When it was clear that I was not going to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics , with no other obvious competitors from the islands, sadly it seemed unlikely that the US Virgin Islands would have a presence at the 2020 Paralympics.   At the 11th hour a young track athlete - who had been considered a potential 2024 Paris contender - was fast tracked through the classification system and given a Wild Card to represent the USVI in Tokyo. I gladly accepted the role of Chef de Mission once again but little did I know that it would also include being the Covid Liaison Officer! Who guessed one would even be necessary with a national team of  just 3 (including me!) attending the Games? Little did I know that it would turn out to be the most demanding role of them all! 

Planning for Tokyo became a full time job - on top of my full time job!  I was responding to emails at 5:30 a.m. before going to the yard and riding Skye and again in the evenings till late. The amount of correspondence and documentation being bounced back and forth was eye watering and it was a little overwhelming at times keeping on top of it all - or trying to!! At one stage it definitely dulled my enthusiasm for even going! 

But as the date drew closer that changed - helped by everything falling into place. The only real concern - which was out of my control anyway ... unknowingly getting covid before I left the UK - being tested positive in my 'fit to fly' testing and having to stay behind with all the pins, team kit, flags & bunting and opening ceremony gear that I was taking to Tokyo with me. It was a very stressful time - and I wasn't even competing!! 

But we got there in the end with only the odd drama thrown in for good measure. I put regular (daily?) posts on my Facebook page with lots of photos to try and show as much of the backroom action as possible. Have a look if you missed it -  https://www.facebook.com/leefrawley2012

I had my reservations in the months and weeks leading up to the Games but once there I was swept up in the inspiring aura that surrounds all Paralympic sports. And it is easy to forget what a huge undertaking it is to put on a Paralympic Games. Tokyo did a brilliant job - all the people were fantastic and the organisers did a pretty decent job under what were incredibly difficult circumstances.  My heart went out to the Japanese public who could not attend the venues and be involved but who still lined the streets of Tokyo as we were bussed to the Opening Ceremony and who crowded the fence by the  NPC car compound every day - even into the night - waving and cheering at everyone! 

Early on it in the summer though it was clear to me that I was going to have to put the idea of competing Skye on the back burner while Tokyo was on the horizon.  There was no point in getting stressed or frustrated by it and I tried to look on the positive side that we could continue training and working hard on those confidence issues while building up Skye's strength and  my fitness!! The weeks were flying by anyway with little time to dwell on it! 

And so... last week we finally dipped our toes into the competition scene once again! The first small step but  - after the issues in the past - a very welcome positive one at last!! 

I've now had Skye for two years and I would be lying if I told you that I was satisfied with the progress we have made during that time. Everything seemed to conspire against us - first my bad fall, then his puzzling physical issue, followed of course by everyone's enemy -
covid 19!

Even over the past year, when we all have been seriously curtailed in what we can do, I have followed friends and colleagues'  progression with their training and felt a certain amount of envy... why weren't we achieving the same level of improvement but seemingly going backwards instead?
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AND THEN... I looked at our rosettes in the tackroom and thought - let's just try and put this all into perspective shall we?!!

It has been a bumpy road - no doubt about that - but there have been many highlights and real positives along the way. Riding and training is a constant learning curve and Skye, with his complex character, was always going to add a bit of spice to life. Maybe we haven't moved up a level in training - maybe we haven't competed as much as others - but - maybe we just needed to strip it back...    and take a breath. 

The challenge has been getting his mind and body to work in harmony with each other.  With the therapy Skye has been having he is hopefully gradually regaining confidence in his body - his spookiness has certainly improved. We are back working in our 'scary' school at home and I am regaining my confidence in him. It has been small steps  - just him and me sorting out our issues - but I felt I needed to get to this point.  Basically, to get back to enjoying riding him again.

The therapy will continue, the ground work will continue -  now I am excited that our training with Andrew J Murphy will continue!! With the relaxation of restrictions I can't wait for that drive over to Kent that I have missed all winter and getting back into proper training mode.  😊

