Enjoying Summer!

Yesterday 'Mr F' and 'I' once more rode over to the neighbouring village to meet up with  'Lillian' and Co - (Co being: 'Tom', one of the sensei's from our dojo, and another riding club member. 

The plan was to ride over to a village a little further away and to meet up with friends there in the pub. Much of the route was the same as on our Christmas ride. Except this time the ride was much more enjoyable as 'Mr F' does no longer go loopy if he is not at the front.

It was a very hot day and I could tell that 'Mr F' was struggeling a bit at first. But we took it quite slowly, partly also to be kind to his hoof with the crack. All went fine and as some of the group wanted to go and canter, they took a different route. I am under instructions not to travel at high speeds because of the position and depth of that crack so as not to put strain on the hoof wall.

'Lillian' and I made our own way to the pub because the others wanted to canter. On the way there we had to cross a small stream. 'Mr F' refused to walk through it even though I tried for ages all kind of tactics. Then suddenly he decided to jump accross it!  Both myself and 'Mr F' were probably equally surprised at this as he had to think about it for a bit afterwards.

Surprisingly I found the jumping motion very easy without stirrups and I did not feel out of balance at any point. After this he was in high spirits and was up for anything, despite the heat!

We arrived at the pub were we met up with non-horsey friends and the rest of our group which got lost under the leadership of 'Tom' and they arrived quite a  bit later. Of course horses in a pub always attract a crowd: 'Oh my daughter loves horses, can she stroke one of yours it?' etc etc ... perhaps we could put out a money box: 'One stroke 50p ... '   Just kidding!

On the way back we got caught out by thunderstorms with quite heavy rain. But each rain shower was followed by warm sunshine, just enough to dry out in between.

When we reached 'Lillians' village,  'Mr F' and I separated and made our way home on our own once again. I enjoy my rides out with just 'Mr F'.  

 We had to ride through yet another thunderstorm but this time we stopped to watch it. In the midst of the heavy rain, surrounded by thunder and lightning,  'Mr F' ate grass without a care in the world, while I had the pleasure of observing a stunning display of lighting. A timeless moment!

'Mr F' August 2015 - trusted companion - somehow knows me too well!

Through the Quarry

As all of 'Lilian's  horses are still at hers I continue riding out with 'Mr F' on my own, either to meet others or just on our own.

On Sunday we rode over to 'Lillians' to meet up with her, 'Tom' and some riding club members. This time our route would take us through a quarry.  The start of the route took us past 'Lillian's partner's yard and the fields nearby - next to the road - are home of serval pigs. As we have been on this route quite a few times in the past, 'Mr F' is now coping well with the pigs and the smell of it.

Once we reached the quarry, 'Lillian' decided to try a different route, which was supposedly a bridle path. Well, I don't think anyone in their right mind would have gone down that path as it was unkept, very mudy and at places rather tricky to deal with for our horses. I decided it to be only fair to get off to make it easier for 'Mr F' to navigate this rather tricky path - which was difficult even for me.

It was very stoney and steep downhill and I began to worry about 'Mr F's balance but he coped perfectly. Although he was a little slow because he took special care to think about where to place his legs and body. As an ex-racehorse, this isn't something he was used to doin back in his days.

All the walking has helped to improve 'Mr F's leg muscles and his balance is much much better nowadays. It was very interesting to see his facial expressions while he was trying to figure out what to do with his legs.

I noticed that he was following me and would choose the same route and I had to think carefully and choose a route that he could follow. Somehow, all sense of self-preservation seems to dissapear when he is in my company.

At last the path came to an end and we were back on a 'plain' foot/bridlepath.


We arrived at a country pub where we met 'Lady Jane' and her friend (both on horseback) so we stopped there for a while before moving on to the next pub. On the way home, 'Mr F' and I separated early from the rest as they had a different route home to ours.

The point of separatin was near 'Tom's yard, which meant that 'I' and 'Mr F' needed to pass the pigs, the farm and all the gamebirds on our own. He didn't care much about the pigs but he did get a little worried about the tractor. But what he really couldn't cope with was the shrieking sound of some of the gamebirds who were being fed just behind the wall. 'Mr F' couldn't see them and he just couldn't make sense of it all. As there was a bit of traffic on this lane I got off 'Mr F' to lead him past the birds but making sure to stop long enough until he accepted the noise.

