I arrived at the yard on Saturday with a funny
feeling about Starsky, but a determination to choose him. I hadn’t been riding
in weeks and really wanted a blast – Starsky’s lurch from ‘nought to sixty’ as
it were certainly provides a thrill. My only concern was that, going online,
the hack wasn’t there – an indication usually that all 10 places have sold out,
meaning it would be a tame affair. However, I got into the office and I wasn’t
asked what I wanted, but was given Gem. I couldn’t have been happier: she is a
cracking horse :D
I also found out later that Starsky’s on his Winter holidays at the moment, so
has been turned away as many of the big horses have. I also quickly found out
that there were only 5 other riders on my hack, and L was taking us: oh how I’d
regretted not bringing my phone with me. I’d have loved to see what the maximum
speed was on an L hack with one of her fave horses, the speed demon Spice. She
called me up to be second in her queue, with all the slower ponies in any order
behind us. I do enjoy the speed and chat up front, and I think L does too :)
Gem was very keen to go, and she was striding out
behind Spice in our first few trots. The hill came quickly as usual, and with
Spice trying to disappear into the horizon, Gem seriously took off. She not
only galloped up hill, but she galloped all three changes in incline (it gets
steeper in sections) – even when the horses were peak fitness during the
summer, they typically come back to trot during the 3rd change. Gem
had given me everything – she was still blowing when we got up to the woods,
whereas any other horse I’ve ridden have completely recovered by then as they
stop earlier. I knew it was going to be a cracking hack – L and my horse clearly
weren’t prepared to go slowly!
We reached the woods, and L started cantering long
before the puddles, whereas AM is a puddle-freak and won’t let us start until
we’re past. So, the canter stretches were long, and whereas Gem is usually a
puddle-dodger that I steer well in advance, she ignored me and charged straight
through them – at the speeds we were going at, straight ahead suited me!
The next canter was the slightly uphill one, with the
lake in the middle. L let us start all the way from the bottom, and gave the
riders strict instructions to follow me as I’d be steering left for the puddle
and changing my seat to allow for the drop – I’d be more visible than L as
Spice is faster than Gem, and L knows that I ride rather than just cling on and
hope for the best. I was touched! The canter was indeed fun, with the horses
picking up the pace after the puddle – I like to be in trot for the narrowing
at the top because of the concrete slab on one side of it, but as Spice was
still going, I’d no chance with Gem! We went the furthest distance once out on
the flat in canter that I’ve ever gone – that’s how fast Spice was going and
how much she didn’t want to slow down! lol.
The middle section of the ride, all walk and trot,
was beautiful. We had the winter sun on us, and the views were glorious.
Trotting through town in the sunshine felt great, and Gem was as keen as
mustard. The only minor issue was kept having to stop for the rear riders to
catch up: L told them before leaving the yard to always keep up and trot to do
so, but they didn’t seem to listen. Then at one point the girl holding everyone
up cantered Finlay in dangerous, heavy mud – she was quickly told to stop!
Still, we hadn’t let the mixed speed of the ponies spoil the fun in canter, and
stopping is only ever a minor grievance :) We even met some really courteous people out,
including some teenage boys on a scrambler who stopped as soon as we saw us,
took of their helmets to say hello, and thanked us when we said a family with a
pram were behind us, telling us they’d wait for them to pass before carrying
on. Lovely kids they were :)
We got to the railway line and after a jogger passed
us at the start, it looked free. Then, we saw 2 hackers come towards us.
Luckily, unlike other leaders who walk us on and cut short the path, L took us
to a verge on the side and said if the riders passing us asked, we were on a
‘pee break’. While we were stopped, a French lady said she remembered me from
an earlier ride, and said I was now an advanced rider, looking very fast and
confident. I blushed, genuinely touched that a stranger has noticed my
progress, and said it was thanks to L helping me to get my confidence about
riding fast, and encouraging me to ride faster and more complex horses. The
lady also said her own confidence was getting her to the point of wanting to
start jumping again, and once L had checked her past experience, L said she’d
take us over a log on the way home. I was so excited – an XC jump for fun,
something I’d never done before to look forward to!
