I am the face of SSIT website!!!!

So much thanks for the SSIT

ssit.org.uk

This blog is the article I wrote to support my page on the southern spinal injuries website.

My Name is Sallyanne Haigh I am 46 and in October 2015 my life changed forever as I knew it. I was attending a horse riding rally with my local riding club on my own horse Oubles. She was a character and a hand full at times. This particular day she was on one!! and in the afternoon when we were doing cross country training she reared up and fell over backwards with me still sat in the saddle.

Oh  I have never felt pain like it, I heard my bones cracking and when I landed on the floor with her on top of me I think I blacked out. I was lucky enough to be attended to by the Great Weston air ambulance charity. They air lifted me to Southmead hospital in Bristol where following an  assessment and  9 hour operation I stayed for 3 months, I had broken my vertrabra from T11-L2 and sustained a spinal cord injury at L1. I was paralysed from the waist down, with bladder and bowel complications and was going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life!!

I left Southmead hospital and went to Salisbury Spinal unit and this is where I first got to hear about the Southern spinal injuries trust (SSIT). Weekly peer supporters from the charity use to come onto the unit to talk to inpatients, I met a wonderful lady called Marie who was so positive it gave me encouragement that things were going to be ok. I was lucky enough to be picked to represent The Duke of Cornwall spinal unit at the inter spinal games in Stoke Mandeville which was sponsored by SSIT.

Right from the beginning I knew I wanted to go back to riding, and while I was at the spinal unit, one of the recreational team arranged for me to attend the RDA in Wilton  on a couple of occasions so I could get my fix of smelling horses!! (Some people will understand when I say that!!!)

Having a Spinal injury is a life changing condition and a huge ripple effect to all involved. I am a Nurse by profession and have worked in the NHS for 25 years so being a patient was not comfortable for me. I worked hard at the rehab so I could be discharged home as soon as possible. Once home I had to set about converting my house for a wheelchair and much to some peoples horror, I was starting to make plans for how I could get back in the saddle.

My friend and instructor Beth Hobbs has been very supportive to me following my accident, one day she said that she has taken her horse Flynn to Carl Hester MBE for  a lesson and asked him whether he though Flynn would make a good Para Dressage horse. With Carls seal of approval Beth offered to support me by sponsoring Flynn for me to ride. I was over the moon as this horse is so special and has such an amazing temperament he makes a great para horse. I set about raising some money and the riding club donated money from a tack sale and dressage event and with these funds we were able to supply and fit a rider hoist onto Beth’s Lorry. This hoist from Dolphin Mobility meant that I could mount Flynn safely on the yard and at other venues.

I soon realised that I would benefit from another hoist arm next to the arena as this would be safer, take less time and reduce the amount of helpers that I would need. I approached the SSIT for a grant and my equine physio Julia Mottram supported this application with a letter of benefits.  My application was accepted and I was able to organise a second arm to be fitted next to the arena. I wrote a thank you letter to the SSIT for their support as I was over the moon with the access that this hoist had given me. This was followed up with a meeting with Victoria and Piers from the events team and management of the charity both lovely people. At this meeting we discussed my ambitions with riding para dressage and talked about the finances to support such a special sport. I mentioned about a bespoke saddle to make it easier for me and Piers said “could the SSIT support this?” I was blown away with the generosity of the charity.  

I wanted to help give something back to the SSIT so my sister and 4 of my nursing colleagues and friends did the charity Skydive in September 2018 to raise funds for this charity and we did a Christmas tombola at work with all proceeds going to SSIT.

I now have an amazing Fairfax saddle, which with my saddler Paul Allison we have adapted the saddle to have high knee rolls and thigh rolls and a handle. All these special adaptions which I will need to be applied to my British Para Dressage classification record as I am now classified as a grade 2 para rider. All these adaptions on the saddle make it specialised just for me and helps with my core balance and stability in the saddle. Being back on the horse makes me feel happy, out of the confines of my wheelchair I feel amazing and free. Don’t get me wrong riding is so hard and such a massive challenge. But I hope to now work on building a relationship and confidence with Flynn and working hard this year to achieve a personal goal of attending some local competitions this year.

