Oli Lawrence: Holiday, rest? Nah – much ‘funner’ things to do!

With half term just around the corner I should probably be studying hard but the fact that my “study periods” seem to be conveniently placed to ride is perhaps stopping that idea pick up pace… It does mean that I end up doing copious amounts of work very late at night or in the lorry – unfortunately my handwriting hasn’t been improved by the M25.

So following the school line of thought.  Everybody seems to be disappearing off to exotic destinations for half term or in a friends case, the not so glamourous Slough.  For me though  I’m putting the finishing touches to things for Isleham, our first event of the season. We’re also off to Quainton stud for a couple of days for some juniors training which should be good fun and help iron out the glitches.   The rest of half term is also pretty busy but I might have omitted to tell mum just exactly how busy… Let’s just take one day at a time…

This season as well as Dell, Totem is going to be getting out and about.  He realised today that he can do flying changes. Brilliant, but I never taught him! I think I may just pronounce him as a middle aged child prodigy and leave it at that.  He also proved to be  quite the water baby out XC schooling with plenty of enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, with horses there is that down side that you do occasionally get hurt.  Usually, it’s a consequence of horses but I managed to walk into the doctors and get told off! Our local doctors seem to think my hands are a medical dilemma.  I mean having blue hands at random intervals is perfectly normal right? Apparently I don’t take my health seriously enough.  I said I exercised heaps etc but got the look, I mean the look that only a doctor can give, far worse than even the ones your mum can give or the “I’m disappointed line” from a teacher.  Yup, it’s a killer look.  On the injuries front, I decided to take some proactive steps and went to one of the BE fall training days at Newmarket which I learnt a huge amount from including the art of how to roll away when you get flung from a ginormous mechanical horse… just a standard Sunday really.