Saturday. I finished my work at the local firewood yard just after midday and I make my way to 'Hill Farm'. It's a beautifully sunny day and if 'Mr F' is up for it, we shall go for a loop around the area.
Recent snow and ice has all melted away, leaving behind huge pools of water on the roads. It will be a interesting little exercise to introduce 'Mr F' to some water walking. He does not like water and tries and avoids going through it at all cost. Once while out riding we had to cross a smallish stream and although he had a good 10 minutes to think about it, 'Mr F' in the end decided to leap across the stream as though it was width of the Thames!
As I arrive at 'Hill Farm' I first sort out my tack room. It becomes clear that 'Mr F' has much more stuff in his 'room' than I have in my own. Over the years I have reduced my 'baggage' down to only things that I need everyday, with the exception of the odd set of 'nice' clothes in case I have to attend some kind of social event. Just to fit in, because one can't turn up everywhere in muddy wellies and a coat that's accompanied by a whiff of 'eau de cheval' ...
--->>> insert photo pf tack room <----
'Mr F' of course had heard and seen me arrive. As I make my way to go and fetch him he is already waiting at the gate, making a good job of looking bored. As he sees me walk around the corner of the barn he greets me with a neigh and a chain of nickers. 'I know you are here, what took you so long? The grass in here isn't that great you know! Let's go some place!'
'Mr F' willingly lowers his head so that I can put on his rope head-collar. We go for a stroll down the drive. He enjoys the grass and the views as much as he likes the attention of the walkers we meet. We met a rather dapper gentlemen with his dog who was especially taken by 'Mr F', who by now was standing attention, his head held high, taking in anything new with utmost interest. At this moment, his entire posture, to pure and so powerful, it was breathtaking. And every time I see him in his pure natural and innocent beauty it hits me hard in my guts that such a stunning and powerful creature is willing to hang around and put up with a human. How can we ever see ourselves as 'above' the horse?? How forever grateful I shall remain to be able to be in the presence of these to me otherworldly beings. As though they are messengers or remainders of all that we have forgotten about being.
The sight of a fully attentive 'Mr F' must have struck this dapper gentleman in a similar manner as he too seemed for a short moment at a loss for words ... he just stared and said "He is so stunning. Like in those antique equestrian paintings. He is magnificent." We chat for a little bit before 'Mr F' and I continue with our loop.
The loop ends with a uphill path which today turns out to be extremely muddy! I didn't take into consideration that all the pools of water on the roads should have warned me that the fields are still muddy. Oh well. It was a matter of just a few hundred meters up to the stables. 'Mr F' has a great dislike for mud and tries to avoid it at all cost. I can't blame him as he has shown some form of allergic reaction to mud in previous years at the old place. The back entrance to their shelter with the feed was a mud swamp more than ankle deep and they had to walk through that each time they wanted some food. Food was kept in there to keep it dry but also for them to stand on dry ground for a little while when eating.
So far at 'Hill Farm' there have been no signs of this allergic reaction re-curing. Which is due to the fields being kept in better shape and better drained and 'Mr F' being in over night.
It had been some time since we handled difficult terrain. I was hoping he'd cope with his hip. When ridden 'Mr F' seems to loose all sense of self preservation. But when being lead, his rule of thumb is: if terrain difficult, follow in the little human's footsteps. This is partly my doing from days back when out on rides with 'Lillian'. If the ground was very stony or covered with big boulders up or downhill I used to get off and lead him. In the first months of my outings with 'Mr F', years back, he had hardly any clue how to handle his four legs on uneven terrain. It is as though he'd never been out on a hack, and perhaps he really hadn't. Perhaps all he ever saw and experienced was the race course. He was stumbling and kind of hopping about, unable to navigate even simple things such as tree roots. It took a good year of going out regularly before he became accustomed to think where to place his feet. Once he realised he can do it, he became a master at it! I always give him time to study the ground before him and I never have him on short rein, especially not on tricky terrain. He needs to have his head down (and slightly tilted) so that he can see the floor.
Today 'Mr F' was showing that he hadn't forgotten how to think where to put his feet, despite him not having been doing anything for over a year while recovering.
First off he resorted to the safest option: follow directly in my footsteps. But he realised that I too was struggling in the deep mud and he realised that eventually I would be in his way. Horses find it easier to navigate over tricky ground at speed, especially uphill on a path covered with large stones or thick tree roots.
'Mr F' is very respectful when we are out like this; he doesn't just run me over or dash off nor does he push into me, instead he tries to keep at same height (his head my shoulder). But this path was getting worse so I had to ask him to walk on the verge opposite mine. Either verges were tricky to walk on, covered with tree stumps, dormant brambles and deep mud.
We both made a run up the hill and my wellies had a narrow escape with being stuck in the mud. I could see 'Mr F' out of the corner of my eye, he was very carefully analysing the ground and eventually decided it might yet still be safer behind me. 'Mr F' did cross over back onto 'my' verge and was behind me but he never came close enough to make it dangerous for me. Once at the top of the path we were almost back at the yard. 'Mr F' was rather content with his lot and seemed chipper. I know from the past that he likes exploring, especially in woodland. Anything out of the ordinary of course means he can engage his brain, even if it is a little comfort zone. It's a bit like playtime, it's entertainment, for both of us.
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