What A Difference A Year Makes

It has been a little over a year since the MS Ride 2009 that had me completely re-assessing where I was with Roxy and her training. Seven saddles later and I found I had a horse that had a locked pelvis and I was resting and rehabilitating her back AGAIN!

I sit here now, tracking through Fed Ex, the arrival of the 7th saddle which I pray will be the end of my saddle fitting issues. It would seem that they just don't make stock saddles like they used to and the new half breeds just don't suit my girls back. I have resorted to A) having more faith in my ability to ride. I really don't need all those pads to hold me in and B) going for an endurance style saddle that I am told by my farrier/horse body worker, is the only saddle he knows of to be straight and balanced. It should arrive today from England, as it just landed in Alexandria NSW...a lovely set of endurance stirrups also made their way to my door today, but given all that has happened I reserve judgment. :-)

Last Sunday after deciding that Roxy was ok to handle ride for charity, I tested her back on the Friday and Saturday and saddled up with my light dressage saddle on Sunday. I tried to remain calm as 12 months preparation was about to be put to the test. I was riding out with 104 riders and horses, none of her usual riding partners and the said dressage saddle which isn't exactly built to hold you in.

She was wary but remained relatively calm. I used the circle back around tactic when she got antsy and by the time we got to the main road and heading past her paddock she was relaxed and walking nicely. Even with several dramas already taking place including one woman falling and needing an ambulance 30 mins into the ride.

I quickly realised also that one of her paddock mates was at the front of the group so I needed to stay well away from that horse, so in the middle I meandered all the way to the lunch spot.

However upon arriving at the lunch spot, which meant turning to face her towards home, she got a bit frisky again, nothing bad though...UNTIL...I pass a horse that snaps the branch it was tied to, takes off with the branch in tow and it starts panicking TOWARDS us!!! As I try to steady Roxy I realise that I am fighting a losing battle and decided as the horse comes past at speed that I will take off with the horse and use my favorite riding technique... 'ride it OUT!!!', off I went but after only fifty metres or so I was able to pull Roxy up and get off safely while the other horse did a full bolt lap of the large paddock. Thinking I was out of the woods, and watching the drama unfold, I noticed it was a friends horse as the horse completed it's lap and headed back to the group. Did it stop at its owner NO...it kept going, straight for ME...ok so I like to think I am ok with horses but would prefer not to be their choice at times like this. Luckily it had lost the branch and trotted up next to Roxy and I huffing and puffing and I just casually took its lead rope. Roxy did not put a foot wrong and crisis was over.

We had a lovely lunch and headed back home. Given that horses are usually more skittish on the way home and again Roxy didn't have a companion horse to rely upon she did well. There was lots of stopping and starting too which didn't help but she handled it well.

The only other dilemma was my ongoing ability to attract rogue horses, when in the last paddock two white horses that were loose in that paddock (we had to ride through paddocks with adjisted horses) decided to come straight for me and Roxy and go either side of us. Needless to say her little brain was almost in overload and she started dancing around. I kept her moving forward and circling back into a different part of the group and she calmed down as soon as we left that paddock.

Last but not least was a horse in our home paddock standing with its rug around its neck and leg straps broken...Roxy and I took a short cut and left the trail group to walk over and rescue the silly thing. At least it had the common sense to stand still.

Lord it was finally over! I have taken a couple of days to mull over how she went and I am happy to say that she was a trooper. A year ago a situation like that would have been too much and I would have found myself in a lot of trouble. I am proud that my work is starting to pay off and that hopefully with the new saddle we can have less set backs and more miles under saddle.

So I wait for the Fed Ex guy and the rain to clear and I look forward to getting out more on the trail and enjoying all that I have to look forward to.

Love Lorrie and Roxy

Down Time and Waiting for Daylight Savings

I would love to come in here and talk of the latest achievements for Roxy and I but the fact is we have both been on holidays, her hanging in the paddock and me skiing. We also had a situation on the property which meant many of us were confined to our paddocks for several weeks. This combined with pretty severe and foul weather meant we all took a 5 week break.