None of this would have been possible without the support from the SSIT my trainer Beth Hobbs and the huge network of friends and helpers that I need to achieve my dream of Para dressage.       

Follow my journey by reading my blog at……

Myparajourney.blogspot.com

 

A Blog I wrote for "Your Horse Magazine"....

What’s been happening lately?

As many of you know who have followed my blog over the last year in “Your Horse”, I have been progressing slowly with para riding. It is actually so much harder than I thought it would be. If you can remember my blogs last year you will know that I am 45 year old mum of 2 children who was involved in a horse riding accident in October 2015. This accident left me with a broken back and spinal injury. After 6 months in hospital I was eager to go home and begin my new life as a paraplegic, learning to accept a very different life than I had before. Being paralysed is not the only complication with a spinal injury. Many people are not aware of the complexities with a neurogenic bladder and bowel which have caused me a lot of complication over the last 2.5 years.

Straight after my accident I always knew I wanted to get back on the saddle but I actually had no idea how hard this was going to be. I’ve written numerous blogs about how I have coped over the last 2.5 years. Accessing information about the para horse industry, assessment and classification has been extremely difficulty. It took me about a year to get assessed for a classification grade, to be allowed to ride at the RDA to start with even just  on the simulator and join the British Dressage. I have worked tirelessly to start to achieve my dream of riding at Para Dressage. Perhaps now things are coming together a little.

I’ve had amazing support from my trainer Beth Miller BHSII who also owns Super Flynn the horse I am riding. Flynn is a 15.3 Connemara with the personality of a saint!! Well actually he is very cheeky, but under saddle he excels with how in tuned he is to me, I am so lucky to be able to ride him. We have spent a long time desensitising Flynn to the para rider hoist of which we have 2. One on the lorry and one next to the arena. Flynn took all this training in his stride, At this point we needed about 4 helpers to walk along by the side of us in case I came off. Things were going well and my confidence was growing with our partnership. We had got to the staged of riding independently in walk and were running through some simple walk tests.

Then it happened I had a fall and lost a lot of my confidence. It’s difficult to say what actually happened but I think it was going onto a 20 meter circle and I lost my balance due to the pace we were traveling at. When I over balanced I waved my arms up and had the whips in my hands which unfortunately spooked Flynn and once I had lost my balance there was only one outcome and that was off!!!

Following this setback it has taken me a long time to build my confidence back up again, I am working hard in the gym and doing exercises to strengthen my core, and learning to sit up straight slightly behind the vertical. I am back to having side walkers and have the most fantastic team of volunteers who I feel extremely relaxed with. After the fall I decided I needed to get my own bespoke saddle as riding in a GP saddle was a challenge. I approached a charity SSIT (Southern spinal injuries trust) as I had worked with them before and know that they may accept an application for funds towards the bespoke piece of equipment that I needed to help me in my sport, a dressage saddle.

My physio, instructors and RDA were able to support my application with expert knowledge of how owning my own saddle would benefit me and my position while riding. With the application in I started researching para dressage riders, saddles and adaptations. It is quite complicated as I have been classified as a grade 2. This means in competitions I will have to do walk and trot.  On your classification record you have to declare adaptations as some adaptations won’t be allowed as they are seen as an advantage to the rider. All the adaptions have to go through British Dressage and be authorised and added to your card, so I can be very complicated. 

Then I had the call to say I had been successful with my application, so I was able to get in touch with my saddler Paul Allison who has worked with lots of other para dressage riders and he started to gather some saddles and special adaptations for me.  We tried a few and then found a Fairfax one that was most suitable, Paul then worked at taking bits off, adding extra bits and each week we reassessed the changes, making sure it wasn’t effecting Flynn or me in a negative way. We now have got to the point that we have a great supportive saddle, one that is comfortable for Flynn and me. I work closely with Paul the saddler as any changes with me or Flynn can compromise my balance.

