Tiffany Bourke clocks up the miles before an enforced break
After passing the 400-mile mark on some fun hacks, Tiffany Bourke has to put Jester on the sick list
IWAS LUCKY during lockdown to still be able to go to the stables. Of course, we abide by the rules — using sanitisers, keeping our distance and limiting our time there — but it feels like my one bit of normality.
I was furloughed from work in
March and returned in July, so I have plenty of time on my hands and a lot of practice goes into my riding and improving Jester’s confidence.
We start to clock up the miles out hacking. My favourite route includes riding in big open spaces with sheep who aren’t afraid to come and investigate. Jester is amazing the first few times and takes it all in his stride — it seems far too easy!
However, another time we’re plodding along when we come to a gate. And that’s it — a huge inconvenience for Jester to have to wait while my friend opens it. He can no longer go forwards so he proceeds to go sideways, backwards and up in the air. This is his thing for the rest of the hack. At one point he loses the plot so much that he nearly backs us both into a ditch. I’m relieved to get back home and dismount, at which point I find muscles burning that I didn’t even know existed. Hard work undone Every hack after this I go out with different people and horses, but Jester likes to show off his new-found talents and one day I nearly end up in someone’s convertible when Jester spins in the road. I despair at this point and think that all my hard work with him has come undone.
I call out the physio so that I can try to get to the bottom of what’s going on, and when we begin hacking out again he’s back to being a good boy. We start having weekly lessons and our confidence soars. He feels completely different and we’re so much more natural together. We’ve really clicked. I always felt like I understood Jester before and how to get the best out of him, but now I really do.
When I start work in July, I can’t wait for the end of the day so that I can ride. We reach the
400-mile mark and Jester has never looked or felt better. I mix schooling with hacking and he’s really enjoying himself.
But then comes August. I bring him in and tack him up, but as soon as I mount and ask him to walk on I can tell something’s not right. I think he may be a bit stiff, so we warm up very slowly, but he’s stumbling and feeling really off. I dismount and give him a few days’ break, but when we try again, he’s really lame and I call the vet.
Three weeks on and Jester’s on bute and is being kept a prisoner in the tiniest area of his field. He’s very annoyed! He’s had one session of nerve blocking in the bottom of his leg and if, after another week off, there’s still no improvement we will go from there. I really miss riding, but I want him back to his usual self. My tack is ready and waiting!