Helmet Cam Pilot Run with Tom – 18/5/13

I have to be honest: last week’s ride shook me a little bit more than I first realised. I was very genuinely laughing about Hutch’s antics and my wobbling on the day, but I noticed that during the week I was feeling nervous about riding big horses at speed (simply because of the momentum when transitioning down). I began to wonder was it really a horse-specific thing with Hutch, or am I just not capable over 16.2hh. Thankfully I pulled my socks up and listed the number of big horses that I’ve had a fab and balanced time on, and haven’t been nearly bounced off. Saying that though, I was still nervous about asking for Starsky today, even though I knew I had to in order to make sure if he’s a good choice for me for a Common Ride. I certainly don’t remember having any problems riding all his paces and transitions last summer, but I had to make sure I wasn’t romanticising about him, as the hacks I had him on were fast and fun semi-private hacks with L.

I put on my brave girl pants, told myself to stop being stupid, and asked for Starsky. I was given him, and no sooner had he been marked off, than the YO remembered he was doing the afternoon Common Ride that day, so he was taken off me just as quickly. I’d just told myself “Well done, it’s the right move, last week was a one off”, but still felt a bit of relief. Sadly I couldn’t have Abbie either, as one of the more novice riders needs more practice on her before Common Riding, so my beloved Tom Boy it was! Even better, L was leading on Spice, so despite starting with 16 riders (trimmed down to 12 before we even left the yard due to the trot test showing up people’s over-estimation of their skill), it was set to be a fast one!

So, below is the video of our ride. The camera worked pretty well, and was entirely waterproof as promised despite the apocalyptic-type levels of rain. The fast work looks surprisingly slow though, and the steep gradients look like nothing; wish it had been dry enough to track the speed and altitude on Endomondo! I knew beforehand that the camera wasn’t great in dim light though, and with the day so dark that the cars had their headlights on, it definitely suffered in the general gloominess. Overall, it was pretty stable in canter and gallop though, and only bounced badly when I sat to Tom’s canter near the end to bring him back to me (I really should have cut it shorter at the end of the farm tracks, as the sitting to the canter then Tom’s springy trot made the camera shake like it was going to come off)!. Tom was a super star – he is faster than the bay horse in front of him, but I told him we’d go at my speed, so I chose at one point to give us some space, so I’d room to catch up or down-transition more gently. Tom agreed, but when we were ahead of that horse on the railway line, you can literally see him him leap forward under the first tunnel, as Jordy got close and Tom said “FECK NO! Been stuck behind you for long enough slow coach – you’re staying behind me!”

Tom really is my favourite horse, even ahead of Hugo. I adore Hugo, but he is a tit sometimes and takes a lot of effort: he’s an utter joy and worth every argument though, and has a nature to die for. Tom is a horse for all occasions though, and he Common Rides as he hacks (albeit with more speed on the big occasion). I rode with the former Cornet of my first Common Ride this season – he won the Cornet’s Race on the race track with Tom last year! (My friend tells me we’ll be doing the Ladies Race around the track this year, so that’ll be fun, even though I’ve no chance of winning on Abbie). Tom also lead the field, and when the Ex-Cornet had to stop him to help divert for fallers, he stood like a lamb with hundreds of horses heading toward him until he was told he was clear to go again – no fighting, and no dancing. He is a gentleman, he is very comfy to ride (another advantage over bouncy Hugo), and he is both keen and quick; I wish I’d found him sooner, so he would have been free for nearly all of my rides, rather than just one!

Anyhow, enough of my blethering: here’s the video. Enjoy :D

12/5/13 – Spring-loaded Hutch

I got the yard today determined to ride Starsky. I haven’t ridden him in so long, and I really need to try him out again before the Common Ride in June. I was told however that Starsky did a Common Ride yesterday, so was obviously on a well-earned rest day today, as were Tom and Hugo. I was offered Hutch and wasn’t overly keen at first, as he can be a bit slow. I asked if the hack was busy, as I don’t mind riding a slower horse on a slower hack, because you don’t miss out on anything. I was assured it was a big one, so took Hutch rather than ask for Abbie. I’m oddly glad that I did, because it reminded me of Hutch’s short-comings as a potential Common Riding horse!