Back on Rox last week and she was better than I had expected but a bit rusty with her ques. It would seem some flat work is in order over the next few weeks as we all slowly get our horses fit and back into work...AGAIN. :-)

One issue that Roxy and I had to resolve was that of the string girth. I bought her the most beautiful soft Angora ropers girth, having noticed that that is what Parelli used and Mohair or Angora was apparently definitely the go. Roxy could not disagree more and she began to show me in no uncertain terms what she thought. She has always been a bit girthy but the rope girth brought about some very undesirable behaviour and it got to the point that if I so much as brought the girth under her belly I would be ducking for cover from her teeth. This week I switched back to her favourite synthetic anti gall girth. Initially she expected the pinching so turned to nip me but I took it slowly and hopefully over the next few rides she will improve and stop being a bitch.

I also have a new addition which Leah and I purchased together and his name is Bundy. He is a rescue with 12.3hh of attitude but a clever little guy with loads of potential. We just need to find a confident kid rider to take him on and give him a new home that he deserves. We are getting back in condition and doing some ground work with him. Soon I will ride him a little as well just to see where he is at and assess him.

Summer is here soon so looking forward to the return of daylight savings and sneaking out for late afternoon rides. The sooner the better.

Talk soon
Lorrie and the snobby Roxy

A Glimmer of Something Great

There are moments in your life when you have to just stop and think…did that really happen?

I have watched countless You Tube videos of people playing with their horses at liberty and dreamed of what that might be like.

This afternoon after a quick trip out the paddock with two arguing kids in tow, I resigned myself to just doing some hill therapy with Roxy and giving her a groom and a feed.

While lunging she mucked up a bit on the right lead (normal) and the moment when I was distracted by screaming from my car, she took the opportunity to spin and start circles to the left (her preferred direction). She did it with a bit of speed and was actually cantering around using very un-characteristic speed. I tried to get her to face up and yield her hindquarter but she just kept on going like an energizer bunny. So instead, using drawing soft hands, I made her canter circles smaller and smaller until she was within 6 ft and then asked for her butt to get out of the way and for her to face me. Yep it worked.

We finished up and I fed and groomed her then let her out.

My friend Leah showed up shortly after and was doing some lovely ground work with her mare Bubba. At one point Roxy saunters over and gives Bubba a nicker, sniffs her rump and then comes in with her neck all arched and sniffs her muzzle! Then Leah sent Bubba to the right and Roxy circled with her following Bubba for about 2 circles before drifting off. Roxy was clearly in a playful mood!

I decided to grab my carrot stick and a pocket full of cubes and see what would happen if I went in and tried to play. Roxy had started to walk off so I sat in the grass and called her while Leah threw some carrots in my direction. Roxy started heading back.

After rewarding her for coming back I sent her to the right and she circled then drifted off. This continued with me getting her attention and getting her to walk with me before asking her to stop, back up and circle. All of which she did if only for a few paces it was something! Then I started running next to her, stopping suddenly, backing up and turning to go the other way, hoping that Roxy would mimic me. For the most part she did and it was FUN! When she drifted off I simply walked up to her and either dropped in beside her to walk next to her and get her attention back with me or tried to get her attention and draw her to me while walking backwards. Roxy did know that I had a pocket full of treats but she wasn’t pushy and for a left brain introvert the biggest reward for doing the right thing is a treat!

You could just see her starting to think ‘wow you are being a bit interesting?’

Leah called out ‘I feel a blog in this’ and at the time I was too focused on thinking and playing but when I got home I realised what a huge achievement it was. I truly believe that one day I will be that person with that horse doing those things and some person in the crowd will be wishing they were me.

Roxy's First Year of Life

I spend alot of time thinking about where Roxy came from and who her parents might be. Recently I have started to think more about how Roxy's first year of life might have affected her as the horse she is today. By 'reading the horse' I am starting to believe that you can probably tell quite a bit about a time that you know nothing about.

What I do know is that as yearling Roxy was subjected to the Camden Sale Yards. Bought by her previous owner as she was 'too cute' she then spent the next 3 years in a paddock near a main road and a little time somewhere near Yass after being started. And we all know what she got up to down there!

So I have been thinking about some of the things Roxy objects too, her possible breeding and her lack of brands and basic behaviour and this is what I have come up with.

I believe that Roxy was born in a rural area maybe further out west of NSW and possibly by mistake. Given that she has no brands, she wasnt bred for a specific purpose and or the people who had her, didnt have the money to go through with the paperwork and processes involved and or she just had no breeding.

Once she reached one year old NSW was in the grip of a massive drought and a foal was an extra mouth that they couldnt keep feeding and she was, like most extra horses at this time, just sent to the sales.

