Oh Humble Pie (Warning has a picture of my ass)

How nice to meet you again. It's funny how even at my great age I make stupid mistakes that end in accidents. Firstly, China doesn't really buck so you never really expect that. So thunder started rumbling and I was in a rush to get him worked because I have a clinic tomorrow. So I was like I'll rush over and get it done. So 1. I was rushing him. 2. Giant storm brewing. 3. I went to jump of him off the mounting block and he walked off which is pretty normal, but I duffed my vault and landed at the back of the saddle with no reins and no stirrups and gave him a fright. So I really was asking for it.

He took off I couldn't get my reins and then he did two big bucks and buried me on the gravel. I flew through the air like a very flightless bird. It was like extra strong gravity or something. Anyway, grazed arm, skinned knees and a big old haematoma on my thigh, sticks out a few inches even. Its a doozey. And it was all my fault. Got back on after he ran around for 10 minutes and finally let me catch him. Better this time but such a tense horse and then went and did some very tense flatwork for 15 minutes before it started to rain just huge drops and then there was a giant thunder rumble and I was like yea we can go home now. I actually led him back to the stable and as we went it just unleashed a torrential downpour. Gear off cover on and back in the paddock, though I'm planning to go back out and ride him tonight. Sigh I feel a bit chicken now.

Mums dog hiding from the storm

And that is my second ever fall off of China. Hes just a bit of douche.

Still here and still kicking

I think its been a year since I last blogged?? Which is long. And what a year? Oh man. What a year. I don't think I've ever learned as much about myself as I have this year. And to celebrate my finding of all this strength I designed and got a large phoenix tattoo on my leg, as I reminder that I have unbelievable resilience. So lets ignore the negatives, and lets focus on the positives.

I got into vet school!!!

Which is totally epic and amazing but honestly like you work so hard just to get in and then you get in and its honestly quite hard. But so so amazing. It's a nice feeling to be exactly where you are meant to be in life.

I still have Chinaman, formerly shown as Fried Rice, but now Shanghai. Which is better. He continues to be one of the most complicated horses I have ever worked with but is really starting to operate over a fence. Hes difficult in the mouth and just recently we tried maybe twenty bits and the one he strongly disliked on the flat he actually jumped well in. You have to bit him really softly and accept you have less control for him to then allow you some control. A shadow roll and no flash helps. Hes jumping 1m again and I'm looking to move him up in the next month or so if I get brave enough.

Hes rocking a sweet roached mane now and I honestly love him even if he very much suits the moniker of wanker. He is however a terrible traveller and getting worse now he is having to travel by himself. It turns out he had an accident once so it makes sense he doesn't travel well but it certainly makes life hard ans anxious. I'm going to try him without the partition to see if the extra freedom makes him happier. I just want a solution for the dude so we can go further afield. 

I'm on my summer holidays at the moment. and I'm hoping to get lets of riding in and have a long hot summer like when I was a kid with lots of adventures and recover from year one of five in vet school.

Hope everyone is well xxx