I took Radar out for a long slow hack to compensate for the fact that I really have not ridden him enough in the last few days if we get a hunt on Saturday. The forecast is for a big freeze, so it's by no means certain but I'd be cross if it went ahead and he was not fit.
So we did two hours on the road through the most picturesque little hamlet you can possibly imagine, with a row of crofter's cottages with gothic style metal framed, stone mullioned leaded windows (orginally one up one down) on one side of the road and a deep fast stream on the other, in the middle of a gulley running through a wood, through which the sunlight was dancing and dappling on the road. It's called Wildboarclough and pronounced locally as "Wire-bow-cluff"
Radar still gets rather jittery when he feels he is too far away from home, but all that happens is he tries to go faster in the direction that I want him to go, so he gets fit anyway! We did three very long and very steep hills during the ride and that will help too.
He trimmed his feet up nicely with all that roadwork and I took the sharp edges off when I got home. I've turned him out with the others again now and I'm off for a snooze.
C
ps forgot to tell you yesterday but they were a terrible pain to get in last night. They flat refused to come in at 7pm and were all running about in the dark. I left them until 8, when I still had to go out into the field and shake a bucket before they would come in for their food. After they had eaten it took two of us to guide them into the barn, where they normally troup in happily for the night. What on earth was that about???
Sounds like a lovely ride. Sometime, if you can, take a camera and get some pics.
ReplyDeleteAs for the not coming in...horse brains do not function on the same astral plane as ours. There were cosmic forces at work warning them to avoid roofs over their heads as they needed to calculate the earth's spin through stellar observation. How's that? *lol* In other words, why didn't they come in? Heaven only knows. *G*
Well heaven might have known but I'm sure I couldn't work it out :-) They were as good as gold tonight.
DeleteC
Well at least the rain and wind have stopped. Of course it is going to get frosty, I had my horse clipped today. He was getting so hot and sweaty with the increased work in his winter coat and the mild weather ..................... He started to shiver at one point (it wasn't THAT cold), so I bundled him up in a thicker rug. He has only had a bit of hair taken off so it shouldn't affect him too much. I did a quick school in the field and was pleased that the leather girth on his newly shorn skin didn't make him misbehave!
ReplyDeleteYou never know what'll set them off when the weather is cold and sharp, do you Judith? Part of the joy of riding :-)
ReplyDeleteC.