This morning I arrived at the yard ready for a lovely hack, albeit in the fog.
When I got there madam was munching on her hay net. Hmm, thinks I, normally this is 99% gone by morning...me thinks mummy has given you a hay net to keep you quiet in case I was late...oh dear how much energy will you have now
Gave her a brush and tacked up, she was suspiciously quiet, she is normally very well behaved in her stable but this was just too good...hard to describe but I just recognised the mood!
Got her out, friend gave me a balance so I mounted from the ground for the first time, woo! We set off, got out of the yard and onto the first bridlepath and I tried to pull her girth up as it had loads of room, well she wasn't having that! Very unusual as she is never usually girthy but seeing as she was full of hay probably not surprising
Behaved herself until we got onto the path that takes us further from the farm. Then I felt like someone had replaced her with Red Rum on speed!!! Jog jog jog, headshake a bit, stumble and leap through the mud, jog a bit more...argh! Have not had this bad behaviour for MONTHS! Had a nice clear path so decided to canter to get rid of some of the beans, she ignored the trot bit and went straight from walk to canter, altho it was a very nice dressagey collected canter, shame noone was there to see us! However this did nothing to disspell her excitement! On another clear stretch got her into a trot, then a faster canter, still all bouncy when we went back to walk, and now the girth was looser so I was unsteady but she still wouldn't let me bring it up!
Decided enough was enough, yelled 'bl***y well pack it in!' (hope there were no kids about) and brought her back to a reluctant walk which we just about maintained for the rest of the way back (altho we did decide it was necessary to burst into canter when we got in the yard gates, this was quickly stopped and she was made to walk around in circles til she stopped looning about!)
After untacking she finished off the morning by doing an enormous poo in her clean stable for me to clear up, then head butting me when I went to change into my wellies!
Suffice to say she did not get quite as many kisses goodbye as normal
Have to say despite the adventure, I am proud of myself for not panicking and getting upset, not giving up and going home, and dealing with the situation. Three months ago I can see myself having dismounted and led her back in tears. Everyone has off days and she was obviously having one today, I am not angry with her at all, watched two more people riding later on and their horses were bronking all over the place so at least she was better than that!
Nice piece of chocolate cake and a cuppa for anyone who read this far, and if you see a girl swearing at a jogging bay horse in the Lower Kingswood area next Sunday, do give us a wave!!!
When I got there madam was munching on her hay net. Hmm, thinks I, normally this is 99% gone by morning...me thinks mummy has given you a hay net to keep you quiet in case I was late...oh dear how much energy will you have now
Gave her a brush and tacked up, she was suspiciously quiet, she is normally very well behaved in her stable but this was just too good...hard to describe but I just recognised the mood!
Got her out, friend gave me a balance so I mounted from the ground for the first time, woo! We set off, got out of the yard and onto the first bridlepath and I tried to pull her girth up as it had loads of room, well she wasn't having that! Very unusual as she is never usually girthy but seeing as she was full of hay probably not surprising
Behaved herself until we got onto the path that takes us further from the farm. Then I felt like someone had replaced her with Red Rum on speed!!! Jog jog jog, headshake a bit, stumble and leap through the mud, jog a bit more...argh! Have not had this bad behaviour for MONTHS! Had a nice clear path so decided to canter to get rid of some of the beans, she ignored the trot bit and went straight from walk to canter, altho it was a very nice dressagey collected canter, shame noone was there to see us! However this did nothing to disspell her excitement! On another clear stretch got her into a trot, then a faster canter, still all bouncy when we went back to walk, and now the girth was looser so I was unsteady but she still wouldn't let me bring it up!
Decided enough was enough, yelled 'bl***y well pack it in!' (hope there were no kids about) and brought her back to a reluctant walk which we just about maintained for the rest of the way back (altho we did decide it was necessary to burst into canter when we got in the yard gates, this was quickly stopped and she was made to walk around in circles til she stopped looning about!)
After untacking she finished off the morning by doing an enormous poo in her clean stable for me to clear up, then head butting me when I went to change into my wellies!
Suffice to say she did not get quite as many kisses goodbye as normal
Have to say despite the adventure, I am proud of myself for not panicking and getting upset, not giving up and going home, and dealing with the situation. Three months ago I can see myself having dismounted and led her back in tears. Everyone has off days and she was obviously having one today, I am not angry with her at all, watched two more people riding later on and their horses were bronking all over the place so at least she was better than that!
Nice piece of chocolate cake and a cuppa for anyone who read this far, and if you see a girl swearing at a jogging bay horse in the Lower Kingswood area next Sunday, do give us a wave!!!
Sounds like the sort of ride I am sure we have all had. Don't feel ashamed if you do feel that you need to dismount. Sometimes I feel ok to just kick Frayne on and have a good trot/canter, and go with her high spirits (which doesn't happen very often now - she is rarely ridden and quite happy eating hay all day!) - but quite often I will get off and lead her for a while until safe to get back on. For instance, last week I took her out for a short ride up the road and then onto our new farm tracks (very wide stone tracks open onto the fields alongside). Had Ben the Driving Pony alongside - first time I had done ride/lead with them. Everything was fine - Frayne was even faster up the road than Ben (he is usually very quick), but then we turned into the tracks, and Frayne went back to being spooky/coiled spring (she hates open spaces and I can't ride her in fields, but thought stony tracks would be ok). Coped for the length of a 20 acre field - but then Ben trotted up alongside her to catch up, and she did one of her leaps/buck without head down. I got off promptly