Ooh jumpies, trotting logs, poles, step over, some idiot left some wood here
2024 Hacking Thread
- Thread starter Native Lover
- Start date
It seems that every time I go out, there's another tree downOoh jumpies, trotting logs, poles, step over, some idiot left some wood here
I think I have one bit of tree that will fall down if I trim any of the brambles. It's been dead for years apparently.
I wonder if I can talk it into growing something. My other little bushes are now huge trees
We went out yesterday for a plod with Sonne, to see how she coped in all this wind. We also went by a route that was partly new to her. She was on her toes, but there were no dramas. Sid put his nanny hat on and sloped along behind not worrying about a thing.
Today we went out early to have a faster ride. After his usual slow warm up Sid was great and we cantered all over and jumped everything in his way. I forgot to bring any treats so after every particularly Good Boy he stopped and ate some gorse or pine, because he is starving.
While we were out Christine texted to say she was at the yard and hoping to take Sonne out. We arranged to meet on the Heath, which was another new experience for Sonne, and then we went along through the village. Her eyes were on stalks to start with at so much to see, but she soon settled. The wind was even stronger today, but she seemed to have decided not to worry about it.
Sid was very pleased to meet his field mate but clearly disappointed when instead of heading for home we set off for a second round! But he was good all the same, because he is just a Good Boy. When we got back to the field I let him self serve at the door of the hay store while I did the poo picking. He was 430kg on the weigh tape this morning, he has never been so slim. And still no ribs!
Today we went out early to have a faster ride. After his usual slow warm up Sid was great and we cantered all over and jumped everything in his way. I forgot to bring any treats so after every particularly Good Boy he stopped and ate some gorse or pine, because he is starving.
While we were out Christine texted to say she was at the yard and hoping to take Sonne out. We arranged to meet on the Heath, which was another new experience for Sonne, and then we went along through the village. Her eyes were on stalks to start with at so much to see, but she soon settled. The wind was even stronger today, but she seemed to have decided not to worry about it.
Sid was very pleased to meet his field mate but clearly disappointed when instead of heading for home we set off for a second round! But he was good all the same, because he is just a Good Boy. When we got back to the field I let him self serve at the door of the hay store while I did the poo picking. He was 430kg on the weigh tape this morning, he has never been so slim. And still no ribs!
We've got the farrier on Thursday so we are just walking out in the wind and rain to make a change from walking out in the wind and rain.
This is her "I know I look a prat" face. But actually she does show up well in contrast to my pink on dull days.
This is her "I know I look a prat" face. But actually she does show up well in contrast to my pink on dull days.
Still dodging the rain. Its time for fun rides to start, but already the first 2 have been cancelled because the group is too poor 
Thursday and Friday were hacks on my own.
Saturday was a trip out to visit my hacking buddy. Our horses always call out when they meet now - Harvey doesn't do this for anyone else. We had a nice hack round in the sun although it was very windy.
Sunday was another trip out on my own on another windy day
This is our local obstacle course. My fellow riders are paying the price for not teaching their horses to cope with new things as I am the only one that can hack down here alone. (In the week there are parked lorries and there are 4 excavators behind the black flappy plastic in the distance
Hacking
20 miles
6 hours
Totals
Hacking
218 miles
65 hours 15
Schooling
2 hour 20
Thursday and Friday were hacks on my own.
Saturday was a trip out to visit my hacking buddy. Our horses always call out when they meet now - Harvey doesn't do this for anyone else. We had a nice hack round in the sun although it was very windy.
Sunday was another trip out on my own on another windy day
This is our local obstacle course. My fellow riders are paying the price for not teaching their horses to cope with new things as I am the only one that can hack down here alone. (In the week there are parked lorries and there are 4 excavators behind the black flappy plastic in the distance
Hacking
20 miles
6 hours
Totals
Hacking
218 miles
65 hours 15
Schooling
2 hour 20
Ooh that's a scary gauntlet to get through!Still dodging the rain. Its time for fun rides to start, but already the first 2 have been cancelled because the group is too poor
Thursday and Friday were hacks on my own.
Saturday was a trip out to visit my hacking buddy. Our horses always call out when they meet now - Harvey doesn't do this for anyone else. We had a nice hack round in the sun although it was very windy.
