MY DAY OF BRAVERY (OR STUPIDITY) 12thDEC.

The girls were exceptionally wicked last night. Toothpaste is nothing. I go to climb into bed and I scream. I opened the duvet to climbing and these wicked girls had an ice cream tub stuck in my bed, no lid on, with a Rain Spider in it, which now crawled all over my bed and landed on the floor. They were forced to get it out. Then they ran outside to my bedroom window and threw it back in through the window into my room. As if this was not enough, they then spent the next half hour flicking my bedroom light on and off (the switch for this is outside my bedroom), then they bashed on my bedroom wall for the next half hour (their room is next to mine). By now I have slammed by bedroom door closed as they cannot open it from the outside without me being aware of it. With the building going on here, there is expansion in the door, thus making it a difficult door to open and the door only has a handle on it from the inside of the room. I shall get these girls back (and yes, Cheryl one day too) – She is in cahoots with the girls.
I am up at 07h00 to prepare for our morning ride. Oops, I cannot get out of my room. I see Don has just driven out the gate. I am stuck. I need a pee. Now what? I have no choice but to SMS Cheryl to pls come and let me out my room. I wake the girls up. They are not pleased. We tack up the horses and I am riding Gunstone today. He is about 16.2 hands and a Dun (this is his colouring). On the beach, Andrew and I are together with me riding in the front of him. He is riding Buckle. Michaela goes into the canter for us to follow. Andrew and I could not achieve the canter. Gunstone takes me into an extended trot. I cannot break it. My kidneys are taking a bashing. We reach Michaela and Don and Don instructs us as to what we must do for the canter back. Here go the kidneys again….. We achieve the canter back. We grab pies and go home for lunch. We shall go back to the stables after a small break to split the horses up and put some of them in the field across from the stables. We have no ride set for this afternoon.
We go back to the stables and are just mucking about with the horses. I call Gunstone. He comes. Cheryl and I lie on the ground directly in front of his legs. She is desperate to build up my confidence. She forces me to stand directly behind Robin and pull his tail. Yikes, I AM getting brave. Then Don puts a halter on Robin and tells me to get on him bareback. Robin is about 15.2 hands. Don gives me a leg up. I am on – Bareback. Cheryl instructs Don to remove Robins halter. I am petrified but soon relax. Well, Robin then decides to scratch himself with his back leg. As if that was not enough, he then gives himself a shake (similar to what a dog does). Cheryl then instructs me to slide my body backwards towards Robin’s backside. She wants me to slide myself off him, over his back legs. I hold my breath and go. It seems like I’m sliding off a 3 storey building. I land, I am alive
We now put half the horses in the paddock over the road. I am watching Spirit. He is a Chestnut Arab Stallion. I have been scared of him since I arrived here. He permanently wears a halter as when Cheryl got him about 4 years ago, he had learnt la behavior pattern from his previous owner, to storm people. Having the halter on makes it easier to catch him when needed. Cheryl grabs Spirit to move him away from the gate. I tell her I would like to touch Spirit. She brings him over and tells me to take his halter. Once again, I am nervous but remember the rule of being assertive and the fact that horses are telepathic. I take Spirit, he starts to pull me. I stand my ground and tell him to stand. He responds, positively. I am getting brave, very, very, brave. We go home. Michaela and I work together in the paddock at home. We are destroying and removing thorn trees, leveling the ground and placing jumps up. We are tired after some 2 and half hours doing this. We come inside, have dinner, and are exhausted and ready for bed. We now have no water. The Borehole pump has been struck by lightning. Bath in bucket night tonight.
M