I set out for the yard today, thinking the snow was
gone. Getting out of the city, all of the sudden the snow re-appeared, meaning
the view from the bus was just glorious:
I went to the yard today and met up with my ride
leader A at the bus stop: it was lovely having a good old natter on the walk to
the yard. It means a lot to me, those little signs of not just being a
customer, but someone that people know and chat to; it’s been like that for a
while now (I can’t deny that bringing in homemade cake has helped), and I now
have my 3 fave ride leaders as FB friends. Things are really coming along socially
at my new yard I think :)
I got the bottom of the hill and saw the yard was
empty – A joined the staff who were all at breakfast, and I was the first
customer to arrive. I got a good hello with all the horses, including a few
scratches with Ripper. He’s usually in the barn rather than in the open yard,
so it was nice to get a bit of one-on-one with him. Just a shame he wouldn’t
stay still to get a good photo!
My friend’s just got a new goat in South
Scotland this week, and I have been lapping up the photos. I love
goats, and have long dreamt of having them within my future menagerie. The yard
has two goats, and they were in the first box this morning (the indoor barn’s
for staff only, but you can get close enough to pet the first pair of boxes
without going in). I was delighted to get some goaty cuddles, complete with
obligatory clothes-munching. Well, if I am silly enough to wear a grass-green hoody
and kiss goat, then I will get tasted! lol.
I went back to take my seat as first in the queue for
the office. Much to my annoyance, more people turned up and cut straight in
front of me by blocking the reception door. The order was also reversed when
the office opened up, the two-hour hack being called last rather than first to
ensure the quieter horses went the novices first, and I was the last to get in.
I was not amused, especially knowing that one of the people ahead of me was
going to pick Hugo, my first choice. As it turned out, Hugo wasn't free for anyone to use
and I was told Ripper came in from the field lame. It just looks like he’s hurt himself titting around, and a few day’s rest will see him right thankfully. Gem had been chosen by someone else, and I was stumped for a name as so many of the horses are still on holiday (e.g. Starsky and Hutch), so I was given Hero – a horse I knew as he’d been out with me before, and had always seemed sweet if a little boring.
and I was told Ripper came in from the field lame. It just looks like he’s hurt himself titting around, and a few day’s rest will see him right thankfully. Gem had been chosen by someone else, and I was stumped for a name as so many of the horses are still on holiday (e.g. Starsky and Hutch), so I was given Hero – a horse I knew as he’d been out with me before, and had always seemed sweet if a little boring.
I had to wait for my Hero: with 3 things going on at
once (a beginner’slesson, a trek and a hack), there were about 20 riders and
ponies on the yard, and Hero was brought out stone-cold last. I hadn’t seen
Hero in a while, and his winter coat had really come through – he looked like a
yak! I love a hairy though, and Hero is about 15hh of Welsh D-type mountain
pony, medium bay with a white blaze. I also then spotted his leather saddle –
oh the luxury of that! I was looking forward to getting out of a synthetic for
a change.
My view for the morning:
Despite thinking I’d been clever in booking a hack
during a cold snap, I clearly hadn’t been alone in my thinking – there were 9
horses in total on my hack (L leading, and 8 followers), and being last to
mount up, I ended up last in the queue. L usually brings forwards as I choose
faster horses, and the speed’s better up front, but there was no point today as
my pony’s top speed was nothing like the leaders. Still, Hero was adorable, and
I always love to increase my total horse count. Besides, Hugo probably would
have been wasted on a 9-horse hack, so this was a good time to ride someone new.
We hadn’t long got away from the yard, when we hit
snow. As they city had completely thawed, I thought the snow had all gone
except for on the high ground, but there in the woods, it was still in abundance.
I was beaming – I’ve always dreamt of riding in the snow, even if it wasn’t
virgin and pristine that morning. I genuinely thought I’d have to wait until I
was an owner before I could, so this felt like such a treat! I’d been gutted
I’d missed out last weekend – the snow was fresh, but the web page said the
hacks were cancelled. The YO had reversed the decision without updating the
website though – the snow was powdery, and everyone reported that it had been
like hacking on sand. Bugger! Still, here I got my chance, on my beautiful
little teddy bear of a neddy. Doesn’t this look pretty?
I won’t go into details on the hack given I’ve a
quick video (only of some of the woods-work, as my camera died 30mins into my
hack). All I can say is that Hero was foot-perfect: he kept me safe, and always
chose the best path to take, regardless of whether it’s what the horses in
front had done. The two bits of ice we hit, Hero had a single hoof slip, but
never faltered – it was never worrying, or involved any clinging on. He was
yak-like in both his coat and his sureness of foot on all terrain.
I felt so happy on Hero so quickly, that I planned to
video the canters, meaning I’d be in the light-seat, one handed, on a surface I'd never ridden on, and on a horse I’d
never cantered before (it’s why the camera position goes a bit low in the
video, as I’d put the camera low to prepare for the transition). However, we
only trotted the first canter stretch, and I couldn’t get it set up in time for
the other canters as my phone had locked itself. (Blackberry keyboards and
gloved hands don’t really go together). Hero was a dude to canter and oh so
comfortable. He surprised me by getting excited pre-canter, snorting and
prancing, keen to go, but in such a gentle way that I don’t think it would even
worry a novice rider. He was amazing!
I had fit Hero straight away – his first trot and
canter felt like I’d been riding him for years. I’d pushed him from as soon as
I’d got on; I was not going to be the last person on the hack who gets behind
and the leader has to keep nagging them, and after the first few times I had to
push him on, Hero got the idea – he positively marched for me after that. He’d
also stop trotting sometimes when the horse in front stopped, rather than
catching up to them and then slowing down. I quickly let him know that I was
deciding when we were changing down a gear, and from then on he waited for my
cue each time. It had taken some serious leg and a few back-ups with the crop,
but Hero had got my drift in no time, and took me seriously from then on.
The only let down of the ride was not being able to
canter on the railway line – there were too many pedestrians about to do more
than the occasional bit of trot. Hero got so excited, he was sweating up. He
also kept breaking into trot from walk, and we spent a lot of time in a very
bouncy passage, a movement that quickly reminded me how much extra padding synthetic
saddles have relative to leather ones! lol.
After the railway line, we had to depart our usual
bridal path and use the main-road instead, as the path was too slippery. L had
put us into pairs, and changed the order a bit so that we didn’t have dark,
harder to see horses at the back. I’d been paired with the dark bay, Whisperer,
and her rider couldn’t keep up despite L’s protests. I really wanted Hero to
speed up now we were in the middle of the pack with faster horses, and he rose
to the challenge. We did extended trot up that road – he picked up those his
little tootsies, I could feel his rear-engine totally in gear, and with the sun
to our left, I had to most beautiful silhouette of us to watch. I’d presumed
Hero, despite looking like he has Welsh D in him, had no flashiness in his
paces, as I’d never seen him give them out before either on hacks or in the
school. He had given them to me, and it was glorious. In fact, he reminds me in
looks and movement of Frankie, but with that marish, argumentative streak!
The rest of the ride was a joy, and Hero was
unflappable. For the first time ever on horse back, I had a spook: yes, ME, not
the horse! A dog barked suddenly in a garden that usually has no dog: I jumped
and gasped, a bit like when someone sneaks up behind you, and Hero didn’t even
blink. Total dude or what? :)
To make up for the railway line, L let us canter home
by the river. Hero really enjoyed being further up the pack, and picked up the
pace despite the fact that ground undulates more, and there’s more splashback.
We were both glad to get a good stretch of canter, given we’d both got excited
on the railway line, but had been faced with disappointment.
Crossing the river on the way back, the little mare
Honey had cantered out of the water to catch up. Her rider hadn’t planned it –
Honey, as usual, made up her own mind to go faster. I decided I would be
cantering up the bank deliberately: there was enough space and the ground was
good; if we got told off, I’d plead innocence and say Hero was just copying. No
sooner had I moved my leg back (I’d not even squeezed), Hero was off, and came
back beautifully when on the level, looking like we’d casually just walked up
the bank like everyone else. I could have kissed him for that!
I got off Hero, and he immediately put his jaw over
my shoulder and pulled me into his neck. He then proceeded to scratch his jaw
on me, but as he’d pulled me in to do it, it felt like some sort of horsey bear
hug! I ran up the stirrups, released his martingale, and put the girth back on
his loosest setting. Then, something happened for the first time ever on the
yard – I was allowed into the barn to put him away! I took Hero into his stall,
switched his bridle for a head collar and lead rope, and left his saddle on as
requested. Not only did I get some quality time with Hero as I stayed in his
stall for a while, I also took my time leaving and gave lots of my favourite
horses a good old wither scratch. Even Madame Frankie let me close, whereas
when she’s in an outdoor box, she doesn’t come near the door for anyone. Words
couldn’t explain how much I’d missed that little step, the smell of a barn, and
being able to have some quality time with my mount after the ride. The yard was
busy that day, I know, but I do wish it was a regular thing. I could have
kissed LD for letting me have that!
On leaving, one of the grooms asked me how my ride
was. I said I’d been on Hero for the first time, thought he was lovely, and
would do a Common Ride on him tomorrow morning in a heartbeat. She proceeded to
tell me which ride I should do as it’s amazing fun; in teenage speak, that’ll
be one of the fastest rides on the calendar then! Hero is honestly the kind of
horse I’d put anyone on, even my granny. He can be the lazy, sweet, novice
ride, but with a firm hand he can also whistle you a faster tune. I really
would genuinely feel at ease tackling some of the more advanced Common Rides on
him as he is my comfort zone personified (15hh, chunky, sweet to handle, lazy
if not pushed), and he’s exactly the kind of horse I’d want on winter loan!
(The RS loans out some of the less busy horses over the winter, and if I’m in
work and it suits, I am seriously tempted to do it next year). All in all, Hero
might not be the fastest or liveliest horse around, and while he wouldn’t be my
first choice every week, he is wonderful in his own way. I don’t remember being
quite so taken with a horse in quite a while!
Roll on another hack tomorrow morning to celebrate
two successful interviews this week that have put me in the final two places
for 2 jobs! :D