Sunday was another trip out on my own on another windy day
This is our local obstacle course. My fellow riders are paying the price for not teaching their horses to cope with new things as I am the only one that can hack down here alone. (In the week there are parked lorries and there are 4 excavators behind the black flappy plastic in the distance
Hacking
20 miles
6 hours
Totals
Hacking
218 miles
65 hours 15
Schooling
2 hour 20
Looking at those fence things on the floor, looks like we've already been down here
I love finding interesting things for mine to look at.
What's interesting is she's not that great with tractors, but that could just be the person in charge of said vehicle. It pays to get out of the way!
I love finding interesting things for mine to look at.
What's interesting is she's not that great with tractors, but that could just be the person in charge of said vehicle. It pays to get out of the way!
Spring!! Properly warm day. Rode without long sleeves for the first time!
I had a choice today of blue or yellow. Went with yellow! Horse approved. The edge was dry enough for a blast!
I had a choice today of blue or yellow. Went with yellow! Horse approved. The edge was dry enough for a blast!
I pulled in to let a van go by.
She took full advance
She took full advance
Today was Horseman's Sunday on the top of St Martha's. I went with Sid, so I wasn't on my own.
The ride up was uneventful , as Sid knew the route from a couple of weeks ago. He is such a good horse. On the way we caught up with a whole clutch of riders, who I thought might be going up to the service. But they weren't, they were a riding school riding all their horses and ponies back to their grazing. They stopped right on our route, unsaddled, put ponies away, they were scattered here and there all over the bridlepath.
We're just approaching the horse traffic jam here: St martha's Church is just visible on the hill in the distance, slightly to the left of where the track is pointing.
Sid squeezed his way through without complaint and headed away from the whole big group, again without complaint. He was a bit jittered though, so when we stopped at the ford he didn't want to drink, just kept looking around to see if any of the others had come with.
We rode up the steep stony track to the top of the hill. The whole trip took us an hour and 10 minutes, so we were half an hour early!
Sid is mesmerised by the view from the top. I am sure he can smell home, he always looks in that direction.
I got off and led him to water, but alas, I couldn't make him drink.
The place filled up with people. Lots of people came to pet and admire Sid, which he accepted with equanimity. He and I got a nice position at the start of the line of horses waiting for blessings. The horses stand outside the churchyard, looking in:
The people and dogs are inside the churchyard, looking out:
The vicar said the verses from Job relating to horses, read a poem and said a prayer, all lovely and all horsey. When he came to Sid first and blessed him saying "may the Lord bless you, may He turn the light of His face upon you" and anointed him with holy oil, something grabbed me by the throat and I cried and cried. I couldn't stop! It was very embarrassing.
I do know what grabbed me by the throat. It was how much I love Sid.
Anyway, once I had pulled myself together, we collected our rosette, left the big party of horses (there must have been 30) and set off for home a different way.
At the bottom of this bridlepath we met a scrum of tourists all trying to decide which way to go. Just beyond them was one of the few, the very few gallopy fields in our area. Sid passed through them, snuffling hands left and right (his equivalent of the Royal Wave). Then we went into the field. He saw the field. He flicked an ear and stamped. I said "Shall we?" And we were offf! Such a gallop! The fastest we have ever been together.
After that the ride home was a bit of an anticlimax, but my friend Carol met me and took a picture for us:
Sid was sweaty when we got home, after nearly 4 hours. I washed him off and gave him a second feed and turned him out, whereupon
Then he came up with the usual Sid expression: "If you don't have food for a cob, what's the point of you?"
Grumpy git. Whom I love.
The ride up was uneventful , as Sid knew the route from a couple of weeks ago. He is such a good horse. On the way we caught up with a whole clutch of riders, who I thought might be going up to the service. But they weren't, they were a riding school riding all their horses and ponies back to their grazing. They stopped right on our route, unsaddled, put ponies away, they were scattered here and there all over the bridlepath.
We're just approaching the horse traffic jam here: St martha's Church is just visible on the hill in the distance, slightly to the left of where the track is pointing.
Sid squeezed his way through without complaint and headed away from the whole big group, again without complaint. He was a bit jittered though, so when we stopped at the ford he didn't want to drink, just kept looking around to see if any of the others had come with.
We rode up the steep stony track to the top of the hill. The whole trip took us an hour and 10 minutes, so we were half an hour early!
Sid is mesmerised by the view from the top. I am sure he can smell home, he always looks in that direction.
I got off and led him to water, but alas, I couldn't make him drink.
