Elf On A Shelf
...
I am nearer 30 than 20 these days and I am not quite as young and carefree as I used to be - my knees can attest to that! So I thought I'd give you an insight into a not so typical day in the life of a work rider who is quite happy to go fast, ride through bucks etc but won't jump (or school as we call it). I will probably end up making these horses sound like lunatics but they really aren't! Not normally! So here goes!
6am - slam alarm off. Repeat 10mins later before dragging my sorry backside out of bed to go and sort out my own horses before heading to yard 1 for 7.15am. We don't start work until 7.30am but it takes a while to get dressed appropriately for the weather these days! Everyone else arrives and that's when the arguments start ... Who's stollen my girth? Who's got my bridle? Where are all the boots? Who the f has my stick? etc etc. I just laugh at them all. No one dares touch my stuff let alone 'borrow' it. I have them well trained!
My first lot of they day is Cool who is on his first day back in work after running a great, but frustrating race to be 2nd a few days before. 2nd is the worst place to be. Especially when it is only by a length! We are just trotting and bless him he is stiff as a board so we gently toddle round the fields by ourselves. All was well. we stopped at the top of the hill to watch the youngsters going for a lob round the farm (see pic below) and trundle back in, going through the stream on route. Well! We were toddling until people started going up the gallops in the field next to us! Leaping, plunging and much cantering sideways is apparently how we now cross a field, cross the grass gallop and the woodchip gallop and make our way back to the barn! He's certainly feeling well for himself when he loosened off! Normally this horse is a trainers hack to ride - go anywhere, do anything at any speed. Doesn't react to anything around him so he is great for leading out the youngsters. But we survived! And only lost a hind shoe in the process!
Cool
My next lot is my new found friend - Mr Bucket Heed (there is a previous thread on here about me falling off of him ...) We were down to lob round the fields and jump. Well! The only time this horse has ever jumped in the yard it couldn't! He kind of cat left the wee barrels and landed on all 4 feet square - all 5 times he was asked to jump! So you can see why I didn't want to jump him! So lobbing round the fields he is awesome! For a 4yo he is a total dude! We get to the bottom of the line of logs and I ask if anyone else isn't going to jump what they were on. Did even one person day no?! Pft! W*******! So I had the choice - stand at the bottom of a field on a 4yo and watch everyone canter away from him and hope he did nothing or just hold onto my neckstrap and kick on! Well I just kicked on. I didn't have much choice! I was fully expecting to either be jumped out of the saddle or cannoned out the front door. Oh how wrong I was! Bucket Heed flew over the first log ( we're talking 1.5ft jobs here, nothing major!) And the next, then the next. Now the problem was he was jumping so well he was catching up with the horse in front. But that's ok because he steadies up when asked.
Then the ********** go up the bigger bloomin tyres! Now by this point I am elated I survived the 6 wee logs. And pure fear returns! To me the next load of tyres are HUGE! (Think car tyre in front of 4x4 tyre lol!) To someone who doesnt school anything other than my trusty old Cool These jumps are humungous! Even when your sitting on a 17hh horse they look big to me! Then the next problem was Bucket Heed was thoroughly enjoying himself and getting bolder and braver. With every jump he stood off further, jumped higher and landed further away. By the 6th one he stood off outside the wings, left the darned thing 6ft standing and landed upsides the horse in front of me. As he rocketed over all that could be heard was me shouting "JESUS EFFING CHRIST YOU BIG YAK" Needless to day Bucket Heed can jump! We were supposed to go up the line another 2 times. So by now I had got my brave pants on 'cos he was epic! And off we set. By the 3rd log He basically beggared off with me because he knew where he was going and what he was doing. Needless to day I declined going up a 3rd time! I'll leave that to the lads!
Bucket Heed
My favourite wee pony was next. He is on week 3 back in work and is high as a kite! Trotting round the fields consisted off him bucking, broncing, leaping, plunging and jumping 6ft sideways if a blade of grass moved! He is totally awesome lol! When Pony is in full work he is the easiest, happiest ride on the planet. As the pic below shows. He couldn't care less about horses schooling around him, he likes to eat!
Pony!
By the time I get onto my 4th lot I am dripping in sweat. But Midnight is a dude. An 18hh dude! He just bowls along without a care in the world! Again, great for a 5yo. Not so great for my knees which are killing me by this point! But it's ok. Only 2 more horses to ride over at the other yard...
And so onto the next one who is only going twice up the gallop but he is keen as hell up and down - yes we canter back down! But I wouldn't be without him! He is a pocket rocket!
The last is a lovely wee horse who tries so hard and is an absolute joy to ride! I trust him, He trusts me and we have no issues. He likes dropping his shoulder and spinning to get other people off so a lot of people have deemed him nasty but he really, really isn't! If he doesn't like you he will bury you! Simple as lol!
