Cirencester Park fun Ride

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NeilM

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My OH and I went to the Cirencester Park fun ride today. This was a bit of a breakthough with the 'Ginger sausage who won't load', as it confirmed all the hard work they have put into loading her has worked. It was not without a few objections, but we got there, and back.

Anyway, to the point: What a fantastic fun ride it was, and I would like to say THANK YOU to the organisers and recommend it to anyone within driving / towing distance.

Harry was a rocket and we flew over a good number of the jumps, with him only refusing one scary looking grid and veering off of a pretty simple looking log, right in front of the photographer.

I have to say, I didn't realise he has (had) a bit of a log phobia. Even some pretty tiny stuff seemed to put the willies up him. Fortunately we were able to follow some lovely 'senior' lady riders over a whole line of logs. I got him so close to the horse in front and in such a nice bouncy collected canter, that by the time he realised we were going to jump a log, we were already pretty much airborne. That and his fanatically competitive nature meant we cleared the lot with ease :D

Anyway, we had a great day and a superb ride over a fantastic course, so we will definitely put that one in the diary for a regular visit, as I think they do two rides there a year.

EDIT: I meant to add, my OH thinks I was the tallest rider on a pony today, but not one b*gger passed us while we were at a canter / gallop. That's some pony!
 
We were planning on attending the ride in November, but the weather was terrible so we did not go. Fingers crossed they run it again this year, as it really was a cracking good ride.

One of the high points was being overtaken by a lady trotting an endurance Arab. I have a bit of a soft spot for Arabs, so it was a bit of an ohhhh moment. The moment was pretty brief however, as they were really shifting. I think H could have just about kept up at a decent canter!

No wonder endurance riders use Arabs, they have got to be the Ferrari of the horse world...gorgeous to look at and blisteringly fast.

I must add, all the riders who passed were incredibly sensible and polite. There was one bloke who came belting past us at a full gallop on a huge TB. But the horse was so beautiful and they looked so good, I sort of had to concede he probably had his hands full.
 
I hope everyone who went along today had as much fun as we did!

Ginger sausage was a hero not that I thought it when she was being a b*gger to load even after our lessons but I stuck to what I'd been taught, and in the end it all worked as anticipated - well almost :)

I know she is a poor loader and was naturally interested to see the range of techniques being used to coax in the offenders - there were a few. Very impressed with the cob led in with a feed bowl and a resisting chestnut dealt with swiftly with 2 lunge lines - clearly a loading routine.

Not quite so sure what Monty Roberts would have thought seeing a resistant horse wearing a dually and it not being used as intended - natural horsemanship with the aid of another with a lunge whip behind! :(

The ride was brilliant and some good jumps were to be had by the old sausage with stiff hocks who was good for a gallop right up to the end, smiling she was once she settled -after the first half hour sulking as she knew we had done the deed and taken her away from home in the dreaded trailer!!

Look forward to the next outing already! :) :) Not giving up now!
 
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