English Blog

Rennie

IEA board meeting and lunch

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Tuesday 25th August 2020

Each month I should attend an IEA board meeting, to discuss matters and issues how to take things forward, planning and preparing. Meetings lasting two hours 10.00-12.00 are usually held in one of the privilege partners establishments and we stay for lunch. Why not, while we are there!

To explain: We have a public relation board member who tries to approach and secure business, which become privilege partners of IEA and offer a special discount to it’s members, which all members will benefit throughout the year.  

August board meeting was in one of the restaurants in Water’s Edge Hotel, which is very close to Parliament, situated in beautiful grounds surrounded by pond and greenery. Stunning.

Before lunch I went for a walk around the hotel, for fresh air you think, but with scorching sun and 30 degrees C it was more like hot air!

Lunch was a set menu designed for the IEA party and we invited new members to join us – the more the merrier. I felt really privileged in that moment to be in the lovely environment and lunching with nice people. I am looking forward to having another board meeting in September.

Rennie

Rennie

Day on labour ward in government maternity hospital

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Friday 10th July 2020

Today I was lucky enough and the doctor, with whom we led the first waterbirth, arranged for me to go to have a shift on the maternity ward of one of the largest state maternity hospitals in Colombo. De Soysa maternity hospitals has 6-8 thousands babies a year, in four maternity wards. I wanted to take a look and see how it went there. I was preparing for a lecture for their medical staff and I wanted to identify practices that needs to be brought to attention in favor of quality improvements, which I will use as a basis for discussion.

At 8.00 I found myself in an old building that looks like the one we see in the post-war movies. White tiles on the walls from top to bottom, the ground looks dirty, because the tiles are old and destroyed, but it is clean – to the Sri Lankan standard. Lots of people everywhere, nurses and helpers too, but most of them doing nothing. I was the only white woman there. The doctor came for me and took me to the maternity ward. The nurse in charge greeted me, I gave her a box of tea and wafers for the nurses, and she gave me a theatre gown. I changed my shoes (I have shoes that I only wear to the maternity hospital), I put on a home-made name tag and I immediately found myself standing by a woman, who was lying on a bed and whining, calling her mother and God. I introduced myself to her, I asked her if I could be with her, she understood a little English. I don’t even know how long I whispered in her ear, how strong she is, how well she manages to listen to her body, to trust her baby and not to be afraid, holding her hand. I had rapeseed oil with lavender aromatic essential oil, so I massaged her back for a while. She gave birth and was happy – like any mother holding her baby, suddenly she forgot about the pain.

Then another woman gave birth right next to the first woman, so I was with her and did the same. The two of them then told each other independently that they would pray for me. I hope I helped them at least a little. At around 1 pm I tool a break for food and a sit down.  A doctor ordered me lunch and a drink (fried fish rolls and a strong sweet cold coffee). I gave it to the nurses.

In the afternoon, I went from one woman to the other, gave them a massage, tried to breathe with them and encourage them. Unfortunately, both ended up with a caesarean section at 8 p.m. One lady got stuck on 5 centimeters and the other lady had pathological CTG and echoes. One of them told me I was like her mother. She did not want a caesarean at any cost, that her husband and his family had told her that if she gave birth vaginally, they would give her whatever she wanted!

The labour room also looks like a post war hospital. One big long room, with dirty windows and old dirty curtains. 4 old rickety iron delivery beds by the wall separated / not separated by curtains / hangers.  No privacy, no dignity, all women like in a shop window and staff walking around them like in a shopping mall.  

What did I observe?

