The sun was shining, the birds were singing, it was warm, the lorry was packed, no stones in the studholes and we were on time. Something was going to go wrong. We knew it. We covered our backs by saying 'Oh something will go dreadfully wrong, it's going too well'.
I was overjoyed, cross country = life and it felt like spring which is also life. Lexi has been on fab form.
We studded up with only minimal hell from The Mare and got on board. The ground was great, the new fences they'd built were great. We had a canter, The Mare was into the bridle if a little strong. She was psyched. I was psyched. My friend was psyched.
I had a canter round. She was in front of my leg. Check. She listened to a half halt. Check. I aimed at a small, barely two foot log as our first warm up fence. She locked on, we were a bit long but for something so small no matter.
Then she tried to put another stride in. There wasn't room for another stride. The next thing I saw was her long grey neck hurtling to the ground. Pain. I saw flailing legs. Then weight on me. So much weight. Darkness. Then I was on my feet, she was on her feet. She allowed herself to be rounded up by my friend and I checked my arms and legs and head were all still attached. Okay. Thigh a bit sore. Shoulder. Ah. That hurt. Not too badly thanks to adrenaline but that deep numbing pain which means you're actually hurt. Not bruised but Damage.
So I did what all intelligent people do and got back on before the adrenaline wore off and jumped a few small fences. We did have one stop at a 2 foot chicken coop when I went fml I don't want us to die and basically told her to stop. Then she was fine. Then I realised my left arm doesn't work. I'm also left handed.
I wasn't going to let my friend miss out so I told her to crack on and watched whilst plummeting into the deep depths of despair. Then I realised another immediate problem in that left hand= gear hand. Lorry = big, heavy gears and she doesn't always like changing them. My poor friend had to step up and drive us home with me constantly shrieking SLOW DOWN 'err we're going 30 in a 50' (I'm a terrible passenger at the best of times).
Got home. Sudacremmed the mare (she studded herself by her stifle so that's where her front legs were rather than you know, landing on them rather than her nose). The girlfriend picked me up (highly unimpressed 'I'm not angry but WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOU') a&e. Either a fractured collarbone or displaced AC joint and damaged ligaments. Sounds familiar. I did that to my right shoulder in August on a tough mudder. X-rays yesterday. Yep displaced AC point by 15 degrees.
Normal shoulder for comparison.
Luckily this isn't the worst news as last time I was back at work 10 days later and I think this time it's not as bad. I'm going on holiday in a week and a half so by the time I'm back I'll of had 3 weeks off (bye bye all the money). I intend to ride Saturday but getting instructors in for schooling and jumping. I NEED to go SJ on the 19th to qualify the old man for cricklands. And I was meant to have an xc lesson in 8 days which would be super useful. We'll see. I'm determined we will still make it for Aston BE100 on the 4th March. Meanwhile I'll get fat and bored.
