That went well!

Thank goodness it was a calmer day today and all the boys were back on an even keel. George was still threatening to dash out the door when someone else was in it, so I had to block him and let the other two go. That meant, of course, that no-one was outside to stop them having a wander around the bigger yard, and true to form Zipperoo did just that, the nosy little tyke. Everyone seemed fit and well with no after effects of a wrestling match with a pair of steel barn doors yesterday.

I tacked up - that was fun. The saddle was no trouble but the bridle! I can't reach upwards well with the arm, and when I did manage to get it up to his ears, by scrunching my fingers up his face like a spider, I couldn't put any muscle power into pushing his ears through the headpiece. I did it in the end, I can't really remember how. It's a good job George is both patient and small - I'm going to need a stepladder to do either of the other two!

SH came out to hold the offside stirrup, but other than that I wanted to see if I could get on without help. It wasn't diffficult at all. And riding was completely OK, just a bit of an ache but no pain to speak of. George and I have done a full training session because he decided half way through not to return to a right bend, and it took a lot of twisting and turning to free him up. When he doesn't want to do something he does a short choppy walk or trot and won't be sent forward out of it. I even picked up a stick today and tapped him with it to make him move. Thankfully, his reaction was fine, though bearing in mind that I didn't want to fall off, I was very careful.

So it was a really successful session. My shoulder is fine and George hadn't forgotten anything. Who would have believed it? This time last week I couldn't even move my arm without excruciating pain and now I am riding again. OK I don't plan on hunting this Saturday any more, but I'm not going to get bent out of shape over that when I thought I'd lost the whole eventing season. Time for Jetset George's registration to go in the post I think :-)

C