L lead us off the yard on a pony called Shadow, followed by an experienced Cornet on Winston. Winston is one of the fastest horses in the yard, and is ridden only by the leaders during Common Riding season. For each main Common Ride, there are a leading pair: one man and one woman who are elected to lead the field, represent their town, and raise money throughout the year. They have many names: Whipman’s Lad/Lass, Honest Lad/Lass, and Cornet. So, to have two Cornets on the ride, one with 43yrs Common Riding experience, I was a bit miffed to be on a slow horse on what was to be a fast ride despite its size. Oh how I got a surprise in terms of Hutch’s speed!

The 12 of us, L and 11 clients, set off through the river and into the woods. I’d forgotten how nice Hutch’s trot is to rise and fall to, but horrible to sit. Winston got agitated about the first canter up the hill, and consequently the leaders started cantering before even making it around the corner. Hutch was a gent, and listening to me when I told him that he wasn’t to set off before we got onto the straight; off we popped, but Hutch wasn’t happy with Dotty being slow in front of us. I had been irritated when another rider called Dotty ahead of me so I could chat, because unless Dotty’s pushed, Hutch is definitely the faster horse.

I’d forewarned Dotty’s rider that Hutch might take a charge when we’re on the flat, and while he only passes where there’s room, there’s nothing I can do to hold him. Well, that’s exactly what he did: first of all he bronced with excitement, leaving me feeling a bit unstable, and then he galloped off into the space. My heart was in my mouth, as it was not the ideal time for a horse to take off: while I was rebalancing. It did however give me a complete understanding about what he did the day I fell off him, and why it caught me off-guard and off his back! Having passed Dotty, I told the next girl in front of me to let me past: Hutch was in a fast mood, and could beat her mare. She didn’t believe me however, and politely refused.

L took us the long way around in the forest, a route that has more canter work. We got to the second steep hill, and Hutch leapt to his left, right off the worn path, in an effort to pass the mare in front. Again, I’d been caught off-guard and left unbalanced but managed to adjust quickly and to keep him behind. Finally the girl relented when we reached the summit and got to a walk, but I really wish she’d listened to me earlier, rather than assuming my big horse was a 17.2hh donkey despite my fore-warning!

By this point, I had felt a little unnerved: I get the occasional surprise in the saddle, and the odd ‘I could fall off here’ moment. I rarely get the ‘I’m DEFINITELY going to fall off!’ dread, but I had that today, and it was leading me to be reticent about the up-coming gallop up and down the farmer’s lane. Luckily however, Hutch settled a bit; we were now with the faster horses, rather than the slower ponies at the back (as often happens with L’s bigger hacks, they naturally split into two to suit the speed and confidence of the other horses and riders). Hutch shifted along, but didn’t charge like  a bat out of hell, so I didn’t have to wrestle him to a comfortable speed. In fact, he let me adjust his speed, and I was quickly reminded how glorious Hutch’s canter actually is to ride: a long and powerful stride, that feels comfy and steady, but still covers the ground. The only issue I now had were that my stirrups and reins were wet from the rain, and with no rubber on the right stirrup, my foot kept slipping. Combine that with an issue I’d forgetten about, that Hutch’s transitions from canter to trot almost bounce me off, I didn’t enjoy bringing him back. I enjoyed those fast canters, but it left me with nerves about the deceleration.

Once again, we retraced our steps to go back through the woods, rather than take the gated exit out. This meant going down that second big hill, the one where Hutch had leapt going up, and where Abbie had tripped going down with me last week. Hutch started so well: he was slow and steady, and I’d forgotten how comfortable I feel riding him down a gradient; his confirmation just works downhill! Near the bottom however, all the horses in front were trotting, and with my reins having to be so long to let him balance with his neck, there was no way I could stop Hutch. I was wearing my bright green hoodie, and decided to channel Mary King going down a bank: I slipped what was left of my reins, and got into that old-school, ugly-but-effective hunting seat. It worked – the last part of the hill felt surprisingly comfortable, and despite feeling glued on, I still hated every second. Gathering my knitting at the bottom was also hard in the rain, so I was glad Hutch behaved and walked when we hit the flat. Oh the respect I have for all those XCers and hunters who do that, day-in, day-out, come rain, hail or shine! I lack the testicular fortitude, as well as the skill.

The middle of the hack saw an improvement in the weather, was ridden most two abreast which made chatting easier, and I thoroughly enjoyed having a big horse on the buckle. Hutch’s head-tossing was especially bad today, part excitement and probably partly seasonal, so it was easier to give him the whole rein as they’re barely long enough for him, and he was getting his nose spectacularly high.

As we got closer to the railway line, my nerves had been calmed a little by Hutch settling on the farmer’s tracks. I was really hoping that the railway line would be free, and we’d get a good run of it. I did not want an extra down-transition by meeting people along the way! Despite the rain however, we’d only just got stuck in, when we got the signal to come back to walk. Hutch was a handful, so I needed both hands and I couldn’t pass the signal back; I almost got bounced out the side door, because not only is Hutch bouncy, but the momentum to get such a big horse up to speed and to suddenly slow him is phenomenal, and it pushes me forward every time I go from canter-to-trot. It felt untidy and horrible, and I hated it. At that point, I almost wanted more people on the line, so that I didn’t have to go through it again; I also hated myself a little bit about feeling that way, but I took comfort in the fact it was a genuine possibility, rather than seeing risk where there was none!

Once passed the walkers, the railway line was clear the rest of the way, so off we went. I absolutely adored galloping along on such a comfy horse, but I tried to anticipate the point where we’d be slowing down, as I really didn’t want another  sudden stop. Well, Lady Luck was clearly taking the piss out of me, and I lost the right rein as they were so wet. I was trying to bring Hutch back gradually using one rein, and it didn’t work: he was thinking “They’re still cantering and there’s a gap in front of us, so I’m still going to canter!” Just exactly as I didn’t want, Hutch got close to Jordy in front, and we had a sort of emergency-brake style finish, rather than the steady deceleration I’d been trying for. Thankfully, the sudden momentum meant Hutch bobbed his head up, and the stop was actually cleaner than we’d managed all day. It had gone from another “I WILL fall off” moment, to a “Wow, that went better than I could have hoped for!” moment. I can’t tell you the mini-party I had in my head to celebrate that little victory!

On the way home, I was blethering away to all and sundry. I met a chap who’s only on his 2^nd hack at the RS, and who was riding and enjoying Abbie. He was telling me about all his riding holidays, including trail riding in Texas, taking horses swimming, and learning Monty Roberts/Mark Rashid horsemanship methods. I was so jealous, but it was good to hear all about it with my riding holiday next year in mind. Someone else had just got back from a riding holiday to Botswana, and sung the praises of it too. Morocco’s on the maybe list, so it was good to hear that it’s possible ride in Africa and not just turn into a human puddle!

Having not long been telling Jacko’s rider about how lazy he was last week, literally tripping over his own feet as he wasn’t picking them up, Hutch tripped 4 times on the down-hill forest path home. It’s like he wanted to make a show of me! lol. I was not being shifted however: I’d made it through all those hairy moments, even when I’d lost my balance. There was no way I was being catapulted off at a walk! Besides, that’s the kind of falling off nonsense that happens on an A hack, not an L hack! lol.

We arrived back on the yard and, for the first time in weeks, I’d got to canter out of the river. I do love a cheeky few strides towards home! Hutch was so keen that he tried to take off while we were still in the river, the buck eejit. By this point, I’d had enough time to be philosophical about the whole thing, and was able to laugh about Hutch being such a prize-pillock. To be fair to him, there was no badness to it all: despite the early feeling that he was going to deck me, he was really just excitable and trying to enjoy himself. He clearly worked out quickly that there was a fast hack going on at the front, and was not prepared to mingle among the slower ponies. He’d actually let me adjust his travelling speed on the longer canters, and only resisted coming back to me when I didn’t have both reins to ask him with. From what I can gather, he’s been trekking since he came back to work, so was clearly relishing the chance to go faster; I’m not sure I’d take on such a big horse with 6months of speedy freshness knowingly in future! lol.

I did arrive at one decision though: that because I can’t sit Hutch’s canter to bring him back to trot, and the momentum and bounce of coming back down from speed sometimes unsettles my balance, I can’t do a Common Ride on him. There’ll be no joy if I dread every transition downwards to a trot again. I did however like Abbie, and luckily I found out today that she was free for Common Ride 3, so I’ve now been swapped. I also said to make Abbie my first choice for Common Ride 1, as she’s jointly down with Starsky, as I have concerns that I won’t get to ride him before June. There’s two weekend Common Rides before my first one, and the chances are that Starsky will be booked as he’s so popular. Between a Common Ride and the rest day before and after it, the horses are unavailable for at least 3 days. I don’t recollect Starsky being so uncomfortable to bring back to trot; in fact, I have only pleasant memories of speedy private hacks on him where I’ve felt grand once I’ve got used to the sudden take-offs. Still, it’s been at least 6 months, and I need to check I haven’t somehow romanticised him in my mind. My booking wasn’t changed in writing, so it still literally reads “Starsky/Abbie”. Maybe next week I’ll be less subtle, and rather than ask for Abbie to my preferred of the two, but Starsky to be removed. If I can’t get him out before the big day, then I don’t want to take the chance. If I do feel as good on him as I remember, then he would be a spectacular choice.

So, all in all, I had a bit of a hairy hack: Hutch was fresh a daisy and a bit of a knobber, but I did manage to enjoy the cantering and galloping, despite the issues with transitioning down. I can actively laugh about it now, and my OH certainly enjoyed me regaling my tails about Hutch, with a varied mix of well-meant, loving insults. I do love that big dafty (Hutch I mean, but clearly OH fits the bill too), and I did get a fast ride on a big grey charger, as I’d been hankering for all week. I guess you just need to be careful what you wish for sometimes! lol. Maybe I might have an Abbie-shaped break from riding giant horses next weekend… Or maybe I shouldn’t wish for that either if Lady Luck’s still being a bitch! lol.

4/5/13 A Trip Down Abbie Road

I travelled to the yard in the sunshine, and it did a lot to improve my mood after such a bad day yesterday. (I had Royal Mail lose some important post, and a beautician ruined my eyebrows and left me with burns from using wax that was too hot, and on sensitive eyelid skin that should never have been touched). Anyway, I had been looking forward to riding all week, and the sun had brought a smile to my face.

I’d spent several days turning over the Abbie-Starsky choice in my head. There is one month exactly until my first Common Ride. I have an either/or option of horses, and they are Starsky and Abbie. I love Starsky, but I haven’t ridden him (or any horse over 16.2 actually) for 6 months: I have been itching for the big boys to be fit enough to take out for 2hrs, and was disappointed to have meet both Starsky and Hutch on a trek last weekend; I would have taken Starsky ahead of Tom if I’d known he was available. Anyhow, while my heart has been aflutter with the excitement of riding a big half-Friesian saucepot, my head knows that I need to ride Abbie: I have never ridden her before, and have only decided upon her from what I’ve seen. I might not get on with her at all, a risk I find slightly greater with mares than geldings, so I knew it made sense to ride her first – I could either remove her as a back-up or even try to get her for my final ride instead of the slower Hutch depending on my opinion. In the end, I decided to let YO decide.

I actually got a lift from the bus stop from YO and her daughter, and it was lovely to natter with them. I arrived early enough to see the horses get groomed, and I knew Abbie was free. (There were 8 horses at the season’s first Common Ride yesterday, and had left the yard at least an hour earlier). I also saw Spice fully tacked up: she is one of L’s lightning-fast favourites, and those hacks are always fast, furious and fun. Between the sun, and hardly anyone outside the office, my hopes were building for a quiet, fast ‘Spice hack’ in the sun… I was not to be disappointed!

I went into the office, asked for Abbie or Starsky (rather than Starsky or Abbie, as I knew riding her was more important), and I was given Abbie. In fact, I think Starsky might have been away, as Hutch went trekking with Buddy, rather than Starsky which was unusual. I got on her, and she felt smaller than she looks – she looks like a small, 15hh horse from the ground but sat on her, she felt a bit like Guinness – a 14.2hh pony!

We set off from the yard, with a lovely man S on Ripper being called up to make the front 3 with myself and L; she said she wanted the faster horses first. I think what she meant was faster riders, as I suspect that the 17hh Jacko would outpace Abbie in a straight-line! We trotted to the river, and my stirrups suddenly felt both long and uneven – I felt like an unbalance beginner, close to being bounced off! Abbie tripping in the river was certainly not a pleasant experience with such awkward stirrups. Before the first canter I had to change them twice, and got the length and evenness improved enough to feel secure. Abbie’s choppy trot stride didn’t help, but it’s certainly not impossible to sit to.

As predicted, Spice went from zero to gallop up the first canter hill. L wasn’t kidding when she said she’d meet us again at the top. Even Ripper couldn’t keep up! Abbie tried her heart out though, and kept in touch with Ripper. Her canter was balanced and easy to ride, and I was grinning from ear to ear!

Upon getting up to the woods, the home of most of the canter work, we had to avoid the long canter stretch as there were dogs loose at the top of it. L promised we’d do it on the way back, and as soon as we got further in and I realised we were taking the ‘private’ route (longer, faster, and more varied). With Spice leading us around it, I was chuffed! The hill we canter up there is much steeper than the first one, and gives the best feeling. The last rider, on the very slow Flynn, described the experience as a ‘bit scary’. I sort of felt for her then; they don’t come much slower and more reliable than Flynn, and canter’s easier uphill: it doesn’t get much easier, but at least we could trust Flynn never to try to gallop and catch up! lol. He is a fine introduction into those faster take-offs though, so I do hope it would help the lady’s confidence grow by managing to accomplish it all.

Abbie was fabulous in every canter: she went from walk to flying, and despite not having the reassuring big neck of Starsky (the horse I have the most fast work experience with), I always felt secure. We got up to the gallop on the farmer’s lane, and we dropped off Ripper a little. My friend says Abbie kept up with Ripper at the big Common Ride, so I think it’s just a fitness thing as it’s early in the season. I put my leg on and found she had a bit more in the tank, and catching up a little was fun! We turned at the end, and set off galloping back down the path again. Spice was going a bit mental, and it took L over 100m to stop her: the track ends in a corner that turns downhill, and I was not relishing even watching someone hit that at speed, never mind ride it myself! I asked Abbie to come back to me despite the lead horse still in a frenzy, and the wee mare did – she decelerated as momentum subsided, and we were in trot long before the corner. I’d got a good feeling for Abbie on a Common Ride: she will be keen, but still listening to her rider. She’s very off the leg if you need to put it on, but I rather suspect that she will be giving her all without any need for leg on the big occasion!

The only problem with having gone the alternate route is that we couldn’t take it to get out of the woods, rather, we had to retrace out steps. I think L wasn’t prepared to go the other way as it involves a gate, and she’d spent some time saying Spice would be an unbearable Common Riding horse when you have to get from gallop to walk to get through a narrow gate. Fair enough, but it meant going down that ridiculously steep hill. L assured me that we would be walking, and that I need downhill practice for the staff Common Ride (YAY! *gulp*). Spice started to trot near the bottom, and L was swearing at her to get her into walk. Ripper was grand, but Abbie lost her balance on the way down, pushing me forward; we got dangerously close to the point of no return, and I was already planning my fall. I was worried she could come over me, so I’d planned to roll down and away from her. Luckily she got her front end up a little, and I’d already got my weight back as far as I could. She then tried to trot, and I was terrified she’d leap off the hill like we were on the Hickstead Derby bank, but I managed to get her to walk. I intensely dislike going downhill (S will attest to my shouts of “Feck-a-doodle-do!”), and prefer to do it in walk only. That was definitely the sharpest gradient I’ve descended on a horse, and I hated every second. There better not be much downhill canter work on the Common Ride!