  • All are connected to CTG, a machine that captures heartbeat and the frequency of labour pains (in the UK it is only used for women with high risk pregnancies)
  • Everyone lies flat on the bed all the time
  • They all have a cannula inserted and an intravenous solution into their veins
  • Clear fluids are given (water or tea)
  • Catheterization (emptying bladder) to everyone every 2 hours, instead of giving them a bed pan (there is only one bed pan for the labour ward)
  • Women give birth in a supine position with active pushing
  • Episiotomy for all women, unless it is their third baby
  • The baby is taken from the mother about a minute after the birth and is returned to be breastfed after episiotomy is performed by the doctor and she is in a clean environment
  • They had only one hose to the Entonox cylinder today, however, it didn’t work, so no one could use it
  • The only possible form of pain relief was Pethidine or epidural (none of the women used this option that day)
  • I saw good teamwork with doctors, early identification of problems and timely escalation to doctors
  • Women were alone; they were not allowed to have a birth partner with them (Covid)
  • Women lay on green or white cotton sheets; they do not have incontinent pads for single use
  • Sterile gloves are available for all health personnel
  • The air conditioning worked
  • I was glad to be able to spend my shift with a very skilled midwife as I needed to understand more of the environment and system in which they work; accordingly, I will prepare a presentation and I will keep the nurses at the centre of my talk
  • Nurses in a state maternity hospital have more power/autonomy than in private, because in the latter a doctor/consultant takes responsibility and leads the birth as a named professional to whom the woman will pay
  • The woman has to pay both the hospital and the professional separately if private
  • Hierarchy is very strong in Sri Lanka and especially in healthcare
  • Doctors start in state maternity hospitals / hospitals on the periphery and as their number of years of experience increase, they may be transferred to the city and can work as a consultant to set a private practice once experienced enough
  • Sometimes a doctor works 10 hours in a state maternity hospital and then goes to a private maternity hospital for 5-6 hours, has a pregnancy clinic or is called to the maternity hospital, has a pregnancy clinic or is called to lead the birth. That’s why cesarean sections are more convenient as they are done in 45 minutes and they can be planned

Quite a lot!

Rennie

Rennie

365 days in Sri Lanka

Sunday 9th August 2020

We celebrated our first anniversary of living in Sri Lanka by going to a friend for lunch and opening a fabulous bottle of Malbec.  Even I had a glass, rather than just a sip from Steve’s; unheard of!

365 days ago today, we arrived in Colombo and our adventure really began. Time flies when you are busy and experiencing a different way of living, as it is all so new and exiting.  Of course, the beginnings are never easy.  For the first time living in such a diverse country is a challenge for anyone, but I think as a family, we conquered that pretty well and settled down very quickly.

New opportunities, new friendships, new insights, new feelings, new food to taste, new ways of doing and being (the humid weather is a killer), new challenges, new obstacles and  new life basically. Covid-19 has brought our adventure to another level and being in Sri Lanka brought a totally different set of challenges to living in Czech or England; some absent but others present.

All four of us have identified benefits and dis-benefits of the past year.

Rennie

Benefits:

  1. Opportunity to see things and explore Sri Lanka and adjacent Asian countries
  2. Meeting lots of different and interesting people in different positions in society (high commissioners, medical professionals, businessmen, maids, tuk tuk drivers)
  3. Everyone is wearing flip flops all year round (when rainy season the water just runs out)
  4. As I am not working, I am giving 24/7 attention to my family
  5. Being able to be an active member of an international organisation and giving back to Sri Lanka community by raising funds by organising events – IEA board member
  6. Supporting pregnant woman (Sri Lankan and expat) during pregnancy, birth and postnatally in a capacity as a Doula
  7. With my perseverance I managed to get involved to do some midwifery stuff and was assisting at the first waterbirth in Sri Lanka
  8. No demands of looking after a house and garden, two cars and two motorbikes give us family weekends and the chance to go out to places and experience things

Dis-benefits:

  1. City pollution (cars, construction noise, dust)
  2. Visible poverty and not working health system (malnourished elderly, teeth of people in dreadful state), and social system (unemployment, people on street begging, no government support for people in need)
  3. Extremes of everything (for example obscenely rich and very poor; they don’t like to take risks, but on the other hand will leave live electricity wires out on the street as they didn’t finish the job)
  4. SSL – two meanings: SO SRI LANKA – such a beautiful country with stunning scenery and sea, and SOOO SRI LANKA – oh no, they try so hard, they know what to do, but it is never quite finished properly
  5. Not seeing friends and family in England and Czech for over a year now (due to Covid)
  6. People see us white Caucasian as easy money, pestering us wherever we go; not surprising as the poor are very poor and even some regular jobs don’t pay well enough to survive on
  7. Humidity – you are sweaty as soon as you leave an air conditioned place

Misa

Benefits:

  1. The climate is lovely
  2. As we live in the city centre, so many things are on our doorstep
  3. Sri Lanka is a small country so it is easy to travel to places (elephant’s safari, snorkelling, hill climbing)
  4. We are living amongst so many cultures and religions as part of one community
  5. We can eat exotic fruit
  6. I go to an international school with 54 different nationalities
  7. I have friends from so many different countries – I have not a single English friend
  8. Tiny risk of Covid-19
  9. Swimming pool is available every day
  10. Living close to my friends makes it easier to be with them