I think sometimes it is just better to get off rather than being forceful. It was easier for me to give him time to observe what upset him while being on the ground. This way we didn't stop the traffic and had all the time we needed for 'Mr F' to get used to the birds.  He had been a star on the entire ride and I didn't want it to end with a unpleasant memory for 'Mr F'.

On The Road Again - And A Tumble

The crack in 'Mr F's front right hoof has become worse again. It is however not infected but the hard ground has put additional stress on the hoof wall, resulting in the crack opening up again.

I was adviced by our barefoot trimmer that I should not trott or anything faster if on hard ground. It would be fine to do so on soft ground for a short time (such as a menage).

The barefoot lady has very kindly left me with a rasp and instructions so I can trim 'Mr F's hooves in between her visists (which are in an 5 week interval). This means I have to keep the sides of the crack rounded so that there is no sharp edges he can catch on. I suppose its a bit like a 'Mustang Roll'.

'Mr F' has had a break of approximately 1.5 weeks and now it was time to take him out again. I miss the riding and I could tell that he was quite keen on going further than just the usual walks (on lead rope).

The sensei of our dojo had ridden in the past so he 'borrowed' a horse from a riding club member to go on a ride with 'Lillian'.

I and 'Mr F' were to join them, which meant that I had to rider over to hers on my own with 'Mr F'.   The ride from 'buttercup farm' over to 'Lillian' normally takes about half an hour (some trotting included), depending on the route.

'Mr F' and I have not been out on our own for some time (months) and so I prepared to have at least twice the time, just in case 'Mr F' wasn't wanting to leave the yard in a hurry. A year ago I did have my fair share of struggles with that.

I was looking forward to the evening though, another member of our Aikido Dojo was to meet us in the pub in 'Lillian's village. The weather was lovely and warm but with useful breeze to keep the flies at bay.

Tacked up and ready to go, I proceeded to mount and was prepared for some discussions with 'Mr F' because I thought he may not want to leave the yard. If I lead him, he is fine going anywhere but doing the same sat on him is a different story, or used to be so far. I can only guess that he isn't trusting me quite enough as a rider.

But to my very surprise, there were no discussions to be had! 'Mr F' cheerfully went on his way down the lane and was cool and relaxed all the way over to 'Lillian'. He didn't even argue when we had to go past the caravn site which was quite loud and there were all kind of strange 'things' on the green. 

And then there was a steam rally going on nearby and we had to pass some of those vehicles, too. Again, 'Mr F' did it all very bravely.

Once I had arrived at 'Lillians' place we waited for our riding companions to tack up and then went on our way.  

It was a lovely, straight forward ride. Mostly walk. Except for one bit when 'Mr F' decided he did afterall remember that he was a race horse ... it was in an open field, going up hill.

By this time the other's were a little ahead and I was leaning forward a little to check if 'Mr F's hoof boots were still in place.

Meanwhile the others decided to have a little canter and 'Mr F' decided he wasn't having any of that and that it was time to be at the front!  I was still bending forward looking at his hoof boots when 'Mr F' decided it's now time to canter. Needless to say, I was about to be able to examine these boots very close up! Of course I lost my balance and found myself on the soft grass, wondering what just happened.

'Mr F' didn't go far, he just wanted to be in front of the others and the field was enclosed by fencing anyway. He did give a bit of a look though when I caught up with him, leaving me wonder if I may have just taught him that he can rid of me. Although its not really in his nature to do that. He had many chances before and never made use of them.

We met up with our b-day Aikidoka in the pub and enjoyed a couple of beers. We all had a lovely time. With the days shortening it eventually time for me and 'Mr F' to make our way home before it was too dark.

'Mr F' behaved impecably on the way home! I could not have had a more safe 'escort'. He was very smug and pleased with himself when we returned home. 

And I was once again immensly proud of 'Mr F'!

 'Hmmm ... where should I go ...'

 ... 'I could go and eat some grass along the drive? Or I could go and see where the ponies are ... '

But I did not have the time that morning to let him wander around  freely so he had to go back into the stable with the girls ... "Alright ... if I MUST go back in there ... pfft"