We have come so far this year and even attended a British Para Training venue for our first outing. This was a huge challenge for me as leaving the comforts of our yard and going somewhere else changes so much. I was extremely nervous which I know effected Flynn so his pace was quicker and this surprised me as to how different just going somewhere else to ride would make me feel. We have also now hired the arena at the Avon riding for disabled in Bristol (RDA) and this was a very successful outing and we are going to try and make this a regular session for us. It is all very expensive and this has to be taken into account as I only have one financial sponsor which is Dolphin mobility. This year we hope to work on the basics, and attend an unmounted fit to ride day at Hartpury College. Where we have goal setting sessions and ride the simulator, all under the watchful eye of British Dressage. I am looking forward to this day.

We are also working on trying to start trotting, you may think this is easy but by no means is it. We are just bringing in trotting on the straight. With the leaders taking the control and me just trying to find a balance point as the trot is so bouncy. I watch other para riders who make this look so easy. I have to keep reminding myself this is my journey and stop comparing myself to others, but we all do it!!  The saddle I have has knee rolls and thigh rolls which support my legs as we try to reduce the swing as too much movement will give the wrong signals to Flynn, and we don’t want to be going any faster at this staged. I am so happy with how far I have come over the last 12 months and hope to make even more progress in 2019.

I write my own blog at myparajourney.blogspot.com   where you can also keep up to date with my antics and life as a paraplegic.

 

    

 

 

 

      

 

 

  

 

   

2nd session operation trot......

Second session at the RDA June 2019

 As I said last week I was going to the RDA in Avon again to have another simulator lesson, my instructor Karen had discussed last week that I should take my bespoke saddle that I ride in and fit it on to the simulator. Well I took the saddle and with a bit of fiddling around with it on Black Beauty it didn’t fit!! The girth straps were too long so that was that. So I had my session in the saddle that’s always on the simulator. I don’t feel unsafe in this saddle but we just thought it would be good if we could use mine for familiarity, It was a good idea but not suitable.

I started off in walk and did a couple of warm up exercises including walk to holt transitions, My friend Jane was with me today, she hasn’t seen me ride Black Beauty for a long time and she said she couldn’t believe how secure in my seat I was. It’s funny as my other instructor Beth says that, but I feel so vulnerable bobbing about on top I don’t see it. So once warmed up in walk we pick up the slow trot and off we go! Karen notices that sometimes I am tucking my finger under the pommel, I am not sure why I do this and sometimes I don’t, maybe it’s due to the fact that on my saddle I have a bar? And when I feel unbalanced I automatically go to the bar and stabilise myself. Well I’m going to try and not hold the saddle in these transfers and we continued to practice most of the session going from trot to walk and trot again.

I told Karen about our communication with Flynn at my riding lesson on Monday. I am going to try and be very clear with the signals I give him as I don’t want him to be confused when asking for the transitions. As a para rider in para dressage you are allowed to use your voice.  This is something I have to learn and I will be practicing my clear instructions on the simulator and real thing!!

We tried the faster trot also today, which is very unsettling for me and I couldn’t be in it for long and bypassed quickly into canter, this feels very comfortable and I quite enjoy how secure I feel in this pace. But not for long as I have to go back down through the transitions again into really fast unbalancing trot, I am not sure that pushing me out of my comfort zone is part of pushing myself to make me do it as I defiantly need to push myself more now if I want to compete at Grade 2. I finished today’s session feeling quite pleased with what I achieved today. Then we took my saddle to try it on one if the horses at the centre. Robbie is one horse that is hoist trained, I have ridden him a few times and after his fitting by the RDA stable manager it was agreed that my saddle did fit Robbie so I would be able to use my own saddle when I ride him. This is fantastic as in my saddle my lower leg is quite stable and doesn’t swing because of the knee rolls/thigh rolls.

