The highs and the lows....and the highs again!

Wow. So a LOT has happened since I last blogged (including numerous vehicle write offs, health issues, family pet deaths and just general bad luckery). I have gone from feeling excited about my future with Beau to selling him in my mind, looking for a new horse, trying things out and finally realising that I have an amazing horse on my hands.

 

So where to begin. I guess after I last wrote I was feeling excited about Beau's progress. He was still very spooky and napped like a b*gger, but I felt like he was less spooky with me and was slowly beginning to gain trust. We got a sharer on board. Tick. She could ride 3 days a week. Tick. She had a BHSAI qualification. Tick tick tick. But I realised that qualifications do not a good rider make and unfortunately Beau got progressively worse over the few weeks that she was with us. She-who-will-not-be-named rode with confidence and an "if he says no, push him forward and make him do it anyway" attitude but I have learnt that Beau, who she suggested was "not fit for purpose" and was "evil" is actually a very scared, nervous horse. So after an evening which ended on said sharers bum, she was gone as quickly as she came. Good riddance!

 

So after that I was feeling incredibly low and I will admit now, through gritted teeth, that I regretted my decision to get a horse. Not only was he difficult to ride so I wasn't enjoying the time I spent on his back, I also didn't have a sharer which meant I was up there a LOT. 5 days at the yard + 2 days complaining about the horse at the yard = a very unhappy boyfriend. Sad face. I was spending all my money on Beau, getting his back checked, his saddle checked, buying calmers for him and just spending every spare penny I had trying to get remedies, cures, bells and whistles to help my poor horse learn to relax. No Beau, the world is NOT trying to tear you apart. And if he had been a total ass in the stable it wouldn't have been a hard decision to make. But he was adorable. He is adorable. If I could take him home with me and let him sleep at the end of my bed, I would. I reckon that would be the end of my 4 year relationship with my partner, however, so a stable does him just fine. For now.

 

It all came to a head when I had a friend up to see him and as I rode around the ménage she said "wow, he moves beautifully". Before you could say "eat your words" he started bucking like a lunatic. I couldn't ride him forward. I couldn't ride him sideways. I couldn't ride him around or backwards or any way in the world. Other than vertical. And to cut a long story short it ended up with me sitting on a bench having a panic attack with people around me searching for a paper bag, which I have now come to the conclusion do not exist in this very plasticy world anymore. So that day I came home with a heavy heart and sobbed to my boyfriend that I was going to sell Beau. I was so heart broken.

 

But then.....like a beam of light shining from the heavens a friend handed me a leaflet about a product which I can only describe is for horses with ADHD (or more scientifically looks at the amount of calcium stored in the brain). I figured it was my last resort and within two weeks of being on this supplement he was a different horse. Oh I had great fun smirking at the yard manager who told me "in all my years of working with horses, those supplements have NEVER worked...you're wasting your money"....stick THAT in your pipe and smoke it little miss cynical. I'm such a believer in this product. I'm not saying that it works for every horse and even if it was flour that they were putting in his feed, I'm believing in it so it's making me confident and him confident and it's just a beautiful, quite expensive, cycle. So he is still a massive scaredy cat and his little ticker goes crazy if he sees PONIES IN THE DISTANCE...petrifying things. I've realised that it's actually the unknown that scares him the most. So if he can hear something, or smell something, or KIND OF see something in the distance.....well, lets just say it's taught me to have a sticky arse. But he can take on luminous balloons hanging off barbed wire. Car boot sale? No problem. Big yellow noisy tractor? His best friend. But turning a corner when he doesn't know what's around the bend....HELL NO.

 

But the difference now is while he's still a nervous horse and will always be hot, he is a warmblood after all, he is listening to me. So he's not turning into a complete rodeo pony. If I use my voice and my leg he will react and if I can keep his mind active and keep him moving forward he is a total dream. Then, to top it all off, I got THE SHARER FROM HEAVEN! She has trained horses back in Poland and has competed to Advanced Medium in dressage. Beau goes so well for her and hasn't put a hoof wrong (although I'm not holding my minty fresh breath). She is also a doctor. OK, I made that last bit up. But she's fantastic!

