this was the most challenging ride yet, but pleased to say i pushed us further because it was going so well and we were both getting calmer with each 'new thing'! 
we've not been anywhere nr as far as that before, and the scary stuff we saw was unreal! the most we've done up to now is once around the loop of the housing estate and back... well today we went around twice - he was quite on his toes because of the things we had to deal with. it was windy, it was chaos - we've only been out of an evening but had day off today so went earlier and god the traffic is so different! we'd not even encountered a lorry before now but we must have dealt with about 15!
so, we saw loadsa lorries, builders, bricks covered in plastic flapping about, skips, shovelling bricks into the back of a truck, motorbikes, a BUS!, transit vans gallore (he has a problem with transits usually!). then we rode up a narrow alleyway with high fences that he couldnt see over that we've not been down before, he saw a kiddies playground for the first time, then we went round a second time and did it all again! must say that was the best idea - he was so much more chilled with everything after seeing them for a second time.
then i still hadnt had enough so we turned right off the estate instead of left back to the yard and went down past my house (i live at 'The Crossings' - any guesses? :wink: and we went over train tracks/a level crossing! that was amusing he had his head to the ground watching where he was walking, and i just hoped the barriers didnt start going off and coming down - that would have been scary! and over busy traffic lights/crossings to another housing estate, round there a while, then onto the CANAL (he's never seen one before)...
and a barge came down! i was bloody worried about that but he was more curious than anything. he walked along sniffing all the flowers along the tow path, then we came out on the main road into town and we led the way back up from there, past a petrol station with big flappy flags out front, past a nursery with kids all playing outside, then we led the way back over the level crossings, and straight back up the road where a flipping artic lorry came sailing past :timebomb: but luckily he had already seen and done so much by this stage that the reaction was really rather half-hearted :angel::giggle:
so i'm feeling really bloody pleased atm and relishing it as i know i'll wake up tomorrow with my confidence magically back down to zero, even though i know that if we can deal with what we did today, then we can deal with most things! i'm so thrilled with my little lad and have to keep reminding myself how well he is doing as he sometimes feels like a grown-up horse whereas in reality he's 4 yrs old and has only been back from being started/broken in for 6 weeks. :wub:
we've not been anywhere nr as far as that before, and the scary stuff we saw was unreal! the most we've done up to now is once around the loop of the housing estate and back... well today we went around twice - he was quite on his toes because of the things we had to deal with. it was windy, it was chaos - we've only been out of an evening but had day off today so went earlier and god the traffic is so different! we'd not even encountered a lorry before now but we must have dealt with about 15!
so, we saw loadsa lorries, builders, bricks covered in plastic flapping about, skips, shovelling bricks into the back of a truck, motorbikes, a BUS!, transit vans gallore (he has a problem with transits usually!). then we rode up a narrow alleyway with high fences that he couldnt see over that we've not been down before, he saw a kiddies playground for the first time, then we went round a second time and did it all again! must say that was the best idea - he was so much more chilled with everything after seeing them for a second time.
then i still hadnt had enough so we turned right off the estate instead of left back to the yard and went down past my house (i live at 'The Crossings' - any guesses? :wink: and we went over train tracks/a level crossing! that was amusing
he had his head to the ground watching where he was walking, and i just hoped the barriers didnt start going off and coming down - that would have been scary! and over busy traffic lights/crossings to another housing estate, round there a while, then onto the CANAL (he's never seen one before)...and a barge came down! i was bloody worried about that but he was more curious than anything. he walked along sniffing all the flowers along the tow path, then we came out on the main road into town and we led the way back up from there, past a petrol station with big flappy flags out front, past a nursery with kids all playing outside, then we led the way back over the level crossings, and straight back up the road where a flipping artic lorry came sailing past :timebomb: but luckily he had already seen and done so much by this stage that the reaction was really rather half-hearted :angel::giggle:
so i'm feeling really bloody pleased atm and relishing it as i know i'll wake up tomorrow with my confidence magically back down to zero, even though i know that if we can deal with what we did today, then we can deal with most things! i'm so thrilled with my little lad and have to keep reminding myself how well he is doing as he sometimes feels like a grown-up horse whereas in reality he's 4 yrs old and has only been back from being started/broken in for 6 weeks. :wub:
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