Howengold
17th Sep 2009, 03:51 PM
Today started quite badly, first of all when I tried to lock my side gates at the house they kept swinging open and it took me twenty minutes to get them to lock properly, I dropped my saddle getting it out of the boot and basically by the time I got to the yard I was starting to think there was no way I was going to have time for a hack. When I got to my yard to pick my grooming kit up I realised I hadn't got my hat had to rip the tack room apart for the spare one! Finally got to Jackies yard (where my two old gals are for a month or two) and guess what?................NO KEYS!!! I stood there ready to cry!Pulled my angry bod together and noticed the hinges could be lifted off the main gate so, yep you got it I 'broke' out (can you tell I was determined to ride out today!).
Once we had finally got off the yard I decided at the last minute I had time and felt brave enough to attempt my first EVER hack to Southfields (a farm that has fabulous bridlepaths, just I have to cross a major dual carriageway and a motorway bridge, as well as go two miles down very busy roads!!!), I say first ever but its not actually...I used to take Mony that way everyday before I got Sovereign but I am only just getting to venture out alone of Sov as she is a typical chestnut, arab, fruitloop mare!
At first she was a right pain in the proverbial and tried to head back several times before proceeding to jog in her usual way down the service road, spooking at the police car that is always there and normally doesn't bother her, we went down the main road jogging and finally got to the dual carriaaeway and over the motorway bridge in a nice steady walk (obviously the 'I am gonna jog till you give up and turn round didn't work!!).
After ploding down the village high street we got to the farm and there are some houses being built right on the corner, que the silly sideway jog into the driveway! Still determined to have a nice ride I plodded down the drive (I say plod but in Sov speak I mean jog less quickly). We hit the grass bridle paths and although she was hyper she hung back until I began to relax and feel better about cantering...then WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!! Flat out gallop!!! not asked for and at first at the most terrifying speed in my life (I say terrifying but normally it wouldn't be...normally your horse wouldn't be going flat out with her head between her legs!!!!) I was galloping a headless horse!!
And I LOVED IT! We had three more controlled canters at various points around the farm and she was brilliant. Hacking back was back to very bouncy jogging but I didn't care, my girl was so good compared to when we went out on our land and on the tracks around our fields.
So my 36 year old mare is coming good and proving to all her cynics that Karl didn't waste his money buying me the pony I had fallen in love with 4 years previously!
I have piccies but will add them later as I need to learn how to shrink them a bit first!
Once we had finally got off the yard I decided at the last minute I had time and felt brave enough to attempt my first EVER hack to Southfields (a farm that has fabulous bridlepaths, just I have to cross a major dual carriageway and a motorway bridge, as well as go two miles down very busy roads!!!), I say first ever but its not actually...I used to take Mony that way everyday before I got Sovereign but I am only just getting to venture out alone of Sov as she is a typical chestnut, arab, fruitloop mare!
At first she was a right pain in the proverbial and tried to head back several times before proceeding to jog in her usual way down the service road, spooking at the police car that is always there and normally doesn't bother her, we went down the main road jogging and finally got to the dual carriaaeway and over the motorway bridge in a nice steady walk (obviously the 'I am gonna jog till you give up and turn round didn't work!!).
After ploding down the village high street we got to the farm and there are some houses being built right on the corner, que the silly sideway jog into the driveway! Still determined to have a nice ride I plodded down the drive (I say plod but in Sov speak I mean jog less quickly). We hit the grass bridle paths and although she was hyper she hung back until I began to relax and feel better about cantering...then WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!! Flat out gallop!!! not asked for and at first at the most terrifying speed in my life (I say terrifying but normally it wouldn't be...normally your horse wouldn't be going flat out with her head between her legs!!!!) I was galloping a headless horse!!
And I LOVED IT! We had three more controlled canters at various points around the farm and she was brilliant. Hacking back was back to very bouncy jogging but I didn't care, my girl was so good compared to when we went out on our land and on the tracks around our fields.
So my 36 year old mare is coming good and proving to all her cynics that Karl didn't waste his money buying me the pony I had fallen in love with 4 years previously!
I have piccies but will add them later as I need to learn how to shrink them a bit first!