another lockdown looming

[racebuddy]

feel another lockdown looming , already in tier 4 so limited travel , key worker in a vets to able to travel to work and yard , arena hires and treadmill still allowed although havent as of yet leaving a few weeks until numbers have strarted to drop , somehow managing to keep my horse sane , he is wandering were his outings are and very difficult to keep settled , i very much doubt we will have any season , looks like a few months of arena hire and treadmill when allowed to again if go on full lockdown again .

 

[Bernster]

Urgh, although in my case I’m pretty much in lock down all the time. Tier 4 and not planning any trips off the yard. Am still able to go to the yard unrestricted which is great. Resorting to online dressage instead and have some dressage markers on the way so that I can start practising.

Not expecting any loosening of the rules for a good few weeks, to allow for post Xmas and Nye increase in cases. Worryingly, have heard of positive cases from folks who are keeping to their own household and doing shopping only.

 

[milliepops]

Urgh, although in my case I’m pretty much in lock down all the time. Tier 4 and not planning any trips off the yard.

same! nothing to do and nowhere to go. horse has more trips than me, just booked her next jolly to the vet with the transporter

at the moment I can't see anything changing until/unless more people get vaccinated.

 

[Ownedby4horses]

I hope everywhere gets on top of this soon. It is so hard for everyone. We’ve been lockdown since 16th December until the 17th January at the earliest. Just supermarkets and pharmacies allowed to be open. We did find an agricultural store open the other day also and I’ve never been so excited in my life to go for feed!

Im desperate to see family (all in the UK) having not seen them for 6 months now and having to miss our tiny grandson’s funeral.

I feel for everyone in the UK too. x

 

[Roxylola]

I'm a key worker too - pensions and finance still has to go ahead too. I can live with lockdown/tier 4 restrictions but I'll be gutted if we lose our arena hires etc, we've been frozen for about a week already so without hiring this weekend we'd have been on walkers and tiny paddock as his only exercise as the lane off the yard has been too frozen and slippy for any hacking along with the arena being frozen and ending up on stilts!

 

[Inda]

Where are you that vets are considered key workers?

We’re not in Scotland. The RCVS have been lobbying that farm vets and others in the food production industry are key workers, the rest of us not so much. We’re not eligible for childcare in schools.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

As long as I can keep hacking out with my sharers then I’ll be happy. I really don’t want to stop exercising them and especially my old boy I’m convinced will deteriorate if he’s not kept fit and active. I’m luckily DIY and no restrictions on my yard.

 

[racebuddy]

I'm a key worker too - pensions and finance still has to go ahead too. I can live with lockdown/tier 4 restrictions but I'll be gutted if we lose our arena hires etc, we've been frozen for about a week already so without hiring this weekend we'd have been on walkers and tiny paddock as his only exercise as the lane off the yard has been too frozen and slippy for any hacking along with the arena being frozen and ending up on stilts!

Back lockdown xx me too i can live with arena hires eve. Uf it for another six months xxx ???

 

[MereChristmas]

I haven’t ridden for 10 days due to bad weather and now lying ice and snow. There is no chance of hiring a school even if the ‘box could get there safely. Pony is now on winter hols and as OH works from home we will effectively be in hibernation. We are lucky I think in comparison to so many people.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I thought I read no arena hire but will wait for it to be fully confirmed

 

[Roxylola]

I thought I read no arena hire but will wait for it to be fully confirmed

Yeah, there's a download on the government website - explicitly states under exercise rules riding arenas must close. Splitting hairs I think to say that doesn't cover farm rides/gallops etc and I can't see anywhere staying open to chance the fines ?

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Arena hires round here are cancelled, been popping up all across the local equine pages.

 

[Flame_]

Yeah, there's a download on the government website - explicitly states under exercise rules riding arenas must close. Splitting hairs I think to say that doesn't cover farm rides/gallops etc and I can't see anywhere staying open to chance the fines ?

IIUC, it specifies riding arenas at riding schools so not sure about other arenas. ETA, though I doubt traveling to them would qualify as essential anyway.

 

[Roxylola]

IIUC, it specifies riding arenas at riding schools so not sure about other arenas. ETA, though I doubt traveling to them would qualify as essential anyway.

