Winter

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.

Running Repairs

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Right at the end of last winter Galahad pulled one of the surcingle buckles off of  his rug.  I didn’t fix it at the time because he stopped wearing it and I’m really rather lazy.

I finally got around to sewing on a new buckle (I never did find the original one) last week as Galahad is now wearing the rug again to keep his back muscles warm.  I was pretty proud of the job I did.

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Unfortunately,  the hole in the new buckle is slightly smaller than the old one and as I hadn’t changed the other half of it I could not quite twist it closed.   It did stay done up though so I sent Galahad off in hopes that it would hold.

He hadn’t been turned out in a proper field for over a week and I think he enjoyed himself!

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When I brought him in again the buckle had turned itself and was fully closed.  Which was great … except that I couldn’t get it open again – less than ideal.  I had visions of us having to cut Galahad free and I thought that at the very least I would have to replace the other half of the buckle.

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Luckily my Dad managed to cut the rubber band off and although it was still very stiff I could at least open (and close) the buckle.  No more mending for me – until he rips it again!

New Year New Haircut

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For a few weeks now I have been thinking that it was time to give Galahad a haircut.  Specifically his tail – it might not be very thick but it does get rather long.

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It is not technically correct to trim native ponies but that has never stopped me clipping him.  We don’t tend to show much anyway so it really doesn’t matter.  Besides, when it rains as much as it has done this last week this is the sort of thing that happens.

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It can’t be particularly pleasant!

I didn’t want to wash the whole tail but I did clean off the ends before I trimmed them – the mud wasn’t just wet it was cold too.  Plus, clean hair is much better for the scissors!

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Galahad looks much smarter now and I should think is more comfortable.  I seem to have neglected to take a picture of the finished product though – I wanted the hair to dry first so we went for our ride and I forgot all about it.  It was a lovely hack though, even if it was blowing a gale!

Riding into the New Year

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The weather this morning was rather nice but we wasted it as my sister was making a trifle and I curled up with a book.  By the time we got out to ride it was pouring with rain so we dragged on all of our waterproofs.

Naturally, it stopped raining as soon as we were tacked up and ready to ride – I’m sure that if we had decided against waterproofs the rain would have got worse!  However, at least it meant that we had a lovely, dry ride out.

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We had a great time and I think the ponies enjoyed it too despite our making them splash through the puddles.

The only downside was that Galahad thought the perfect place to stop for a poo was right outside our neighbours’ house.  I got off to clear it into the hedge and they came out of the house just as I was doing so.  We had a nice chat and I don’t think they realised what I was doing… They didn’t mention it anyway!

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We had some chores to do outside and just as we got back indoors the heavens opened again.  We timed our outing perfectly!

Highwaymen and Frozen Gates!

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20171129_080621We had a heavy frost again this morning – so much so that the latches on the gates were frozen shut and I couldn’t shift them.

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Luckily, one of the gates also has a bolt which was still movable so the ponies were able to go out!

I was also fascinated by the hurdles  round the sheep pen – they are hollow and the uprights fill with water.  This is what had happened this morning!

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I love these mornings, despite the bitter cold.  They are really beautiful.  Plus, they mean that it is finally cold enough to wear my highwayman hat cover.  It is lovely and cosy!

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Mud, Glorious Mud

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We have had a lot of rain over the past few days.  Also hail and sleet.  Things are starting to look a little soggy!

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In fact, the gateway into the yard got to the point where we just had to do something about it.  We had some branches taken out in our woodland and the work has left us with a large pile of wood chippings.  These are excellent for putting down on the mud!

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My parents were very kind and put down a load of chippings on Friday.  They are wonderful!   I can now get into the yard without having a struggle and getting covered in mud.  The dog likes it too – she might be a country dog but she hates mud and will do her best to get round it!

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The rain hasn’t stopped us getting out and about though – although other people’s fields are looking even wetter than ours!

The Gathering Gloom

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Things are getting pretty dark here.  It has been dark when I get home for weeks but now it is also almost too dark to ride before work as well.

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Not quite though – I can still squeeze in a hack if I am super quick and don’t go very far.  In fact, the only good thing about working on Sundays is that when I have to do so I start an hour later  – plenty of time to ride!

It hasn’t helped that this week I have had a terrible cold which has made my energy levels plummet.   Getting up in the morning has been even harder than usual.  I am on the mend now though and hopefully I’ll manage to have a few more early morning rides before the darkness sets in.

Autumnal Ramblings

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Things are beginning to look wintry here.  A lot of the trees have lost their leaves and the countryside is starting to look a bit brown.

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The hedges are taking on a new kind of beauty – there is a lot of lichen visible now the leaves have gone.

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Every so often though, we still come across a tree which is a blaze of colour.

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Galahad and I had a lovely lazy hack today, rambling through the countryside and enjoying the autumnal scenery. It is a good time of year.

Being Realistic

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This week I have not ridden much at all.  Partly that is because I am currently in sole charge of all the animals.

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When there is a limited amount of daylight I have to prioritise.  The ponies can run around the field and exercise themselves to some extent.  The dog doesn’t have that opportunity!

Although I miss the riding I still get to spend time with the ponies.  They are always pleased to see me in the mornings and especially the evenings when I feed them!

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Plus the dog and I always stop to say hello.

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Every winter I have to accept that my riding gets curtailed – it won’t be long now before it is too dark to ride in the mornings as well as the evenings.  It’s just a case of adjusting myself to a new routine of only riding a couple of times a week.  There are lots of compensations though – things like log fires on cold evenings!

 

Freezing Rain

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It has been rather cold here for the past few days.  The wind is biting and the rain is freezing.  Literally  – there were bits of sleet in it today.  Luckily it stayed dry for our hack today but we got pretty wet yesterday.

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Our neighbour has moved out and the new people were moving in yesterday – we met one very fast small van and a slower, larger one.  That one got slightly wedged between two cottages and we had the fun of watching it try to extricate itself.  The ponies were fascinated!

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They were very well behaved though.  We have a field right on the side of a fairly busy road and lorries frequently drive past it very fast.  It has been invaluable in making sure the ponies are not traffic shy.