Dis-benefits:

  1. Restricted Western food choices (you can’t get good pork. NO HAM for 12 months!)
  2. People are taught just to “do” and not to use common sense
  3. Street dogs are everywhere and some of them are adorable however we are not allowed to touch them as there is a risk of rabies
  4. As I am a white person I stand out and am more visible
  5. Pollution (noise, dust, cars)
  6. Colombo is dangerous with pot holes in roads, uneven pavement, electrical cables often visible and hanging in reach to be touched
  7. Healthcare is inferior to what we are used to 

Emilka

Benefits:

  1. I made lovely new friends (Turkish Kurd, Korean, Spanish, Sri Lankan)
  2. I am getting used to new foods (spicy ones)
  3. We have time to travel to places with nice hotels
  4. We can use the swimming pool every day
  5. Low risk of Covid-19

Dis-benefits:

  1. Beggars on the street everywhere, even approaching you while you are stopped in the car, it is horrible
  2. Poor choice of clothes – I don’t like saris and polyester clothes
  3. I can’t get cosmetic products which I am used to
  4. Friend and family left behind and not seen for over a year
  5. I have no pets with me and my UK guinea pigs Melody and Lea died during the year
  6. The second you get outside you get sweaty
  7. Pollution (cars, dust, construction noise)
  8. We can’t just jump in a car, and instead rely on taxis and tuk tuks

Steve

Benefits:

  1. Sharing what has been such a huge part of my life with Rennie and our children; introducing places and people from the past 13 years of Sri Lankan travel as well as making new experiences together
  2. Helping our children to become outward looking and inclusive global citizens in a world that is becoming dangerously inward looking and intolerant
  3. International friendships
  4. Sri Lankan culture, as well as cultural diversity
  5. Local cuisine
  6. Oh yes; business – the actual reason I am here!
  7. A fabulous island to explore – and of course, to photograph
  8. A springboard to exploring Asia – but apart from India just in the nick of time, Covid-19 has so far put the kibosh on this
  9. A rented apartment with no maintenance responsibilities bar picking up the telephone to report a need, and no garden to consume my time
  10. A huge array of wonderfully fresh fruit and vegetables

Dis-benefits:

  1. Not having been able to visit family and friends in Europe due to Covid-19 – and likewise no visitors here beyond my parents and two Czech friends
  2. No Honda Hornet or Triumph Thruxton R to enjoy riding; just their photographs to look at
  3. No home maintenance to gain tangible satisfaction from, or garden to enjoy tending
  4. Poor postal service where things arrive, but only eventually
  5. City centre noise and pollution vs countryside tranquility and fresh air that we left behind
  6. Disjointed healthcare – even privately
  7. Astonishingly and frustratingly bureaucratic for a country that so readily embraces technology
  8. Very embryonic and rudimentary internet shopping – so you actually have to plan; there is no Amazon catch-net at a day or less notice! 
  9. Good cheese and wine is hard to find – and when found, very expensive due to high import taxes
Rennie

Borderlands adventure trip

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Wednesday 12th to Sunday 16th August 2020

Misa writes about an adventure camp at Kitulgala run by Borderlands that he recently joined.  Photos from the camp itself are taken from a WhatsApp group that shared a summary of each day’s events.  Read to the end to discover the relevance of a Maccy D as the headline image!

Rennie

*Day 1 Wednesday 12th August 2020*

The day started at 6.30am with a short drive in a small cramped car of my friend’s mum to the pickup point. Here we met up with our teammates who I expected to be older. Once we had met up and handed over signed paperwork, we all got into the minivan and prepared for a 2 hour drive of hell. I tried to sleep, however the constant noise of the boys behind us singing music off pitch was making it impossible.  After we had finally arrived by the side of a river, we were instructed to change into our water clothes, put buoyancy aids on and start to walk towards the canyon.

Once we had reached the twisty canyon, we began jumping, sliding, and climbing across rocks and water pools. After completing the canyon we floated across rapids into the grounds of the camp.  Here we changed into dry clothes, had dinner, and hit the bed wondering what the morning would bring.  The room was huge, the bed was crammed into a corner, allowing for a huge space in the middle to chill with beanbags.

*Day 2*

We woke up around 7am to have tea with the rest of the camp. We played cards and did some stretching to prepare for the day. Once we had finished stretching, we were instructed to pick partners and put on harnesses. We were told to figure out a plan on how to climb up a 12m ladder that had a distance between the bars of 1.5m. Since I am quite tall, I can pull myself onto the bars easily whilst just pushing the shorter people I partnered with up. I got up twice helping two different people.

