Elf On A Shelf
...
It's been dark when I have woken up for the last few weeks which is never fun. Soon it will be dark when I go to work and dark when I get home too, even less fun! But it wasn't as cold as I expected it to be so I took Gray's rug off even though the fog was descending. He's tough, he'll cope! Doing my lot the fog was sitting low and you could see above it. As I tootled off to work the fog got thicker and thicker and lower and lower. This is going to be fun ... not!
We don't have designated boxes to muck out, we all just get on with it and get the job done. Which then means I am doing 6 boxes and the slow coaches are doing 2 ... it's really bloomin annoying! A couple of the young lads have admitted that they deliberately go slow so they can do less! Seriously!?!? Just get your butt in gear and get the job done! We also had a film crew in today filming Scu for a new betting company ad.
First lot was round the fields then 3&3 on the sand on Big Bad Boris! Boris ran at Perth last week! I didn't watch much of the race, a loose horse came by with no bridle on, slowed down then turned to head back up the track where he would be going head first into the rest of the remaining runners. This couldn't be allowed to happen so I banged on the gate to get the steward to let me out to try to catch it or at least send it back in the right direction, someone else saw me and came to help. I grabbed the lead rein off of Hannah and between myself and this other girl we managed to get one lead round it's neck and the other round it's nose and hold it til the vet got over with a headcollar. We nearly lost the horse but just as he went to make a break for it a strapping big lad came and wrapped his arms round the horses neck! Where was he 2 mins ago!?!? It was a bloomin big horse and of the 4 of us that were containing it none of us were actually with the horse! We got it being lead off of the track by the horses lass who finally appeared and so I hopped back over the fence to see how Boris was getting on. When I last saw he was disputing the lead with a circuit to go. Now he was 4l clear jumping the first in the home straight! If Boris can maintain his lead he could very well win this - if he stayed on his feet! For as phenomenal jumper as Boris is he flunks it on the home straight when under pressure and lands on the floor quite a bit! So Hannah and I are jumping up and down screaming him home! "Come On Boris! One two HUP! Good Lad! Come On Boris! Wooooo!!!!! Stay on your bloody feet!"Well I don't tend to scream I rarely even get animated any more but Boris is one of 'my' horses so he got shouted home and got huge pats when he came back in - in front! Yes! Big Bad Boris won! He loves Perth and so do his owners! It capped a day of 3 winners and 3 good 2nds!
So anyway! Back to today! The camera crew set up at the top of the last hill round the fields and as we set off the boss asked how we should do this as we were to canter towards them. As there were 5 of us I suggested that we went 5 side by side in a line and cantered straight towards them out of the fog then split 2 one side, 3 other and go round them. That would look so cool! As we started to line up the boss got a bit tanked with from my right then Caz went to my far left, then Lorraine went from next to me left so I looked across at Blair who was on my far left and we dropped paw and sprinted after them! Boris was absolutely LOVING the game! And as I was in the centre I rode straight at the cameras. As we got closer I looked to my left - no way out! I looked to my right - no way out there either! Bollox! I was aiming straight for 4 people - 1 of which (Scu) had his back to me and no way out! Bollox bollox bollox! I knew I could trust Boris to cowboy slide stop if needs be but I didn't want it to have to come to that. As I got closer the camera mens eyebrows got higher and higher and higher! I must have only been 2 meters away from them when I swung Boris to the right as the other 2 had peeled away thankfully! The boss and I stopped shortly after before we plummeted down the hill. Blair then got pulled up only to nearly be taken out by Caz and Lorraine who had both swung left and then down the hill. It took them another 15-20m to stop! By now Boris is fully her up and absolutely bouncing which made going round the sand circle interesting! I got my arms pulled out of their sockets! And that was just setting off when he fly leapt sideways and pung into canter ??? we bounced sideways all the way back in to the barn too! Well at least he is in good form with himself!
Big Bad Boris coming back in after his win:
My next lot was my wee Sesame Street pony. He also ran at Perth last week and was a very gallant 2nd in a Class 2 race beating a previous 2x Grade 1 winning chaser! He tries his wee heart out everytime bless him. Today was a trot round the fields then 3&3 on the sand. "Now Elmo it's just trotting, no need to haul my arms out." I tell him. "But Muuuuum! It's so exciting! And you know I pull harder in trot than in canter!" Hmmm! Not today he didnt! He was an absolute reprobate! My arms felt like lead at the end of the trotting and I still had the cantering to do! Which he then of course put his ears in my eyes and pulled as though his life depended on it! "Thanks for that Elmo!" From the pinging trot we did back in I just knew the wee so and so was giggling at me! It's great that he has come out of his race so well though!
The ginga ninja surveying the surroundings wondering where he is going to pull my arms out to next:
Over to Yard 2 and I had 2 grumpy mares to ride. Cal's is a lovely horse to ride if she doesn't have any company. Put a horse next to her and she is a right stroppy madam! She gets ridden at the back of the string as she kicks like an absolute biatch and can't be trusted. Just as I put her on the walker my phone pings - Bally needs clipped before running at the weekend.... great! I generally refuse to clip before October 1st as it's a long season otherwise. Sadly for me Bally needs doped and the vet just happened to be in. Because it's Tuesday and he is always in pn a Tuesday. In my head I was thinking today was Monday. Balls.
So I ditch my last ride onto someone else and head back to yard 1 to clip ... I am so not ready for this this year! And apparently no one over at the other yard can clip... the one person who can was on a day off today. I ended up clipping 2 as I had the time. I need to mentally prepare to do more on Thursday.
I have had a touch of tinnitus for the last 5 days in my left ear. I thought it had finally gone this morning when I woke up. Its back with a vengence now! Blah!
And so it begins ...
We don't have designated boxes to muck out, we all just get on with it and get the job done. Which then means I am doing 6 boxes and the slow coaches are doing 2 ... it's really bloomin annoying! A couple of the young lads have admitted that they deliberately go slow so they can do less! Seriously!?!? Just get your butt in gear and get the job done! We also had a film crew in today filming Scu for a new betting company ad.
First lot was round the fields then 3&3 on the sand on Big Bad Boris! Boris ran at Perth last week! I didn't watch much of the race, a loose horse came by with no bridle on, slowed down then turned to head back up the track where he would be going head first into the rest of the remaining runners. This couldn't be allowed to happen so I banged on the gate to get the steward to let me out to try to catch it or at least send it back in the right direction, someone else saw me and came to help. I grabbed the lead rein off of Hannah and between myself and this other girl we managed to get one lead round it's neck and the other round it's nose and hold it til the vet got over with a headcollar. We nearly lost the horse but just as he went to make a break for it a strapping big lad came and wrapped his arms round the horses neck! Where was he 2 mins ago!?!? It was a bloomin big horse and of the 4 of us that were containing it none of us were actually with the horse! We got it being lead off of the track by the horses lass who finally appeared and so I hopped back over the fence to see how Boris was getting on. When I last saw he was disputing the lead with a circuit to go. Now he was 4l clear jumping the first in the home straight! If Boris can maintain his lead he could very well win this - if he stayed on his feet! For as phenomenal jumper as Boris is he flunks it on the home straight when under pressure and lands on the floor quite a bit! So Hannah and I are jumping up and down screaming him home! "Come On Boris! One two HUP! Good Lad! Come On Boris! Wooooo!!!!! Stay on your bloody feet!"Well I don't tend to scream I rarely even get animated any more but Boris is one of 'my' horses so he got shouted home and got huge pats when he came back in - in front! Yes! Big Bad Boris won! He loves Perth and so do his owners! It capped a day of 3 winners and 3 good 2nds!
So anyway! Back to today! The camera crew set up at the top of the last hill round the fields and as we set off the boss asked how we should do this as we were to canter towards them. As there were 5 of us I suggested that we went 5 side by side in a line and cantered straight towards them out of the fog then split 2 one side, 3 other and go round them. That would look so cool! As we started to line up the boss got a bit tanked with from my right then Caz went to my far left, then Lorraine went from next to me left so I looked across at Blair who was on my far left and we dropped paw and sprinted after them! Boris was absolutely LOVING the game! And as I was in the centre I rode straight at the cameras. As we got closer I looked to my left - no way out! I looked to my right - no way out there either! Bollox! I was aiming straight for 4 people - 1 of which (Scu) had his back to me and no way out! Bollox bollox bollox! I knew I could trust Boris to cowboy slide stop if needs be but I didn't want it to have to come to that. As I got closer the camera mens eyebrows got higher and higher and higher! I must have only been 2 meters away from them when I swung Boris to the right as the other 2 had peeled away thankfully! The boss and I stopped shortly after before we plummeted down the hill. Blair then got pulled up only to nearly be taken out by Caz and Lorraine who had both swung left and then down the hill. It took them another 15-20m to stop! By now Boris is fully her up and absolutely bouncing which made going round the sand circle interesting! I got my arms pulled out of their sockets! And that was just setting off when he fly leapt sideways and pung into canter ??? we bounced sideways all the way back in to the barn too! Well at least he is in good form with himself!
Big Bad Boris coming back in after his win:
My next lot was my wee Sesame Street pony. He also ran at Perth last week and was a very gallant 2nd in a Class 2 race beating a previous 2x Grade 1 winning chaser! He tries his wee heart out everytime bless him. Today was a trot round the fields then 3&3 on the sand. "Now Elmo it's just trotting, no need to haul my arms out." I tell him. "But Muuuuum! It's so exciting! And you know I pull harder in trot than in canter!" Hmmm! Not today he didnt! He was an absolute reprobate! My arms felt like lead at the end of the trotting and I still had the cantering to do! Which he then of course put his ears in my eyes and pulled as though his life depended on it! "Thanks for that Elmo!" From the pinging trot we did back in I just knew the wee so and so was giggling at me! It's great that he has come out of his race so well though!
The ginga ninja surveying the surroundings wondering where he is going to pull my arms out to next:
Over to Yard 2 and I had 2 grumpy mares to ride. Cal's is a lovely horse to ride if she doesn't have any company. Put a horse next to her and she is a right stroppy madam! She gets ridden at the back of the string as she kicks like an absolute biatch and can't be trusted. Just as I put her on the walker my phone pings - Bally needs clipped before running at the weekend.... great! I generally refuse to clip before October 1st as it's a long season otherwise. Sadly for me Bally needs doped and the vet just happened to be in. Because it's Tuesday and he is always in pn a Tuesday. In my head I was thinking today was Monday. Balls.
So I ditch my last ride onto someone else and head back to yard 1 to clip ... I am so not ready for this this year! And apparently no one over at the other yard can clip... the one person who can was on a day off today. I ended up clipping 2 as I had the time. I need to mentally prepare to do more on Thursday.
I have had a touch of tinnitus for the last 5 days in my left ear. I thought it had finally gone this morning when I woke up. Its back with a vengence now! Blah!
And so it begins ...