I am really happy that my own saddle fits Robbie and that we can alternate with Robbie, Flynn and the simulator. I am looking forward to next week simulator lesson already as we work toward establishing that TROT!!!

      

Operation trot.....

First session at the Avon RDA what a fantastic opportunity from the BHS

If you read my blog last month you will know that I was lucky enough to win a competition from the BHS (British Horse society) for a bursary, to help support up and coming riders in conjunction with the Avon RDA (Riding for Disabled Adults). The bursary from the BHS has been allocated to help support riders who don’t have their own horse and who need help to get their foot on the ladder. In my case it will help me follow my dream of Para Dressage. As I discussed in the last blog I broke my back and sustained a spinal injury leaving me paralysed being unable to walk or feel anything from the waist down. This happened in October 2015, Life changing injuries in every way which left me confined to a wheelchair for life. But I have a dream that’s kept me going through all the dark times, I always knew I wanted to get back in the saddle and now my dream is becoming a reality.

I have been attending the RDA in Bristol for about 2 years on and off and also have help and support from Beth Miller (BHSII) my friend and instructor.  I have had a lot of support from the RDA and my Instructor Karen Sheppard has helped me come a long way both psychologically and emotionally. The first time I attended the RDA I had to have an assessment and it was thought that we needed to work on balance and core strength.  This was achieved by using the horse simulator in the walk facility. The simulator is a great big black mechanical horse (I’ve named her Black Beauty!!) By having sessions on the simulator I was able to gain my confidence again and work on my core strength as that’s all that’s holding me up! Obviously due to having had my accident on a horse I didn’t know how I would feel, but I was so emotional and I loved every minute of being back on board. I have now being in the saddle about 2 years but I don’t ride every week and sometimes due to illness and time I don’t ride for weeks at a time.

In 2017 I applied to be classified for British Para Dressage now that I am able to sit up, balance and walk. Following a thorough assessment I have been classified as a grade 2. (This took absolutely ages to get organised probably about 12 months) This means that for competitive riding I will have to do walk/trot dressage tests. This just seems an impossible dream at the moment. I watch riders who are grade 2 and see how fluid and easy the trot looks but I can assure you it’s not easy at all. Having also had a fall in 2018 off Flynn the horse I ride who belongs to Beth Hobbs. I felt my confidence has really had another battering.

This week I went to the RDA for my first lesson with the bursary, I have booked 3 sessions on Black Beauty. I have set myself the challenge of establishing the trot. I am safely walking now and riding independently in walk. But I now need to push myself and trotting is the next step. We have decided to have the simulator sessions in trot. Black Beauty has 2 trot speeds. This week we worked on the slow trot, we did lots of transitions from walk to trot, trot to walk and did some twisting exercises while in trot. I do find this quite hard and faster than I am use to. We discussed that next week I would take my own saddle to use with the simulator and see how I get on and then we can speed up the trot. My saddle has been specially designed by my saddler Paul Allison, it’s a Fairfax design with extra knee rolls/thigh rolls/handle and we are looking at adding Velcro straps. We will see if my saddle fits one of the RDA horses called Robbie that I’ve ridden in the past and then I will be able to practice the trot on horseback!

I have 2 more simulator sessions over the next couple of weeks and I feel that these sessions will really help push me out of my comfort zone before we try it for real on Tommie. I look forward to sharing my trot journey with you all. Thanks again for this amazing opportunity.

 

 

 

 

Wow Ive won a bursery to help with my para dressage

Wow thank you BHS for the amazing opportunity.

              My name is Sallyanne Haigh I am a 45 year old mother of 2 amazing children, Harry 17 and Stella 15. Our life changed dramatically on 10^th October 2015. I was attending a local riding club rally on my horse Oubles. We were having a great day until at one of the X country fences Oubles decided she didn’t want to jump it. We came again a bit more assertive and this time she went up in the air reared and went over backwards falling on top of me!!  

