Pony

Sedate Excursions

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Although we have had a fair bit of rain recently it is still possible to canter in my neighbour’s fields without risking slipping over.  On Sunday my sister and I went for a lovely lazy hack and took full advantage of the not too slippy fields.

Some of the electricity poles have recently been replaced so the gateways were hideously churned up but the fields themselves were fine so we had a great time.

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Both ponies behaved very well – Galahad was possibly the most sedate I have ever known him to be in the field.  Hopefully the lesson is getting through and we will have no more taking off!

It did start to rain while we were out but it was that very fine rain which is practically just mist.  Very atmospheric and nice and refreshing!

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Winter is Coming

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You can definitely tell that winter is well on its way.  For one thing, Galahad now frequently comes in from the field covered with mud and I have swapped from using a body brush to a dandy brush.

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The fields are holding up pretty well so far but there is still enough mud to cover a pony!

Another sign is that Cookster is now wearing these stirrups.

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My sister likes to ride in her wellies when the ground is muddy and these make it that bit safer to do so.

I on the other hand am still sticking faithfully to my jodhpur boots.

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They might be falling apart and they definitely need replacing but until it gets cold or very wet I will be wearing them!

A Peaceful Wednesday

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It may have been a busy week but today was my day off and I managed to spend it doing not a lot.

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I did ride the ponies though and we had a lovely time pottering about the lanes. Autumn is most definitely here now but I enjoyed spotting all the signs of summer that are still hanging on.

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There was even still some honeysuckle left in the hedge but it did not photograph well!

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I brought the post back down to the house with us and delivered it through the window.  Galahad was not at all sure about that but he was happy enough to get a polo!

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A Tiring Week

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Not a lot from me today as this week has been pretty busy and somewhat stressful.  For one thing, our kitchen was flooded by a tap left running!

I have spent today running a stall at a book fair.  I had a great time but it has been a long day and I am pretty tired now.

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I did pick up Christine Pullein-Thompson’s autograph though.  It has been a pretty good day!

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Jungle Riding

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Galahad and I recently went for a hack along a route we don’t take very often.  You could definitely tell!

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It was so overgrown that Galahad refused to let me ride through it and I had to lead him.  He looked very fetching afterwards!

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We had a lovely ride though.  It was a beautiful day and there was very little traffic.

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We got to meet our new neighbours too which was good.  They have moved into a house which has had empty stables for years.  It was great to see horses there again!

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Rain Stops Play!

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I pride myself on not being a fair weather rider but the weather on Wednesday was a bit much even for me.

Sorry about the video orientation! 

I had been planning to film my next online dressage test for BHS Somerset but I definitely was not going to film in that.  It’s not like we would do a good test in those conditions anyway.

I  gave up for the day, turned out the ponies and went indoors for a cup of tea.  Of course, within ten minutes the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared. I decided it was still too dark to film, plus the field was probably pretty slippery,  but there was no reason why we shouldn’t go out for a hack.

Galahad had other ideas though – I had turned him out and he had no intention of coming back in again!  It took me at least five minutes to catch him but I managed it and we went out for a lovely ride splashing through the puddles.

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It turned into a beautiful evening!

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Cloud spotting

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One of the many good things about riding is the opportunity it gives to watch the nature around us.  I always love looking at the animals we see – things we would probably miss if we were driving past.

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I also really love to look at the clouds.

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This week seems to have been particularly good for clouds – every evening the sky has been stunning.

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Of course, sometimes the dramatic clouds meant that we were about to get very wet!

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Days like this really make me realise how lucky I am to live here.

Galahad Needs a Hairdresser

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I have to admit that I do not brush Galahad’s mane very often.  Partly this is because it always looks more or less smooth and tangle free.

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Partly also it is because I only ever brush his tail when we go to a show.  It is so thin anyway that I don’t want to make it worse!  However, this week I realised that the bottom layer of his mane had got rather matted and it was really time that I did something about it.

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Luckily I have recently stocked up on mane and tail conditioner so the job wasn’t as difficult as it might have been.  Even so, it took me a while as his mane is so very thick – I had half of it pushed over the other side of his neck and the bit I had left was still thicker than the average mane.

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As you can see, it was high time that the job was done.  I couldn’t believe how much loose hair he had!

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It was a very satisfying job and it always nice to spend time just grooming a pony.  It is a wonderful bonding exercise!

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Seasonal Changes

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Even though it has been very hot over the past few days there are definitely signs that autumn is on its way.  There is a very specific feeling in the air which always says autumn to me and that has been around for a while.

 

On Monday morning I rode early before work.  It was very misty in the valley but once I got up the hill a little way it was bright sunshine and there was a beautiful view over the mist.

There are also a lot of toadstools around at the moment.  There have been a huge number over the whole summer but now there are even more.  They are just so beautiful!

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This weekend I will be at Burghley Horse Trials so I won’t be blogging on Sunday.   I have never been before so I am very much looking forward to it!

Controlling the Speed

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I recently took Galahad for a spin in my neighbour’s fields and for the first time I tried riding him there in a kimblewick.   He can be inclined to take off a bit in the field  – he certainly enjoys going fast – and I wanted to try the kimblewick to see if it would help me maintain a little bit more control.

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It definitely seemed to work.  I kept to a walk far longer than I normally would and although he was obviously keen to go found it very easy to keep him walking.  We then trotted for a bit before breaking into a canter.

Again,  it was much easier than usual to keep to a steady canter.  When I finally let Galahad gallop he was more than ready to go and we sped across the field.  Crucially though, he was no trouble at all to pull up again.

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The main thing was that at no point did I feel he was going to take off and I would be unable to stop.  I felt perfectly safe and it was definitely a successful experiment.