I nervously entered us into a prelim test a couple of weeks ago and by some total miracle we got a total of 64.2% and a blue rosette. I was delighted with us and there is a SLIGHT chance that I shed a tear, although that's not hard for me.....I cry at Don't tell the Bride. I cry at 16 and Pregnant. I cry at Made in Chelsea. So two things we can take from this: 

1 - I am an emotional mess. 

2 - I have horrendous taste in television.

 So things are looking up for the Beau Beau. He's a lucky boy....SO close to becoming dog meat. I kid, I kid. But not many people would have kept going. I'm not much of a giver upper type person and I'm not saying I'll have Beau forever, but for now things are great. We are starting to train novice at home now and I have great dreams of us competing at higher levels by the end of the year but I also had dreams of taking over the world, hanging out with Donna Summer and being a winged pig so I won't expect them to come true. But one can hope......

 

Over and out

Victoria & Beau

Post 4: A Positive Quickie!

I just wanted to give my blog the update Beau deserves.....he is now BEAU, THE WONDERPONY! I don't know whether I've already turned into the dreaded horse owner who thinks her horse has gold beams shining from his arse but I swear....he's amazing. His winter coat is falling out and although I'm coughing up hair balls from the amount of hair he's shedding, it looks like he's going to be a really nice colour eventually. 

Something has happened in the last couple of weeks though. He's feeling like a rolls royce. OK, that's an overstatement but I'm seeing Olympic gold. He cuddles me so much in the stable. And not just because he's looking for treats or is bored. And not because I've had a glass of wine so think everything is brilliant right now. I think he actually......LIKES me. Gulp. I think this could be the beginning of a very beautiful friendship. 

I'm looking at a couple of showing shows coming up so I'll update again in a few weeks when we've had a bit of action.....

TBC

Post 3: The Competition!

OK. So I'm not going to lie. My horse has turned into a crazed lunatic! I was fully aware of this "finding his feet" period but holy mackerel he's totally changed. I have to keep reminding myself that he has gone from being on full time turn out to only have a few hours a day and a pretty busy schedule of 3 feeds a day and is ridden 5 days in the week.

 

So this "finding his feet", hereon referred to as Doom Day, happened just before his show. I had mentioned it in my previous post and had put it down to the mirror. But now I'm putting it down to him evading work. I'm getting his back checked to make sure it's nothing more sinister and he's on an incredibly low sugar, very plain diet of high fiber cubes and sugar free chaff but the majority of his diet consists of hay. 5 bales of it. Each week. I'd like to say I don't know where he puts it but I do. He shits like an elephant.

 

So after the mirror incident he was just constantly spooking in the same corner (but he did change it around from time to time so I know it's not actually something in that corner. The second time he turned into rodeo pony I pressed the eject button and catapulted myself off him in case it ended up worse if I tried to stay on. Since then I know what it feels like when he arches his back, I know how to handle him and I know if all else fails I can turn him sharply so he can't buck. But he's starting to trust me more and the more leg I give him he's actually listening to me now instead of bucking. But he's still really spooky from time to time.

 

We came across dreaded SCOUTS the other day. With their smiles and luminous backpacks. Beau acted like he'd seen the devil. He was so so stressed and walked backwards down the hill from the field staring the kids out of it. His best horsey friend, Kirby, thankfully is a happy, adorable, calm cob and she just plodded along beside him so I think he settled down because of her. And worst of all he's started to kick the wall in his stable. I'm thinking that maybe this is a sign that he needs more turn out. But now I'm investing in rubber matting for his stable. Horses are expensive little buggers.

 

So along came competition day and I thought, when he goes well he's lovely and I'd had a couple of lessons and friends had all given the advice and thoughts and I decided to go for it. So I fancied him up, with golfball-esq rosebuds and fancied myself up and posed for pictures, see below.

 

 

I have to say, I was quite impressed with how he looked! And a little shocked! He scrubbed up well. And he was so well behaved when I was getting him ready, I could tell he had done it all before and could almost feel him rolling his eyes when I held his head still to plait his forelock.

 

Next step: Getting past the monstrous horseboxes. GREAT SUCCESS! He didn't bat an eyelid. Then, passing crowds. AMAZING, I was starting to build my confidence. Into the warm up ring, I started to think we were going to win everything in the world. He was going really nicely, listening to me, working in an outline and carrying himself perfectly. And that's where the good times ended. 

