La belle cheval gris
I haven't updated here for the longest time, which makes me a bad imaginary internet friend and I do apologise. The reason is mostly that I have been very busy with layers of busyness on top of further busyness. This is not a thing of which I am proud but it accurately describes where I am at right now. And so, from busyness, onto business. The first order of which is: A grey mare!
It is now slightly over a year since Iris arrived and it would be accurate to say that every time I ride her she gets a little bit better.
We haven't done as much as we probably should have in the last few weeks, which is absolutely my fault, but whenever we ride out she is forward and willing and sweet. Sometimes we have to stop and stare at ghosts for long periods ( and then either sneak past on tiptoes or crawl past with our belly most of the way to the ground ) and she is prone to moments of inexplicable doubt regarding everyday things like walkers or signposts, but by and large she is as good as I could possibly wish her to be and often better. Since Marty Mule came to stay she has seemed a little jealous of him, I think he spends most of his time playing with Cash and she is far too dignified for such antics, which has actually made her a lot more affectionate towards me. She seeks me out in the field and asks for my attention and for scratches too. It's very sweet.
Under saddle she is calm and accepting of the aids in general, but we have a way to go before we achieve real softness although she is starting to get a handle on it and certainly in the school I can do all the steering I need to by looking where I want to go. She accepts the bit way better than she used to ( but at first she was terrible at that, so although she is probably a five out of ten now, she was a minus-three when we started ) but she still has a bit of pull there and I don't always get down to her feet as quickly as I maybe should. These are all work-in-progress things, however, and she certainly feels like a really good riding horse right now. I just know that given another year of steady work she will be an extraordinary riding horse.
Riding out in early spring with the delightful herecirm on foot and camera.
Heading into the pinewoods a little later in the springtime on our longest ride so far. She was not impressed by this concept and we had a few high-speed departures but it was, as the curate said, good in parts.
Iris cunningly camouflaged against the road on a spring day in the village.
Climbing out of the valley on our ride last night. She was being supergood yesterday and it was fun to be out on her. This is a very steep track but the camera inevitably flattens it.
Posing in the hay field? Apparently so!
Finest mare.
I would like to take her out on more adventures, but right now the horsebox is being repaired for it's MOT, and by "repaired" I mean "having the chassis almost entirely rebuilt because it was so rusty throughout" which will doubtless be inordinately expensive, but hopefully should get us back on the road to ride with Steve Halfpenny and Kathleen Lindley next month, which I am very much looking forward to...
It is now slightly over a year since Iris arrived and it would be accurate to say that every time I ride her she gets a little bit better.
We haven't done as much as we probably should have in the last few weeks, which is absolutely my fault, but whenever we ride out she is forward and willing and sweet. Sometimes we have to stop and stare at ghosts for long periods ( and then either sneak past on tiptoes or crawl past with our belly most of the way to the ground ) and she is prone to moments of inexplicable doubt regarding everyday things like walkers or signposts, but by and large she is as good as I could possibly wish her to be and often better. Since Marty Mule came to stay she has seemed a little jealous of him, I think he spends most of his time playing with Cash and she is far too dignified for such antics, which has actually made her a lot more affectionate towards me. She seeks me out in the field and asks for my attention and for scratches too. It's very sweet.
Under saddle she is calm and accepting of the aids in general, but we have a way to go before we achieve real softness although she is starting to get a handle on it and certainly in the school I can do all the steering I need to by looking where I want to go. She accepts the bit way better than she used to ( but at first she was terrible at that, so although she is probably a five out of ten now, she was a minus-three when we started ) but she still has a bit of pull there and I don't always get down to her feet as quickly as I maybe should. These are all work-in-progress things, however, and she certainly feels like a really good riding horse right now. I just know that given another year of steady work she will be an extraordinary riding horse.
Riding out in early spring with the delightful herecirm on foot and camera.
Heading into the pinewoods a little later in the springtime on our longest ride so far. She was not impressed by this concept and we had a few high-speed departures but it was, as the curate said, good in parts.
Iris cunningly camouflaged against the road on a spring day in the village.
Climbing out of the valley on our ride last night. She was being supergood yesterday and it was fun to be out on her. This is a very steep track but the camera inevitably flattens it.
Posing in the hay field? Apparently so!
Finest mare.
I would like to take her out on more adventures, but right now the horsebox is being repaired for it's MOT, and by "repaired" I mean "having the chassis almost entirely rebuilt because it was so rusty throughout" which will doubtless be inordinately expensive, but hopefully should get us back on the road to ride with Steve Halfpenny and Kathleen Lindley next month, which I am very much looking forward to...