Just An Ordinary Day

I went up to the yard on Saturday and the horses had to stay in, as the rain hadn't stopped so the grazing was too wet for the horses to go on. 
I wanted to ride Barnaby so I didn't want to give him any breakfast first.  I brought my tack down from the tack room and then got Barnaby's head collar so I could put it on him and tie him up in the stable.  Unfortunately he had other ideas and came barging out of the stable.  At first I held him but he just set off trotting along the walkway until I couldn't stand it any longer and had to let go.  He cantered down to the field gate and I was terrified he'd try to jump it, but luckily he buried himself in the bottom of it.  I went down to try to catch him but he shot past me, then went for a little trotting session round the YO's lawn.  Oh, my, flipping GOD! 
Next he went the other way and ended up round the back of the muck heap, but came charging back down to the field gate.  Haylie was there and appeared, having stuck Frankie in his stable (whose eyes were on stalks at all the excitement!) and we both stood with our arms out and managed to catch hold of the leadrope. 
I dragged Barnaby back into the stable, tied him up and slammed the door shut!  How embarrassing is that?  We've only been here a couple of weeks, they'll be telling us we have to move on at this rate!  Stupid horse.
I tacked him up and rode down to the kennels, as I'd been for a walk the day before to suss out how the bridle way works that's further up and found it makes a brilliant loop back to the kennels. 
So we set off and it all went swimmingly.  What took me ages to walk up with the bike on Friday took only seconds to trot up on Saturday.  Unfortunately the big metal gate on the left was closed so I had to make my way across the farm yard then round a sticking out metal gate to try to open the little wooden gate a bit further up.  Barnaby managed to get round the metal gate but slammed my leg into it.  It was absolute agony.  I collapsed onto his neck trying not to scream/cry and get my breath back.  Barnaby was rearing and trying to turn round in this tiny space.  Finally I managed to open the little wooden gate and make my way through. 
The rest of the ride after that was brilliant, and I will try to go that way again, but the pain in my leg is unbelievable and I still had to go to work in the afternoon. 
John seems to have finally twigged that I really do need his help with riding Barnaby.  You can give Barnaby a day off and think that you've done him a favour, but really he could be ridden every day and not be bothered.  He's more like a dog that needs his daily exercise. 
So John cycled to the yard on Sunday morning while I had a lay-in (bliss).  He rode Barnaby a long way (going through the gate again to make sure Barnaby did it properly this time) came back, turned him out, mucked out, poo picked and then cycled home. 
By the time he got back he said he was ready to collapse!  But just think:  I do all of the above, and then go to work until 9.30 pm, or I've been to work and then do all that.  It just goes to show, doesn't it?  He said the worst bit by far was the cycling, so I am having an electric bike for Christmas!  How excited am I?
Back soon I'm sure
Jane x