Hacking

Pony Post Deliveries

/ ponydreamer / 2 Comments

On Sunday it was time for the pony post to make its Christmas deliveries again.

20161218_101225

It was a lovely morning with just a bit of fog and we got a bit excited about our decorations.  Galahad had glitter in his mane and tail but Cookster even had it on his ears!

20161218_104207

I was going to paint their hooves with glitter as well but it was a bit too muddy for it to seem worthwhile.

As we rode up the hill it started to get foggier but it was still a lovely ride.  Both ponies behaved very well and waited patiently at each stop.

20161218_105936

We stopped for a chat at one house and the ponies got some apples which they very much appreciated.  We were stood there for at least twenty minutes without the ponies making a fuss so I was really pleased with them.

20161218_112503

When we left we found that the fog had got even thicker and we rode back down the hill through a white world.  Down in the valley though it was still a beautiful, sunny day.  We had a wonderful ride and a lot of fun dressing up.  We’ll do it as much as we can over Christmas!

20161218_115807

Christmas is coming…

/ ponydreamer / Leave a comment

The time has come to introduce a bit of festive cheer when we are riding.  As ever I built things up slowly for Galahad.  He started off with some antlers on his head just standing in the stable.  He was not keen on my putting them on!  Once they were on though he was not bothered at all.

Next came the tinsel on the noseband.

20161215_110116

That was no trouble at all and we went out for a lovely hack.  After that I added the antlers again.

20161218_120047

These days he seems to take it all in his stride.  Next will be the jingle bells!

Horsey Shopping

/ ponydreamer / Leave a comment

Last weekend I visited my Uncle in Surrey.  Whilst we were there he took me to Snack and Tack  – an equestrian and pet shop.  It was amazing!  There was so much variety in the products they had there.  Our local tack shops are good but just can’t carry so many different items of stock.

Naturally I had to buy something.  I was thinking of something like some new riding socks but then I came across the display of breeches and I fell in love with a pair from Equetech with the most beautiful non slip seat.

20161213_081601

I just had to have them – we don’t get pretty breeches here!

I was very brave and rode out alone the first time I wore them.  Ever since I was small I have had a superstition about riding with new things – I went through a phase of falling off every time I did so.  So much so that when I was given a new pair of spurs just before a show I had to wear them just to hack around the showground the day before.  It kind of worked – I didn’t fall off in the competition but I did get eliminated for too many refusals!

dscf7052

Luckily these breeches did not make me fall off and I still love them.  Galahad was looking at everything that could be considered remotely scary but didn’t do anything stupid.  For anyone who might be interested it turns out that it is the concrete slabs he finds objectionable – the Christmas wreath is perfectly normal!

Beautiful Tuesday

/ ponydreamer / Leave a comment

This is Galahad waiting to go for a ride yesterday.  I was not impressed.

20161129_124945.jpg

It was an absolutely beautiful day and we had a lovely ride.

20161129_135732

We didn’t get out until lunchtime but there were still patches of frost in the shade.  In fact, they were still there at the end of the day.  It was cold!

20161129_143213

There was even some ice left on the puddles.

20161129_141353

We had a wonderful time.

Sheep Cross Country

/ ponydreamer / Leave a comment

We have had a proper deluge this week.  I think all the rain we haven’t had over the autumn fell in just a couple of days.  The last few days have been much better though and we have had some absolutely beautiful starlit nights.

It was looking pretty ominous when we went for our ride this morning and it was freezing cold but it stayed dry which was the main thing.  There were some loose sheep in the lane who ran round the edge of the field as we approached and jumped back in.  They were pretty athletic.

I stopped for no more than a quarter of an hour to speak to my neighbour and by the time I left there were already four back out of the field.  We herded three of them back but the fourth was the wrong side of us and ran ahead of us down the hill,  She kept thinking about turning and coming back but in the end we had to wait for a handy gateway so Galahad and I could scoot past.  She was fast enough going back up the hill then and I felt safe leaving her there until I came back on Cookster to herd her back in.  Of course, by then there was another sheep with her too.

20161126_093002

The farmer is aware that they are getting out – I didn’t just leave them to get on with it!

Autumn Loveliness

/ ponydreamer / Leave a comment

Galahad and I had a wonderful ride last week.

20161115_132919

We went along a route we don’t use very often and went a little further than usual.  The valley was looking absolutely beautiful and we had a lovely, relaxing time.

