Post by spotti on Apr 25, 2013 13:08:37 GMT
Just wanted to share our bit of excitement from last night...
We went out for an evening hack, just intending to do the usual but perhaps ask Faith to go a bit further than we have done recently. We've been keeping riding to a gentle once a week, building up from 30 mins to about an hour or so (she gets bored if we try to do too much too soon!), and generally speaking we've walked most of the time, only trotting if Faith suggested it.
Well, not last night!
I don't know if it was the cooler evening air or the fact that my OH was on foot and likes to race with Faith, but last night she was on fire!!!
We ended up going out for about an hour and a half, up and down hills, through the woods and across to the other side of the valley before heading back again. We kept it casual for the first 40-50 minutes, just walking on a loose rein and enjoying the sunshine, but as soon as we reached an open field, my OH suggested a race and Faith just went for it! I didn't even 'ask' her to go faster, she must have just heard the word "race" and off she zoomed! We had an nice walk around the field and back into the woods before having a mad dash up a steep-ish slope. Again, I never really asked, Faith just sensed it - to be fair I had been chatting with my OH about how we used to race up that hill when we first moved to that yard...probably shouldn't mention the word 'race' t Faith if I'm not wanting to go fast
.
After a fast trot and a short burst of canter, that was it, she was fired up and was raring to go!
I think we had 2 more little canters after that and then I had to try really, really hard walk the rest of the way home to cool off (Faith was a poppet - it was me I had to be firm with! It's such a buzz going fast and it's a bit addictive!!!).
Got back on the yard covered in moulted hair and everyone was dripping with sweat (body protectors are waaaarrrrrrrrrrrrm in the sun) but if Faith could smile then I bet her grin would have matched ours ;D.
All in all a lovely hack in the sunshine, which, after the weird weather we've had recently, felt almost surreal. Who knew that on a random Wednesday evening in the middle of April I would be cantering on my once semi-retired pony IN THE SUNSHINE!
Just wanted to share the grins
We went out for an evening hack, just intending to do the usual but perhaps ask Faith to go a bit further than we have done recently. We've been keeping riding to a gentle once a week, building up from 30 mins to about an hour or so (she gets bored if we try to do too much too soon!), and generally speaking we've walked most of the time, only trotting if Faith suggested it.
Well, not last night!
I don't know if it was the cooler evening air or the fact that my OH was on foot and likes to race with Faith, but last night she was on fire!!!
We ended up going out for about an hour and a half, up and down hills, through the woods and across to the other side of the valley before heading back again. We kept it casual for the first 40-50 minutes, just walking on a loose rein and enjoying the sunshine, but as soon as we reached an open field, my OH suggested a race and Faith just went for it! I didn't even 'ask' her to go faster, she must have just heard the word "race" and off she zoomed! We had an nice walk around the field and back into the woods before having a mad dash up a steep-ish slope. Again, I never really asked, Faith just sensed it - to be fair I had been chatting with my OH about how we used to race up that hill when we first moved to that yard...probably shouldn't mention the word 'race' t Faith if I'm not wanting to go fast
.After a fast trot and a short burst of canter, that was it, she was fired up and was raring to go!
I think we had 2 more little canters after that and then I had to try really, really hard walk the rest of the way home to cool off (Faith was a poppet - it was me I had to be firm with! It's such a buzz going fast and it's a bit addictive!!!).
Got back on the yard covered in moulted hair and everyone was dripping with sweat (body protectors are waaaarrrrrrrrrrrrm in the sun) but if Faith could smile then I bet her grin would have matched ours ;D.
All in all a lovely hack in the sunshine, which, after the weird weather we've had recently, felt almost surreal. Who knew that on a random Wednesday evening in the middle of April I would be cantering on my once semi-retired pony IN THE SUNSHINE!
Just wanted to share the grins
for so much hard work we thank ye!!
.