After that hairy moment, all was well again: the last two canters in the woods were belters, and we got to start them earlier on the path than usual. The only disappointment was the long stretch that we had to miss because of the dogs; on the way back to do it, we met Buddy leading Hutch on a trek, and he was already being a tool and wanting to join us. There’s no way we could have cantered with Budd nearby, even if we’d started 100yards later, so we missed it out on both ways. Still, we’d got some gallop work in and taken the faster, longer way around, so I wasn’t complaining!

After crossing the bridge at the woods, the hack steadies up. I’d not long thought “Well, we got 3 novices through the hardest bit on a fast, quite advanced hack: all’s good!” Not much sooner had I thought that than I heard “Sh*t! Stop! Debz, look behind you!” I had 3 horses up my backside, (Jacko, Lou and Flynn) and not a single rider on any of them, and not a rider in sight either. We’d just gone down a tiny hill, turned right, and then started trotting when we got on the flat before a tarmacked hill. We were at the top of the hill when L noticed, and I’d presumed that maybe someone fell on the way down. L dismounted to go back for riders, as did S; I was the only person left mounted. L said the horses were happy eating, so for me to trot ahead to find the fallers. One appeared around the corner before I could start, so I then turned on my heels to babysit the 5 loose horses. All I could think was “I want to canter up this hill”, and as soon as I thought it, Abbie did it! I knew L would hear the hoof beats and know I wasn’t trotting though, and that it would not be a good idea to be cantering towards the horses once I reached the top and they could see me. I gave a loud “TROT!” so L knew I wasn’t being reckless, and Abbie got the message immediately. I’d the easiest job in the house, watching all the horses eat grass in the sunshine!

About 5mins later, the 5 riders came walking up the hill, all of them smiling and able to move. It turned out that Jacko had tripped over his own feet, so his rider came off over his shoulder. The other two ponies had been too close behind him, so made a sudden diamond formation to avoid collision, and the riders weren’t balanced enough to sit the sudden jump to either side. They all got back on, were able to laugh, and no one’s confidence was destroyed. All’s well that ends well! Still, it’s A who’s known for leading hacks with fallers. 3 in a row falling off at a walk would have been impressive even for her – for L it is unheard of!

Abbie was unflappable and obedient during the road-work. She does shake her head, and it became more noticeable with so much walk and trot, as the only paces she doesn’t shake in are canter and gallop. She wasn’t disobediently yanking though, so it was easy to ignore, and was a small irritation at most. I did give her a long rein so there was no chance of her accidentally tugging, but because she was being a bit marish about being behind the faster Ripper, she’d drift out and I’d have to keep taking up the contact to correct her. I think I irked S a little bit with her creeping out of line, but she did toss a less with a relaxed contact. I reckon I’ll get the balance better the next time I ride her, and be able to pre-empt her stepping out better.

Before we know it, the railway line was upon us. I had been excited about it for the whole ride. Sadly the Park still isn’t open for summer, so the chance to join it early is still not available. (That’s annoying me a bit, as it normally opens for summer in April. It is now May, the weather is good, and it’s still closed. GRR)! We got onto the line, and L explained the procedure to the 3 at the back, because once we were on the straight, she wouldn’t have the chance! I volunteered to be the person to gallop with one hand, so I could pass a hand signal back about slowing up, but L said they should be far enough back to see what we’re doing long before they need to do the same.

We got onto the straight, there was no one around, and off we blasted from a near-standstill. It already felt like we were flying, but when we made it around the bend and could see the second half of the line, L really opened Spice up. Abbie obliged, tearing off in a gallop, and when I put my leg on as Ripper had started to get away, Abbie went up another gear for me. The line was clear the whole way along – we only had to come back to trot and to walk because we reached the point where the ground hardens. Abbie came back to me steadily and safely, and seemed as happy as I did. She was still full of beans at the end, jogging to try and get ahead, so I rode alongside Ripper so that we could all chat. L voiced her approval of me doing my first Common Ride earlier in the season, and booking the superb Starsky as my horse (Abbie as a second). L knows exactly what horses I like, where my confidence is, what horses I’m strong enough to hold, and what my skill is, as she pushes me closer to my boundaries than any other Ride Leader. When she rubber stamps a choice, I have confidence that it’s the right one, so that made me smile.