Again referring to the drought I doubt that Roxy has seen much if any water over the years. Her preference for drinking is from muddy dam water or troughs and when I first purchased her water crossing of any kind was a real issue.

Roxy hasnt been mishandled as she really doesnt display any psychological scars, although she does get grumpy when trying to put on the bridle and she is a bit cinchy. This leads me to think that she was broken in the 'old' way and probably a bit rushed. Being left brain the process was probably all a bit quick for her. Despite this she still maintains a basic trust in humans but a preference for the herd. Roxy always places herself at the back of a herd. Her previous owner would have had alot of horses coming and going, so for Roxy being at the back meant safety and protection from new horses and new events. To this day she still prefers the back of the herd but now I find her sometimes in the middle.

The confidence that Roxy lacks is just because she is green. Traffic and the bush has never really bothered her given where she grew up this makes sense but like any horse in a new environment all the other stuff is just a learning process.

Now back to the fact that Roxy has had to endure the sale yards at such a tender age. My main clue to her left over objection from her treatment there is her dislike of cemented yards and mud. Of the few I pass she shows a minute but true fear which get's me thinking that she still associates that environment with the overwhelming fear and terror that she must have felt being herded in there and luckily for me saved.

On a positive note Roxy really likes cows and sheep, another clue to her possible first year of life maybe on a large cattle farm or sheep farm?

Finally to kind of summarise. Roxy was born and allowed to be a horse, she was handled and probably very sweet but for whatever reason had to go. She lacks confidence at times,like any horse, and was rushed in the breaking process. She doesnt forget easily, and is learning to trust but not without asking why. She accepts things once she sees no reason to be afraid, but still relies on the safety of the herd.

I feel that as my relationship with Roxy grows she trust' s me more and more not to make her do anything that might upset her or put either of us in a dangerous position. My main goal now is for Roxy to WANT to do things because at the end of the day they are fun and safe. You cant MAKE Roxy do anything she will fight back and if you dont take the time to see things the way she does you will lose. She is not intentional in her arguments, I feel now that she just wants to make sure I am sure and then she tends to adopt her 'oh well ok then' attitude.

Whoever let that little yearling get on a truck to the sales all those years ago made a huge mistake but I am so glad that they did.

xxx
Lorrie

5 Good Reasons to Outlaw Cream Jodhpurs

With much anticipation I headed off to the RDA Chicken Run today, a fundraiser for the Riding for The Disabled. After its initial cancellation it was all good today with perfect weather and perfect travelling up the winding pass to Moss Vale Show Ground.

My business partner Leah has been adamant that I look the part and left with me all the trimmings for a show ring ride. Upon arrival to the modest do I realised that a jacket would be over the top and decided on drumming up the courage to at least wear the cream joddies.

Roxy was calm and we headed out to do our dressage test, while she and I lacked impulsion she did really well and had some great comments such as 'nice obedient horse' and 'well ridden'. We scored 120/170 in our first ever test...fantastic!!!

Next was the showjumping....9 x 30cm high jumps. After a bit of a practice I felt ready to go but in the back of my mind wary of the double jump which was the second jump...sure enough Roxy felt my hesitation and although we went over I was unbalanced and then she placed two nice humps in for good measure and I was off! Not to be fazed I jumped back on and continued knowing that Roxy was willing to do this if I just drank my cup of cement and got on with it. The rest of the round was clear. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face....or the laughs as we played back the video of my fall over and over just to enjoy it together, what a treat.

Later my daughter Jade went in the dress up parade with Roxy as bumble bees, we were running a little late and Jade didn't place but the presenters made their way over to Jade to congratulate her on a fantastic outfit. I then took her for a little led ride and she really enjoyed it.

Last was the cross country, again not sure how Roxy would go I proceeded with caution but she was a champ and by 1/4 of the way through we were moving nicely...UNTIL.... we caught up to 'skittish balking horse' in front. I tried to pass but realised that her horse was going to crack it if I trotted off, and I decided to complete the course with her and in the meantime sneak in some training with Roxy and strange horses ;-)

So we ended the day very chuffed at how well our horses had done. Neville, Christine's horse was as fresh as they can get preparation wise and he also did really well. They had to deal with a lot today and then didn't let us down and remained calm the whole day. All our hard work is definitely paying off.

It is here that I fast forward a few hours and I am on the computer watching the videos from the day....I was mortified to see myself in those cream jods, as clearly standing in front of a mirror in NO WAY should give you any indication of how you will look bouncing up and down in a dressage saddle.