Straight away I was concerned due to the pain I was In I knew I had done something bad. Being fully conscious waiting for the air ambulance to arrive felt like a lifetime. I was air lifted to Southmead hospital where I had a 9 hour operation to rebuild my broken vertebra from T11-L2, I had broken ribs and I had sustained a spinal injury at L1 paralysing me from the waist down. To cut a long story short my life changed forever that day. I spent 7 months in hospital going from Southmead hospital in Bristol to a specialist spinal unit at Salisbury. This was a very dark time as learning to come to terms with this complex injury was going to be a journey.  

I am very lucky to have fantastically supportive friends and family around me, who have helped get me back in the game and back in the saddle. As you can imagine a few immediate family members were not keen when I started talking about getting back on board. But my friend and instructor Beth Miller BHSII offered me the ride of her Horse Flynn as a para pony if I wanted to ride again.  I knew I wanted to ride again, but I never realised it would be so hard.

Only 2 years after my injury I went to the Avon RDA where I started having sessions on the simulator to help with my core and balance, and I had my first sit on/lesson at the RDA being hoisted onto one of their amazing ponies. This was overwhelming and very emotional. I set about finding a way of mounting Flynn at home and we soon were lucky enough to have donations from my riding club after fundraising for a lorry/arena hoist. We set about hoist training Flynn and so it began.

So one day I was reading the BHS journal and I saw an article for the offer of support with a bursary for riders who don’t own their own horse. So I applied, and a few months later I was over the moon to be contacted to say I had won. I entered because I thought it would be great if I could have the opportunity to ride more in a safe environment and have a few extra lessons so we can push on from walk to trot as I have been classified now for BD para dressage and I am graded a 2… which means I have to walk and trot in the tests. This is harder than it looks when you have no sensation and are paralysed from the waist down.

I absolutely love the feeling of being in the saddle with the freedom from being away from the wheelchair it’s like the horse is my legs. I can’t wait to benefit from this opportunity and feel very lucky to have had this chance to develop with my riding. I am looking forward to sharing my journey with you.

    bhs.org.uk

www.avonridingcentre.org.uk

The teams new website

Crash test dummy Beth in rider hoist

Please take a look at the new website for lone oak stables.

loneoaksteam.weebly.com

The web site has been put together by Beth Hobbs who owns and runs the yard. I am extremely lucky to keep my daughters horse there on livery, I also part own Chelsie and Flynn who I ride as my para steed is here too. Its a fantastic team and yard to be part of. Below is my testimonial to support Beth and thank her for all her help over the years.   

I have known Beth for 8 years, in that time I have watched her develop into a confident competitive athlete, highly qualified rider, trainer and yard manager.  

The challenge came for me 3 years ago following a horse riding accident; Beth offered to help me get back in the saddle if I wanted too!!  Of course I was going to get back on!! Not that easy though being paralysed from the waist down. With her attention to detail and sensitivity we managed it. Now we are aiming at BD para dressage. Beth has organised a dedicated para team that help with my weekly sessions. The rider hoist on the lorry and arena make mounting safe. So if you require specialist support with your riding lone Oak yard and Beth is the one to contact.    

I cannot recommend Beth enough she’s simply amazing and has given me a real opportunity of turning my dreams into a reality.

Sallyanne Haigh

Ive been quite busy

#Ivebeenquitebusy!!!!

  As we leave 2018 and go into winter and look back the weather last summer has been amazing, up to 30 degrees! It was actually like being on holiday abroad.  I am now contemplating moving somewhere hot?? Last winter really got me down as it was so long, wet, cold and muddy and just this lift by seeing blue sky everyday has done wonders for my mood. Well for most of June I have been boarded up in my house, as the builders still onsite. To date its 30 weeks and I still haven’t finished, to be honest most of the building work has been done, and the electrician, kitchen fitter, plumber and plasters have pulled it all together. I can see light at the end of the tunnel and I soon will have an accessible home on the ground floor. A bathroom I can get in and shut the door when I need the loo, a lounge to relax in, a kitchen I can safely cook in, reach the plug sockets and worktops and cupboards I can reach, so I won’t  drop things anymore, I am so looking forward to this all being finished. 

