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!
Bert is utterly fascinated by the carriage driving from The London International Horse Show.
I have to admit, I was the same the first time I saw it. Thought it would be a bit dull. I was totally wrong, it was super exciting!
I’m sad that I’m not at the show this year. I couldn’t leave Bert for that long. So watching the coverage is the next best thing.
So far it’s looking good that Bert will enjoy coming to horse events with me in the future. Bring on 2025…
You’ve heard of ‘When Harry met Sally’, well today it was ‘When Buddy met Bert’.
It was a big day for Bert. First he got to run round the garden without the lead. I finished puppy-proofing the garden this morning for him. He was very happy to be ‘free’. Took the opportunity to start working on recall too.
Then this afternoon, he came to the yard with me for the first time. He stayed in the car while I mucked out and poo picked. He was such a good boy. Finally it was time to come out and meet his rather big brother.
Buddy was so gentle with him. Bert was his usual bold self and gave Buddy a good sniff. He wasn’t the least bit phased by the horses. He was so squirmy, I could barely hold him.
There are new members of the Bert Fan Club as everyone was cooing over him. He’s such a cutie!
Bert had an imaginary ‘bo bo’ at Puppy Pre-School tonight. I could say that he was very brave having the bandage put on, but honestly, I’m not sure he even noticed. He was far more interested in the liver paste on the table.
It was all a bit too exciting for him tonight. He got rather overstimulated and needed a time out. There were 3 new puppies tonight. All tiny and terrified compared to him. He’s such a confident chap.
He had quite the day as he had another visitor. This one brought treats! It seems I have a very food-oriented dog to go with my very food-oriented horse. Not a bad thing at all when it comes to training. Just need to get over the excitement of food. For both of them….
Headed over to Mousehold Farm for an arena hire today. Met up with these lovely ladies (and their ponies) for a pony play date.
The wind had some bite to it! I was a tad chilly when we’d finished. Clearly not working hard enough. 
It was lovely to pop Buddy over some jumps too. I feel like he’s had to take a bit of a backseat in the past few months. So it felt good to be doing something fun together.
This week I’ve been hit by more waves of emotions. The tears have definitely been flowing. So I did something I rarely do. I took time for me. I rearranged plans, I stepped back from commitments and allowed myself time to cry, process and heal.
I’m along way from done, I know that. There’s a lot to grieve for right now. But I’m proud of myself for making myself a priority. Little Bert has massively helped there. He’s made me slow things down.
I was meant to peopling today. My lovely Chiro understood when I explained I wasn’t in the best place. So instead, I took my No. 1 boy, aka Mr Fluffy Ears, out for a lovely ride with a good friend.
We talked. We laughed (mostly at our horses antics). But most of all we were appreciative of the joy horses bring us and how being in the great outdoors lifts one’s spirits.
I have no doubt there will be many more tears to come. Grief is very messy…
Buddy chose to show his appreciation to me for paying for his massage today in a rather unusual way. No, he didn’t shower me with love and affection. He threw his head about and smacked me on the bridge of my nose! Ouch!!
My poor nose has been battered a few times now. The first time was horse related, the second was NHS related and the third was cat related.
The NHS straightened my rather broken nose after I came off a horse and shattered the bridge of my nose. In fact it was straighter than before. You could say I got a free nose job.
The third time was more embarrassing as I accidentally head butted my cat Lister. It was one of those unrepeatable things. We just clashed! Unfortunately, I was in London the next day to meet my new boss. I guess turning up with two black eyes was a bit of an icebreaker!!
Let’s hope that I don’t have the same look tomorrow…
Thought I’d take Buddy out for a lovely ride round the village today. It was a sunny day, so why not. The only downside to this time of year is that the sun is very low in the sky. I had a couple of moments where drivers couldn’t see us till the last minute as they were blinded (and for once it wasn’t by my hi-viz!).
Buddy decided to add to the adventure with a freestyle move I like to call ‘the teleport’. Let’s just say we changed lanes very quickly. Thank god I’ve got a good lower leg, the road came towards my face at speed.
And what caused this freestyle move – why a white charity donation bag. Clearly Buddy doesn’t believe in charity…
Back to reality with a shiver today. It took me ages to scrape all the frozen snow and ice off the Comedy Car before I could head home from Birmingham. I know I’ve spent 3 days running around like a headless chicken, but it did feel like I might have skipped a few months as it was so mild when I arrived.
After yesterday’s long day and massive step count, all 42k of them (nearly 23 miles), my feet looked like they’ve got frostbite. They are very sore and throbbing.
Got home to find my house was a cool 7 degrees! So headed to see Buddy while the hearing did its thing. I definitely got the cold shoulder from him to start off with. But he soon thawed and came over for a cuddle.
I am very, very tired. So early night for me. I’m so proud of what the team achieved over the past few days. It’s getting 5 star reviews!
8 years ago, I made one of the best decisions ever. I bought Buddy.
What better way to celebrate our anniversary than going to a jumping clinic! I can’t quite get my head around the fact it’s been 8 years since I bought this handsome boy. This year has probably been our toughest together with his injury and the challenges I’ve faced. But one thing is for sure, he melts my heart.
Looking back at the past 8 years, we have had so many highs. We’ve made so many memories together. We’ve achieved things I couldn’t have even dreamed. There are a lot of people in the Buddy Fan Club.
Today we had a lot of fun together. Especially after I remembered how to actually ride! Funny how muscle memory kicks in when you let it.
He is and will always be ‘My Absolute Diamond’. And I couldn’t love him more if I tried.
On my way back from my Dad’s, I stopped at Elveden to catch up with some of my camp friends for lunch. Going to camps with Buddy have been some of my favourite times over the years. They’re time away from the chaos of my life. Time with like-minded people, great instructors and of course my best camp Buddy.
I love this photo of us. It’s one of those natural ones where I had no idea I was being snapped. It sums up camp to me. Lots of smiles, laughs and love.
I’ve made so many friends at camp. I love catching up with them. After a few very emotional days, it was just what I needed. Lots of hugs, love, good food and even better company…
Tales, Tails and Talus 