In a way that can only be described as 'dugongish' I now regale you with my 5 reasons for outlawing creams jods from competition or riding of any sort:

1. Your left arse cheek

2. Your right arse cheek

3. Any trace of cellulite that has crept on since child birth can be clearly seen

4. People have normally just eaten

5. It is just plain wrong and I would like my retinas back now please?

It is here that I must mention that had I wore said jacket my unmentionables may have been obscured by the bottom of the jacket...regardless, enough is really enough. When your husband refuses point blank to comment on your appearance when asked "Do I really look like that?" you know you have gone beyond the point of acceptable and it is time to rein it in so to speak :-)

So it is back to the old me, watching what I eat and trying to exercise a bit more than I do already.

Apart from that ......HOW AWESOME WAS MY HORSE!!

Until next we meet

xx

Lorrie

Leaps, Bounds and the Left Brain Introvert

Never say never...after passing on a Parelli DVD to my friend Leah, as I decided a few months ago it wasn't for me, I actually took the time to watch it. Turns out, as luck would have it. it may be one of the most important DVD's I almost didn't watch!

I am an extrovert, I doubt there is much dispute there. Roxy is a Left Brain Introvert, this means she uses the left side of her brain and is a thinker, has more whoa than go and needs time to mull something over before deciding on her actions. A classic example of Parelli's motto...take the time it takes.

Last Sunday week I finally convinced my family to come check her out and see how we were going. I warmed her up with ground work slowly slowly and as things progressed, she was focused and accepting of everything I asked of her, including giving Jade (7) and Zeke (3) a riding lesson. I had a ride and she was outstanding and I felt comfortable and in sync. Next I decided to ask her to cross a row of old tyres laid out on the ground and she willingly did this, then I raised it to two tyres high and over she goes, I felt confident and she was calm so I went to three tyres high and sure enough over she went. I was chuffed to say the least and Danny my suffering husband was too. This was the pinnacle of what we had achieved so far on the ground.

Fast forward a few days and I am back ready to do some more work. It was windy, threatening rain, horse dealer had arrived with a bunch of nervous horses and I knew all was not as it should be with Roxy's focus. We started out and she was doing ok.

We had a new tarp on the ground however this time it was silver. Now bear with me here while I explain how quickly a Left Brain can turn from calm to complete right brain. I took her over to the tarp and she was nervous but willing to sniff it. When she did this I should have taken her back to a familiar task elsewhere but no extrovert me tried to make her sniff it again and she did but, in hindsight, it was here that left brain was quickly switching to right. I then proceeded to put her over the tyres again. Seeing as though three was a breeze last time I though a single row high would be a piece of cake. Roxy however was still thinking about the tarp and I was moving her along too quickly, not taking the time it takes. She hesitated at the tyres and spun around the other way, when she circled back around she hesitated and spun again. Now here is where I should have realised again that I need to drop my energy and let her switch back to left brain. But NO I had to get firm with her a there were a few well place cracks of the string on the ground behind her back legs. SHE LOST IT! Off she goes almost galloping in circles on my 22 ft line. Then thankfully for her my brain went left brain and remembered the DVD "don't go after a left brain with the string and use your energy to bring them back" so I dropped all my energy and just let her go in circles until suddenly her left ear turns to me, she slows and trots up to me huffing and puffing but with a clear sense of "I have had enough of that I need a cuddle". She came to me for relief and to check in with me, similar to how a panicked foal would with its mother. Regardless of what had just happened this was HUGE for us.

Roxy spend a few minutes with me just being rubbed and reassured and then we went off to do some easy stuff before going back to the tarp. After taking our time she crossed it and the tyres several times and with confidence.

This is all translating to our ridden work and this morning I had a beautiful ride on her, just the two of us around the top paddock of my friends property. We did some trotting and cantering and we also rode through a dam.

This journey is so rewarding and is hard work but I really don't find it hard at all. I just need to understand where she is at personality wise and it all falls into place. I make mistakes but she forgives me for them and we move on and the partnership continues to develop.

The chicken run was postponed so we have two more weeks to work on that also before attempting some stuff in public. :-O

Until then xxx

What a Difference a Year Makes

Well, well, well who would have thought I would ever get back in a dressage arena? However this years RDA Chicken Run has me 'you tubing' Preparatory 2 dressage tests and drawing lines on rectangle arenas as I memorise my first test in probably 20 or more years! And lets not forget..I am not riding some well trained dressage horse with a few years of training under its belt, I am on my green, ex broodmare, prone to explosiveness, no clear breeding, slutty when in season mare officially known as Roxy Broomstick! But it is here that the insults must definitely end.