It’s quite busy here at home most days there has been at least 4 builders on site, which at times has been a bit difficult but it has gone really quick, I cannot wait till it’s all quiet again. The finishing touches which include tiles to the wet room, flooring, tiles to the kitchen and decorating will all be done when possible as totally out of finances due to a problem with next door tree. But the little things will come in time. At least I have no more steps and I can access the whole downstairs of my house and garden. Due to the chaos this year I haven’t had time to do my hanging baskets and flower tubs, which I normally really enjoy doing, my dad did a couple of baskets for me to put up for some colour but it’s not the same when you haven’t done them!!  My Alfie dog is still staying with Auntie Lou as the front door is constantly open so it wouldn’t have been safe for him, but we all miss him so much its weird without him being around. 

So as most of you know I have a new sponsor on my leg up for talent scheme Neurokinex, they are specialists in neuro-rehabilitation and their aim is to improve the lives of paralysed individuals. I attend once a week and have been seeing a great improvement in my strength, straightness and physical health. We do amazing exercises in the gym and the improvements I can see are amazing. I have been asked by Neurokenix if I want to do a triathlon?? I have never done a triathlon as an able bodied person let alone being less abled!! Well I have agreed and am now busy training. I have roped in my special friends. I have to do 400m swim, 10k cycle and 2.5k run/push. So the lucky ladies are Vicky to swim, Louise to cycle and Nicky to run!! What a day we will have. The event is in Windsor at Dorney Lake, the venue looks amazing. The training is going well and we are all looking forward to the event. You can sponsor me by going to

  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising.sallyanne-haigh

So much has been happening lately I actually don’t really know where to start, as my life is just so busy now. My routine is still the same so Mondays are Personal Training sessions and Riding lessons. So the Gym with Seona continues to challenge me, we work on my core and upper body strength. I really enjoy Monday mornings as we always have a laugh during these sessions. I have decided that as my upper body has got to be strong to carry my weight with my transfers I need to accept that I am getting bigger up the top half, but what I will need to manage now is my core and try and do more to help me get stronger in my back and core so the strength and stability will help me in the saddle. Sometimes I have a sports massage from Seona who is amazing at helping my shoulders to relax as I get so tense and sometimes get pain in my shoulders which isn’t good as I need them to be in tip top condition for all my transfers.

I work on a Tuesday and Thursday for Wellspect health care, the most famtastic company!! Who make and supply intermittent catheters and bowel irrigation systems… and when I say famtastic that’s what I mean, it feels like a big family who cares for you and wants to support you to achieve. Sometimes I have to pinch myself as I am so happy working here with the most amazing team. As you know if you have read most of the blogs I have worked in the NHS for 25 years and that was a very different experience. I absolutely loved working in the team’s I’ve worked with over the years and the friends I’ve made over the years are friends for life!!

Wednesdays are my Neurokinex training sessions and we are now training for the triathlon I have agreed to do to raise funds for the Neurokinex charitable trust. I keep pushing myself and recently have spent time in the biodex which I have been able to be supported to try and walk my legs and plant my feet. This machine is amazing and it makes me feel so happy to be up right and being helped to take steps, it is so hard to do but I love it. The relationship with Neurokinex and the leg up for talent programme is working so well, I have been in the Gazzet which is a local paper, I have done interviews for Neurokinex and case story’s for magazines etc.… one of which was a paid job!! But the funds will go into the charity collection as it was to advertise for the Neurokinex centre in Bristol.

Fridays tend to be an admin day as I have so much work to do trying to sort out finishing bits and pieces on the house, there is always hospital appointments to attend and follow ups to go to. I recently have had 2x epily manoeuvres for the dizziness I have been suffering ever since my accident, but after 2 sessions the dizziness has gone!! It’s so strange how they treat it, the doctor was amazing and I am now having vestibular rehabilitation to help keep it under control and stop it from happening again.

