....the fact that Lu just accepted my rummaging fingers was a bad sign in itself. Jo phoned the vet. Apparently scenting constantly is a sign of colic!!!

I have seen many colics in my many years. I have a highly sensitive colic radar, but I have NEVER seen a horse scenting when it has colic. So I have learnt something here. Jo too had never seen it like that. Something else to add to the knowledge disc in the brain. 

Luckily there was no impaction, and a shot of Buscopan did the trick. We put it down to the frozen grass, coupled with sunshine.  So, if you see your horse constantly scenting, now you know it IS a sign of colic. A rare one maybe, but added to the other symptoms......Definitely worth knowing.

Poor Lulu

Dora Having a rest after all the attention.

Target.

Charlie Backed (Again), What Show?, Bloody PH, Papermill Progress And A Book!

I know, its been a long time since the last update!!!!  Going back....the Suffolk Show. Hmmmmm.. At 6am we arrived at the yard. Everything was ready. Jo put the coffee on, I went to get Lu in.  She was lying down.  She got up, limped a bit.  Oh No!  I told myself and the pony that she was just a bit stiff, had a dead leg etc etc...The excuses you make to yourself when you can't accept the truth.
By the time we were coming down the hill, it was obvious! Lulu who has never been sick or lame in nine years.....was lame on the day of the Suffolk Show! I walked her about in hand, desperately hoping she would come sound. No. Lunged her....still lame.  Not hopping, but definitely not sound. We turned her loose while we had a coffee.....I kept going out and checking, but no cigar. Disappointing? Hell yeah.  We consoled ourselves with lunch at Gracies in Leiston (well worth a visit by the way).  Lu is still oddly unsound.  Its very intermittent. 
She was sound the day after the show, then not.  We took her to the vet. I ran up the concrete as fast as, I could hear from the rhythmic hoof sound that she was fine. But even now she is slightly noddy in trot.  Its a mystery for sure.

And Charlie?? Well what a boy!! My brave friend Sarah has been helping me. With me at his head, she has sat on him, and even ridden him round the work area several times.  He has worked out where his feet go and even seemed really proud of himself.  Our next mission was for Sarah to lead him, while I rode.

And that's when my bloody lungs/heart got in the way. PH is a progressive condition, but as I have been stable for 6 years, I had pretty much forgotten I had it except for the tablets three times a day. I kind of knew I was a bit worse, but put it down to a chest infection (in the winter), the wind, the heat....You know, the excuses you make to yourself when you can't accept the truth!!  A trip to Papworth last week shocked me despite the self denial. After two days of tests the docs said my heart had enlarged and was in danger of failing. Basically PH has caught up with me. They wanted me to have a Hickman Line in (drugs infused directly into the heart 24/7 via a pump worn at the waist and an intravenous line into the heart.  Not being ready for that I said I'd think about it and legged it. They have since phoned with alternatives - one being a drug trial, and the other a new drug, but in the meantime, No backing or riding dangerous horses!!! It's given me a lot to think about.......I now have a harness thanks to Hollesley Rda and a cart, so can begin teaching him to drive.  As I can't expect Sarah to continue riding him, I am trying to get him to Boot Camp.....Summer at a local riding school.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to slow down, I have written The Ridgeway Romp. A tale of 2 idiots (me and my mate Tess), riding The Ridgeway in ballgowns on my slightly quirky ponies in 2007.  It is mostly the Blog Tess wrote at the time, with some infill from myself.  It is now published on Amazon......Please check it out...

Finally the Papermill ponies have been fenced in, and all bar a few who are having veterinary treatment, are off tether.....This has been a long hard road for the girls that started the group, and they now have Asbos for harassment!!!!! But it just goes to show what can be achieved via social media!

OK So This Is A Weather Channel

Yes It is a weather channel....for those that like to know what the weather has been like, as opposed to what its going to be like.  Just in case you want to know....Horrible, in both cases. I am calling this Charlies brief turn away time. Just as we thought winter was over, and very short, it has arrived.  We had sleet and hail today in a very cold north wind. Yes the smurf hat is back. In December it was 14c, now its down to 5c.  But we still have April showers, leaving us the usual spring rugging dilemma. When the sun is out, it has warmth, so we don't want the ponies over-rugged and sweating.  But when the next sleety squall blows in, its like the Arctic.  So they have lightweights on.....and we hope they are not too cold at night. To keep them warm, we are supplementing the grass with hay still. And running around (well not actually running in my case....A cold North wind is not brilliant for PH lungs), to get them fed, and poo-picked as quick as so we can get back in the warm. I have more time to play with the photos I take!  

Bad Hair Day For Sweet Pea

Sweet Pea and Bee keeping warm

A Quick water-colour of Sweet Pea

Pride Comes Before Fall and All That

All I can say is ouch!!! Today I hit the deck. We have had a busy week one way or another.  On Monday Tess came over and we had a hack out on Daisy and Lu. First time I have properly rode Lu, ie on a hack, and I loved her.  She got excited on the way home and was all head tossing, on the spot jogging. We nearly achieved a piaff! Reminded me of my old boy Paddy (see History of PonyGirl).  Tuesday I had a couple of spaniels in tow, so had more than enough to keep track off.  Every 5 minutes I was doing a dog head count. Wednesday I was knackered....the joys of having PH (dodgy lungs and a dicky ticker). I was trying to wear the spaniels out....but they won hands down.  Thursday was hospital appointment, so today I was impatient to get back up on Charlie.
Lovely sunny day (oops sorry, weather report again), Easily caught pony, very laid back whilst being groomed, even though the Shetlands have gone on holiday, and B and Polly were free-range grazing, so he had no company. Plodded around the school in-hand like a riding school pony.  Yup over confident........
On I get.....no reaction.  The plan was one circuit of the school then a photo shoot.  All best plans blah blah.....Off we went, 3 or 4 steps....then, kapow, Charlie shoots forward and spins....I gather up the reins, he spins again, pulling the rope from Jo's hand, giving her a nice rope burn.  A few humps..I momentarily think I can sit it out......then a huge twisting leap, and I am airbourne.  I had time to think 'this is gonna hurt', before I hit the ground back first. Ouch. It definitely hurts more the older you are.  The good things are, as I sat up winded, is a) my dicky ticker can take sudden flights, and b) Charlie didn't leg in, but stood there looking shocked.
Once I had almost regained my composure, and Jo had got some gloves, I had a few minutes of leaning over him......until it hurt too much. Back to basics this week I think, until I stop feeling like a 90 year old.  Sadly there are no pics as we were to busy 'doing'.......so here is a nice random spaniel pic..

And a nice Charlie pic............