It all started with that tumble a couple of weeks ago, following which my daughter ended up in A&E with a diagnosis of soft tissue damage.
Big sigh of relief all round that nothing was fractured.
Or maybe not . . . we were suddenly recalled to hospital last week after a review of her xray showed she had actually suffered a break in her upper arm.
So now she’s in a sling and the prospect of getting back on the pony has shifted by several weeks.
However, she’s been a trooper and it’s amazing how much horse care you can still carry out one handed! She’s even been suggesting that she could go out on the lead rein – a big fat no from a stressed out mum.
It’s great that she has not been put off and it seems that her love for the pony (and delight at finally getting her first horse after years of wishing) is trumping any fears she might have about riding again.
I, meanwhile, am in a completely different position and wracked with the old ‘mum guilt’ about everything that has happened and what could have been done differently.
My mantra in life is usually that ‘everything happens for a reason’, but I’ll admit that I haven’t yet figured out what the bigger reason could possibly be in the case of an injured child.
I am struggling to see what lesson life is teaching me, except to make me more of a worrier: is it about tenacity and getting back up and carrying on? Maybe it’s about facing your fears? Or, is the universe’s simple message that we should have just stuck to pet dogs and rabbits?!
One thing’s for sure, it’s all good practice for a few years time when we swap saddles for steering wheels and they are all learning to drive a car. Pass me the smelling salts now . . .