Unfortunately I think its pretty clear as attached. Riding centres isn't riding schools. I cannot see anywhere chancing staying open.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Sports and physical activity
Indoor gyms and sports facilities will remain closed. Outdoor sports courts, outdoor gyms, golf courses, outdoor swimming pools, archery/driving/shooting ranges and riding arenas must also close. Organised outdoor sport for disabled people is allowed to continue.

 

[Honey08]

I’m over the moon that I gave my awkward liveries notice a couple of months ago. I have a feeling this lockdown is going to be a lot less stressful on my yard.

 

[Flame_]

Riding centres isn't riding schools. I cannot see anywhere chancing staying open.

Hmmm, suppose so. Riding centre has always equalled riding school to me but you're right that's not necessarily the case in this context.

 

[teapot]

Hmmm, suppose so. Riding centre has always equalled riding school to me but you're right that's not necessarily the case in this context.

Unless there's the loophole for professional training again, all centres of any size or shape will be closed, and that'll include arena hire.

I've just sent emails to my clients and it's gutting.

 

[daydreamer]

It’s a small thing but I’m sat scratching my head about what I am going to teach in my remote lesson tomorrow. It was going to be revision as my 2nd yr A level students were due to sit mocks next week. Now that’s not going to happen and we don’t even know if they will sit formal exams in the summer! I do agree schools should close it’s all just very last minute!

 

[Frumpoon]

It’s almost the very definition of madness...doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result....

 

[dogatemysalad]

We've pretty much been on lockdown since last March because our lifestyle and working from home meant it was possible. It was also a way of doing our bit for essential workers who are most at risk.
It is, what it is, but even I'm getting fed up with footballers and celebrities who seem to be exempt from any kind of restriction.
My thoughts are with small business owners who've had so much to deal with this year and also people who live alone. It must be incredibly hard.

 

[GSD Woman]

I feel for you all. At least people in the UK are being sensible and not denying the virus. It annoys the poop out of me that ~ half of the US doesn't GET IT.

 

[Pippity]

I live alone (other than a very vocal and annoying cat) in a small flat and work from home, so the first lockdown was very tough because we weren't allowed on the yard at all. Thankfully, this time we are allowed, so the new lockdown won't make a huge amount of difference to me.

My single-mum, keyworker friend, on the other hand, is already being attacked by other parents at her son's school because she's having to keep sending him. As she says, she'd love to keep him home, but she doesn't have any choice.

I feel for you all. At least people in the UK are being sensible and not denying the virus. It annoys the poop out of me that ~ half of the US doesn't GET IT.

Oh, they are. There's a small subset on my yard who are loudly convinced it's 'just bad flu'. They stopped including me in their conversations about how people are over-reacting when I pointed out that a) I knew three people who'd died of covid, and b) I usually end up hospitalised when I get even moderate flu.

 

[mariew]

I am unreasonably pissed off with the whole thing and I can only pin it down to it being so unfair on school kids. By the summer they'll be almost a year behind but I bet they won't re run the years. And the poor uni students are getting pss poor education for their expensive fees. Rant over. At least we can keep up riding.

 

[GSD Woman]

mariew, I get your frustration but there really isn't a good alternative. My niece is a single mother but fortunately my sister is a retired teacher and has taken over the online teaching with my grandniece. Where I live it is a "red" zone for COVID and I'm glad I'm homebound right now.

 

[Ownedby4horses]

It’s almost the very definition of madness...doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result....

But what else can they do? I definitely found more people to be complacent about the rules in the UK. It was noticeably different moving here as everyone sticks to every rule.

 

[meleeka]

It’s a small thing but I’m sat scratching my head about what I am going to teach in my remote lesson tomorrow. It was going to be revision as my 2nd yr A level students were due to sit mocks next week. Now that’s not going to happen and we don’t even know if they will sit formal exams in the summer! I do agree schools should close it’s all just very last minute!

It’s a huge thing for those that are supposed to be taking exams this year. My son was due to sit his GCSE’s but now it feels as if the rug has just been pulled out from under him. No doubt his remote lessons will continue, but what’s the point? I’m pretty sure he won’t need to know the finer details of Shakespeare in his adult life. On the other hand he can’t really just do nothing until September, or I can see his mental health suffering more than it already has. We were also due to look at colleges and I know from my other child, how important the open evenings were, which my youngest won’t get now either. He’s now got to decide what he wants to do in adulthood, without anything to help, in the midst of a pandemic.