The place filled up with people. Lots of people came to pet and admire Sid, which he accepted with equanimity. He and I got a nice position at the start of the line of horses waiting for blessings. The horses stand outside the churchyard, looking in:
The people and dogs are inside the churchyard, looking out:
The vicar said the verses from Job relating to horses, read a poem and said a prayer, all lovely and all horsey. When he came to Sid first and blessed him saying "may the Lord bless you, may He turn the light of His face upon you" and anointed him with holy oil, something grabbed me by the throat and I cried and cried. I couldn't stop! It was very embarrassing.
I do know what grabbed me by the throat. It was how much I love Sid.
Anyway, once I had pulled myself together, we collected our rosette, left the big party of horses (there must have been 30) and set off for home a different way.
At the bottom of this bridlepath we met a scrum of tourists all trying to decide which way to go. Just beyond them was one of the few, the very few gallopy fields in our area. Sid passed through them, snuffling hands left and right (his equivalent of the Royal Wave). Then we went into the field. He saw the field. He flicked an ear and stamped. I said "Shall we?" And we were offf! Such a gallop! The fastest we have ever been together.
After that the ride home was a bit of an anticlimax, but my friend Carol met me and took a picture for us:
Sid was sweaty when we got home, after nearly 4 hours. I washed him off and gave him a second feed and turned him out, whereupon
Then he came up with the usual Sid expression: "If you don't have food for a cob, what's the point of you?"
Grumpy git. Whom I love.
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Buddy managed 40 minutes at walk and seemed in good spirits for 29.
Is this still the hacking thread or the horse race thread? Ella rested yesterday and did not go on an early hack today. Thus when I rode her, she was ultra fresh, like a rocket with power bottled inside her ready to shoot off. No leg aid needed. But she was good and when asked stayed nicely behind the YM on a new horse. I hate riding second behind a new horse as am never sure whether they will spook. But today's new horse did not spook and we had some long lovely canters. Ella snorted and puffed and tossed her head a lot but didnt buck.
The open air, the weather, the landscape and the horses all made me happy. A bit of a treat. As riding always should be.
The open air, the weather, the landscape and the horses all made me happy. A bit of a treat. As riding always should be.
Its drying out slowly - the water cascading down the road is slowing down now
On Thursday it was 19c - Harvey is still in his full Winter coat so even going slowly he was a sweaty mess when we go back from our hack, and he had to have a bath. Friday was much cooler - we went to check out the condition of the local bridleway (horrid!)
On Saturday I hacked with K and took her up on to the hill
Sunday was a visit to my hacking buddy K
After I got back I found(quite by accident) a big hard lump in the base of Harvey's neck. Its not visible so could have been there ages. The vet has had a look and he's booked in for an endoscope next week to investigate further (I'd better get saving!)
The bridleway isn't quite dry yet!
Hacking
21 miles
7 hours
Totals
Hacking
239 miles
72 hours 15
Schooling
2 hour 20
On Thursday it was 19c - Harvey is still in his full Winter coat so even going slowly he was a sweaty mess when we go back from our hack, and he had to have a bath. Friday was much cooler - we went to check out the condition of the local bridleway (horrid!)
On Saturday I hacked with K and took her up on to the hill
Sunday was a visit to my hacking buddy K
After I got back I found(quite by accident) a big hard lump in the base of Harvey's neck. Its not visible so could have been there ages. The vet has had a look and he's booked in for an endoscope next week to investigate further (I'd better get saving!)
The bridleway isn't quite dry yet!
Hacking
21 miles
7 hours
Totals
Hacking
239 miles
72 hours 15
Schooling
2 hour 20
And here is a pick of the honey horse, taken today by OH
You are seriously wetter than here. We've had some sun and it seems to have really helped.Its drying out slowly - the water cascading down the road is slowing down now
On Thursday it was 19c - Harvey is still in his full Winter coat so even going slowly he was a sweaty mess when we go back from our hack, and he had to have a bath. Friday was much cooler - we went to check out the condition of the local bridleway (horrid!)
On Saturday I hacked with K and took her up on to the hill
Sunday was a visit to my hacking buddy K
After I got back I found(quite by accident) a big hard lump in the base of Harvey's neck. Its not visible so could have been there ages. The vet has had a look and he's booked in for an endoscope next week to investigate further (I'd better get saving!)
The bridleway isn't quite dry yet!
Hacking
21 miles
7 hours
Totals
Hacking
239 miles
72 hours 15
Schooling
2 hour 20
Or that could be the strong winds that stopped me going out at all.
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