12 Miles

Having given 'Mr F' a little rest after that turbulent Christmas ride it was time to get him out again for some excersise.

'Lillian' and I arranged to go out for a ride with the boys but at the last minute,  'Alex' joined us on 'Rose' as well as 'Calamity Jane' on one of her horses. We left 'Buttercup Farm' aiming to meet up with 'Lillian's daughter in the 'next door' village.

Once we arrived, the three of us (Lillian, I and Lillian's daughter) continued with our ride while the others went back to 'Buttercup Farm' due to other commitments.

The three of us rode along part of the route that we took on the Christmas ride but this time Mr F' was perfectly behaved. He knew the horses and it was only three anyway, hardly worth trying to start a race I guess. He seemed to enjoy himself and took a keen interest in the surroundings. 

It was a bitterly cold day and our hands and feet were half frozen. It was time for a 'pit' stop at the pub although that didn't last long either as it was just too cold to hang around outside.

The entire ride was without major events except for when we walked past a cage with several fairly big and rather loud dogs. 

'Lillian's daughter did mention these barking dogs a little earlier but I forgot all about it. 'Mr F' was leading this time. When we reached the place with the dogs, they duely came running out, barking loudly and jumping at the fencing. 

I think 'Mr F' must have been daydreaming up till then. I certainly didn't expect such a big reaction from him. He was close to rearing but then changed his mind and instead backed up right into a ditch behind us. 

'Mr F' doesn't usually make a big hu-ha when spooked so he must have been woken up from his daydream this time. He got his bearings together very quickly once he figured that the racked originated from 'just' a couple of German shepherd dogs behind a rattling metal gate. 

While he backed up he slipped into the ditch with his back legs and his back boot came off. I had to dismount to sort it out. 'Mr F' is now so used to this routine that he simply stands still and 'offers' me his leg and waits patiently until the boot it back on. 

We returned back to the farm just before the rain started. According to 'Lillian's newly acquired 'toy' (that measures speed and distance) we covered some 12 miles at an average speed of ... (cannot remember!)

I wonder if the rain is going to turn into snow ...