I don't think anyone will be sad to say goodbye to 2020!!  What high hopes we all had for this year... I especially liked the way saying 2020 rolled off your tongue so easily!i
Since my last post - unbelievably 4 months ago - we carried on combining our training and competing with other ad hoc outings. I was fortunate enough to have a training session with Mary-Anne Horn at Hickstead  -  on my birthday no less -- and just before they sadly closed their doors to dressage. We competed at two new venues hosting para competitions in the south east, Parwood and Saddlesdane and had some good results there and at BD competitions at Felbridge Equestrian Centre (1st & 2nd) !!
Our training with Andrew J Murphy continued to push us both out of our comfort zone but  in a totally positive way and polework with Mariana Broucher was always entertaining - especially the clinic with prosecco! 
And so I headed to the CPEDI3* at Keysoe in October feeling better prepared than ever for an international competition. And unlike last year, I had a groom with me in the capable guise of Angela Brocklehurst - we were staying in a B&B (no freezing in the lorry this time) and we had a dream of a journey there. I guess I should have been a little wary after a less than ideal outing at Parwood a couple of weeks earlier but I chose to put that to the back of my mind. Keysoe was not our finest hour and in a history of disastrous competitions it rates near the top.  What can I say.... shit!!
If nothing else 2020 has been a big learning curve and I have to say a big thanks to all who have been supportive during these questionable times... you know who you are!!
So.... let's turn the page and start a clean slate!! GO!!!!

Eek!! I  had no idea that it was as long ago as April when I last posted a blog and now its August already!! 

We've been busy... are you ready for this? 

I started riding Skye again at the beginning of May doing lots of hacking up the hills and through the woods to build up both our fitness but also continued the in hand spook busting which he was getting pretty good at. Over the weeks he graduated from a plastic bag to flags and on to a golf umbrella!  This time spent working in hand with him was interesting as from the ground I could observe how he used himself differently on each rein - just marginally...  in the quickness of his stepping under behind or the slight reluctance to step across in front. With each session he improved and the differences gradually disappeared. We got back in our school again, with the help from Sally George on Lewey as 'friendly horse' to patrol the scary track side!  Skye was good - I couldn't fault him - he's not 100% comfortable there but to be honest I am probably the one most tense in that school. As daft as it seems I just can't help it...

In early June I started taking Skye over to Park Farm on a Sunday to school him there - a place where we both feel a bit more relaxed. It also gave him a little outing in the lorry - the first for 5 months -  and the beginnings of getting back into more formal schooling.  Not only was it a step up for us both in the fitness stakes... we were aiming for a place at Andrew J Murphy's clinic at the end of the month - but a great chance to catch up with Suzanne and Rhapsody!!
That clinic - which I had such high expectations for - well... lets just say I let the side down big time. Once again it was me who was the weakest link! We were at a new (strange) venue - it was blowing a hoolie and I was expecting fireworks from Skye... so I sat there like a sack of potatoes. He was fine and I was furious.. with myself!!

OK!!  Lesson learned. I gave myself a good talking to and vowed to start 'owning' our training sessions.. i.e. stop being such a wimp!! 

In July we ramped it up a bit... continuing with our weekly trips to Kent but also a pole work session with Mariana Broucher which was good fun  - and entertaining - for the spectators anyway!  I had decided to try and get Skye out to as many different and varied activities for the rest of the summer. Not just to keep his busy brain busy - but to have some fun!!   When 'one'  (i.e. me) is working hard towards a big competition it is easy to get a bit blinkered and yet all these activities can add to the horse's well being, fitness, education.. not to mention the rider's too! We both enjoyed it and the following day at the next clinic with Andrew, Skye  came out with a much better frame right from the start!  Result! That clinic was fab - Skye responded to my more positive riding and I drove home with a happy heart!

Just a couple of days later I took the day off work and headed off to a local unaffiliated competition. Not only was there dressage but also show jumping training so it was buzzing - and so was Skye!  But.... I had allowed plenty of time for our warm up so he had time to relax and then did a very sweet test coming 5th - just 1% behind the winner!  To put this in perspective... this was our 1st competition since 1st January... and actually only our 4th competition together!! That in itself is hard to believe! 

Now.. bringing it right up to date. Last Wednesday we did another unaffiliated competition. Skye went really well - so pleased with him and if it had not been for some textbook rider errors (clicking in front of the judge, large 20m half circles etc) we may have won the class... but we came 2nd so another positive experience all round!!  Sunday we headed back to Park Farm -  in the extreme heat - this time for a training session with Andrew J Murphy. Talk about turning it up a notch! Skye responded fantastically to my improved mindset and  the input from Andrew on the ground. I felt like the session set the tone for the weeks to follow!! So excited for whats to come! 