Yesterday, with a few nerves and the odd flash back to eventing on my dear friend Pasha, we made our way to the dressage arenas at the local Pony Club ground to practise. While I pretty much had the course down pat in my head, what I wasn't ready for was what Roxy came up with.

As I walked to the centre and prepared to trot it just felt right, we continued on to complete the test and I was quietly stunned at how great it felt and how well Roxy handled it. My friend Christine also practiced on Neville and again another green horse was kicking arse. Now by no means do I say that they were perfect and neither were we, but when you look at the whole picture it was a particularly impressive ride.

By the 3rd go I really felt that Roxy could handle this and handle it with a decent amount of class. She was on the bit alot of the time, rode into the corners, moved freely (although a crop will be needed just as a gentle reminder), transitioned in the right spots and all in all was a really, really good girl who was focused most of the time.

I am not a professional and I can only ride 3 times a week if I am lucky, but to get Roxy where she is today has made me immensely proud. We still have some hurdles that need sorting (her need to flirt and an objection to narrow strips of mud) and she will never be a high performance horse but she lets me dabble in a bit of everything and that is more than I could hope for.

The RDA event is on the 30th of May and I am hoping that I can film my dressage and maybe the jumping and cross country as well, but if she only does what she did the other day you wont be able to wipe the smile off my face.

Until then ride with the confidence you had when you were a kid and smile until your cheeks drop off!

Lorrie and Roxy

xx

$180....nope your horse is just lazy!!!

I guess it would come as no surprise that today I called a vet out to Roxy as I worried about her exhibiting 'exercise intolerance' during yesterdays training session in the round yard.

Roxy appeared, to me, to have a slightly swollen upper respiratory tract...maybe....and while trotting in frame she was coughing and slowing to a point that had me worried.

Fast forward 24 hours, a scope and $180 later...I have a horse that thankfully is good as gold and I am now left to assume that SHE IS A LAZY ARSE!!!

On the upside I got a lesson in horses respiratory systems and was amazed to see the inside of Roxy's throat. Worth the money just to see that in my opinion.

I am still waiting on my custom made Kent saddle which I should get in another 6 weeks. In the meantime I am 'back in the saddle' this week having spent the last six weeks resting Roxy's back and doing ground work to strengthen and lengthen it. She has turned into a tubby one though and will need to shift some weight, but she is all good to go.

I am looking forward to some more up and coming western clinics and have a few new training techniques to continue to improve my girl.

I also recently returned from a fantastic trip with my horse family and my actual horse widow husband and kids, to Tumbarumba (blog on that soon) in the snowy mountains and am thankful to good friends Mick and Lucy for the kind invitation to explore that part of the hill. The riding is amazing and a big hug to my April spare horse "Rose", what a great ride that girl is and man can she jump!

Next time I am hoping to take Roxy as she would have just loved it...although I am not so sure about the scary bridge on the Hume-Hovell Track...that is a story for another time!

Lots of love

Lorrie

New Flash!!! The Illawarra has Rotated and Now Lies on Equator

Wow could it get more humid or subtropical...since departing from my sisters at speed and looking forward to the cooler days, or at least nights of home, I am finding that it is a distinct possibility that the earth has changed its axis and I am now in the sub-tropics. NEVER has my desire been so strong to get Narellan Pools in for a quote, and I hate getting into pools (unless I have a belly full in which case it isn't a hard task whatsoever).

This afternoon another ride was planned to test out the next combination on Roxy's new corrector pad. Yes another expensive item has been added to my collection but I feel like I am getting there. It just goes to show that maybe if you pay for quality up front you wont waste hundreds or even thousands getting there.

Weather looks ominous for the weekend social endurance ride, however the team is still hoping for a positive outcome from the gods. Call me an atheist but I am not holding my breath. It would make for another excellent blog however and if we don't go I might just make one up.

Not much else to report just enjoying the cool change the storm brought before the sun comes out again and sends the humidity skyrocketing to 100% again!

:-)

Lorrie

And now the opportunity to add a pic of the Rox!

Fog, Frogs and Explosive Bogs

As time goes on I am more convinced that if you are to ride with Christine and I then you do so at your own risk. Don't worry my friends we are top fun to be around but you will find yourself questioning if you are living a parallel universe as events unfold.

