EVERY ROUTE OUT OF THE YARD TOOK US ON TO THE ROADS, SO THIS BECAME MY PROBLEM. IF JAMIE KEPT BOLTING ON THE ROADS I WAS IN REAL TROUBLE... HOW TO GET AROUND IT UNTIL WE SORTED THINGS OUT? I HAD A PLAN.. ELIMINATE AS MUCH OF THE TRAFFIC AS POSSIBLE.
I GOT UP AT FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND WENT TO THE STABLES. I TACKED UP JAMIE AND WAS READY TO RIDE OUT BY THE TIME IT WAS GETTING LIGHT. MY LEGS DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THEY BELONGED TO ME BUT I WAS DETERMINED, WE WERE GOING OUT. A VERY EDGY HOUR LATER WE WERE TURNING FOR HOME AND I DECIDED TO COME THE ROUTE WITH THE LEAST TIME ON THE MAIN ROAD.WE GOT BACK TO THE STABLES IN ONE PIECE.NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY HAPPENING, BUT MY NERVES WERE SHOT TO RIBBONS. THE NEXT MORNING I WOULD DO THE SAME ROUTE AS THE DAY HE BOLTED. SAME TIME WE SET OFF AND HAD A REASONABLY RELAXED RIDE IN THE WOODS. THEN TIME TO TURN FOR HOME AGAIN.. JAMIE TOOK OFF LIKE A BULLET FROM A GUN AND WE WERE BACK AT THE STABLES BEFORE I KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING. THIS WASN'T REALLY THE SAME KIND OF PANIC, BUT I MUST HAVE MADE HIM THINK THERE WAS SOMETHING VERY WRONG AND HE REACTED ACCORDINGLY. WHAT WOULD I DO NOW? I WAS UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE TO GET RID OF HIM AND I BEGAN TO REALISE WHY, BUT STILL RELUCTANT TO ADMIT DEFEAT. I WAS PERSUADED TO GO TO A LOCAL DEALER WHO WOULD 'DO ME A SWOP' FOR SOMETHING MORE BEFITTING A MORE MATURE RIDER, I SUPPOSE. WHEN I LOOKED AT THE HORSES THERE, NONE WERE A PATCH ON MY JAMIE. SWAP MY FLYING MACHINE FOR ONE OF THESE DONKEYS?? NO WAY.
I CALLED ROUND NEARLY EVERY LARGE EQUESTRIAN ORGANISATION IN THE WHOLE AREA ASKING FOR ADVICE, IT WAS ALWAYS THE SAME... GET RID OF HIM BEFORE HE KILLS YOU. I TRIED ONE MORE LAST CALL TO A DEALER ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF EDINBURGH AND A VERY UNDERSTANDING GIRL ANSWERED THE PHONE. WE TALKED FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND EVENTUALLY IT CAME TO LIGHT THAT SHE HAD A FRIEND LIVING IN THE SAME VILLAGE AS MYSELF, WHO HAD RIDDEN SINCE CHILDHOOD. THIS FRIEND, SHE WAS SURE, WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP ME WTH JAMIE. SHE SAID IT WAS PRETTY OBVIOUS I DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE JAMIE SO ENCOURAGED ME TO TRY AGAIN. THE FRIEND CAME TO RIDE JAMIE AND TOLD ME HE WAS FINE AND WE'D BE OK...SHE DIDN'T KNOW HOW QUICKLY JAMIE COULD SWITCH OFF.. YOU HAD TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT AND YOU NEVER KNEW WHEN IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.JAMIE COULD APPEAR VERY CALM AT TIMES, JUST BEFORE DOING SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY!! I STILL HAD A FEAR OF GOING ON THE ROADS, JUST IN CASE HE HAD ONE OF HIS TURNS IN THE TRAFFIC.

