Welcome to blog! I started it in 2020 to chart my recovery from breaking my ankle (hence the name). I guess no-one saw a global pandemic coming. It's turned into a place where I can talk about the things happening in my life, my horse and my cats. Enjoy!
I think I might need to lie down or something, but today I rode my amazing horse in my amazing dressage saddle and his new rather amazing bridle.
It’s got a diamonte browband! Dressage mode is fully on!
We may not be the best, but we will certainly look the part. All the gear springs to mind. I picked up this bridle when we are WHW last weekend. It was brand new, but a bargain at £30. The reins were brand new too and only £20. Very happy to support a great charity too.
I’m pleased to report that Buddy positively floated round the arena. Me being me, thought I’d use an old pair of stirrups I had knocking about. Well that showed me that I need to buy another pair of Flex-ons. The tension was back in my inner thighs. Honestly, I don’t know how, but they’ve made a massive improvement to my riding.
I think we are both still getting used to the new saddle. It’s going to take time to adjust after many years in a jump saddle. I mean, I know my legs are long, but they felt VERY long today.
I’ve set myself the goal to do a Novice test competitively in H1 2026. First we need to crack Prelim. Might help if I actually entered a competition. Oh and have some more dressage lessons. Baby steps. For today, can we focus on how handsome Buddy looks with a bit of bling.
So 2020 was going to be my year. The year I got my life sorted after being served redundancy notice from my job in November 2019. The year I ticked off more things from my horsey bucket list. The year I got my mental health back under control and reduced stress in my life.
I had a plan. And it was a good one. Then the plan changed dramatically on 2 January. I came off my horse at speed and broke my ankle. Badly. Like all good equestrians, I got back on and rode back to the yard, sorted Buddy out and then drove myself to A&E. That’s where this journey really began...
I was sent home from A&E and told to crack on, only to receive a phone call later to say they’d missed a fracture (and a rather serious one at that). Whoops! So fracture clinic on 3 January, surgery on 5 January and home to recover.
I started this blog as a way to chart my recover back to the saddle. As I cleared clinics and competitions out of my diary and wondered what the next few months would bring, it's been a safe space for me to say how I'm feeling.
The new plan was to get a new job, to keep Buddy is kept ticking over and recover from my injury. Another good plan! I didn't expect a global pandemic, lockdown and all that happened in 2020.
This blog has changed over time but it's continued to be my safe space to share the things going on in my life, with Buddy and the cats. Enjoy!
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