Chris and I loaded up Roxy and Neville and headed to Darkes Forest today for western lessons. Although stiff from a neck that muscle spasmed two days ago and tired from attending a ripper 40th the night before, I was excited.... with Berocca in one hand and pink pain killing pill in the other.

Off we went and other than miss the turn off we made it with time to spare.

The riding school is chocka with horses and riders and even on a rainy day there were people out enjoying their horses. Frogs too we very vocal and what I thought might be an idling tractor was actually a dam full of frogs, it is here that Christine pointed out my blondeness.

We had a fantastic lesson and the horses both did really, really well. We learnt about western showing and classes and how to perform in them. As well as completing an obstacle course

I am especially pleased with my Roxy, who although showing signs of being over the whole arena thing, (SSSSOOO left brained), we took it slowly slowly and did really well getting some nice complements to boot. Lucky my helmut was on or my head would have filled that arena.

Now here I digress and mention that half way through I had the tummy rumbling of what I suspected was anxiety. All too soon it was revealed to me that other factors were at hand. Two trips to the dunny and 1kg lighter, I had a sinking feeling that last nights 12.30 pizza was not happy at all with my intestines. They argued on and off but no more dashes to the loo were necessary.

Back to the float and we head off to be greeted by a thick fog typical up on the escarpment. I casually ate my salad thinking that I was in good hands and Christine was surely a seasoned pro.....I ask to make sure..."Please tell me you have at least driven in fog a few times before"..the response was negative. I leaned over slapped the hazards on and we continued down the pass. She handled it brilliantly and I arrived home safe and sound without any further incident.

It was another win for horse training mumma's over green horses and the new float was gorgeous. A big thanks again to Christine for finding another awesome thing to get involved in. Who would have thought that the variety was out there.....Love it!!!

Rides to the Pub and Rides in the Rain

Well hellllooooo 2010!!!

This year marks the start of some big things for me and me Rox. We have spent January cramming as many rides in as school holidays will allow and now that school is back it is time to get things kicking along again.

I have spent some time doing ground work with Roxy and a few memorable rides have my spirits lifted as I see her slowly but surely improving which is all you can ask for. Consistent improvement and learning is a god send!

Last week I ventured to Jamberoo pub with my local horsey friends Chris, Deb, Marty, Nicky and Kim on Neville, Buddy, Flicka, Tully and Clancy respectively. This was a real test for Roxy as it was her first real group ride with strange horses since the MS Ride. I couldn't have been more pleased with her behaviour heading to the pub and was delighted to have her as the center of attention for some kids who wanted to pat a horse. A beer and pie and it was back in the saddle. As usual the ride home is a little faster, and apart from some separation anxiety when we lost sight of the group after falling a bit behind, she was faultless.

Fast forward to this weekend and I was lucky enough to have my fav Bega girl Trish Hayes escort Roxy up to Robertson for a sleep over at Lucy and Micks. We did some photography for Paddock Planet and then trucked it down the road for a ride. Roxy was understandably nervous but settled in after about 10 mins. A stealth dog upset her a little at the halfway mark and on the way home the dastardly doggy got us again but all in all a nice calm ride.

This morning we all headed off again with Trish on Boris, Lucy on Rose and Leah on Bubba. Stealth dog was asleep but we managed to find a Waler Wench driving around and stopped for a chat...hi Bindi... Trish and Lucy headed back as Trish had to get back to Bega, but Leah and I continued on to finish the track (an extra 45mins riding). We trotted the last main section of the road and as we cruised along the heavens opened. Roxy tried to tuck her head to get it out of her face, looked like a collected trot, but we both knew better. Lola and Roxy were impeccable and we made it back to our pick up point for Lucy to truck us back to the house, where Mick was waiting with fresh rock cakes and pots of tea and coffee.

I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have such a great opportunity and to have found such lovely people to hang with. Thanks guys!

So coming up....... we have a western clinic next weekend which Chris and I are going to with Neville and Roxy. I am really looking forward to that and it will be a nice addition to the training mix :-)

The weekend after that I have a 20km endurance social ride at Wandandian which ironically is where my family had a farm when I was a little kid so I am excited about riding around my old digs.

Until then, when I am sure I will have lots of stories...happy riding!

Love Lorrie and Roxy!

Roxy taking a break in the park in Jamberoo