After the last gallop, I felt my hips aching – I knew that I still hadn’t found the right stirrup lengths. The next two trots seemed to go on forever, and I felt uncharacteristically untidy. I was glad to get off the roads, and finally got my stirrups to match at an ideal length. Shame I only managed it 20mins from home! I did make sure to note what holes they were in when I dismounted though, as it’ll make riding Abbie much easier in future. (Interestingly enough, the only horse whose leathers I know off by heart are Hugo’s). I enjoyed heading home in the sun, enjoying the chat, and with the most exquisite smell of wild garlic. It was enough to make me hungry!

Back at the yard, Abbie tripped in the river, in the exact same place that she had on the way across. I’m glad I have secure seat, or I could have got a dunking! Mind you, this is the first time where I thought it might actually be refreshing. She got taken off me a bit quickly as there were 4 rides to sort out, so time was of the essence. I got her unsaddled and gave her a scratch though, having stroked her most of the river-side walk home. She’d been a lovely little horse, and felt trustworthy almost immediately.

Part of the way round, S had asked me what I made of Abbie. “Nice” was my reply – she didn’t have the wow factor, but was more forward going and a bit faster than I’d expected. She was perfectly likeable, but it wasn’t love-at-first-ride. If it was a first date, I’d have told my friends that I’d definitely go on a second date as there’s potential there, but I wouldn’t have been gushing about the experience with love hearts in my eyes.

As the ride went on however, the more I liked Abbie. She was prepared to ride away from the other horses when I was left mounted on my own, and was obedient in all the paces in terms of transitioning up and down (and that’s at Spice’s manic pace, when the excitement levels are high). She did want to overtake Ripper, but was very submitting to correction, and I think I can pre-empt her better next time. She also wasn’t spooky, doing nothing worse than look and speed up a little when some dogs started snarling through their garden fence, and I’d noticed how long her ears were (a weakness of mine, and a sign of good nature in my experience so far). I’d gone from thinking “Hmm, I need to ride Starsky again before deciding whether Abbie is Common Riding material” to thinking that actually, she’s pretty perfect for a CR-newbie like me. She’s fast enough so as not lead to regret (c.f. Hero), but not enough to potentially be disconcerting. Despite her opinion about riding order, she’s actually polite, and was prepared to do what I wanted and not just what the horses in front were doing. There’s a part of me that wants to do at least one Common Ride on Starsky or Hutch, but I’d definitely be happy on Abbie. In fact, I’ll hopefully ride Starsky next Sunday, and then I can decide if I want him for Ride 1, and see if I can swap the slower Hutch for the faster Abbie on my last ride. She also stands out in the crowd as she’s skewbald, so if Tom or some workmates do go onto the beach to watch me, I should still be fairly easy to spot among the crowds.

All in all, I had a fab ride! I got my favourite ride leader and on one of the fastest horses on the whole yard. The sun had been shining, but there was a glorious cool breeze to make things comfortable, and to cool both Abbie and I down after the fast work (of which we had plenty_. There had been only 5 clients on the ride, compared to last week’s 12, meaning that it was safe to go faster and take the alternate route. The railway line had also been entirely devoid of pedestrians and cyclists. In fact, if the park had been open and my friend had been there (she also missed the last fast hack that we had, much to her chagrin), it might have been perfect!  Still, we’re riding out together next Sunday: fingers crossed for the same and more next time J

Oh, I also bought a helmet cam and SD card for the CR season this weekend: fingers crossed they’ll be here before next weekend’s hack, so that I can get a bit of practice at it. All being well, I’ll have a video blog entry soon! :D 

 L-R: Abbie & Spice at a Common Ride last summer.