Ziggy's hacking diary: miles and miles

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Sid these days!
Apr 30, 2010
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Surrey Hills
One of you beans please explain my mum to me. Mostly we hardly go out at all, and then a couple of days ago she put my saddle on the gate while I was eating my breakfast and the birdies were still singing their wake up songs. She gave me a slice of hay to eat while she cleaned the field, so I was pretty chilled when we went out, but hah! Little did I know!

Here are my ears coming down through our little village:Hack1.jpg and so far so good, because our usual little short hacks go that way, but then bam! We turned left down the hill and down the LONG stony path (Mum hopped off for a bit because she is kind to my feet) and then we were on the main road at the bottom!
Hack2.jpg I don't bother much about cars and stuff but there were hardly any anyway because it was so bl**dy early, so we strolled along (on the pavement - most people go on the pavement on this bit of road) and I was good when we had to go under a road sign like one of those TREC tests you get. Then down to the level crossing, and mum hopped off again because she can't manage the stiff gates from on top of me. I don't mind. I like to look up and down the line to see if a train is coming.

Then I got really excited because the next field we were in was full of GRASS as high as my belly
hack3.jpg and I thought I might get the chance for a snack. Mum tried to stop me but I managed to grab some.

We trotted a long way along a little lane. My trip computer told me we were still heading away from home and we were beyond anywhere we had been before, so I trotted nice and steady and we just went on and on. We went over the brow of a hill and mum went all stiff and I could see she was looking at this big red thing in the distance, she said it was a balloon:
hack4.jpg We trotted on and on until it was practically on top of us and I think mum was really scared of it, but I tknow all about things in the air and I ried to tell her that balloons are nothing to worry about. Not half as scary as the blackbird in the hedge that tried to eat me, that deserved a skitter right across the road and no mistake!

Well on we went past the balloon which was just taking off with that big roary noise they make, and on to a long long track under a hill, past lots of fields full of all different horses. I was busy checking my feet because it was stony, so we wandered a bit, but nothing to worry about:
hack5.jpg I didn't like this bit much because the track was really hard. But once we got a bit further along it stopped being a road and then it was nice and soft for another long trot up and up and up the hill. I was quite enjoying myself, even though I hadn't been here before - it was such a nice morning and there was lots to look at.hack6.jpg And damn me if at the top we popped out onto St Martha's hill, where I've been before, and we went to one of the sandy uphill tracks and had a LONG fast canter and it was great. I didn't want to stop, I thought now I knew the way I would just canter home, so I jogged and was silly and mum sat down firmly and said the track back down to the ford would sort me out because it was so stony, and it did, boo hiss. I had to walk down nicely.

I had a paddle in the ford but I didn't want a drink, mum said you can lead a pony to water but that's all you can do! So off we went, back up onto the Heath on the way home:hack7.jpg We'd been out for ages - mum said it was two and a half hours when we got home - but I was still really chipper and it was a nice cool morning so I wasn't even sweaty. And there was some hay left when I got back in because while I'm out Mattie is a muppet and just walks up and down calling for me.

Mum picked my feet out and got me to do carrot stretches. She says she doesn't understand how I can be so BAD one day and so GOOD the next day. But I have it all figured out, see. If I am BAD sometimes then when I am GOOD she appreciates me properly and never takes me for granted!
 
That just looks like such a lovely place to hack. I would love to have that. Ziggy you are such a brave boy going past that big balloon.;):D
 
Good boy, Ziggy! You were VERY brave..... especially encountering that balloon!!
 
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