MY HUBBY, AS USUAL IN HIS BLACK AND WHITE WAY OF LOOKING AT THINGS, DECIDED IF THE ROADS WERE A PROBLEM, TAKE HIM AWAY FROM THE ROADS!! HE LIKE ME, HATES TO GIVE IN. SO A YEAR ALMOST TO THE DAY AFTER HE ARRIVED, JAMIE WAS SCHEDULED TO GO TO A NEW HOME. I HAD FOUND A FIELD ABOUT A MILE FROM MY HOUSE WHERE I COULD KEEP JAMIE. HE WOULDN'T HAVE A STABLE BUT WE COULD HACK OUT WITHOUT GOING ON THE ROADS IF WE WANTED TO. ONE LAST HURDLE TO CLIMB. I HAD NO TRANSPORT AND I HAD TO RIDE APPROXIMATELY FIVE MILES TO GET HIM TO HIS NEW FIELD, SETTING OFF ON THE DREADED MAIN ROAD! I WOULD BE MET AT THE OTHER END, IF I MADE IT!! THESE WERE THE DAYS BEFORE MOBILE PHONES SO I WAS ON MY OWN. I SET OFF FEELING SICK, MY LEGS WERE LIKE JELLY. ONCE WE GOT OFF THE ROADS I WOULD RELAX. THIS IS WHEN I MADE UP MY OWN 'MANTRA' ANYTHING TO KEEP ME GOING. JAMIE WAS FINE AND SOON I BEGAN TO ENJOY THE RIDE, EVEN RISKED A SHORT GALLOP ON THE TRACKS AND BY THE TIME WE REACHED THE FIELD, ALL WAS CALM, I KNEW WE WERE GOING TO BE OK.... JAMIE BOLTED ONCE MORE IN THE FOURTEEN YEARS I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE HIM( ANOTHER STORY ). HOWEVER, HE OFTEN SWITCHED OFF,IT SEEMED TO BE A WEE TRANCE HE WAS IN, BUT I KNEW HOW TO COPE WITH HIM AND I KNEW WHAT SORT OF EVENTS AND INCIDENTS GOT HIM UPSET. I MANAGED TO BRING HIM ROUND AND CALM HIM DOWN AND WE HAD AN UNDERSTANDING. IT WASN'T ALL PLAIN SAILING BUT I GOT USED TO HIM. GRADUALLY I REALISED IF I GOT FRIGHTENED SO DID JAMIE. I'M SURE HE READ MY MIND.

JAMIE'S NEW SURROUNDINGS GAVE ME A NEW PROBLEM.... JAMIE DIDN'T ALWAYS WANT TO BE CAUGHT!! THIS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER IN A 7 ACRE FIELD. SOMETIMES IT TOOK ME QUITE A WHILE TO CONVINCE HIM WE WANTED TO GO FOR A RIDE!!HE KNEW ALL THE TRICKS AND COULD LET YOU WITHIN INCHES OF HIM, ONLY TO SKIP AWAY AT THE LAST MINUTE. OUT CAME THE BOOKS AGAIN. ALL THE HORSEY BOOKS I HAVE ARE TESTAMENT TO THE WAY JAMIE BEHAVED. THE PROBLEM HORSE, THE LESS THAN PERFECT HORSE,THE UNDISCIPLINED HORSE, BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS IN HORSES.ETC.ETC.ETC. OH YES I'VE READ THEM ALL. WE WORKED THROUGH IT, BIT BY BIT.
JAMIE NEVER LET ME GET BORED WITH HIM. WE SPENT THE NEXT YEAR GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER, RIDING OUT ALONE AND LOVING EVERY MINUTE.( I LIKE TO TAKE THINGS SLOWLY ) WE WENT OUT FOR HOURS AND HOURS,ESPECIALLY TO PLACES WHERE WE COULD GET A DECENT GALLOP. I TOOK FOOD FOR ME AND JAMIE, AS I NEVER SET A TIME, WE DECIDED WHEN WE GOT THERE HOW LONG WE WOULD BE. WE WENT TO THE BEACH, THE WOODS, EVERY TRACK WE COULD FIND. THE FUNNY THING IS, WE DID LOTS OF ROAD WORK. WE HAD LOTS OF FUN. TIME TO MOVE ON.

I HAD A SMALL FIELD NEXT TO JAMIE'S WHERE I COULD SCHOOL IF I WANTED TO SO NOW WAS THE TIME. JAMIE AND I WOULD BE GETTING MORE SERIOUS.
JAMIE DIDN'T LIKE THE WEE FIELD ONE BIT, HE SNORTED AND PUFFED WHEN ASKED TO WALK IN, GOODNESS KNOWS WHAT MONSTERS LAY IN WAIT FOR HIM IN THERE. ANOTHER PROBLEM,IT SEEMED. EVENTUALLY I GOT HIM TO GO IN AND ONLY EXPECTED TO WALK ROUND THE PERIMETER OF THE FIELD, BUT ALL HIS FEARS WERE JUSTIFIED, JUDGING BY THE QUICK GEAR CHANGE FROM WALK TO GALLOP. THIS BECAME A REGULAR OCCURENCE FOR A WHILE UNTIL GRADUALLY IT GOT BETTER AND THE SCHOOLING BEGAN. JAMIE HATED SCHOOLING. ACTUALLY I DIDN'T LIKE IT MUCH EITHER,I GOT BORED QUICKLY AND ALWAYS FELT IT WOULD GO BETTER IF SOMEONE WAS THERE TO HELP US. I MADE ENQUIRIES ABOUT LESSONS.