The two riders went past us on their Highlands, and L waited until they were out of the gate
to make sure we didn’t upset them by moving off quickly. She told us to take a
few strides of trot then to canter, but Spice was having none of it and
launched off like a rocket, as did Gem. While we were in canter for the first
few strides, L then let Spice go and off we took in gallop. It was
exhilarating, and with the sun catching us, I spent time watching the glorious
silhouette of Gem and I galloping along as I had with Hugo. I grinned the whole
time (the one place it’s safe to, as you don’t end up with mud in your mouth
like in the woodland canters or on the fields), and lapped up the feeling. We
met walkers so only got to gallop about ¾ of the length that’s possible, but I
wasn’t complaining. However, L got Spice back to canter but she wasn’t
listening about a trot. As I always do to bring a horse back on a hack, I sat
to Gem’s canter, but I didn’t put much pressure on the bit (Pelham with curb)
as I knew it would be a waste as Gem would do what Spice was doing. L shouted
trot again as I got closer, and we got our mares back to trot at the same time,
but neither was very keen on taking our aids! Gem was also on tenterhooks – she
clearly though the trotting was temporary and that we’d be taking off again
once we’d passed the pedestrians. She was prancing, and with the hot air from
her nostrils rising as steam on cold morning, she looked every bit a wild
horse. She stayed like that too: she’d really come alive on the end of my
contact, and I got some beautiful trot work from her afterwards, using that
pent up energy. It was fab, and we didn’t meet the dangerous mare on the way
home! (Well, we did theoretically, but she was rugged up in her field staring
at us, so that doesn’t really count).
I’d wondered all the way home where we’d be going to
jump the log, and halfway down the wooded hill, past the yard’s off-site
fields, L asked us to snake around and face upwards – the log the horses take
their time to get around downhill in walk was to become our target. L said we
needed to be a horse’s length apart to be safe to jump, and told me not to even
try and hold Gem – Spice was fast enough that she’d make the space, rather than
me having to start an argument to create one. Gem took off like lightning once
again, and off we galloped. I watched L and saw how Spice tackled the log and
how much height she gave it. I knew that unless Gem threw in a disproportionate
jump, that I’d only have a little adjusting of my balance point to do. So, I
gave with my hands, moved what felt barely an inch, and off we soared over the
log as if it was nothing. Gem even sped up afterwards as the path winds a bit,
so Spice had got out of sight. She pulled up like a dream on the lane though, and
it was great to see all the riders make it up in once piece with L’s advice, as
some were nervous as they’d not jumped in 4yrs and more. Everyone came up
grinning, and L said what she always does: “If I enjoy a hack, I know my
clients will too, and I am enjoying this hack!” She’s not wrong there! I also
went past Starsky on the way home, and he looked like an overgrown pony out on
the hill! It was lovely to see him and his friends looking as happy as larry :)
We’d one more trot on the way home, and Gem was a
dream. I got chatting to L more about Common Rides, as I’ve been changing my
mind about the ride I’d like to be my first. So, we talked about the merits of
different specific rides, and she wholeheartedly second A’s comment to me on my
last hack that there is NOTHING on this earth quite like the feeling of your
first field on the first ride of the season – she agreed it was one of the best
feelings on earth. I really hope I’ve the money to be able to have that feeling
next year! I also wanted to say that now my confidence about speed is up, I’d
like Hugo for my first Common Ride ideally, but I think I’ll wait until I have
Hugo on one of her hacks to tell her, so that I can ride him in a higher gear
(still one short of a Common Ride, as horses bring a whole different ball=-game
to those) and L can see me handle him when he’s all excited and a pain in the
bum! (We talked about the story I’d heard of someone not being able to control
Hugo on the railway line – I know the man in question, and got a knowing smile
when I suggested it was a ‘wouldn’t’ rather than ‘couldn’t’ control him. I was
very disappointed to hear he’d not stopped poor Hugo galloping before they
reached the concrete – how horrible for his poor legs)!
Back on the yard, AM came straight for me as I knew
she would, Gem being her favourite horse. (I know why: she’s fun, fairly fast,
but still sane despite being keen, albeit that control without the curb chain
is rumoured as impossible). I needed a few minutes to warm my toes and ankles,
especially my right as my stirrups were half a hole out, and I’d been letting
my ankle do the adjusting so that I didn’t put my hip out again. I hopped off,
and still got time to roll up stirrups, undo the girth, and get some cuddles –
AM hadn’t whipped her straight off, and we’d both had a chat that she needed
clipped. She’s a furball anyway, but she had given me her everything today –
she was soaked!
So. my next hack will be as Doctor Debz! If I ride
again in a fortnight, it’ll be the day after I graduate, and can finally get to
use the title I earned back in April. I feel like I should have something
special though, not just a hack, so think I might end up booking a lesson as
well, especially after jumping on the hack. I’ve never done XC (only because of
lack of opportunity, not because I’ve never fancied it), so to jump a natural
log at a gallop was a total thrill! I’m rather chuffed with my little self, and
am so grateful to L. I told her to put her name on some of the homemade lemon
cake I brought, but I think I’ll have to get her a bottle of wine or something
at Xmas to say a proper thank you for the extra confidence and guidance she’s
given me. It’s meant more than she knows :)
Roll on next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment