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Tales from the Saddle

France Quarantine

Quarantine

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And just like that… we are in Quarantine / Isolation in France for the next 14 days.
The borders are closed for 30 days.
We may have avoided that, but there were a whole lot of idiots in Bordeaux, Paris and a few other places, taking advantage of the sunshine yesterday, out in vast numbers, practically on top of each other — directly after all public places, bars, restaurants, cinemas and non-essential shops were closed. As well as all events over 100 people being cancelled.

Not only that, just after Macron announced that bars, restaurants etc will close at midnight — a lot of people ran out to have “one last drink” with their friends. (And if any of them had CV, it may well be the very last drink they had with them!)
Thanks, you dimwits.
Stock up on condoms please, because we really don’t need more of your kind in 9 months.

So what does this mean?
No one is allowed to visit anyone, or be visited by anyone.
Essential short distance travel to get groceries, go to the doctor, pick up meds — and only with a document stating exactly where you come from, where you are going, and why.
Workers need a letter from their employer that they are required to work for essential services, or they cannot go to work. Again, need to have documentation as above.
No one is allowed to leave the house, except with the above documentation. Whether it is to go jogging, or to walk the dog for 10 minutes.
All outdoor activities like exercise, walking the dog etc, must be solitary. No meeting people for a walk, no letting kids play with each other. None of that. Zero contact. If you encounter anyone, you have to keep your distance.
There will be fixed and mobile spot checks. If you cannot produce the document required, it is an instant €38 fine.
Clearly there are RoboCops in France. 😉 Unless the Gendarmes are not classed as human… (Contact is contact, right?)
All contact with people outside your household is strictly prohibited, except for necessary interaction with grocery staff, doctors etc. Even then you are to keep at least 1 meter between you if possible. 
This means no riding / training horses outside your property, and not even on your property, if you have neighbors. If your horses are boarded elsewhere (and being looked after), you are not allowed to go there. Period.

Obviously this means no vets (except emergencies), farriers, trimmers, equine dentists, feed deliveries allowed.
None. Zero. Zilch.

So even if you think it will “never happen”… don’t. Just don’t.
If your animals need vaccinations, surgery, meds, farriers, dentists etc — do it NOW.
If you need meds, dentist, vaccinations etc — NOW IS THE TIME. Not tomorrow. Not next week. NOW.
Because on Thursday Macron announced schools closing today. On Saturday evening he closed the bars, night clubs, non essential stores at midnight the same day. And today, Monday, at 8pm, he put everyone into isolation as of noon tomorrow.
So inside of 3 days we went from “Schools closing Monday”, to full isolation by tomorrow. Not much time to get anything done. A friend of mine has a sick cat. Her surgery was just cancelled because of this. Poor thing is in pain, but there is nothing my friend can do for her. And that sucks.

So here are a few tips:
First of all:  Check your medical thermometers. Mine were both deader than a Dodo. I managed to grab one yesterday — the last one! — because the delivery of the one I ordered is still not here.
Make sure you have enough feed for at least 4 weeks.
Make sure your first aid kit (both for yourself, and your animals) are up to date.
Have Vetwrap, Animalintex, Wound treatment etc handy. (Because that vet may not be able to get to you!)
Nappies for dressings. Duct tape.
Have a hoof rasp and some pincers, in case you need to treat a hoof / take off a shoe.
I always have Nux Vomica (D6), Belladonna (D6),  Arnica (D6), and Apis Mellifica (D6) in my kit. (Pearls, not tablets or drops.) Nux Vomica and Belladonna for mild colic. Arnica for bruising / wounds. Apis Mellifica for hives / stings. (You can get them at the pharmacy usually. D6 is X6 or C3 dilution. Depending where you are.)
Batteries for anything you might need that might run out.
I also keep Arnica ointment and my own Plantain ointment handy. Hibiscrub and/or Betadine too.
Nitrile / Latex gloves, too.
Make up sheets with the name and photograph of your animals. List their feed requirements, habits (as well as any unpleasant / dangerous ones!), comfort requirements. Stabled or out? Rugged, unrugged? Which halter belongs to which horse? Tag them. Where is the feed kept? How is it fed? Where is the water tap, the hose, the buckets, the trough? Is anything on meds? If yes — detailed descriptions of where it’s kept, what to give, how often and dosages. Be specific.
If you end up in hospital, and a stranger ends up looking after your animals — they need this!
List all emergency numbers too. Vet, Farrier, Close Friends, Relatives.

Have enough food for yourself, too. 
Leave some toilet paper, pasta, soap, sanitizer for others too, omg.

I have 9 confirmed cases less than 4 miles from me, and another 3 cases about 6 miles from me.
Luckily I’m way off the beaten track, so “no contact” isn’t difficult, and I can be out on my land if I choose.
Others are not so lucky.

And when (it’s a when, now, not an if) you’re in lockdown… sit back, relax, chill and stay away from people.
Nothing you can do but stay put.

Which is exactly what I’ll do now.
Take care, don’t do anything stupid, wash your hands properly.
We’ll get through this.
Eventually.

 
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“Are you nuts?!?”

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“How can you ride that horse without a saddle?!?”

Easy.
I get on, and we go.
Alas, he sweats profusely, so I use a dressage pad and a lunging roller.
No stirrups, nothing else. Just that.