Skye is in great shape thanks to his regular check ups by Gill Maybury Chiropractor ​and we have lots packed in to the next couple of months if all goes to plan... hope I haven't jinxed it now given my track record so far with the little firecracker!  Will keep you posted! xx

During these unusual and uncertain times, I feel incredibly fortunate that not only am I still working, but am also still able to go to the yard and look after Skye,  doing work with him in hand and lungeing - even if, for the moment, I am not riding. With the internationals that I had vaguely pencilled in all cancelled, and no idea when we will be able to start training again with Andrew J Murphy, this unprecedented hiatus is a very odd feeling. 

It struck me recently that for the past 14 years or more, I have constantly been aiming for and working towards a major competition. As soon as one was over, plans immediately began for the next one and so on. Sometimes it seemed impossible - when I didn't have a horse; sometimes it was impossible - when I didn't have enough rankings list points  and always -  never enough money! All the training, planning, organising, emails, competing,  logistics, more planning, more training - liaising with Regine in the VI while burning the midnight oil, and never quite enough time for it all to feel totally under control and yet most of the time coming right at the 11th hour.
It has put a lot of pressure on me. Actually - the truth is - I have put a lot of pressure on me! 

But I love it and would do it all again tomorrow in a heartbeat!

Still - I am sure I am not the only one who has recently taken a step back from our personal hamster wheels we have been living in and considered how we can make it better when we gradually regain some of our freedom. Dare I say it...retaining the positive aspects of lockdown life even? Slowing down a bit and having time - time to contact all our friends, time to read, time to be more observant, time to do all the things that you never normally have time for!! Of course I'm talking about the things you want to do - not spring cleaning the garage kind of things!!  Important things!! 

The work I have been doing with Skye in hand  - and bearing in mind it is fairly simple as I am learning too - has made a noticeable improvement in his edginess. It is as though he has taken a deep breath, relaxed his shoulders and his jaw (as my pilates teacher always reminds us!)  and decided that he does not constantly have to do an impression of a blue arsed fly or stay forever on high alert for the sudden appearance of the Horse Catcher! He seems more chilled and I can't wait to start riding and training again to test his new found Zen! 

As I said in last month's blog - discovering what was causing Skye's discomfort was no easy task. Mine on the other hand was simple when I finally persuaded them to give me an MRI. The result confirmed that - as well as fracturing my pelvis in my fall last June -  I had also fractured two vertebrae!!  Wedge fractures caused by trauma which are still healing. This explains a lot, not least of which my sudden loss of height - 1 and a half inches no less! Ever since day one and for the past 9+ months I tried to tell them that my back is the problem.. the pelvis more of an inconvenience which has long since disappeared - but no one would listen... grrrr! 
 
SO... I am now on a mission consisting of 'better late than never' exercises to get my back moving again - all the exercises I was previously advised to avoid.  They say I can't do any damage and to just work through the pain - I hope it works.  The positive part of this though is.. I now have a plan.  And who doesn't love a plan!! 

Stay well everyone and I look forward to us all coming through these tough times to laugh, ride, sing and dance together again!!  Cheers my friends. xxx

Hard to believe it was one year ago that this little chap - full of character with a dash of attitude - and I started our journey together!
It has not exactly gone to plan....
Well, the first three months went brilliantly and then I came off. With one thing and another we haven't managed to get completely back on track since. I am still suffering with my back from the fall despite my pelvis healing a long time ago. After endless physio appointments, many sessions at the back clinic and finally a referral, at last I have an MRI scan booked which I hope will answer some questions.
The weather this winter hasn't helped either of course but I think we did quite well to carry on through the dark rainy months with our training with Andrew J Murphy and fitness work. I was excited to be planning a trip to Holland in January to compete at the lovely Genemuiden CPEDI3* venue but just 10 days before we were due to catch the ferry, Skye showed signs of discomfort.  It wasn't immediately obvious where that was coming from so Holland had to be scrapped. 
And now it feels like we have drifted through February and into March, all the while looking for an explanation of why Skye "just wasn't quite right".  He wasn't lame...
Of course, first we eliminated all the obvious possibilities, and then the more obscure.  He had some physio, some time off, some more investigations, some more physio. The vets have narrowed it down to his poll area and now he is having laser treatment! 
Back in January my plan B was to go to Waregem, Belgium in April. It is a lovely well organised show and an easy journey from Calais. Sadly Skye has lost too much time in work now to be able to make that trip and the disruptions being caused by the Coronavirus will most probably see the competition cancelled due to the increased travel restrictions being imposed daily.  
So no plan C for now... just to get Skye fit again and take each day as it comes. The weather is reluctantly improving and the days are very definitely getting longer.. the clocks go back soon and spring must surely be just around the corner?
Hopefully we will soon be back on that journey together!!