My name was called so off we went. Walking into the arena he stopped. And started going backwards. So I growled at him (I've realised that he actually does listen if I growl, literally). And on he went. Warming up at the end of the arena, great. Off went the bell, fabulous. Enter the ring, fine, first circle, lovely. Working trot down the long side.....cue BEAU THE RODEO HORSE WHO SHITS HIS PANTS AT TREES. He through a massive couple of bucks but I managed to stay on and actually started laughing, out of nerves as we continued our test. I have to say I found it hard to concentrate and take it seriously after that but he was going quite well again until....THE DREADED PHOTOGRAPHER. Thanks to the dreaded photographer we have photographic evidence of our test, see below:

 

http://www.everybodysmile.biz/susanyoung/eq11/146506/page_es39.php?Cat=Rapscallion%20134

 

But the noises her monster camera made brought on another "episode". So understandably we did NOT win. But when he was going nicely I was really happy and if I'm honest I think the judges 57.9% was a bit mean. Her comments were that he has lovely paces but needs more confidence. I smiled at her at the end but she was having none of me, sitting stony faced in the judges cabin. I was happy with him though. Although he'd had two moments of boldness he was really nice when he was good so I was trying to focus on that.

 

Since then he's started to spook at a lot more things, the aforementioned scouts, rabbits, anything with colour, things that don't exist etc. He's still a loving horse and a dote to be around when he's calm so I'm getting him out hacking as much as I can to build his confidence. And I'm feeling hes getting better when I ride him, he's trusting me more, I think.

 

But at the end of the day I have to remember I've only had him 7 weeks and in hindsight have probably rushed him a bit too much. We've gone back to basics, lots of lunging and hacking and hopefully he'll get over his teenage strops. My horse is 10, going on 4.

 

But the good times make it all worth it......onwards and upwards for me and my Beau Beau (who's show name is aptly Rapscallion). He's getting much better on the lunge, we've been using the Pessoa to build up his topline and he has come on in leaps and bounds, a nice change to the mentalist he was the first day I lunged him. I'm hoping to do a few sponsored rides with him over the summer, just get out there and start enjoying life together. I'm sure there will plenty more blogs about our journey together.

 

TBC........

Post 2: The Decision!

So the weekend after I last wrote was an eventful one, to say the least. I woke up with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. I was hyper. I skipped down to the post office in Vauxhall (well, I didn't skip, but it ads to the drama of the story) and collected my 5,600,357th package of the year. I've been getting tack delivered bit by bit...scuse the pun, if you get it. Work have NOT been impressed with the amount of stuff I'm getting delivered to work. Items included: 

 - 3 Rugs, one heavyweight outdoor, one heavyweight stable and a fleece

 - Lunge whip (that gathered a lot of interest on the trading floor)

 - Travel boots (again, a few of the traders had these on and were marching up and down the office with them on)

 - A bridle

 - And amongst many other things, a WRP (weird random package)

This was a TONNE weight and the box was the size of my living room. Not hard. I was informed by the post room downstairs that a saddle had arrived for me. Pretty good seeing as I didn't order a saddle. It was NOT a saddle however, it was iron dressage markers which had to be brought up on a special trolly because they were too heavy for anyone to carry, cue angry faced delivery man. I had to send them back, via the angry faced delivery man, and since then have been careful to not order anything else to work.

So, where was I....ah yes. Vauxhall. Delightful place. So I was skipping along with my plaited hair and checked dress (please note, some of what you read may be exaggerated for dramatic effect) minding my own business when up cycled two ruffians and grabbed my phone off me with an evil smile on their ugly faces. I won't go into the full details of the story but it involved me chasing said muggers and biting them to get my phone back. I then chased them around Vauxhall until the police told me to get a grip or get stabbed and then I went home. Quite the Saturday morning. And I won't lie, I thought I was the bees knees. DONT MUG THIS IRISH GIRL....SHE BITES.

Off I went to view the first of 3 horses I was to view that weekend. Rolo. 9 year old branded Hessan by Ruben Star N (Rubinstein). I was told he was skinny and in poor condition because he had been left in a field for 6 months without any exercise or extra hay. I got to the yard and he was already tied up, waiting for me, accompanied by the lovely Anna. And yes, he was in poor condition. His hind quarters had literally no muscle and his bones were poking out all over the place. But what a face. I got his background from the owner and then watched him being ridden by the yard manager. I loved him. I was trying to hold on to my knickers in case they shot off with excitement and I had not yet ridden him so I had to keep my cool. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. And OF COURSE there was another lady coming for a second viewing later that day so I HAD to make a decision pretty much straight away. Whether or not I'm the most gullable person on the face of the planet or not, it worked.

