Other than to advertise my books, it has been over four years since I last posted. I felt that the horse training chapter of my life had closed, and with nothing left to talk about, it seemed best to shut up. However there is something on the horizon that may be of interest and so I'm going to test out my new stand-up-and-sit-down computer desk and see what comes out.
For anyone who enjoyed my original blog, there are always my books - From Sober Dress to Sturdy Boots, The Horses are Alright, and The Balloon Collector - more details, stories about me and the horses, and the redemptive nature of a good man and wonderful animals; pony books for adults as one of my readers called them. They are available singly or as a set and all proceeds now go to three horse charities: HorseWorld, Shy Lowen, and the Moorland Mousie Trust. Of course my trusty foal training book, No Fear, No Force is also available and is now on its third reprint. Here's a link: Sarah's books.
I should give you fair warning that there have been several extremely sad events during the time that I have been away and I have learned that grief is something that doesn't just disappear but something we have to learn to live with. First of all I lost my Mum three years ago. Apart from being the wonderful editor of my earliest books, she was someone who taught me so much about horses and shared with me a deep love of animals. Never a David Attenborough programme went by without one of us ringing up the other and saying, simply, "David Attenborough, lions, BBC1 now!!!" before putting the phone down. I gave her the most fantastic send off I could, and her ashes now lie at the foot of White Rock in Kenya where she can see all the wild animals going by - lions, elephant, zebra and giraffe.
A later visit to Kenya over Christmas 2020 and into January 2021, just as the pandemic bit for the second time, drew me closer to the people that work at Loisaba and I even started to write a blog about them and their work before it failed either for lack of photos or for lack of information - hopefully I can restart it one day. Meanwhile, however, our time in Kenya was marred by the knowledge that Peechay had been admitted to Donnington Grove Veterinary Hospital for colic surgery, and despite being under the best colic surgeon in the country, he had to be put to sleep when a second operation failed. I hated to think that I would never see him again and hadn't got to say goodbye but that was the horrible position that people were in, all over this country, with their own relatives and no, I will never forgive Boris Johnson for what he put people through while he was partying. Actually, just shorten that to I will never forgive Boris Johnson!
Just when you think that's all of your bad luck for the year, losing such a young pony (he was only nine), Juma (who was only four) was killed on Roger Penny Way by a driver whose trial is due to be heard on 7th September this year - exactly one year and one month from the collision. I am still devastated but decided that I should make a fuss and campaign for the installation of average speed cameras on this particular road, and two other B roads, where people frequently don't observe the speed limit. The Council supported my petition to consider the cameras and some progress has been made with a feasibility study just about to start. Nothing goes fast in the Forest apart from the traffic. Seriously, I cannot express the sorrow I feel about losing my beautiful pony - whatever happens as a result of the feasibility study or the court case, it will never compensate for the loss. Since Juma was killed all of my New Forest ponies and Pie have lived at home.
I know that over these last few years, my previous clients have lost some of their own horses - and other animals too - I can completely empathise with the way they feel. It can bring you to your knees.
Just as everything seemed to be going down the plughole, I was reminded of a story, much modernised , about God, a man and a flood:
There's a huge flood and a man is stranded in his house. The emergency services come along in a little rubber dinghy and say, "Get in, get in, you will surely drown," but the man replies, "There's no need, Jesus loves me and he will save me." The water continues to rise and now the man is upstairs at the window. The emergency services come along again in their little rubber dinghy and say, "Get in, get in, you will surely drown," but the man replies, "There's no need, Jesus loves me and he will save me." Things get worse and it starts to rain heavily. The man has heaved himself out on to the roof. Now a helicopter comes along and the winch man shouts down, "Climb up and hang on, you will surely drown." Once more the man says, "There's no need, Jesus loves me and he will save me." Anyway, he drowns.
He is met by St. Peter at heaven's door - "I want a word with God," he says, "Now!" Peter shows him to God's cloud. "I believed in Jesus and still I drowned," shouts the man. God looks down and says quietly, "Well, he sent you two boats and a helicopter, what more do you want?"
One dinghy came in the form of good news about the animal 'accident' figures on the Forest. There have been no fatalities for the last ten weeks thanks indeed to the work of the police and The New Forest Road Awareness Group (formerly the campaign group) which have been working together in a concerted effort to educate and occasionally prosecute speeding drivers. Councillor Edward Heron has warned against any complacency, however, and emphasised the need for Average Speed Cameras on Roger Penny Way.
The helicopter hasn't quite arrived yet but I can't wait to tell you all about it when it is soaring overhead. In the meantime, you might enjoy some of the highlights of my blog about Loisaba, the wildlife conservancy in Kenya where I was able to go behind the scenes and talk to some of the wonderful staff who work there:
Loisaba Life These stories also include my two camels, Tulip and Shilingi, who live as part of the milking herd at Loisaba.
After I lost Petra, Theoden seemed to be absolutely fine, but when I began to ride him again he seemed to have lost his confidence completely. A friend let me have Dave on loan and eventually gave him to me when the two horses got on so well. He's an absolute sweetheart and a treasured part of the family.
And finally, a couple of years ago, I bought the pony we have known for so long as Orange Girl (now Patsy). She had struggled after feeding her last foal all the way through the winter and I was worried that she might go off 'in the wrong direction'. She is now living in with my other ponies and although not tame, she takes a keen interest in the contents of a bucket. She's as beautiful as ever.
That's it, four years summarised into one post although not a lot happened during the pandemic anyway! Three books, a working knowledge of Swahili, and a very tidy yard were about it! I have missed this and I have missed you.
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