Ahh my SECOND blog!!
I am delighted that people want to read more about my journey!
So since my last blog, lots has gone on! Ill start with the ponies! The winter makes things challenging, we don’t have an indoor school sadly, and the beast from the East and storm Emma have made things perplexing to say the least!
At the beginning of the autumn last year I needed to find a new trainer, my last trainer had sadly relocated and I’d tried a few new people but nobody had clicked. I booked a lesson at the beginning of November with Sara Gallop, of Prestige Training at Summerhouse Equestrian, a fab facility which is luckily 30mins from home! It’s refreshing not traveling over an hour to train with someone. I knew a very good friend in the para world trained with Sara, and had always had lovely things to say. Risky and I rocked up for a lesson with Sara in November and I can honestly say we have not looked back! We went with a rather lack lustre canter, and comments of needing more jump. Sara instantly ‘got’ Risks and I and, well my results speak for themselves. My percentages have gone up in Gold, and last week at Allen’s Hill, Risks and I got an 8.5 for our medium canter and 8’s for all the canter work. I was so thrilled that someone gets Risks and I. Now Sara has her work cut out to help us improve on our Pesky pirouettes. This is our next challenge and big mark improver. Now I just need to book a lesson and schedule everyone in/around it!
With the Beast from the East and storm Emma, finding enough hours in the day had been a little tricky so Risks’s fitness and fun stuff had slipped slightly, I am however really lucky that on a regular basis (once weekly) Risks is going to do something fun! She’s now going to be ridden by my lovely friend, who’s going to do exciting pole work and other things, this keeps Risks’s brain active and is great for her fitness. I’m very lucky to have Ciara!
So whilst most people loved the Beast from the East, I hated it!! Snow massively affects my mobility, and vision. I know most of you are thinking how does snow affect her vision?! She’s blind! This is indeed true, however 93% of registered blind people can see something. So for me, this gives me snow blindness- the brilliant white of it causes glare and ironically hurts my eyes. Also when working my lovely dog, it makes her job nigh on impossible! With snow, it covers all distinguishing markers on the floor, drains, curb stones, edges of pavement the lot! This means it’s really hard for Minnie to find the edge of roads, obstacles etc! So while everyone is loving it! I’m praying for it to melt! So I can get out safely, and normal service for me can resume!
Ah Tough Mudder training….., as Risks and I have had a busy competition schedule, we’ve been up at nationals and now we’re trying to qualify for gold in the short window, running has taken a back seat sadly.
I have been able to get out on an afternoon, before school pick up and get some good runs in! Now the clocks have changed I hope to get back out to evening running soon. So I’ve been in my lounge doing some strength and conditioning stuff. In my last blog, I mentioned how isolating I found gyms previously, however in the pursuit of trying to be on top form for both Tough Mudder and the horses I have decided I now need to find a gym, there is only so much I can do on my own. I think my last gym was just not suited to me, so now I’m on mission to find one with a crèche, late night opening, a pool, a cafe (I need to leave my dad somewhere lol) and one with a personal trainer would be a bonus! I don’t want much do I?!
And at some point I need to think about fitting in returning to work?! How did I ever even have time to work!!
So in my next blog, I hope to be able to tell you I have upped my running mileage, qualified for gold semi finals, scheduled a riding lesson and had it with Sara to work on those pirouettes, returned to work and found a gym! Any suggestions on the gym front gratefully received! Oh and any sponsorship for my Tough Mudder, equally gratefully received for this amazing charity! I’ve popped the link below.