Then it was my turn to ride him. And I instantly liked him.VERY willing. There were dogs having a spaz attack in the field outside and he wasn't paying attention to them. We did have a bit of a problem with his canter transition but I put it down to him being tired and unfit at that stage (his canter was a dream but GETTING him to canter was NOT a dream). The owner told me to try spurs but at that stage I had a good idea that he was the one. I dismounted, had a few more chats with the owner about his breeding and previous vet reports and then went up to Anna's yard to think about it. I couldn't NOT think about it. I had been so upset when I didn't get Harry and I didn't want to have that feeling again. Apart from him having a nice face and being nice to ride and being a sensible age and his experience, I wanted to get something that if I got into financial difficulty in the future....MEEEEE, NEVER!....that I could sell him on. Like I would EVER sell him on. He was going for such a good price because of his poor condition so I would definitely be able to sell him on for more if it ever came to that. Sob. So I put in an offer and held onto my knickers. I told the other horse owners that I'd found The One....if only I had the time and money to have them all.....

Then came the day of the vetting. Gulp. Gulp. Mini heart attack. Gulp. I waiting until 4pm that day to hear the news....HE PAAAAAASSSSSEEED!!! So that's when my shopping really went on overdrive. I'd admitted that I couldn't go crazy shopping for myself anymore but it's totally fine because the shopping obsession still gets fed as long as I'm shopping, even if it's for a horse! I booked time off to get him settled in, got his stable ready, got last minute bits and pieces for him and after a brief melt down when I found out that Rolo was being delivered when I wasn't there he was finally in his stable. I melted. He wasn't a Rolo though. To me, Rolo is the name of a little pony who's owner is a snotty nosed kid that gets told what to do by it's overly controlling mother so I did the unthinkable. I changed his name. GASP (for those who don't know, it's apparently bad luck to change a horses name but people in the horse industry are crazy. They also believe hedgehogs are bad luck. Or good luck. Craziness either way). I wanted something that sounded a little like Rolo so Beau fit the bill, plus he looked like a Beau to me.

beau

   /boʊ/ Show Spelled [boh] Show IPA noun, plural beaus, beaux  /boʊz/ Show Spelled[bohz] Show IPA, verb

noun

1.

a frequent and attentive male companion.

2.

a male escort for a girl or woman.

3.

a dandy; fop.

My little dandyboy. It suited him perfectly I think so Beau he is. Here is the first weekend I bought him. You can see his condition in the fourth photo so I'll put similar photos up to show his progress, the wee poppet. 

Since arriving on the yard Beau has:

 - Had his face squirted by the mare he is stabled beside...and yes, that means what you think it means

 - Realised (finally) that straw is for lying on and not for eating

 - That when I arrive if he nuzzles my head for long enough I'll give him treats

 - Let Joel ride him

 - Gone on his first ride out (I don't like downhill mum, but I can take on a pitbull)

 - Does not like mirrors. This resulted in "Beau the Rodeo Pony" and he literally kacked himself and it ended in me hitting the deck. Shit the bed. He did come back to me after I landed on my bum and I'm SURE I heard him whisper "I'm sorry". So all is forgiven. I take it that he hasn't seen mirrors before so there was a lot of leading up to the mirror, headbutting it (scarlet for him), walking back to it, headbutting it and that carried on for a while until he was soooooo over it. Since then I haven't had any problems with him and I'm HOPING that was a once off. 

Week 3:

I will be keeping a record of his updates and have already noticed a difference in his condition. He's starting to get a bit more confident but is still a laid back horsey that loves company and cuddles. I'm in love. I'm considering entering him in a prelim class at the end of February but it's only a couple of weeks away so I'll see. He's leaning massively on the right rein so I have to do a lot of circle and flexion work to get that muscle strong again......it's all very technical really  ;-)

Keep an eye out for updates on our first outing, and keep your fingers crossed for me that he doesn't kack himself again. Everything's fine...la la laaaaah...fingers in ears.....