After lunch it's the usual brushing and rugging which is definitely the boring part of the day but the job needs done! And then we are finished. Home to do my lot whilst everyone else goes home to get a shower. So yes I stink for a few hours longer! And yes! You defo's smell by the end of the day! Especially when half of your sweat came from absolute terrorising fear first thing in the morning!
6am - slam alarm off. Repeat 10mins later before dragging my sorry backside out of bed to go and sort out my own horses before heading to yard 1 for 7.15am. We don't start work until 7.30am but it takes a while to get dressed appropriately for the weather these days! Everyone else arrives and that's when the arguments start ... Who's stollen my girth? Who's got my bridle? Where are all the boots? Who the f has my stick? etc etc. I just laugh at them all. No one dares touch my stuff let alone 'borrow' it. I have them well trained!
My first lot of they day is Cool who is on his first day back in work after running a great, but frustrating race to be 2nd a few days before. 2nd is the worst place to be. Especially when it is only by a length! We are just trotting and bless him he is stiff as a board so we gently toddle round the fields by ourselves. All was well. we stopped at the top of the hill to watch the youngsters going for a lob round the farm (see pic below) and trundle back in, going through the stream on route. Well! We were toddling until people started going up the gallops in the field next to us! Leaping, plunging and much cantering sideways is apparently how we now cross a field, cross the grass gallop and the woodchip gallop and make our way back to the barn! He's certainly feeling well for himself when he loosened off! Normally this horse is a trainers hack to ride - go anywhere, do anything at any speed. Doesn't react to anything around him so he is great for leading out the youngsters. But we survived! And only lost a hind shoe in the process!
Cool
My next lot is my new found friend - Mr Bucket Heed (there is a previous thread on here about me falling off of him ...) We were down to lob round the fields and jump. Well! The only time this horse has ever jumped in the yard it couldn't! He kind of cat left the wee barrels and landed on all 4 feet square - all 5 times he was asked to jump! So you can see why I didn't want to jump him! So lobbing round the fields he is awesome! For a 4yo he is a total dude! We get to the bottom of the line of logs and I ask if anyone else isn't going to jump what they were on. Did even one person day no?! Pft! W*******! So I had the choice - stand at the bottom of a field on a 4yo and watch everyone canter away from him and hope he did nothing or just hold onto my neckstrap and kick on! Well I just kicked on. I didn't have much choice! I was fully expecting to either be jumped out of the saddle or cannoned out the front door. Oh how wrong I was! Bucket Heed flew over the first log ( we're talking 1.5ft jobs here, nothing major!) And the next, then the next. Now the problem was he was jumping so well he was catching up with the horse in front. But that's ok because he steadies up when asked.
Then the ********** go up the bigger bloomin tyres! Now by this point I am elated I survived the 6 wee logs. And pure fear returns! To me the next load of tyres are HUGE! (Think car tyre in front of 4x4 tyre lol!) To someone who doesnt school anything other than my trusty old Cool These jumps are humungous! Even when your sitting on a 17hh horse they look big to me! Then the next problem was Bucket Heed was thoroughly enjoying himself and getting bolder and braver. With every jump he stood off further, jumped higher and landed further away. By the 6th one he stood off outside the wings, left the darned thing 6ft standing and landed upsides the horse in front of me. As he rocketed over all that could be heard was me shouting "JESUS EFFING CHRIST YOU BIG YAK" Needless to day Bucket Heed can jump! We were supposed to go up the line another 2 times. So by now I had got my brave pants on 'cos he was epic! And off we set. By the 3rd log He basically beggared off with me because he knew where he was going and what he was doing. Needless to day I declined going up a 3rd time! I'll leave that to the lads!
Bucket Heed
My favourite wee pony was next. He is on week 3 back in work and is high as a kite! Trotting round the fields consisted off him bucking, broncing, leaping, plunging and jumping 6ft sideways if a blade of grass moved! He is totally awesome lol! When Pony is in full work he is the easiest, happiest ride on the planet. As the pic below shows. He couldn't care less about horses schooling around him, he likes to eat!
Pony!
By the time I get onto my 4th lot I am dripping in sweat. But Midnight is a dude. An 18hh dude! He just bowls along without a care in the world! Again, great for a 5yo. Not so great for my knees which are killing me by this point! But it's ok. Only 2 more horses to ride over at the other yard...
And so onto the next one who is only going twice up the gallop but he is keen as hell up and down - yes we canter back down! But I wouldn't be without him! He is a pocket rocket!
The last is a lovely wee horse who tries so hard and is an absolute joy to ride! I trust him, He trusts me and we have no issues. He likes dropping his shoulder and spinning to get other people off so a lot of people have deemed him nasty but he really, really isn't! If he doesn't like you he will bury you! Simple as lol!
After lunch it's the usual brushing and rugging which is definitely the boring part of the day but the job needs done! And then we are finished. Home to do my lot whilst everyone else goes home to get a shower. So yes I stink for a few hours longer! And yes! You defo's smell by the end of the day! Especially when half of your sweat came from absolute terrorising fear first thing in the morning!
)
