Week 3

And so it's Friday again Another week over I swear the weeks are flying byBut I am so glad that this week is over And I have a couple of days to recharge my batteries This week was better in a lot of ways I wrote last week about feeling a bit like an outsider in my class I think I probably judged that all wrong In fact I was probably making too much of an effort in an attempt to fit inIt's never easy coming in to a new group Especially when there are big personalities I am on the quiet side And it takes me a while to open up and be myself So I made a huge effort to infiltrate the group And I have learned that that's maybe not the best way to go about things This week I decided to be myself And be the way I am around my family Natural Sarcastic Mickey taking Comfortable in my own skinAnd not afraid to speak upI basically just relaxed And stopped trying so hard Less is more I figureAnd you know what?That worked a lot better than being an eager little puppy begging people to like me We had a short week this weekNow my day is an hour shorter As I get a later bus in to town Which means I don't have to get up at the butt crack of dawn Yesterday and today we were in the stables Which I both love and hate in equal measures First we go in to the classroom And do some theory That lasts about 40 minutes Then it's down to muck out Today I nicked out BalouWho was a total petMy strength is definitely improving Which is great I can do the work a lot quicker now Yesterday I kicked out Blue My best buddy Then we groomed our horses And tacked them up With a lot of help from my tutor Joanna I am slowly but surely getting the hang of the equipment It takes me a while But I get there eventually Yesterday morning we had our first riding lesson And I was on Blue I love Blue I do But Jesus H Christ is he lazy There were four of us in the lesson And the others were on much bigger horses And Blue was just not keeping up I do acknowledge that that is partly down to me too But he cuts owners His walk is funereal And his trot can be laboured It just makes life more difficult for meI am working so hard And getting little in return The lesson went ok though When I am riding I tAlk to my horse And I always run them and tell them they are a good horsey After the lesson Joanna said it was lovely of me to do that And she said it to the others to do it tooI felt chuffed about that In the lesson we did a lot of trotting Sitting trot Jumping position Circles And some small jumps I enjoyed it Even if Blue made life a bit more difficult After the lesson I untacked Blue And brushed him down Before putting on his rug Then we all headed out to the yard To watch the farrier shoeing the horses Which was really interesting At 1pmWe breaker for lunch I'm finding it hard to eat breakfast and lunch when I'm at schoolBut I ate half a sandwich yesterday So I guess that's better than nothing We kicked back for an hour And then it was back down to the yard 
For my second lessonI tacked  up a beauty called Jigsaw Bigger and livelier than my buddy Blue I was excited to ride a different horse I mounted him from the ground And straight away I felt so comfortable He felt like a better fit for meHe was also quicker and more forward Which made life a bit easier for meWe even got a little canter in Which I love It's funny the way some horses seem to suit better And even Joanna commented that we were a good match I thoroughly enjoyed the lesson And all too soon it was over I dismounted Jigsaw Untacked himAnd brushed him down again Before I knew it The day was over I'm definitely feeling a bit more confident in myself With the groupThe riding The theory And the equipment It's basically learn in the goAsk lots of questions Ask for things to be explainedAnd then it's a case of trial And errorI was chatting to one of the girls today And I was telling her about the horse therapy that I had been doing I swear to GodThose lessons were gentle compared to what I'm doing now With therapy I literally turned up Got on the horse Ride him Got off the horse And went home I had no clue about the equipmentNot ev n how to adjust my stirrups Now I am not expected to tighten the buckles and the girth from the saddle Which let me tell you is a skill in itself In therapy we did a lot of walking A good bit of trotting And a couple of canters I didn't get out of breath at allNow I am sweating bullets when I come out of a lesson And the inside of my hat is damp with sweat We are constantly on the goAnd you need some serious stamina to keep up with that shit But It's getting easier I'm sure I'll get stronger and fitter in time  Something that struck me today Is that if I were still sick Still underweight There is not a hope of a chance that I would be able to do this course Not a hope in hell If I were still unwellI just wouldn't last And it feels amazing to have the strength to control a horse To muck out To do all the things I am doing And it's a huge incentive to stay wellYesterday I had a bit of a crisis of confidence And I spoke to Joanna She told me that I am doing far better than I think I am I hope so Because a lot of the time I feel like the class dunce But lookI am doing my level best And that's all I can do 
This week I discovered a little gray pony in one of the fields near my house She is a small chubby little mate But cute as a button Do I've taken to stopping to see her once a day Usually She is way down the field So I whistle And she comes running up to the gate I bring her a carrot or an apple And she takes them from me gratefully I don't know who owns her But she doesn't seem well looked after So I will keep an eye on her for nowJust to make sure she is ok
Ok On to the photos I forgot to get a photo of Jigsaw But Blue and arrow and my new pony friend are all there Enjoy...