Post 1: The Beginning

Fellow horse lovers (and those reading to see if I once again have embarrassed myself, this time on an equestrian level): I decided, after months of searching and quite a few experiences, to  document my search for a horse. The time has come for me to admit to myself that my days of constant partying and extreme clothes purchasing are over - so I can finally, FINALLY focus on buying a horse. Everything has brought me to this moment, and my oh my....how bloody exciting it is.

When I told my friends (most of whom are married / getting married / settling down / starting families) that I had a big announcement and followed it by "IM HAVING A HOOOOOOORSE" I knew they'd be upset they wouldn't be buying a hat for a fancy day out. But everyone (bar the odd "you can't afford it / you don't have time for it / you can't afford it / you can't afford it" comments) was very supportive. With lungs in my gills and a glint in my eye I started my purchasing with gusto - long before I even started looking for the horse. I got the rugs, I got the tack, I got the boots / training aids / brushes / haynets....I took "buying the bell before the bike" to another level. If that saying actually exists.

I have learnt a few things on my hunt for my baby...I mean horse:

1. When to shut up about my horse hunt (ok, I haven't quite learnt this one yet. Clearly. I'm writing a blog about it......but I'm working on it)

2. My boyfriend and my friends are very, VERY patient

3. Shiny doesn't mean good

4. If the shoe fits....BUY IT BEFORE SOMEONE RIPS IT OUT OF YOUR HAND

5. Patience is a virtue

6. Blood lines mean diddly squat. Of course they are a great thing to go on but they don't always mean you've got a good horse on your hands

7. Horse shopping is HARD, especially if you're an Impatient Inga like myself

8. It seems like there are about 4 stallions doing a LOT of work and breeding every single horse out there.....Donnerhall, Sandro Hit, Flemmingh and Rubinstein. Their names keep appearing over and over and over. Thank goodness for artificial insemination. Poor stallions, overworked and underpaid.

Horse Number One - Harry

 

OOOOoooohhhh Harry. 16hh Thoroughbred, 4 years old, hadn't done much, stabled in Dover. Yes Dover. The first horse I looked at to buy. You never forget your first. He was a darling horse with a face that would make grown men cry and a temperament like he had been on the earth for twice the amount of time his little life has been here. So, I dragged my good friend Saileog all the way down to the White Cliffs to stand in the middle of the arena in the freezing cold and take photo, after photo, after photo, after video, after photo. He stood still for me to get on him. He tried to do what I was telling him without resisting. He had a kind eye and a loving personality. He had a bit more bone than most thoroughbreds and had a gorgeous coat. As far as I could see his conformation was good. He was good to box, shoe, clip, good in the field with other horses, good in every way. But. The one breed I wanted to stay away from was a thoroughbred. And for the plain and simple fact that if I wanted to sell him on for whatever reason ( "you can't afford it / you can't afford it / you can't afford it" ) it would be tough. TB's go for nothing these days, bless them. And also, I felt a bit monstrous on his compact frame, being 5'7. So I put him on the back burner to think about. Well no, I had already bought him in my mind at that stage and had an embarrassing moment after a few vinos when I put his face up as my profile picture in Facebook. But I held back, once I'd sobered up.

I was told not to buy the first horse you see and it is good advice because I would have Harry now if I didn't listen to the advice of people around me. And I did have reservations about him. If he was meant for me then I would have him, right? But I stalled and he was sold 5 days before I was due to go down for a second viewing. I'm fine. Honestly. Twitch. I'm fine.

Losing Harry really did make me think about whether he was EXACTLY what I was looking for. And I love clothes and partying so if I'm giving them up for this horse then it better be a good fecking horse.

Horse Number Two - Uncia. And yes, it sounds like it reads. Un See Ah. Vom. The pretty little Holstein mare. The main thing I remember about this trip is HOW HUNGOVER I was going up to try her out. I can't quite remember where she was stabled but I think it was just a few miles from the centre of themiddleofnowhere. Planes, trains and automobiles I had to take to get up to that horse. And that ain't a joke. I was blinded by the names on her passport and her description, which all but suggested that she poo'd gold. I had my Christmas party the night before. So that shows my dedication because those who know me, know that I can NOT function with a hangover. I'm a plank. I can't move the day after having a few drinks and any effort to do so makes me feel like I have one foot in the grave. So to cut a long story short I vom'd my way to themiddleofnowhere to see the horse.

