Thank you all for following my Para Riding dream blog over 2017
It’s about time I bought you
all up to speed with what’s been happening since I last blogged about our
summer antics. To be honest life has become a bit of a whirl wind and half the
time I can’t remember what I have done. I think I am even busier than I was
before my accident. I am so happy now with the special team of family and
friends that I now choose to surround myself with and this makes for great
feelings of emotional wellbeing. When I look at how far I have come I know I
would not be here today without them all.
Well I must tell you this
story as this is something thing that I found hysterical, Tony probable doesn’t
agree!! We had been out for a meal locally with family and friends, Tony who is
also in a wheelchair had already once earlier in the evening been picked off
the floor and put back in the chair, but after everyone had gone, obviously we
had to have “one fort road” (our family joke ha ha ) Which may actually have
been more than one!!.. It was about 03.30 am and Tony got on to the stair lift
to go up to bed, he went up half way and stopped!! Ha aha aha. OMG it’s never stopped before, so
I was pressing all the buttons, googling what to do but after about 1 hour I
said that’s it. I am calling 999. Fire and RESCUE!!! So at 04.30 the fire
brigade turn up, picture this??...
I
have 4 firemen on the stairs and Tony stuck on the stair lift!! I had sobered
up quite quickly now, but due to the absolute chaos I forgot to take some
photos! It did take the fire team about
1 hour to actually get Tony down; the difficulty was there was no room to
perform the manoeuvre. Tony went up, over, underneath and eventually back in
his chair at the bottom of the stairs. Well
we had to end up sleeping on the sofas, as now no-one could go upstairs as the
fireman had the chair lift in bits and it still didn’t work. After all this I couldn’t find Alfie the dog,
but the little bugger he had gone up stairs and got into bed, cosy are you
Alfie ??? This night out took me about a week to get over. I haven’t laughed so
much for a long time like I did that night.
My general health is great,
I feel stronger and I’m building up more stamina each day. I have a really good
routine which keeps me outa trouble. Monday is Personal training session with
Seona, and the broken babes. Obviously I am the best in the class!!! I am pushing myself all the time and even
crawled across the floor to reach a bottle of prosecco. (Ha ha) I don’t know
how I can crawl but I can, it is so hard to stop my hips swinging to each side
and over balancing me. Some of the floor work we do is lifting weights, core
balance and stretching. We do a lot of work balancing on the swis ball I am
getting quite good at balancing independently, and working on trust issues with
falling forward and then puling myself up to sitting again, and pelvic tilts. A
lot of the exercises we do are working towards getting fitter and strengthening
my core all helping to improve my riding position and seat.
On Monday afternoons I have
a riding lesson on Super Flynn. We are
now managing a weekly session and have a willing team of Para helpers, Tess, Julie,
Jane, Rowena and Beth are the main core of help, as the lorry is quite away
from the arena and this means that at the moment we need side walkers, to walk
along side and make sure I don’t slip off going up and down into the arena. We
are working with my new shaped whips, and liaising with Paul Allison who made
them for me regarding help and ideas for the dressage saddle. Flynn has picked
up the contact so quickly and he really listens to my voice now and the action
of the whip instead of a leg aid. We are doing a lot of transitions, and
bending round poles sometimes barrels, turning sharp and turning wide, we work
on leg yielding and serpentines. All helping towards building our partnership,
it is defiantly getting stronger, I absolutely love Flynn. The pleasure he
gives me being around him is better than any drugs you can get from the doctor...
when they say the best thing for nerve pain is distraction, they are right.
I really look forward to our lesson on
Mondays, I have just been lucky enough to receive a grant to fund another hoist
arm/mechanism to be put in the arena from the SSIT southern spinal injuries
trust. This will be amazing as it will save so much time at the beginning and
end of the session. So I will also need less people as I start to improve and
ride without side walkers. As they do an amazing job just getting me into the
arena safely!! Flynn doesn’t bat an eyelid at the hoist now, so by putting
another on in the arena I don’t imagine he will be that bothered about when and
where we get on.
As you can see Mondays are
extremely busy, but I love Mondays as I am working towards my para dressage
dream.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are my days at work. I
have landed the most amazing job working for a company called Wellspect
healthcare. Who make bladder and bowel appliances. Things like catheters and
Bowel irrigation systems; this is the most apt job for me. They are all
extremely helpful with me wheeling around and they bring me tea all the time.
The job is evolving as I’ve probably said before. At the moment I am advising
and supporting clients, new to the bladder management and working on the key
accounts with TIA (trans-anal irrigation clients). I feel like part of the team
and I’ve only been their 3 months. I absolutely love going into work. www.wellspect.co.uk
Wednesdays are supposed to
be my rest day! No rest for the wicked, I never get to rest. Wednesdays
normally consist of a riding lesson on the simulator at the Avon RDA, we have
done lots of work on the simulator and this helps by working my core balance
again and strengthening my back. I enjoy these sessions as the RDA is an
amazing charity bringing so much joy and therapy to all the riders who use the
facilities recently at the RDA I had a
lesson with Nick Rodgers who is a para coach with British Dressage for the
south west. This was very enlightening, I was shown some new exercises, and
pelvic tilt movements, lots of tips and helpful advice about my saddle that I
ride Flynn in and what to be looking for in a new one. I have asked Nick to
come to Lone Oak and see Flynn and me and help give us direction; luckily he
will come to see how we are getting on, probably in the New Year.
