Post by fleabitten on Jul 26, 2009 19:16:21 GMT
Well, I have been humming and haing the past few weeks about whether to go on a pleasure ride. Its at a local forest run by the irish long distance riding assoc. and this was sort of their summer ride and BBQ thing.
Anyway, i actually sort of wanted to go which is unlike me but i thought we will see what hes like and then decide. We were also undecided because we didnt know who would pull the trailer, mum or dad - mum did in the end, i was v proud of her!!
We were told the ride was about 6-7 miles but it was 8 and felt like 10 or 11!! They even said we could go round twice if we wanted to!! (what??) I was sort of worried that he wouldnt be able to walk that far as we only really do up to 5 miles around home but the woman said it wasnt that hilly and we were just going to walk anyway as mum was walking.
We arrived and set off about 12 o clock. I was a bit worried because last time i went on a pleasure ride, princess went a bit hyper because she wanted to follow the horses that go past even though we were riding with another pony (but of course he is invisible to most horses lol!! - hes not important!). Anyway, I thought he would be ok because he doesnt mind leaving other horses generally.
Anyway, set off and he was marching away right from the off - several horses passed by within about the first mile and the more that passed him the more hyper he got - he felt like he was going to explode and he was whinnying and jogging - cue me crapping myself.
So decided to get off until he had camed down a bit because he was pulling my arms out. After a while there was no other horses went past and he settled enough to let me get back on again. We rode for a good long time without seeing another horse and practically climbed a mountain of a hill - he was tiring a bit by this stage as he had settled.
We reached the boundary wall at the top end of the forest and the scenery was beautiful - we were right next to the mountains and they were all mossy and windswept looking. It felt lik we were the only people in the world.
Along the boundary wall we met some riders and i got off again as i had thought, right ill just get off when people come past as theres no point in scaring the crap out of myself - it was good to get off and walk for a short while anyway
We got a bit lost around this point as they had marked the route with red ribbon and we couldnt see any but we just followed the signs for the car park and ended up taking a shortcut.
I was so glad to see the end of the route as it just seemed never ending paths but i also quite enjoyed it too
Kieran had marched the whole way round the forest, he didnt even want to stop for a breather and fidgeted when we did and yanked at the reins to keep moving!! He was on a mission lol! And he was puffing away but that didnt stop him!
It took us about 2 and a half hours walking v quickly which is pretty good going! Mum enjoyed the walk although she found it hard keeping up with him and doing the hills as well - so glad she was there as it would have been alot scarier coping on my own.
When we got back, we got a nice green and yellow rosette and returned to the trailer. He was knackered and just stood nice and quietly whilst we untacked him and gave him a bit of a sponge and a drink of water. He wasnt really sweaty for some reason even though he has quite a fluffy coat, even though that was a fair effort for him.
We stuck him on the box with a bit of hay and then went to join the BBQ!!
It was a lovely day for it, nice and sunny and quite warm although windy.
Im glad I went - its an achievement, getting out there and mum driving the trailer and taking part in a ride etc. And it was good fun mostly lol!! - I bet if we had went to the forest on our own he would have just dawdled round it! He could probly smell the others!
Most people were trotting and cantering round, which would be good fun but Id be scared of flippin galloping into somebody or off the edge of the path or something. It might be fun to trot or canter around one thats a few miles long on your own - then its just you to worry about and people walking I suppose too!!
Ice cream for everyone who got to the bottom of that
Anyway, i actually sort of wanted to go which is unlike me but i thought we will see what hes like and then decide. We were also undecided because we didnt know who would pull the trailer, mum or dad - mum did in the end, i was v proud of her!!
We were told the ride was about 6-7 miles but it was 8 and felt like 10 or 11!! They even said we could go round twice if we wanted to!! (what??) I was sort of worried that he wouldnt be able to walk that far as we only really do up to 5 miles around home but the woman said it wasnt that hilly and we were just going to walk anyway as mum was walking.
We arrived and set off about 12 o clock. I was a bit worried because last time i went on a pleasure ride, princess went a bit hyper because she wanted to follow the horses that go past even though we were riding with another pony (but of course he is invisible to most horses lol!! - hes not important!). Anyway, I thought he would be ok because he doesnt mind leaving other horses generally.
Anyway, set off and he was marching away right from the off - several horses passed by within about the first mile and the more that passed him the more hyper he got - he felt like he was going to explode and he was whinnying and jogging - cue me crapping myself.
So decided to get off until he had camed down a bit because he was pulling my arms out. After a while there was no other horses went past and he settled enough to let me get back on again. We rode for a good long time without seeing another horse and practically climbed a mountain of a hill - he was tiring a bit by this stage as he had settled.
We reached the boundary wall at the top end of the forest and the scenery was beautiful - we were right next to the mountains and they were all mossy and windswept looking. It felt lik we were the only people in the world.
Along the boundary wall we met some riders and i got off again as i had thought, right ill just get off when people come past as theres no point in scaring the crap out of myself - it was good to get off and walk for a short while anyway
We got a bit lost around this point as they had marked the route with red ribbon and we couldnt see any but we just followed the signs for the car park and ended up taking a shortcut.
I was so glad to see the end of the route as it just seemed never ending paths but i also quite enjoyed it too
Kieran had marched the whole way round the forest, he didnt even want to stop for a breather and fidgeted when we did and yanked at the reins to keep moving!! He was on a mission lol! And he was puffing away but that didnt stop him!
It took us about 2 and a half hours walking v quickly which is pretty good going! Mum enjoyed the walk although she found it hard keeping up with him and doing the hills as well - so glad she was there as it would have been alot scarier coping on my own.
When we got back, we got a nice green and yellow rosette and returned to the trailer. He was knackered and just stood nice and quietly whilst we untacked him and gave him a bit of a sponge and a drink of water. He wasnt really sweaty for some reason even though he has quite a fluffy coat, even though that was a fair effort for him.
We stuck him on the box with a bit of hay and then went to join the BBQ!!
It was a lovely day for it, nice and sunny and quite warm although windy.
Im glad I went - its an achievement, getting out there and mum driving the trailer and taking part in a ride etc. And it was good fun mostly lol!! - I bet if we had went to the forest on our own he would have just dawdled round it! He could probly smell the others!
Most people were trotting and cantering round, which would be good fun but Id be scared of flippin galloping into somebody or off the edge of the path or something. It might be fun to trot or canter around one thats a few miles long on your own - then its just you to worry about and people walking I suppose too!!
Ice cream for everyone who got to the bottom of that
for so much hard work we thank ye!!
) and 
