![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Apr. 7th, 2019 10:41 pmSo tonight’s Special Bill is a bit of a saga and lets just say from the start things do not go to plan.
The plan was to pick up the horse lorry, then drive to the yard load up Bill, head up to Rabson Manor in the wilds of Wiltshire up near Swindon. Ride round the cross country course for a bit then load him and come home.
Things started well, the horse lorry was not an internet scam and we where good to go. So I drove round to the yard and we put all of Bill’s stuff in the back. The lorry was a nice one with a two rear facing stalls loaded from the side. Should have been easy but Bill wasn’t having it. He started up the ramp then turned and ran and Helen had to let go. Cue 90 minutes of hell as we cajoled where stern, and got nothing much done. He pulled over both me and Helen Sinar and stomped on our feet. My foot is now a beautiful shade of purple and somewhere in the struggles I managed to lose my glasses, I didn’t realise until much later as I was working the problem so hard.
Fortunately the lovely Annie stepped in and helped us and we finally got him on the Lorry but we were now very late. However, we were loaded now, and we were going to go out. We were!
We then drove the 50 minutes to Rabson manor and managed to get him off the lorry find enough but while Helen was in the loo Bill reared up for no apparent reason and broke free and ran off cue Yakety Sax over me running after him and Helen coming out going where is John and Bill?
So got him back and tacked up and that actually seemed to relax him. I went and did paperwork, paid and did the Equine Flu Horse Passport showing ceremony. Then jumped up and set off to try and fine Leonne and her friend Millicent on my old friend Canada. They had been going for a while, but they kindly let me join then. We trotted through water and then after me warming Bill up a bit Sophie we did a bit of a mini Team Chase over a line of small jumps and I could feel Bill smiling. The cross-country course is his natural habitat. He loved it. After that Leonne and Millicent were done but they kindly stood by whilst I did a few more runs as well as rode a new obstacle for me. It was a set of steps upward with a drop off afterwards. First time I did it we walked up and then dropped off. I haven’t really done those before, so I was really pleased after a few more goes I was cantering over it. One of the line of jumps was also a brush
I finished off with a run over the slightly higher line of jumps which we took with ease and that was fine and well that was it really. We walked back, and Leonne kindly helped us get Bill back on again and it went much easier but not without a hitch. I rather suspect there is a lot of loading training to be done in my future, especially once the lorry is done.
We drove home uneventfully and unloaded and as I was cleaning out the van what should I see in the middle of the car park but my glasses completely undamaged. In a position that I must have driven the van over when I got back! Rather pleased to have them back.
After than other than having to wait 30minutes for the person to take the van back and I am home with ice on my foot, a packet of Bacon Flavoured Wheat Crispies and a pint of beer!
Still lots of positives to come out of today. 1) We did actually get him on the lorry and out 2) He went beautifully on the cross country, regardless of the earlier shenanigans, and I feel much more confident about riding him over fixed jumps 3) we know we need to practise loading and finally neither Helen or I gave up and we got there and back without any one or Bill getting really hurt.
More outings to come but much practise to be had first.
Big thank you to all to helped including Annie, Leonne, Jo and of course thanks Helen for Bill.
and a Video
The plan was to pick up the horse lorry, then drive to the yard load up Bill, head up to Rabson Manor in the wilds of Wiltshire up near Swindon. Ride round the cross country course for a bit then load him and come home.
Things started well, the horse lorry was not an internet scam and we where good to go. So I drove round to the yard and we put all of Bill’s stuff in the back. The lorry was a nice one with a two rear facing stalls loaded from the side. Should have been easy but Bill wasn’t having it. He started up the ramp then turned and ran and Helen had to let go. Cue 90 minutes of hell as we cajoled where stern, and got nothing much done. He pulled over both me and Helen Sinar and stomped on our feet. My foot is now a beautiful shade of purple and somewhere in the struggles I managed to lose my glasses, I didn’t realise until much later as I was working the problem so hard.
Fortunately the lovely Annie stepped in and helped us and we finally got him on the Lorry but we were now very late. However, we were loaded now, and we were going to go out. We were!
We then drove the 50 minutes to Rabson manor and managed to get him off the lorry find enough but while Helen was in the loo Bill reared up for no apparent reason and broke free and ran off cue Yakety Sax over me running after him and Helen coming out going where is John and Bill?
So got him back and tacked up and that actually seemed to relax him. I went and did paperwork, paid and did the Equine Flu Horse Passport showing ceremony. Then jumped up and set off to try and fine Leonne and her friend Millicent on my old friend Canada. They had been going for a while, but they kindly let me join then. We trotted through water and then after me warming Bill up a bit Sophie we did a bit of a mini Team Chase over a line of small jumps and I could feel Bill smiling. The cross-country course is his natural habitat. He loved it. After that Leonne and Millicent were done but they kindly stood by whilst I did a few more runs as well as rode a new obstacle for me. It was a set of steps upward with a drop off afterwards. First time I did it we walked up and then dropped off. I haven’t really done those before, so I was really pleased after a few more goes I was cantering over it. One of the line of jumps was also a brush
I finished off with a run over the slightly higher line of jumps which we took with ease and that was fine and well that was it really. We walked back, and Leonne kindly helped us get Bill back on again and it went much easier but not without a hitch. I rather suspect there is a lot of loading training to be done in my future, especially once the lorry is done.
We drove home uneventfully and unloaded and as I was cleaning out the van what should I see in the middle of the car park but my glasses completely undamaged. In a position that I must have driven the van over when I got back! Rather pleased to have them back.
After than other than having to wait 30minutes for the person to take the van back and I am home with ice on my foot, a packet of Bacon Flavoured Wheat Crispies and a pint of beer!
Still lots of positives to come out of today. 1) We did actually get him on the lorry and out 2) He went beautifully on the cross country, regardless of the earlier shenanigans, and I feel much more confident about riding him over fixed jumps 3) we know we need to practise loading and finally neither Helen or I gave up and we got there and back without any one or Bill getting really hurt.
More outings to come but much practise to be had first.
Big thank you to all to helped including Annie, Leonne, Jo and of course thanks Helen for Bill.
and a Video