"What a pretty face you have", Victoria said to Uncia. "All the better to flutter my long eyelashes with my dear", Uncia whispered back to Victoria. "And my, what amazing breeding you have", Victoria exclaimed to Uncia. "All the better to make you think I'm the most amazing horse in the entire world, my dear" Uncia responded. "But oh....oh.....you don't go on the right leg.....EVER", Victoria stammered when she first saw Uncia ridden by her owner. "LOOK AT HOW PREEEETTTTY I AAAAAMMMM", Uncia screamed, starting to panic.

I mounted the beautiful Uncia. Shudder. I don't want to remember it....do I have to talk about it? Aw bless her, she wasn't that bad. But she didn't trust me one little bit. She didn't go on the right leg. She spooked at the jump in the middle of the arena, which is a permanent fixture at her yard. Her head was shaking all over the place (maybe she was trying to make me look at her pretty eyes again). I tried. Because she was lovely. And she was cheap. But I wasn't the one for her. If I'd had a moment of relaxation with her then I might have seen another side to her. And I was incredibly hungover so that wasn't helping the situation. So I said no and returned to London...taxi to the train station, wait for 50 mins in freezing temperatures for the train, overland train to london, tube, tube, burger and chips, tube, home. Aaaahhhh.

Horse Number Three - Jimbob (I mean, seriously, where do people come up with these names?)  *appologies to anyone reading this who has a horse named Jimbob*

Jimbob had blue blood. Apparently. He was a decedent of the worldly known Donnerhall....those who don't know him, should (see point 8 above). He was a beauty. A very naughty 7, going on 1, year old beauty who couldn't stand still for more than 3 seconds. If even that. The only way he would stand still would be if you touched him. "Touch me, touch me, stroke me...oooo, bandages, can I get them off, oooh, leadrope, can I eat that, AAAAAAGGGGGGHHH COWS, touch me, touch me, love me, gimme that rug so I can eat it, touch me". Adorable brat, who DID. NOT. STAND. STILL. So I knew before sitting up on him that he would be trouble. But of course I watched his owner ride him and he went quite nicely, other than horrendous canter transitions, when he stopped staring the cows out of it and concentrated he had a lovely shape. But he had the concentration span of a flea. I sat up on him, more to entertain his owner (who had said to me..."phew, I thought you were going to be a boring banker type"...."ehhh, I AM in banking"....cue the reddest face I have ever seen) and rode him around, feeling more tense with every stride. And what a stride they were. 3 strides and we had taken up the long side of the arena. He was very unbalanced and just wouldn't listen to me. And then there was our first canter experience together: trot, trot, trot, leg on, still trotting, trot, trot, more leg on, trot trot, push with my seat, trot trot trot, kick, trot, kick kick, trot, kick, kick, PONY CLUB KICK, trot, trot, trot, BOOT, BOOT, BOOT, buck....canter.

Donnerhallamazingnessbeautyoftheworldwithbluebloodbutflealikeattention was not the one. I reckon some day he WILL be amazing but it will be with someone who has more patience than lil' ol' me.

So that is where I am in my hunt across the nation for my perfect horse (it did go global for a moment or two but after reminding myself that I have NOT won the lotto I got a grip of myself). I'm glad I didn't get Harry. It's made me a lot more fussy about what I want and that's a good thing. I'm more realistic now about what I can actually spend now and I am reminding myself (on a daily basis) that no, I did NOT in fact win the lotto. It is exciting hunting for a horse. But it's hard. And I keep getting Kevin and Perry moments of stomping my foot and whining..."I want my horse and I want it NOOOOOOOOOWWWWWwwwwwwwwuh". My horse will find me. I'm trying to keep my knickers on about the ones I'm next seeing;

Rolo - 16.1hh bay Oldenberg

 

Carrera - 16hh chestnut KWPN
 

Vino - 16.2 dark bay Oldenburg (No photo available)

 

Polo - 16.3 grey KWPN (No photo available)

 

Ruby - 16.1 black Oldenberg (No photo available)

 

Keep tuned for my updates. First up, Rolo, tomorrow at 2pm. Gulp. Stay calm Victoria. Twitch. Twitch. Twitch. Twitch. Twitch. Gulp. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!H!!!!!!!!!!