So I have brought Sarah back from the hospital, but unfortunately they couldn't fit her operation in today. Back tomorrow for another attempt.
Whilst she is out of action, I have taken over her computer and thought I would put up a blog about how we all do things we know could end badly, but our brain either thinks 'I've done it before loads of times with no problem', or 'it's only for a few minutes'. It is for this reason that Sarah is always careful with other people's equines, tries to put across the safety aspects at all times and is frustrated by people who take a 'gung ho' approach, get away with it, and then suggest everyone else uses the same methods. This is even worse when it is portrayed by a professional trainer who should know better.
I mentioned to her the time I was maintaining my 750cc bike - big, heavy, and no stand. I only needed to take out the back wheel, so chocked it up with a few bits of wood I had lying around. Wheel out, grease applied with no problems. On the way back in, the wheel spindle was a bit tight, so a quick wiggle and......
...45 minutes later, I had finally managed to extricate myself from under the bike, and was off to find someone to help me pick it up and put it on something more solid. Did I think when I started that it wasn't very solid? Of course I did, but it was only for a few minutes, so what's the problem?
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| If I just do a small wheelie to get the front wheel over the ditch.....this is when my Willy fell off (Willy is my older brother) |
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| Why are 4 people needed to pick up a small bike? Well, the only thing stopping the bike and myself going over the edge of a large drop is that small tree. |
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| Definition of chaos? |
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| She should have known Henrietta was in a kinky mood... |
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| ...she even came into the yard kinkily. |
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| Follow the scarf? No problem... |
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| ...but good luck getting it off! |
As we all know, Henrietta is very reactive to things she isn't sure of. As usual, Sarah was working with her in a safe space, using a scarf instead of a rope, something Henrietta has been introduced to and been led by before. Sarah thought that maybe something to stop the knot in the scarf tightening might be a good idea, but it was only for a few minutes and Henrietta has been fine before, so.....
...all seemed to be going well, with Henrietta moving around and following Sarah but when Sarah tried to undo the knot in the scarf, Henrietta objected and wouldn't let Sarah get near. Sarah attempted to get the scarf off remotely with a feather duster, but to no avail. After half an hour Sarah decided to close the panels down to stop Henrietta moving around too much, at which point she kicked out at the panels. Unfortunately the panel then hit Sarah's hand, resulting in the injury.
Sarah has needed a bit of a break for some time, but I don't think this is quite what she had intended. It could be over 12 weeks of lost earnings before she can really get back to working properly. The joys of self employment!
"Sorry to hear about your accident. You are one of the last people I would have thought would have got hurt. Every time you have visited us you have ensured that our safety is of paramount importance. Your accident just shows that you can never be 100% sure. I am not sure if we can be of any help in any way but if we can please let us know." RJ.
