Sunshine

Jumping!

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Now we have finished the work on the field we can get the jumps out again.  It has been seven or eight months since we have been able to jump at home so this was a very exciting moment.

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We went out to jump as soon as we could but as it has been so hot recently we wanted to ride reasonably early.  We got out into the field by about eight but even so the sun was blazing and it was still very hot.

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Considering how little jumping the ponies have done recently, they both did really well.  Galahad and I had a few run outs to start with but once we got going he jumped really nicely.

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The run outs are mostly my fault.  I know very well that if I look down at a jump Galahad is almost certainly going to try and run out.  The trouble is that if I think Galahad will be worried about a jump I find it very difficult not to look at it.  At least I know what I need to do to get better!

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We had a lovely play in the sunshine and even the lambs next door seemed to enjoy it!

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It is wonderful to have the jumps out again and we are looking forward to using them over the summer.  Let’s just hope the ground doesn’t get too hard!

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Keeping Cool

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It is rather hot at the moment and we are doing everything we can to keep cool.  Even when the ponies have full access to the field they more often than not choose to spend the day in the stables as it is so much cooler inside.

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So far this week I have ridden at eight in the morning and eight in the evening.  It is still very hot at both of those times – 28°C this evening!  That’s uncomfortable enough and I’m not sure Galahad and I could cope with riding in the middle of the day.

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We are therefore taking things pretty gently at the moment.  We have a very steep hill at the end of our lane which we normally trot up but we have been walking for the past few days.  One benefit of overgrown hedges is that when the sun is getting low they provide plenty of very welcome shade.

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I hope you and your ponies are managing not to overheat!

Green and Pleasant Land

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We have been having some lovely hacks recently.  Just Galahad and I meandering through the countryside in the evening sunshine.

We get to see some wonderful things.  The hawthorn is particularly beautiful this year.

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There are also some interesting things.  This patch of road for instance.

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It is always wet, even in the middle of a heat wave.  It is not under any trees and the water does not appear to be coming from the hedge.  I can only assume that it has managed to make its way up through the tarmac.  It is pretty powerful stuff!

Then, of course, there is the wildlife.  Isn’t this eggshell beautiful?

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Mainly though, it is just good to enjoy the view.

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Summertime

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The past few days have been rather warm to say the least!

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Our hacks have been very gentle and meandering and we have been seeking out whatever shade we can find.

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I do love to sit in the shade – I enjoy the dry weather but I can’t stay in the full sun for too long.

Unfortunately the horse flies have suddenly materialised too and, as this rather blurry photograph shows, some headshaking has been going on.

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We added some citronella to the water when we washed the ponies off after today’s hack – hopefully that will discourage some of the flies.

Spring, Spring, Spring

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I think that spring can definitely be said to be here.  We have had some beautiful days this week – the sun has been shining and things are beginning to blossom.

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I’ve talked about the primroses before but it is a really good year for them!

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I have been routinely riding without a coat and have even brought my short boots out from their winter retirement.  It has been a lovely week.

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There is a downside though – the flies are suddenly about in droves.  It was only a few weeks ago that we were covered in snow.  How can we possibly need the fly masks already?!

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Escape!

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Yesterday was simply beautiful and the ponies took full advantage of the sunshine by simply walking through a gate that was accidentally left open and gorging on the lush grass.  It wouldn’t really have been a problem except that it is quite a steep slope and the ground is still very slippery.  Luckily they were far too interested in the grass to run about!

We thought we would have terrible trouble catching them and dragging them away for a ride but actually Cookster  just stood stock still.

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Galahad was another story and would not let me near him.

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He was quite happy to follow Cookster up to the stables though!  We found some very interested visitors when we got there – waiting for their breakfasts.

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Sadly we didn’t have any for them.

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When we did get out for our ride we had a lovely time.   The primroses are suddenly flourishing  – I thought there were plenty of them before but overnight they seem to have multiplied and now there are whole banks covered in them.  They were beautiful!

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Living the Dream

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After our busy day on Saturday, Sunday was wonderfully restful.

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I had two lovely hacks, the ponies behaved well, the sun was shining and everything seemed right with the world.

My reward for riding and looking after Cookster – my sister’s pony after all – was to find him absolutely covered in mud.

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At first I thought t was highly ironic that I was wearing my ‘Living the dream’ gilet.  Who dreams of spending their Sunday afternoon scrubbing mud off of a pony?  Especially one who is moulting.

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However, as we pottered up the hill, I realised that actually it was an amazing day.  If anyone had told my twelve year old self that one day I would be able to spend a sunny afternoon playing with two ponies and riding them I would have been thrilled.  I really am living the dream.

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Hail!

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This week we went out to tack up the ponies in beautiful sunshine.  It was a glorious day and I was looking forward to a lovely, relaxing ride.

By the time we started up the hill,  the sky behind us had gone ominously dark and we could see the weather closing in.  It was still beautiful though.

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Before long the hail started and Galahad’s mane was filled with pretty beads.

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For the first time  I felt that my riding skirt was serving a genuine purpose – protecting my poor little clipped pony from all those hailstones.

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We did have a lovely ride nonetheless and despite the hail it was nice and relaxing.  A wonderful way to spend a morning.

Glorious Mud

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It seems to have been raining solidly for the past few weeks and I have never known the ground to be so wet.  We will definitely not be schooling here anytime soon!

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However, on Monday Galahad and I got out for a hack which was miraculously dry.  We got a little further afield than usual and found distinct signs that spring is on its way.

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It’s hard to tell in the picture but there is a whole bank of snowdrops in front of Galahad. It was beautiful!

There have been primroses out since before Christmas and the snowdrops have been around for a while too but a bit further up the road we found daffodils and even some campion.

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Then on Thursday morning I stepped out of the door to find the sky was a gorgeous blue and the birds were singing like crazy.  Make sure you have the sound on when you play the video!

It was a beautiful morning until the rain came back.  Definitely promising signs of spring though – it’s amazing how much better it can make one feel!

Festive riding

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On Monday my sister and I took the ponies on our instructor’s annual tinsel ride. It has been so long since I have actually been able to go with the group instead of having my own private ride and I had a wonderful time.

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Waiting for our lift!

We could not have asked for better weather.  The sun was shining and we all got rather warm.  One of the valleys was full of mist and the views were absolutely beautiful.

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I was a little concerned about the ponies’ fitness levels for a long ride (four hours!) but they actually kept up pretty well.  They even had rather too much energy in a couple of places where they shied spectacularly and barged into other ponies.   We were fine but I am always terrified of making a small child fall off.

In fact, the only issue we had was that Galahad felt a little footsore on some of the stonier tracks – he pretty much dragged me through a hedge at one point so my knee is a mess of bramble scratches.  I expect Cookster to be footsore sometimes but it is most unusual for Galahad.

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My sister also came away wounded – she banged her knee on a fence post at a gallop. She has an impressive bruise!

At one point we took a shortcut to avoid some particularly stony tracks and began walking down the grassy gallop to meet the others  half way.  Of course, they could not pull up so rushed past us but I was so proud of our ponies as they didn’t whip round and take off – we were very much in control.

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I had a wonderful day and even came away with a lucky dip Christmas present. I am not a proper grown up yet!