Monthly diary — September
Lucinda Green
We arrived home at 4am to a very happy Bill, who had missed his friend sorely. Next was showjumping at Bicester Show. We were still going at 7pm but I seemed only to be practising having the planks down – I didn't clear them once on either horse …
Then it was Hartpury – Bill in the 2* and CF the 3*. Bill did his best ever dressage but then felt the ground cross-country so earned time faults. As for CF, he was wired in the dressage and the showjumping, and had six down. I felt I was riding one of my mad TBs of 25 years ago. But cross-country, he set off brilliantly.
We had just one tricky question left at fence 20 – a table followed by an angled double of houses. Clearing the table, I suddenly realised we weren't going to make the distance. CF skidded over the first house and we went splat on the other side.
We both clambered up, rather stunned but seemingly OK – until I saw my left hand facing the wrong way. I'd fractured both bones in my forearm. As I waited for a two-hour op to pin my arm together, I reflected on just how lucky I've been over the years and why it all went wrong – I think I almost had too much control and CF just didn't come on as much as I expected. Fortunately, it's almost the end of the season so I'll go to Lumuhlen, Burghley and Blenheim and try to keep out of trouble.