Once we had completed this colossal ladder, we were told that we would be hiking 16m up a nearby hill to a cave at the top. I volunteered to carry the bag containing everyone’s water bottles and raincoats. Once we had hiked for 3 hours we arrived at the top and were rewarded with lunch (sandwiches) and a stunning view. We were then shown around the cave that contained many bats and prehistoric art on the walls – it was really interesting.  There were also the remains of a house from 25,000 years ago making the ground it lay on the oldest foundation in Asia. Once we had admired the cave, we then walked a little further down a path to a 40m waterfall to take a shower. It was quite exhilarating to stand under the water whilst it is battering down on you so loudly that you cannot hear the person next to you.

We jumped into the jeep and drove home picking up some Rambutans from a tree on the way home. Once at the camp, we had dinner (Pasta) and fell onto bed shaking with excitement for the day to come.

*Day 3*

We woke up after 6 hours of sleep, because we were caring for a boy who was sick during the night. We then wandered to breakfast (pancakes), one man down. Once down at breakfast, we figured out that someone else had also been sick.  After breakfast, we did more exercise and prepared for another hike. Sadly, the weather disappointed us, and we had to turn round and head back. We then waited for 2 hours playing cards until we were told to get into our water clothes because we were going to go canoeing. We paddled up the river to the white water where we surfed on the waves, swimming back to the camp.

Once we had arrived, we had lunch and climbed into the jeep carrying a raft to the water. After the short trip to the water’s edge we climbed into the raft and travelled down the rapids to the camp. We were still laughing reaching our camp as we saw wedding guests dancing so we had danced with them standing on the raft!  Dinner was rice and chicken and we went to bed. I could not wait for the morning.

*Day 4*

We woke up at 6am and had breakfast. Today was the highlight of the summer camp. We were visiting a canyon called Marvel. This canyon was huge, it contained jumps, slides, climbing, abseiling and even a zip line! We started canyoning at around 10am and it took us the whole day to traverse. By the time we returned to the camp the adrenaline was pulsing through our veins. We had had so much fun traversing through the canyon that we did not want to leave. On the way back from the canyon we found out how to make tea leaves whistle. When we arrived back to our camp, the Sri Lanka Pepsi bottling plant management team had come to stay for a team building exercises. They had had a barbeque and left us some food. It was delicious after our long walk through the canyon. Sleeping was not a problem that night.

*Day 5 (final day) Sunday 16th August 2020*

We started the day with breakfast and exercise (the usual by now) and we were then instructed to prepare for some more rafting. This time, the rafting took slightly longer because the water was higher, meaning that we had to go slower across the water not to get hurt. For example, on one part of the rapid there is a part called the head chopper. The head chopper is in essence a big dip down followed by the sudden rise of water. It is truly exhilarating. After the head chopper there was another rapid called the washing machine. This rapid throw your raft round. Then the water shoots over the back soaking everyone inside. Then the raft rises, and we all have to paddle quickly forward to stop the raft from colliding with a shallow area. After this we just left the river to carry us down to the camp. We played games on the rapid going down. Once we had arrived back, we packed our stuff and prepared to leave. I slept most of the drive back and had a real *highlight* of the summer camp; dinner at McDonald’s on the way home – followed by a surprise McDonald’s waiting at home from my parents!

Misa

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Rennie

IEA coffee morning

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Tuesday 11th August 2020

People are trying to return to some normality so we agreed during last IEA (International Expat Association) board meeting, that we will start meeting again. Instead of a formal meeting at the Taj Hotel, we would hold an informal meeting on the porch at the Galle face Hotel (one of the oldest hotels in Colombo with a beautiful sea view) for a coffee and a treat. It is outside and adherence to social distance should not be a problem. It was a pleasant morning; I had a cup of coffee, a poached eggs with vegetables for breakfast and a nice chat with interesting people.

I took my friend Rabia with me, the Turkish woman we have known for over a year. She would like to also become a member of the IEA, so I wanted to introduce her to it and show her what kind of organization the IEA is and what benefits the membership will have. She liked it very much, she applied the same day and was accepted. We have about 154 members.

Sitting watching people and the amazing sea view it dawned on me, what a great opportunity I had been given to live in Sri Lanka. Being in a foreign country as an expat, getting to know people from different parts of the world with experiences from countless stays abroad, I had to smile in my mind. My life is completely different than in the UK and I have to admit, that I really enjoying it.