20161115_141221

We were very lucky and only met a couple of cars.  There was also a van (with a lovely driver who turned off his engine) Galahad tried to shoot past him and slipped a little on the new tarmac where the road had been resurfaced.  It was nothing major though and we got home fine.

When we got back though I realised that Galahad had got pretty sweaty (he was fine!).  I think it is time to admit that he either needs to be clipped or not do so much work.  I don’t really like to keep him clipped over the whole winter.  It just doesn’t seem fair on him to have him bald and rugged up when I can only ride him a couple of times a week.  I’ll clip him when the days get longer and in the meantime we’ll just have to go for shorter rides.

20161115_133812

Wheeee!

/ ponydreamer / Leave a comment

We have had rather an exciting time recently.  I was riding down the hill towards home when three girls walked across the bottom of the lane and stopped to have a good look at us.  They walked on before long but they kept bouncing to see us over the hedge.  Galahad was very intrigued and really sped up to try and see what was going on.  He does like to walk much faster towards potentially scary things which can be unnerving.

We were just getting to the bottom and I could hear a large group of cyclists approaching along the main road so I pulled up to let them pass before we emerged from the lane – sometimes that seems like the most sensible option.  The road is very popular with cyclists, although I wouldn’t like to ride the ponies along it.  It is very twisty and cars can drive incredibly fast along it.  I would feel very unsafe on a pony.

Unfortunately Galahad got spooked by a walker and shot out towards the cyclists – I thought he was going to head straight into their path.  One of the cyclists shouted, ‘Tally ho!’ which I’m sure was very amusing but was not entirely helpful.  Luckily it didn’t affect Galahad who pulled up without any trouble.  All the same, I was rather angry and a bit shaky too.

20161115_141402

The next day I was riding Cookster down the same hill and thought I would take a picture to illustrate the scene.  I wanted to wait until something passed the end of the lane though which meant a bit of waiting about – something at which Cookster has never excelled.  He started moving just as I took the picture (hence the blurriness !) and as I was messing about with my phone I automatically pulled on the reins.  That doesn’t really work too well with Cookster – he responds much better to the legs than the reins.  He strode down the hill and before I could stop him he was cantering along our lane for home.  Apparently the cat was watching us through the window and the sound of hoof beats made her run away!

I took Cookster back up the hill a little way and then walked all the way home.  I had to force myself to keep the reins slack and just use my legs to slow him down if he sped up.  It was very hard work but we managed it and I think we learnt our lesson.  I did at any rate.

Delivery Service

/ ponydreamer / Leave a comment

The ponies and I have again been acting as a delivery service for my neighbour.  She had asked me to get some shopping which Galahad and I carried up with no trouble in a backpack.  The pony express is a lot more fun than using the car or delivering on foot!

I then rode out on Cookster and noticed that there was a newspaper waiting at the bottom of the hill so we took that up as well.  It is something we have done often before but this time I was wearing a hoody so I could actually carry it hands free which was such a luxury!

20161106_141122

It was good to have two hands for the reins but the paper was a little in the way of my arms.  I probably didn’t look the most elegant!

Beautiful Autumn

/ ponydreamer / Leave a comment

We have had a particularly beautiful autumn this year – the trees have been stunning.

20161106_140009

The leaves are falling properly now though – there was an actual leaf storm over the ponies this morning.

dscf6983

We spend a lot of our time at the moment walking over carpets of them which is wonderful.

20161106_140403

I love the autumn!

Sun in our eyes and wind in our tails

/ ponydreamer / Leave a comment

Sunday was a beautifully sunny day so Galahad and I went out for what should have been a lovely relaxing hack.  It seemed like I was constantly riding into the sun and spent the whole time squinting.  It really was a beautiful day though and the views were gorgeous.

20161023_131500.jpg

It was also a very windy day.  Galahad isn’t usually too bothered by the wind but it does get to him occasionally.  Sunday was one of those days and he was looking for things to frighten him.  I had been planning to take him for a canter in my neighbour’s field but I knew that in that frame of mind there would be monsters in every hedge and it didn’t really seem worth it.  We stuck to the lanes but did manage a canter up the grass in the middle.  The sheep all ran away as we came up the lane but once they decided we weren’t coming to get them the started running back towards us.

20161023_133058

It was somewhat unnerving but not unkown in these particular sheep.  We once cantered through their field, went through the open gateway and heard the thunder of hooves behind us.  For a moment I genuinely thought they were going to stampede us but they didn’t go quite that far!