..... and something tells me it's far from over yet!! These shots from our training sessions in December epitomise the conditions we've mostly all had to endure so far this winter with just a few exceptions.  Still we have been working hard and Skye is improving with every session. More self carriage, more suspension, more uphill and more confidence!!

We went to an unaffiliated dressage competition on New Years Day for a little outing  at a venue new to both of us. Skye went into the warm up arena doing a very good impression of a fire eating dragon that meant everyone gave us a wide berth at first.  I insisted that he steadied his walk, incorporated lateral work and he then settled into the work.  With the familiar slow systematic movements that we use at the start of  all our schooling  sessions, he could focus on me and start to relax.  In the first elementary test I felt a bit ring rusty and our accuracy was not 100% but a much improved medium test followed which I was very pleased about. A red and blue rosette and a box of chocolates for the drive home was a good way to start the New Year!! 

I am gradually learning ( I hope) how to manage his stress head moments when he wants to rush off and march along as fast as he can which just winds himself up....  encouraging him to slow right down and make every step deliberate  - he then starts to feel happier in his own skin....  (Remind me how have I landed with another adrenalin junkie aka Brodie??) 

This is definitely work in progress with this little chap!!  ... bring on 2020!!
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Reflections on Keysoe.....
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​Keysoe CPEDI3* at the very end of September was physically a big challenge with my back still not fully recovered  but oddly enough mentally I felt  quite calm about the competition.  The long days with arena walks at 7 a.m. and competing at 7:30 p.m. meant that my back was very tired and certainly not at its strongest riding by the end of the day. Following my last training session with Andrew J Murphy,  I had a plan on  how I needed to ride him.  It didn’t quite work out on the second day -  I think I overcooked the warm up a bit  - all part of the learning curve with a new horse!  And then that unfortunate spook which wasn’t really his fault because he hadn’t been spooky in the arena up to then but as a result he became very tense before we even entered at A!  Some added ‘excitement' for many  was the drug testing team approaching us following our tests…a new experience for me - I guess I have been lucky that this was the first time I got 'chosen'! 

Despite not getting the results I hoped - although in the team test we got some very good marks from three of the judges with the other two bringing down the overall percentage (still cannot understand a difference of 8% between judges?)…. I don’t regret going as it gave me the chance to see how Skye would react in the atmosphere which was buzzing by the time we competed in the evenings. He was a sweet & easy horse to do,  loved the fuss and attention being made - not so straightforward to lunge as hidden noises brought out his black dragon side, but leading around and hand grazing  on the verge of the road he was very easy and I feel it was good experience overall. He ate lots, drank lots, didn't stress about anything - horses coming and going - he just wanted to see it all.  Very positive & good to know for the future!! 

Having been away from the international scene so far this year, it was great meeting up with friends that I haven’t seen for a while - always one of the joys of these shows when you get together with people you only meet at these competitions. 

The Irish team were fab and gave me loads  of offers of help with Skye, knowing I was on my own and struggling a bit with my back. Trotting Skye up at the vets inspection, plaiting his spiky mane and watching my tests  -  it was really great to have their support. Shout out to team Ireland who had a fab show with fantastic results! 

Bringing it all right up to date now…  

After Keysoe we had a bit of down time as I finally caught the bug that was doing the rounds and felt quite rough for a week or so.  But we soon got back into the routine and a couple of weeks later had a fantastic weekend training session with Andrew at Park Farm. I was then fortunate enough to get a coveted place on the 2 day clinic being held at East Whipley Farm - former home of the Training theTeachers of Tomorrow Trust.  The history of the venue was not lost on us and I thoroughly enjoyed the two days riding, observing other sessions and having a very interesting lecture thrown in!  The additional training was immensely important in continuing to rebuild our confidence which is still a bit shaky. But looking forward now…. and exciting times ahead!!  
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You may be wondering what 's been happening in the past three months... 

