Kate and I ride in the storm

[Skib]

Well NR folk, now Kate is home it shall be revealed that she visited and rode with me. Yes, we chose the day of the Tornado. And typical of mature members of NR we rode out undeterred.

Not in the eye of the storm by American standards, but against a wall of wind. My mare was blown sideways in trot. She behaved like a heroine horse, doing all that I asked, and resigned to the foolishness of working her in such weather.

It seems that the RS think it insulting to give a visitor who is experienced a riding school plod. So Kate got a mare I sometimes ride but which can be spooky. For Kate it was a culture shock to be out on a RS horse at all, after her home trained ones. She's posted how she hated the martingales. But I can report that when there were a couple of spooks Kate sat them like an expert.

Given our optimism about the weather, we both wore summer jods. We got back, cold and wet to my house and sat there sipping tea and getting colder and colder. After Kate left I found we didn’t have the heating on. Apologies Kate, it wasn’t meant to as cold as that. But I suppose it is very English to ride out in bad weather and afterwards call it fun?

I benefited a lot from the things Kate said to me – and have thought a lot about it. Her posts are always interesting and she is the same in real life.
Thank you, Kate. And thank you for coming all that way.

[KateWooten]

Yay ! We had such fun didn't we ? I felt very intrepid out there in the wind and rain - and no joke, at one point it was coming at us horizontally, and you cold feel the whole horse step sideways ... and it was a big horse too ! Yes, I'm the big tough breaker of scary youngsters alright, from the land of big weather ...... but errr.... all my horses are less than 15hh !!! And if there's rain in the ten day forecast, we spoilt Tennesseans stay indoors ... so it was a good adventure to be out there. I kept saying to Skib (well, hollering actually, over the gale) ... "aren't we intrepid" .. but Skib was very stoic and not at all phazed by it all.

They had some really very nice horses - spooks, yes, but there was no doubt that those big horses knew their job and would look after us.

I did have to laugh just a little about the 'hill'. There is a downhill stretch on the ride we did, that might cause some concern ... Where I live, we're right at the base o fhte Smoky Mountains, and to get anywhere I ride out the back field and straight up ! It's steep enough I get off and lead the youngsters down, and on the way up, I just let the poor horse pick his way, and he usually chooses to stop 3 or 4 times to catch his breath.

It does feel good to get out in some good British weather, and then get back for a warming cup of tea ... honestly I didn't notice it was cold. Skib + Mr Skib make for excellent company and a great lunch !

[Lili & Morgan]

Her posts are always interesting and she is the same in real life.

Oh that is good to know ... what a relief! :p You are welcome to my place in Iatly then ;)

[KateWooten]

...no but did you read the posts from neen .... given half a chance I don't shut up for hours on end, and she has to say 'shut up now we're going for a ride' so that she has a chance to get her head together. Hmmm... actually, I'd be a lot less vocal in Italian of French, so you'd be fine !

[cazrider]

Sounds like an exciting ride Skib and Kate. :) Certainly an extreme slice of British weather. No photos?

[neen]

...no but did you read the posts from neen .... given half a chance I don't shut up for hours on end, and she has to say 'shut up now we're going for a ride' so that she has a chance to get her head together.

:eek: :eek: That makes me sound awful! I hope I didn't come across as that rude... It's true, Fluke and I both have our "shutdown" moments. But I wasn't tired of hearing you talk, I just couldn't absorb any more techniques (plus we only had an hour or so of daylight left...)

Of course now that I find myself unable to disengage the hindquarters when I'm on board, I wish we'd scrapped the pootle to the woods and covered that instead. We'll need to get you back over here to finish what you started. ;)

I'm very impressed by your intrepid storm-riding exploits -- I remember looking out of the window that day and thinking "surely they won't be riding in this!"

Good for you that you did!

[KateWooten]

No no ... you're not rude at ALL ! Just a helpful tip for when you come over here next year (your turn to visit next !!) ... yelling 'oh shut up Kate' from time to time will definitley give us more time to get on with horse-soccer, riding through the woods etc etc. I was glad actually that we got going for a ride - I'd quite forgotten that Fluke naps, I needed to see that to get my head round him - it's making the long-distance analysis a lot more effective.

For getting him to disengage from under saddle, just visualise how big your 'get your butt over' cue, your leg, currently is ... and then visualise how big it needs to be. Remember how big I had to make it (one time) from the ground ... (horribly big - that final tap tap tap with the stick had to have stung, before he thought to pay attention). Your leg cue is just not getting big enough. Part of that (I suspect) is that you're going to have to (one time) either use a spur, or take a hand off the rein and actually slap his cute butt - that takes a fair degree of confidence the first time.

You can get around it, by not attempting it from teh saddle, until you've got it so perfect, so instant, and such a light cue from the ground ... if you hold off until you can get a good 180 degree disengage, easily, from just a 'mean look' and a little bit of a crouch and stare ... then you won't have any trouble with it from the saddle from just a squeeze.

[BeachRiding]

Sounds like a fun ride!

[FRED]

a real adventure of the not wanting kind;) , I have been in some right storms that were Tornados while working on farms in Mid Wales.4 were Tornados over the last 15 years, we had one near Rugley that flooded the town.
Did you get thunder and lightening? too.

Sounds like you did real well.