This is quite long as I want to share a suprisingly nice day and my non horsey friends dont care!
I moved today after much dithering from my lovely yard that had a true wow factor, in a valley in the pennines with stunning scenery and a lovely lovely yard owner. I have gone to a v.nice yard which isnt in quite the same WOW location but still v. nice and great riding country. All very nervy for me as I have moved up here after keeping pony for 13 years in Birmingham so I have no prior knowledge of yards here.
I did a mixture of hacking and on foot walking the ten miles along the pennine bridle path to new yard. it took us 3 hrs as my old boys not what he was in his younger days he could do 40 miles in 5 hours. But what a stunning ride.
I hand walked him up a hill under the amazingly beautiful saddleworth viaduct (still used by steam trains), onto the pennine bridle path which runs from saddleworth to greenfields on a ex train line. The day was stunning all redish heathers, dark hills with light coming down through the clouds in long bolts of sun and stunning red and in some places orange leaved.
Had some quite funny bits like:
class of early teenage girls on a stretch which horse always finds scarey, narrow with a high wooden fence either side. He refused to move so they all sidled past and he frisked most of them!,
nice old lady whose do decided to panic and run v.v.slowly pursuade by her v.v.slow in front of us.
Most of the first half of route was well known from other hacks but second half all unkown territory.
Pony getting v. upset when we road past freizland arena (all weather riding arena maintained by local council for free use by all), Icould feel his going 'stupid human we should turn and run for home now!'
I walked pony along the only bad bit of road work and then up an incredibly steep hill on an old pack horse route upto a roman or earlier road! This runs along the side of peaks past an iron age hill fort and little farm steads and drops into what on the map was a factory which I had worried about riding through but is now a housing estate with a marked route for the bridle path.
Back up into the hills and past a yard on an incredobly steep hillside where a v nice lady had a long chat with me. Along the hillside and then dropped down to new yard.
Pony quite happily settled in new box and was intriguied by swiss chalet style windows in the back wall of stable with view over valley opposite. New people on yard seem to be a mix onf different ages which is good and all that I talked to v.friendly and complemantary about pony.
Do hope this is the last move for us. Fingres crossed for when he is truned out tomorrow with the other ponys on the yard allways the worst bit.will try and uplaod photos I took on the hack.
I moved today after much dithering from my lovely yard that had a true wow factor, in a valley in the pennines with stunning scenery and a lovely lovely yard owner. I have gone to a v.nice yard which isnt in quite the same WOW location but still v. nice and great riding country. All very nervy for me as I have moved up here after keeping pony for 13 years in Birmingham so I have no prior knowledge of yards here.
I did a mixture of hacking and on foot walking the ten miles along the pennine bridle path to new yard. it took us 3 hrs as my old boys not what he was in his younger days he could do 40 miles in 5 hours. But what a stunning ride.
I hand walked him up a hill under the amazingly beautiful saddleworth viaduct (still used by steam trains), onto the pennine bridle path which runs from saddleworth to greenfields on a ex train line. The day was stunning all redish heathers, dark hills with light coming down through the clouds in long bolts of sun and stunning red and in some places orange leaved.
Had some quite funny bits like:
class of early teenage girls on a stretch which horse always finds scarey, narrow with a high wooden fence either side. He refused to move so they all sidled past and he frisked most of them!,
nice old lady whose do decided to panic and run v.v.slowly pursuade by her v.v.slow in front of us.
Most of the first half of route was well known from other hacks but second half all unkown territory.
Pony getting v. upset when we road past freizland arena (all weather riding arena maintained by local council for free use by all), Icould feel his going 'stupid human we should turn and run for home now!'
I walked pony along the only bad bit of road work and then up an incredibly steep hill on an old pack horse route upto a roman or earlier road! This runs along the side of peaks past an iron age hill fort and little farm steads and drops into what on the map was a factory which I had worried about riding through but is now a housing estate with a marked route for the bridle path.
Back up into the hills and past a yard on an incredobly steep hillside where a v nice lady had a long chat with me. Along the hillside and then dropped down to new yard.
Pony quite happily settled in new box and was intriguied by swiss chalet style windows in the back wall of stable with view over valley opposite. New people on yard seem to be a mix onf different ages which is good and all that I talked to v.friendly and complemantary about pony.
Do hope this is the last move for us. Fingres crossed for when he is truned out tomorrow with the other ponys on the yard allways the worst bit.will try and uplaod photos I took on the hack.
We can barely get them to let us ride anywhere round here (and then they want us to pay!), let alone provide actual facilities! I am gobsmacked!