Who would have guessed that just a week after my successful weekend competing at Brendon Stud I would be in hospital having a CT scan following a fall from Skye while schooling at home... certainly not me!!
I was very pleased with my schooling session that Saturday morning but nearing the end I have to admit that I took my eye off the ball. A cyclist or walker on the track alongside the school  - heard but not seen through the thick hedge - was enough to  send Skye into orbit. I might have sat the disturbance if I had been fully in the moment - sadly I hit the deck... hard!  
A fractured pelvis and considerable muscular skeletal damage to my lower back was the verdict and I went home on crutches with the advice to "go back to pilates before you get back on a horse!"  Six weeks on I heeded their advice.. did my exercises in the meantime but also had the chance to ride Trojan - the mechanical horse at Wildwoods, with Sarah Sjoholm-Patience, during that time. It was a great boost to my confidence and reassuring to know that the motion of the horse was almost a kind of massage to my painful back! I can't say it was exactly comfortable at the time but the next day I felt so much better!! 
It took way longer than I expected - and hoped - before I got back on Skye. Those extra weeks & days were very frustrating but probably the right decision in the long run.
When I finally got onboard, I gradually increased my riding time - hacking Skye for over a week to build up my strength and ease my back gently into it again... Skye had been kept ticking over while I was off so he was fit and ready to go!  I then introduced short schooling sessions to the hacking, with the aim of making my originally planned training date with Andrew J Murphy over the weekend of the 7/8 September. 
Pleased to say the weekend went very well! Everything went to plan under the circumstances with thanks to Andrew's reassuring training sessions, I felt that we were heading back into a similar groove where we left off after our last training sessions in June... and we had built a few bridges to our trust in each other again. 
And so on Sunday, our next step was to go to a local unaffiliated competition as another outing. It was a hot and sunny day which I was thankful for.  I disappointed myself though by being rather defensive in the first test but pulled myself together and was more positive in the medium & so ended the day on a much happier note. Another box ticked! 
But....  I do have a hidden agenda - to make it to Keysoe CPEDI3* in 2 short weeks time! 

I really could not even be contemplating this if it had not been for all the help and support I have had these past months - not only with my own recovery but especially looking after Skye!  Huge thanks goes to friends who took responsibility for looking after his wellbeing until I was well enough to gradually start doing a bit at the yard - I think you know who you are!  Big hug!! xx

 The past couple of months have flown by with lots of things to sort out... first and foremost my saddle!! Thanks to Ellie Martin of Bespoke Saddles and Gill Maybury Chiropractor, Skye has a comfortable saddle and a back that is no longer sore!! We have also had some really fantastic training sessions with Andrew J Murphy - when Skye has shown us not only the WOW factor but also his explosive side... he is now known as Mr Dynamite!! 

Last weekend I felt we really turned a corner in our training... it is very early days and we are still getting to know each other but - despite the hideous weather - we definitely took it to a new level.  We are all very excited for the future!! 

With Hartpury looming, I entered Pyecombe 2 day dressage competition this weekend - virtually 3 months to the day since I got Skye!  I opted for a couple of Elementaries in the unaffiliated sections each day to relieve any pressure of the results going on Skye's BD record... (O ye of little faith!)  On Friday I was really pleased with his overall attitude going to a new venue & dealing with the ever present windy conditions. The first test went well... I deliberately kept it low key to gauge whether he would stay relaxed in the arena.  His only 'moment' came when the judge beeped her horn to start the test & he leapt into the air but when we entered the arena he got on with the job! With only a few minutes between tests I was concerned I would go wrong in the next.. a negative mindset - big mistake! I did go wrong!!  A few mis-signals but there was lots to like and I was very pleased with him.

To my amazement we won both sections! It was a complete shock -  I saw others having difficulty with their horses in the blustery conditions - so that was a double gold star for Skye! 

Saturday - forecast was meant to be fine... and it was to start with.  My plan was to step up a gear and put a bit more "chilli in the mix"... Andrew's well known phrase!  To that end I had a friend read the tests so I had no worries about losing my way (pathetic I know but I am a bit ring rusty after 9 months!!).  The first test went so well...  more power and very accurate. We had  over an hour between tests this time so Skye went back in the lorry to chill. And then the rain came!  It was really blustery weather when we got him back out and he was a bit wired with the horses in the lorry next to us creating merry havoc kicking their box to pieces! Getting on was tricky but thanks to Angela and Rachel we got him away from the commotion and once I was on he was fine.  The second test was even better so I left the arena very pleased,  regardless of the results.  Imagine my utter surprise when we got another 2 red rosettes! The object of the day was primarily to improve on the day before (one different test and one a repeat) and that we well and truly did! 

To ride four tests with four different judges - all giving constructive criticism and positive comments - is hugely appreciated - full marks to the organisers at Brendon Pyecombe! 

BUT this only happens in your dreams...  right??  

Such a positive start!!  Hartpury is now only 2 weeks away and it will be a big ask for this little chap but feel it will be a good experience for him and help to cement our partnership!  We have lots to work on going forward -  there is so much more to come -  no pressure just little steps...