Yes, I was riding in sandals. It was hot and I forgot my boots.
Oz had to sniff my foot. 🙂
Well, people tend to see him tacked up, and he tends to be gung-ho to go. He practically tiptoes and stands very upright, giving the illusion that he is a) much bigger than he actually is, and b) extremely flighty, nervous and uncontrollable.
Well, wrong.
He’s 14.1hh, not the 15h people tend to think he is when he stands like that.
He’s also just excited to go, but not uncontrollable. Just eager.
Don’t get me wrong, he is not a slow horse, or a slacker. He’s extremely forward, one of the most forward horses I have ever ridden. When he is out, he wants to go. The faster the better. 
So, when I dragged the pony to the gate, wearing nothing but a saddle pad and a bridle… there was apprehension from my fellow riders. “Are you SURE about this? We’ll wait for you to saddle him.”
I don’t need a saddle. In fact, I ride better without one.
The reason for that is a whole other post. 🙂
Anyway, we went out one day, 3 of us. Every time they wanted to speed up, they were like “Is it okay if we… (insert gait of choice)” and my answer was always “Just go ride like you always do. Don’t mind us. We’ll keep up.”
“It’s not…never mind. Just don’t fall off.”
On the way back, one of the horses got tangled in some loose branches, and spooked.
Oz, not to be outdone, exploded into a sympathy spook.
When he landed, I was scolding him for being an idiot.
Behind me was utter silence. I turn, and see both riders stare at me as if I’d grown three heads.
“What?”
“How the HELL did you stay on that? Jesus! Did you superglue yourself to his back???”
Muahahahha.
Those who ride bareback a lot will know exactly how I stayed on.
Those who have never ridden bareback… ought to try it some time to understand.
I have every single muscle at my disposal. Not just mine, but his too. It may only be a split second, but I can feel those muscles tense before he explodes. I know when, how high, which direction — before it happens. So I compensate accordingly. (I’ve been wrong, too, but not often.)
That is something you won’t get with a saddle. Any of them. It’s usually way to subtle to notice.
I’ve stayed on through a sudden 180 when we were surprised by motorcycles on the bridleway, and he spun in mid canter. (Don’t ask me how.)
Still, it’s unfathomable to a lot of people that I go hacking without a saddle. We never go long when I go bareback, because it’s uncomfortable for him over a long period. (Imagine having a weight pressing in the same spot on your back for 3 hours… so I don’t do that.)
It’s also one of the reasons I don’t do treeless saddles. It’s the weight distribution. I find it quite unreliable on the treeless, so my saddle has a proper tree.

However, the same people who frown when I scuttle about bareback, keep suggesting to go bitless.
“I can’t.” I tell them.
“Oh he’ll do fine, just practice in the arena first.”
“No, you don’t get it. I can’t. He’s a photoic head shaker.”
Blank look.
Hello, there is a reason I ride without a nose band. It irritates the hell out of him, due to the nerves firing in his face. Since every bitless bridle has a nose band… no. I can’t. It’s that simple. It’s not that I don’t want to, but if you think a bit is torture for this horse — a nose band acting on those sensitive, painful nerves is much, much worse.
By now, I’ve even ditched the brow band. Next step is finding a Meroth bit that works for him, so I can ditch the headstall altogether.
We shall see.
It’s been so grotty and constant rain, with deep, deep mud the past few months… there hasn’t been much riding at all. But hopefully it’ll dry up soon, and get a bit better.
Right now, his hooves are soft from the constantly wet ground, and even Stormy is feeling it.
So we’re not going out.

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Puddle Shark, lesser spotted.

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I’ve posted this video on a FB group…and it practically went viral.

Here’s a little context. 🙂
This bridge is in the woods near Esher, not even a mile from the yard where Oz was boarded.
If you wanted to go to Prince’s Coverts or Claygate — this is the route you had to take.
Now… this is a live railway bridge. So you kind of learn the timetable by heart, to avoid the trains roaring over the top. Alas… we are talking about Network Rail in the UK, and time tables are a little “Speculative”. So chances are that you’ll get caught out at one time or another.
We’ve been caught out a few times, and Oz, hearing (or even seeing) the “Dragon”, was convinced it’ll be the end of him. So I don’t blame him for being apprehensive about the place.
However… if you then add a puddle into the mix — all bets are off.
Puddles rank as follows:

  1. Small puddle — snortworthy, but tolerable. You might get wet toes. Yuck.
  2. Medium puddle — will bite the legs off small grey horses. Cannot step into that. Too dangerous.
  3. Large puddle — infested by Puddleus Sharkus Minor. The Lesser Spotted Puddle Shark, and possibly alligators, which are very common in Surrey, England. Will eat small grey horses. Definitely not stepping in that.
  4. Puddle stretching the width of the path — HELL no. 30ft sink holes. Oz has seen entire herds of Shires swallowed by those. Not a chance.

So now you have the dragon bridge, plus a large shark infested puddle — and it’s dark under there.

He’s not afraid, he’s just super vigilant to protect me. Honest.

Every time I had to go under that bridge, he damn near freaked. But even though he’s hugely apprehensive, he tries because I’m asking. To me, that’s massive bravery. 🙂

I do not (and never will) carry a whip. I don’t believe in them, and Oz is scared to death by them. When it’s just too much to ask of him, I generally get off and just stand with him, reassuring him, letting him look, sniff, and figure it out. It may take five minutes. I might take an hour. I honestly don’t care. He gets as much time as he needs.
I’ve never had an obstacle we couldn’t get past eventually. We’ve had plenty of 180’s. But we get past in our own damn time. Or rather, when he’s ready.

I do push him verbally, but I also let him have a relatively slack rein so he can move his focus where he needs to. (Landed me in a ditch once or twice…)

So there you have it. My brave little Paso, who’s really scared of everything — but soldiers on in spite of it.