So when I’m not at the RDA,
I normally have to do all my running around like doctor’s appointments, trips
to Salisbury and Southmead Hospitals. As I still have ongoing complications due
to the injury. Mainly with my bladder, I have seen a specialist and had tests
performed and advised that more surgery is probably on the addenda. I don’t
want this at the present time, so more oral tablets and Botox injected into my
bladder is keeping things settled at the moment.
Recently on one of my busy
Wednesdays I have had a business lunch meeting at Tortworth court, a beautiful
local hotel, with the chair and event manager for the charity Event Mobility.
I
met Simon last year at Badminton horse trials, as I had a real interest in the charity
and the values they stand for, access to all at events! The charity would like
me to be a trustee on their board, it’s basically like helping the charity make
decisions, have ideas to grow the charity and support the charity where
possible. I am looking forward to this challenge and where it will lead as I am
extremely passionate about this charity, providing access to events and venues
that would normally be out of bounds for a lot of people who can’t walk very
far. Perhaps who have long term ailments or recent trauma so watch this space,
let’s see what happens. phcompany.com
As I am still running a small aesthetics
business, Fridays tend to be clinic days, when I work from Aura Retreat beauty
and hair salon doing dermal filler and botulinum toxins. This is an enjoyable
role. I love working with people who may have some confidence issues with a
part of their face and if you can help to improve that area, and help improve
someone’s mental health and confidence that’s a great feeling. I also try to do
all my admin on a Friday. I have to do lots of blogging, I am still writing monthly for your horse magazine, I love doing
my blogs as it a way of recording where I am and how far I have come and the
bills still keep coming in!! So juggling the none existent money is a
challenge… ha ha. If I get time I like to meet up with friends, go out for
lunch and generally catch up.auraretreat.co.uk
Oh I forgot to mention as well as what I do
during the day, I also go to the yard 5 evenings a week to watch Stella ride,
cook tea, do all the washing, take Harry to work and rugby, but he has starting
to get the bus a bit more now, so he’s a little bit more independent than
Stella. My weekends consist of, Stella riding, Harry working and rugby, seeing friends
and family, shopping and walking my most amazing loyal friend Alfie dog. A few
weekend ago I went to Devon to be assessed for my classification for British
Dressage, Para equestrian classification is a system for para equestrian sport
it’s a graded system based on the degree of physical or visual disability and
is handled at the international level by the FEI (Federation Equestrian
International)
Para dressage has 5
different classes 1-5, 1 being the class for the most impaired rider, and
concentrates on walk teats only. 5 is the class for the least disabled riders
who can ride up to PSG (Pre st George) levels and contain complex moves and
speed variations. My assessor suggested I would probably be a 2 or 3. I have to
wait for clarification from the FEI and haven’t had that yet, as I attended a
venue with one classifier. Once I have this I will be so happy to have achieved
this within 18 months of being discharged from hospital, this is what I have
been working towards, all those application forms being filled in, Drs
appointments, private consultants in Oxford, chasing up on every detail, but
now it’s all falling into place and I am over the moon.
I am still working very hard on the leg up for talent
program. I would like to find some more sponsors/companies who can work with me
either to provide something in kind or financial support. I would love to get a
saddle company as really need to get a dressage saddle, at the moment I ride in
a general purpose saddle and I need to
get a more secure seat. If anybody reading this works with a
saddle company or knows anybody who would like to help me in any way, please
get in touch (haigh.s@hotmail.co.uk). This is my next challenge; it’s so hard
to get companies to want to work with you when you are a nobody!! But it’s now I need the help, I imagine when
I am a somebody I will be fighting them off with sticks ha ha ha. legupfortalent.com
I set aside time every day to chase up emails, letters
and continue to work with the sponsors I already have. I blog once a week for
each sponsor on the leg up for talent program. I enjoy working with the
companies and individual that I have supporting me because every one of them
are special to me in my current situation. Dolphin mobility is an amazing
mobility company. They provide knowledge and all sorts of specialist equipment
for individuals who have a need for something that will help improve their life
in some way.
Beth Hobbs BHS II my amazing
instructor supports me and helps me so much with my para ambition. We are
improving with my riding and partnership with Flynn and I am trying to help
with her advertising and her business. The para teaching is invaluable and a
really good string to have in your bow as an instructor. Julia Mottram our
equine physio helps to support and treat Flynn and also is able to assist with
my position in the saddle; we have had some amazing helpful sessions which I
have written blogs about on our sessions as they are really interesting. I am still working on a few new links and
fingers crossed something comes off in the New Year. I am so close to receiving my clarification
of my para dressage grade. What an amazing Christmas present that will be. Roll
on 2018 wonder what you have in store for me?
I would like to thank all my
very special family and amazing friends for being there on this journey through
2017. I have personally achieved so much and each week am improving with my
strength, determination and reaching my goal.
