Sunset

Taking Time Out

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This has been another busy week for me – what with work, an agility competition with the dog, taking my stationery to another summer fête and photographing a whole load of new cards for my online shop I haven’t had much time for myself. However, I have been making a point of going out to ride every day when I get home from work and that has definitely been beneficial.

It is so easy to get overwhelmed by the to do list and focus on getting that completed before anything else but I have learnt from experience that it is not a good idea. It is so much better for my health – both physical and mental – if I get outside, even if it is just for a half hour hack.

This evening – after the photography session – Cookster and I went for a lovely little jaunt. Not very far really but enough to blow the cobwebs away. It was a gorgeous evening and it was wonderful to be out in it. We even had a beautiful sunset to enjoy – although as usual it has not photographed well!

Autumn Rambles

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The ponies being away for a few days doesn’t just give me a chance to use the school.  We also get to explore some different hacking routes which is always a nice change.

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The other day I arrived a bit late but I had been looking forward to my hack and the sun was still a little way off setting so I decided I could get out as long as I was super quick getting ready.  I was soon on and we set off up the drive – me giving firm instructions that we would be walking nice and fast and trotting as much as possible.

At first Galahad was not impressed but before too long he decided it was quite fun after all.  In fact, I’d wound him up so much that he didn’t really want to walk at all and thought that canter would be much more fun than trotting.  He had a whale of a time!

I was not quite so convinced but it did the job – we got home before it was too dark!

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Beautiful Evenings

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As it has been so warm here recently I am finding that I am riding late in the evening more and more often.  It is just more comfortable – for both me and the ponies.  I have been enjoying it more than I thought I would and it is not just being cooler.  I also get to enjoy beautiful sights like this.

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The picture makes it look like I am riding in the dark but I promise I am not!  When my camera is not pointed directly at the sunset things look more like this which is much more reasonable.

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The schooling itself has been going pretty well too.  Galahad is a little stiff to the right and I have to work hard to get the correct canter lead on the right rein but otherwise I am very pleased and having a lot of fun.

Sunny Spring Evenings

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The last few days have been absolutely beautiful here.  We have had the odd light shower but most of the time it has been sunny and fairly warm.

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 My sister and I had a lovely hack this evening.  The sun was just beginning to set but it was still shining and the sky was blue.  It certainly makes everything seem cheerful!

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There are lambs in the fields and daffodils everywhere.  The primroses are putting on a pretty good show too.  Spring is definitely here!

Back From Our Holidays

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Whilst I was at the Europeans Galahad had a holiday as well.  Of course, his consisted mostly of standing in his field eating grass but I am sure he enjoyed himself very much.

Being away reminds me just how far Galahad has come in the last year.  Not so very long ago a week’s break would have had him shying away from me in the field and we would have taken several steps backward.  This time however he walked up to me just as usual despite my torch – he isn’t a fan of torches!  When it came to riding him the next day he was quite full of energy but behaved very well.  He really has improved.

We had a lovely hack in the fading light and the sky was absolutely beautiful.  It doesn’t really come out in the photograph  – they never do.

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Sadly in that week the light has changed so much that I no longer have enough of it to ride both ponies after work.  I try to alternate them which means Galahad will only be ridden half as much for now.  Less once it gets too dark to ride at all.

Thursday, however, was my day off.  My sister was able to ride too so we hacked out together.  We had a good gallop in the fields up the hill and the good news is that the hay bales are not really scary anymore.  We canter around the original ones (looking a bit sorry for themselves now) quite happily and although we might roll our eyes a bit at the new ones which have appeared in the next two fields they didn’t stop us cantering there either.  All of which is very good news despite the fact that my sister’s pony makes a beeline for the bales now he has worked out they are made of hay.

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We had glorious sunshine for the whole of our ride even though we had a short drizzly shower too.  The ponies got hot enough to need a wash down and I was back to riding in a t-shirt.  We had a gorgeous time and I think the ponies enjoyed it too.  Galahad certainly enjoyed his galloping, I’m not so sure about his partial bath afterwards!