As well as all the normal week activities I am up and down to the yard with my daughter Stella who looks after her loan horse spot. Stella absolutely adores Spot and has been enjoying riding her and spending time with her friend Mia with her pony Pip. It’s been a lovely 6 week summer holiday and I actually don’t want it to end, for one of the first times I am not wishing school term to start. Stella will be going into yr 11 so it will be her final year, she is going to try and get a job so she can earn some money to help her save and buy things for herself and spot. Maybe that will mean I won’t have to keep handing out money to her for trips to town with her friends and lunches out and cinema visits. 

Stella was lucky enough to have a surprise photo shoot for her Birthday; Stella had always wanted some professional photos taken with her horse so she was over the moon to receive this gift. On the day the weather was dry and Stella was excited. We had to get to the stables so Stella could get Spot ready and looking her best. The pictures they had taken were amazing, so natural and relaxed. We now have the difficult choice of choosing a couple to have blown up! I would defiantly recommend Nick Church Photography if you’re looking for a professional photographer for any occasion.   

Now the house is finally coming together I have had to have a small operation which I‘ve been putting off, carpal tunnel release, I have suffered with complications for a long time now and the pain and numbness I get in my hands and arm is quite debilitating.  (I will write an individual blog about being a para post op as it may help others who are in the same situation) I am glad that I’ve actually had the surgery as I’ve had extreme pain for about 5 years and it had become unbearable. I have to accept I need to rest and go backwards to go forward. I have been advised not to drive for 2 weeks, not to overdo the amount of transfers and don’t put too much pressure on my hand/wrist. To be honest I can’t really put much pressure on it anyway as it hurts!

I am missing my time away from the horses and the yard as we were doing really well. I recently had taken Flynn to the RDA indoor school, I arranged this with Gill who runs the RDA and we booked the indoor school. They have a hoist there so we were able to borrow a friends small lorry 3.5t that Beth could drive and take Flynn in. I was able to take our para team helpers as Flynn has never been here before we didn’t know what he would be like with the hoist as it’s very different from the one we have at home. Jo had agreed to ride Flynn to warm him up, Jo has never ridden Flynn before, and when she realised my saddle had no stirrups I don’t think she was that keen!! Hahhaha.

Well to be honest Flynn was so well behaved with the new environment and hoist, he stood like an absolute rock while Jo mounted him with the hoist, she warmed him up for 10mins and then was hoisted off. Then it was my turn, as I said Flynn behaved impeccably it was a proud moment as he was so chilled and relaxed which really helped me. I mounted with their hoist and once on board, we just walked round the school, did some change of rein and lots of halt walk transitions, things are still wobbly but I am gaining more confidence. We are riding independently now and the side walkers are there for support. The RDA instructors are quite good at pushing me and challenging me to achieve more.  

I said I want to trot Flynn, this would be the first time I have trotted Flynn and only the second time ever to trot. The best way we have found to practice this at the moment is to only hold the saddle strap and loosely the reins and let the leaders control Flynn and for me to concentrate just pulling up and looking up. Flynn has a really bouncy trot compared to Robbie I rode last time, we only trotted on the straight and I loved it  and made sure I got another long side in before Gill says that’s enough as she can tell when I start to get tired, as my hands go all daft and start moving more and dropping. I don’t really notice but my instructor Beth notices as well.

Since my operation what with the recovery and holiday it actually 6 weeks since I’ve been in the saddle. I am really missing being around the horses and riding Flynn but I know that I am not up to it at the moment, my hand is still feeling a bit of pain and I know I have to heal properly before so I don’t undo the good work of having the carpal tunnel surgery. I have written a separate blog about my surgery and situation with coping post operatively. Time fly’s so quickly but this year 2018 has been a year of sorting lots out at home, getting back involved in the working community and keeping healthy.