Hacking solo and in company.....

Another first for the girl today, I asked her to leave the house on her own with me on her back not on the end of a leadrope. Took about 10 minutes to get her out of the gate, but she didn't try to go backwards, just needed time to think about stuff I reckon. We set off in search of Jane et al, rather slow progress as she kept stopping and looking at stuff, and trying to make a sidestep to the verge for a quick snack  but I just let her take her time and eventually she decided to get on with things......

After a couple of kms, we met the others, she got a little bit excited but was generally OK. I was talking to one of the other riders I hadn't met before and I just let Sky do her own thing which was basically try to keep up with the others, Ocarina was way out in front as usual, Maverick trotting and showing off the whole time, the two draught horses pulled faces at us and the little chestnut at the back was the only one prepared to let us walk alongside!

We rode with them for a km or two, then they turned off up the hill and I didn't want to overdo it on Sky so we headed home.

Had to get off to get her to leave the others but after a bit of calling she followed me willingly enough and I led her down the hill. Then I found a handy tree stump to get back on and rode home. She didn't even try to rush back, just made a few more attempts to stop for grass......

Very pleased with her :-)

For the first time.....

.....I rode my baby horse yesterday. Wasn't planning to, Ali started out the hack on board, but Sky was being a total brat and it was all about the grass. So we swapped and I got my first ride. My friend Sarah was here and rode Kinna, who was a very good girl.

 We went up the steep grass track somewhat faster than we usually do as the girls seemed to be up for a bit of a race....... G very sensibly took it at a more sedate pace. Then at the top we let them graze and when it was time to move on, Sky really went for it, planting, going backwards, sideways, anything to stay on the grass, even when the others went out of sight. So I had to get off and lead her off. We had a few more grass related arguments along the rest of the ride, but she didn't spook or do anything else silly and didn't seem at all bothered to be carrying me around.

This morning I took her out again with Ali on Gandalf just to consolidate behaviour and we had far less arguing, the worst she did was stop dead a couple of times to see if she could get to the verge. We had a lot going on too, hunters out in force, herds of MAMILs on bicycles, loose dogs, builders with power tools, motorcyclists, a bit of sun and everyone comes out of hibernation!

Funny looking at a pair of spotty ears! She feels too small to me, but so do most horses as I'm used to G. Still not going to ride her regularly til she grows a bit more, but she is very light and responsive, hopefully I can keep her that way.....

Horsey Valentines

Lots of interesting pictures on the internet today from the horse world. Chocolates and flowers? Nah....

And my favourite:

What's going on with the weather?

We've been here in south west France for ten years. Every year we have been able to do lots of great outdoors stuff in February becasue this is not the UK and we get good weather......right?

Not this year. This year is has been so wet we have been reduced to hacking on roads only so we don't end up skating on horseback :-/

We usually do a ride to a local lake in February, but it's far too wet to use the tracks in the woods. I had a quick look through my photos from the last ten years and here are some pics of previous February weather

So here we are, Feb 2003, our first full year in France, my two old dogs Paddy and Roisin in the sun:

Feb 2004, before I had my own horse, riding Gimy, my friend Marianne's Trotter, not actually sunny but look at the nice dry ground:

Feb 2005, with Gimy and Marianne's TB, Faco, in a not at all muddy field......

Feb 2006, my first year with Gandalf, he was having a hooley with Gimy, blue skies:

Feb 2007, Ali and her pony Flecha, more sun, nice dry ground:

Feb 2008, we rode the horses to the lake for a picnic, sun:

Feb 2009, back to the lake:

And again in Feb 2010, cold but sunny:

February last year, bit of a blip, we actually had snow, but the sun was still out!

This year? All I have are lots of photos of filthy, soggy ponies hacking out in the rain....

Ah well, it can't go on for ever, can it?

Kilometrage

So far this year we are doing quite well on the distances, 130km for Gandalf, pretty much all on the roads as it's so wet, so his hooves are getting a good workout. He's very footy on gravel and stones as his feet are softer than usual thanks to the lake in the field, but he's fine on the tarmac.

Have started using a new app to track rides, it gives you all sorts of interesting data but the calories burned bit seems to be wildly inaccurate (unless of course it means calories burned by the horse)!

You can check it out here.

This time last year we had only done about 30kms......

The girls are doing well too, Sky's done less than Kinna with 45kms....

 

....and the big eared one has clocked up 70 odd kms.

Yesterday she went off lead rein for the first time and was quite happy to bog off into the distance, she can move a lot faster than Gandalf!

So we're doing pretty well at keeping everone exercised in spite of the weather. I actually managed to ride six days out of seven last week, unusual for me.....

 

Not doing so well at keeping everyone clean, but they clearly don't want to be white horses, do they? ;-)

 

 

Grown up girls.....

Have done a bit of hacking with the girls this week. In the rain. And hail. And wind......and the odd bit of sun.

Kinna first, she was fine, never flinched when my hat blew off past her ear (twice),  we had an extra dog along (rumour has it that he's Choccy's dad), cyclists in rain ponchos, Ali in a long plastic mac that would have terrified Fina 2 years ago, a couple of canters and the only time she spooked was at the plastic fence flapping as we left our place - the one she sees every time she goes out the gate......

Then yesterday it was Sky's turn, she was silly about the grass too. Here's her vid from yesterday, displaying some fancy footwork to avoid leaving any grassy areas. Her methods of resistance are less spectacular than Kinns, she seems to favour the going backwards technique! As with Kinns we will do lots of repetition and she'll get the message. When she's walking nicely and not trying to get to the grass, that's when we stop and let them graze, she's not as hard done by as she thinks she is.....

The bridge is a handy TREC obstacle, to be tackled only on foot til it dries out a bit!

So pretty pleased with the two girls. As Ali was saying yesterday, it's far easier dealing with their little evasions than having to deal with a nervous wreck like Fina was when she first arrived. After that, even Kinna's rodeo doesn't bother her as it's predictable......

Memory lane.....

An old schoolfriend sent me some photos recently. When we were kids, she had ponies and kept them at the stables where I learned to ride. You may remember me lamenting the fact that my parents never took any photos of me on a pony, but hers sure did.

So no pics of me, but plenty of memories.....here's my friend Sarah on her Connemara, Seamus

Another friend, another Helen, with the two escapist ponies, Clocky and Tumbler

Sarah and Helen hacking in the woods, the pony in the middle is Fothergill, the reluctant jumper:

And finally, a pic in the school of Fothers, actually jumping something!

Can't remember who the girl is riding him, obviously she was better at it than me!
I think Chester might be a reincarnation of Fothers.... ;-)