Eventing Nation Blog - January 2012
Dear Eventing Nation,
It's been a long time since we've talked. It's certainly been too long for John, who has been tearing his hair out waiting for me to write him a blog post for almost a month. If I wasn't all the way over in Australia I'm sure he would have dropped in, pulled me off my horse and forced a laptop down my throat by now. I know that I have some making up to do.
2012 is already looking very different to 2011. This time last year I was making secret preparations for an assault on the Rolex Three Day Event - my gallop program was about to kick off and I was crossing my fingers that the equine transport company would call to say they had organised a flight to the USA for Tiger and I. It was an exciting time and kicked off a year that was highlighted by the achievement of turning up at some big events on the other side of the world, rather than by any actual success at them.
January 2012 has been interesting for different reasons. Just before Christmas I stepped out of the relative comfort of self-employment and plunged into the world of the fully employed. I now work as a writer in a large branding and advertising agency in Sydney, and as you can imagine, this has been quite a cultural shock for someone who has spent the best part of six years running their own horse business. I couldn't help laughing yesterday when I caught myself walking into our inner-city office talking on the phone, drinking a takeaway coffee and carrying an umbrella. Life has definitely changed.
From setting off to work (at home) wearing boots, spurs and a helmet, I now ride a bus to the city in clothes which surprise me by still being clean at lunchtime. And while some bus drivers make me wonder whether I should continue to wear the helmet for safety reasons, I question whether this would be socially acceptable. Public transport is always an experience, but it's an experience that I'm starting to quite enjoy, and one that us horse people are exposed to far too rarely.
I'll admit that I'm struggling to come to grips with the fact that in my new line of work I've tumbled far down the chain of command. Unfortunately it seems that my self-titled position as CEO of the stable hierarchy hasn't carried over to the new environment. However, despite the bus rides and the lack of status I have to admit that it's a fantastic job and I'm having a great time. We've got some amazing clients, the work is always interesting (I named a bank, a kitty litter and a software company all in the same day last week), and most importantly I'm still finding plenty of time to ride.
I might not say it to my new boss, but the horses are still more important than work. Our eventing season kicks off during February and I'm preparing three horses for the season ahead. These include a 3-Star horse called Tahoe, a 1-Star mare called Starburst (who I have very high hopes for after she won a CCI1 Star at the end of 2011), and a youngster called Nemo who should be out running around Pre-Novice in the first half of this year. They're a great bunch of horses and I'm hoping that at least one of them will turn out to be a champion (and perhaps a champion globetrotter) like Tiger.
Speaking of Tiger, he is secretly stoked that rather than spending a winter in dreary England he is back at home in sunny Sydney. He was released from quarantine in mid-December and had a few weeks of relaxation before having keyhole surgery on his anular ligament. This was a by-product of the tendon injury he sustained on course at Burghley, and means he will have to rest for the remainder of 2012. Hopefully by early next year he'll be able to make someone very happy as they win all of the ribbons in low level eventing. I think he'll be looking forward to it.
Elsewhere, 2012 has started with an epidemic of people falling off. I've only taught two clinics this summer but my pupils seem intent on throwing themselves off their horses and onto the ground in front of me. While I was on the bus the other morning I did the stats, and they didn't stack up well for me:
17 hours of cross-country coaching. 40 riders. 8 falls. 1 inflated air vest. 1 petrified horse. 1 ambulance. No serious injuries.
Apparently, no amount of telling people to keep their heels down, keep their eyes up and sit back can keep them from falling off if that's what they're intent on doing.
Luckily, there's a less stressful way to turn a dollar. You just have to catch the bus.
Happy Australia Day!
See you somewhere out there.
Hamish
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