Rennie

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Rennie

Uber and miscommunication

Monday 24th August 2020

I was returning by taxi from a visit of one mother after the birth, entering our address in the UBER app on my mobile phone. However, as I remembered that I needed a quick shopping I asked the driver to drop me by the store directly opposite our home. I said as I always say when I am leaving the car: “I’ll pay you with my bank card and we’ll give you a tip when I am rating you”.  I then added, “The exit is over there”.

“All right, ma’am.”

I went to the shop, but from the corner of my eye I saw him parking.  Oh, I said to myself, he doesn’t have another job to go to, so he’ll be sitting in the parking lot under the roof in the shade. A quick shop (maximum 15 minutes) and left the shop through the back entrance (normally I leave by the front entrance). He was still parked there. I approached him and he said, “I’m waiting for you!” So I got in and he drove me 100 metres home. I had to smile. At least the waiting charges are not that expensive. 

Lesson learned: When I instruct someone, I have to make sure they understand me. I should ask them to repeat back (like in nursing in emergency) so I know they are clear with my instructions. 

Rennie

Rennie

Power Cut

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Sunday 23rd August 2020

Sri Lanka had a total nationwide failure of the national grid in the early afternoon today, Monday 17th August 2020.  We are told that a sub station failure was the catalyst and that the alternative energy sources caused an impossibility to keep the frequency in bounds when reconnecting parts of the network, but we don\’t really know yet.  It could be so many things; accidental and not.

We are lucky at our condominium, because there is a whopping great diesel generator in an outbuilding.  It has sounded like being on the deck of a cross channel ferry all afternoon and evening with the omnipresent hum of a large capacity compression ignition engine at constant RPM under heavy load.  We were offline for barely 90 seconds, so clearly everything worked. Likewise for offices; they having backup power too as shorter and more localised failures are quite common.  

You can imagine the traffic chaos with no signals as it is bad enough even with them.  I don\’t know a more selfish and reactive (no planning) nation of drivers.  Many areas have of course had no water supply, too.  Parts of the island are now back on line, but not yet central Colombo where only those premises with generators have lights on.  Steve says that it was a good test of business continuity planning – but in the opposite direction to what\’s normally expected; the plan is normally to distribute staff away from the office due to an emergency, not have them already all working from home and then have to bring key personnel back to the office before laptop batteries ran out!  All was good.

Our generator was switched off around midnight, while Steve was still working. 

On Tuesday we had similar issues, but it lasted only a few seconds.  We have been woken up by power cuts as kid’s digital clocks make noises when switched on. We got home today and again the clock on our oven is flashing so we know, power was off, even if for split seconds. Who knows if this is significant? We just have to wait and see.

Rennie

Rennie

Summer holiday higlights

As school is starting on Monday 24th August and Misa and Emilka are going into year 9,  I asked them to name highlights of their summer break.

Misa:

  • A lot of swimming
  • Played video games and computer games for hours/days
  • Made new friends (Spanish-French Theo and Eva)
  • Felt like having extended holiday of 5 months with the Covid-19 lockdown
  • Touring holiday to Dambulla, Passikudah and Ella
  • Been to adventure camp at Bordelands
  • Read quite a few books
  • Had plenty of McDonalds treats and pizzas

Emilka:

  • Attended horse riding camp – twice
  • Made a scrap book
  • Read a lot of books
  • Played video and computer games for hours/days
  • Frequent swimming, some cooking, abs workout
  • Was invited to some nice celebrations with our friends (pool party in SL for grandma’s birthday streaming via zoom to Czech, Pavel’s 50th birthday, Lorin\’s 10th birthday,  Mirza’s 6th birthday)
  • I ordered UBER eats for the first time
  • I had a chance to play and cuddle two dogs (Riley pudl mix and Zoe type of Shih Tsu)

They are starting hybrid school. In their case it is Monday and Tuesday face to face and the rest of the week online at home. We will see how long they can sustain it with so many rules in force, masks on all the time and gloves for receiving books. A reality will hit us again, alarm for 5.50am!