 

[daydreamer]

It’s a huge thing for those that are supposed to be taking exams this year. My son was due to sit his GCSE’s but now it feels as if the rug has just been pulled out from under him. No doubt his remote lessons will continue, but what’s the point? I’m pretty sure he won’t need to know the finer details of Shakespeare in his adult life. On the other hand he can’t really just do nothing until September, or I can see his mental health suffering more than it already has. We were also due to look at colleges and I know from my other child, how important the open evenings were, which my youngest won’t get now either. He’s now got to decide what he wants to do in adulthood, without anything to help, in the midst of a pandemic.

I agree it is a huge thing for students - I meant me not knowing what to teach this morning was a small personal problem in the grand scheme of things. We now have many 2nd year students who will have spent their holiday revising for mocks which they were expecting to sit next week. They were aware there was (thought to be before Christmas) a slim possibility that external exams may not occur so the result of this mock was really important. They did not do their end of year 1 mock at the end of their first year due to the first lockdown. They did do a mock in September but that was after lockdown and the summer holidays so many of them (understandably and unexpectedly) underperformed. If teachers are asked to predict grades for this cohort it will be even more stressful than last time as we have less data for them (missed tests/mocks/etc). The same will be true of GCSE students. I hope there is a way some external examining can occur - for example an international qualification I teach for told us back in September students would only have to sit 2 instead of the usual 3 exams so there was less content to teach. If only our government had been so sensible.

All you can do is try and reassure your son that being good at learning is a very valuable skill so it is worth keeping on trying. Also if he does want to go to college it is important he builds up as good a foundation understanding and knowledge as possible. Many of our first years (who missed their GCSE's) came in with knowledge and understanding below what I would expect and really struggled with the transition to A level.

Our college had to cancel it's open evenings too so each department made a video which has been put on YouTube. It might be worth seeing if places local to you have done something similar as at least it is something.

 

[COldNag]

I have one the same age. It is really rough for them.

She has had to apply for 6th form on the back of a virtual tour. Not great but that's how it is. My elder one has done her Uni applications on the same basis. I really feel for them both.

If your son isn't sure what he wants to do (snd how many really do at that age) how about just going with the subject areas he enjoys most and see what unfolds?

Meanwhile it will be tough keeping motivation up and I am not sure what the answer is.

 

[meleeka]

I agree it is a huge thing for students - I meant me not knowing what to teach this morning was a small personal problem in the grand scheme of things. We now have many 2nd year students who will have spent their holiday revising for mocks which they were expecting to sit next week. They were aware there was (thought to be before Christmas) a slim possibility that external exams may not occur so the result of this mock was really important. They did not do their end of year 1 mock at the end of their first year due to the first lockdown. They did do a mock in September but that was after lockdown and the summer holidays so many of them (understandably and unexpectedly) underperformed. If teachers are asked to predict grades for this cohort it will be even more stressful than last time as we have less data for them (missed tests/mocks/etc). The same will be true of GCSE students. I hope there is a way some external examining can occur - for example an international qualification I teach for told us back in September students would only have to sit 2 instead of the usual 3 exams so there was less content to teach. If only our government had been so sensible.

All you can do is try and reassure your son that being good at learning is a very valuable skill so it is worth keeping on trying. Also if he does want to go to college it is important he builds up as good a foundation understanding and knowledge as possible. Many of our first years (who missed their GCSE's) came in with knowledge and understanding below what I would expect and really struggled with the transition to A level.

Our college had to cancel it's open evenings too so each department made a video which has been put on YouTube. It might be worth seeing if places local to you have done something similar as at least it is something.

Thank you, some good points there which I will pass along. He had mocks in September and didn’t do well in two subjects, one of which was English, so I really hope it’s not just based on that. I’m hoping the teachers will realise that it wasn’t a true reflection of where he’s at. It wasn’t just him, a lot of the kids did worse than expected so I’m guessing the last lockdown affected them all.

I will email the colleges and ask if they have videos. It’s a bit difficult has he currently has no clue what he wants to do. Local colleges are mostly vocational so that’s another problem.