Thea Slatyer: Ain’t no horseplay

We were drilled at training the last few weeks in an attempt to push up our fitness levels before the Christmas break. We had the mini World Cup last Wednesday followed by some heavy fitness which left our legs still sore on Friday morning!

I had to work at the races on Saturday which was a welcome change after having no work all week. I got to the stables at Randwick at 9am to help groom the horses before driving out to Warwick Farm for a race day. The two thoroughbreds allocated to my partner and I were Duffield and Sheba, both ex race horses.

Sheba is our only mare and is still a bit green off the track while Duffield is probably our best horse, a huge gelding that was a foul of the well known ‘Octagonal’ and has won a few races himself. I was to ride Sheba who I have worked with a few times and also ridden around Centennial Park before – she can get quite fiery at times. Both have been retrained as part of the Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Program along with many other ex-race horses that could have otherwise have been destroyed and sent to the doggers for meat.

My colleague and I were patrolling the area full of punters when Sheba suddenly got firey and decided to put her head down in between her legs. This is one of the worst situations to be in because if you don’t have control of the horses head, then you have little control over the horse itself. I managed to give her a firm kick and she went forward and put her head up only to try and do the same thing ten minutes later, but this time I was ready. Or so I thought.

Sheba again started playing up and I quickly pulled one of the reigns to the side to try and break the line of her neck and gain control. I probably should have guided her back the other way because she turned her body around with such force that it caught me off guard. My left boot came out of the stirrup and now totally unbalanced I panicked whilst my brain processed the options..

I could try to hold on and risk coming off with one foot still caught in the stirrup while being dragged along the ground, or I could get off now. Instinctively I took my right foot out of the stirrup and with a quick buck I was off and ungracefully landed on my butt, covered in grass. With my heart pumping and adrenaline rushing through my body I could feel myself shaking through my hands and fingers but my head was strong and just as quickly I hopped back on Sheba and kept it that way for the rest of the afternoon.

Horses can be so unpredictable if you don’t know your horse really well. That is what is so facinating about them – to be in control of a beautiful beast that has 500kgs on you is an incredible feeling.

The next football training session I was running bow legged for most of the night, my groin and glutes still sore from riding the horse for seven hours.

Christmas was wonderful and the whole team swapped stories of our holiday adventures at training this week. I’m not sure if Staj was too impressed with the distracted group at first but he seemed happy after we had some seriously impressive shots on target in what was a decent session.

The girls are looking sharp and raring to go leading up to a critical game against Newcastle Jets this weekend. There will be no margin for error this late in the season and I am confident the girls will deliver an entertaining brand of football.

Come and cheer us on before continuing the New Year celebrations, this Saturday the 31st December at Belmore oval 3pm.