Rennie

“Empower empower” workshop in private maternity hospital

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Tuesday 30th June 2020

After a successful two-day training in water birth in a private hospital, a doctor and a head nurse asked me if I could conduct a one-day training for the staff of the maternity ward and concentrate on attitude to mothers. I think she liked my passion and a positive approach to midwifery as such. It was easy to adjust the existing presentation and preparations was done within a week. I tend not to practice in advance as I already know how much time it may take. I save more time on a single topic, because I know there is always something to talk about if there is time to spare. I have learned that less is more and try to focus on a topic with a simple subtext and a strong connection between theory and practice. Most of the maternity staff speaks English, so I was able to speak on my own, even though I had a mask on. When I was on stage away from people, I took it off.

I gave the lecture title * Empower Empower * with a plan from 8-13.30 and with the following topics: the basics of childbirth, hormones during childbirth, effective communication and informed consent with a 30-minute comfort break and refreshments. The day before, I baked chocolate muffins, all of which were eaten with fish rolls, which the doctor had ordered. My theory is: when nurses, midwives, and doctors understand what a woman experiences and how physiologically it works, they will know how to treat them and what to expect from them. The best part is always practical, when they get a scenario that describes the practical situation and they have to role play in pairs / groups what it would look like in practice. They learn within their own group, but they also observe how others communicate and solve the situation, so it’s a double learning. Every lecture ends with “Take home message” and I always ask everyone what they have learned and what was most important to them from today’s lecture. Younger staff with flexible thinking are creative in their answers however some old colleges think they know everything, and it is difficult to change them. Hierarchy in Sri Lanka is well embedded in their DNA and it is difficult to break the thinking, it may take generation to this, most likely it will never change.

Even if I had changed attitude of only one nurse or midwife present, my effort and time was still worth it.  That one nurse can change lives and experiences of all the women in her care, and that’s victory, right?

Sister Yvonne came to thank me and presented me with a beautiful basket of fruit; it is good that they don’t give me chocolate or curry. She then invited me to lunch, as in the morning, I ordered salad and chicken with mashed potatoes. I think I deserved that lunch when all work I do is voluntary.

We will see how the situation develops on the maternity ward and whether the doctor in charge observes if any nurses have changed their approach to women. I’ll keep you informed.

 Recipe for chocolate muffins:

2.5 cups of plain flour

1 cup of granulated sugar

spoon of baking powder

half a cup of cocoa – stir all ingredients together

add a cup of milk

3/4 cup of oil

Tablespoon of vinegar – mix everything lightly, the mixture will be quite liquid

pour into paper cupcakes and bake in preheated oven 180C for 10-15min

Rennie

 

 

Steve

Ceylon Riding Club by Emilka

7th to 9th July and 11th to 13th August

I have always loved horses and wanted to have lessons, but I could not because I was already involved in other activities. Then one day after we moved to Sri Lanka my mum found a 3-day riding camp nearby that 2 of our family friends were kids were also going to.  I went on this and really enjoyed it, so went again a few weeks later.  This story covers both occasions.

I was super-happy when we arrived for our first day. We talked about horse safety and then went and picked out some helmets. After that, we were taught about the different brushes like the mane comb, curry comb, body brush etc and what they were used for and the order in which you use them in. We were then split in 2 groups and went riding for 2 hours. We then fed the horses at 11 and ate our lunch.  After that we did quite a few worksheets for 1.5 hours and then fed the horses again at 2.

Then we could read, talk or maybe do a few more worksheets until our parents came at 3:15. Each day was the same but when we rode, we did more and more advanced things as time went on. On the 3rd and final day, after doing the worksheets we did some clay horseshoe art and after that did a horse fashion show.

The first time I went I dressed up my favourite horse, Ginny, and rode her all 3 days. The second time I went I dressed up Jaffa cake and rode Ginny the first day and Robin the second and third day. On the last day (the second week I went) I did pole work and rode through narrow roads made from yellow cones and poles. I rode all 6 days on my own but the last 2 were the best because I found the horse that suited me the most. He is a 12.2 hands, 6 year old dark bay gelding called Robin. He is a good listener and is really easy to get to walk (unlike Ginny). He does not hesitate at poles and his trot is very smooth.  

After doing lunging for a few days I feel that my trot is getting better.  This is a method of horse training that involves riding around in a circle on a rope called a lunge line using your voice and body language.  Every day I would bring an apple with me to the stables and cut it equally into 13 pieces so at the 2 o’clock feed, each horse would get at least one slice of apple as a little treat. After the last day I felt really sad about leaving them because I have been with them for a while now and got to know each horses’ personality and I wish that I could ride them every day. But everything happens for a reason.

Mum took the pictures shown below, and also a video that Dad has put here for you to see.

Emilka

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