In H&H magazine.

merry neddy man

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 June 2013
Messages
3,180
Location
south yorkshire
Visit site
2 January 2022 sorry it's long. 40 things to do before you die. □ 1 gallop in the sea. □ 2 Ride among giraffes in Africa. □ 3 Ride out for a racehorse trainer. □ 4 fall of in a water jump. □ 5 Ride side saddle. □ 6 Jump a 5ft (1•5 mtrs) fence. □ 7 Back a horse or pony. □ 8 Drive a horse. □ 9 Do tempi changes. □10 Have riding boots made to measure. □11 Go hunting in Ireland. □ 12 Have a spin around the Golden Button. □ 13 Lead a winner into the paddock. □ 14 Be a stunt rider in a movie. □ 15 Ride at sunrise in Hyde park. □16 Ride up the centre line at HOYS. □17 Play polo. □ 18 Hear the roar at the start of Cheltenham. □19 See a horse being sold for a million. □ 20 Volunteer at a show. □ 21 Ride at Badminton. □ 22 Watch watch the Grand National live. □ 23 watch the Spanish Riding School. □ 24 Get your photo in H&H. □ 25 Spend a day at the Calgery Stampede. □ 26 See a foal being born. □ 27 Ride in a charity race. □ 28 Watch the action on the frozen lake at St Moritz. □ 29 Herd cattle across the plains of Montana. □ 30 Ride a bucking bronco. □ 31 Try reining. □ 32 Give vaulting a go. □ 33 Ride a heavy horse. □ 34 Compete in the Mongol Derby. □ 35 Enjoy the thrill of a team chase. □ 36 Jump bareback. □ 37 Ride an Icelandic horse in tolt. □ 38 Have a go at horse ball. □ 39 Ride in the main ring at Hickstead. □ 40 Represent your country. Yes it is long and some on there that we might not aspire to do, there are a good few that have been done by forum members. I'm on 10 full and 5 are 1/2 done, so my numbers are low there are 7 I would do given the chance but will never happen.
 
I’ve only done 1, 20 and 24. Not that the latter was for any riding achievement mind you, I was just fence judging and in the background of a photo of Jonty Evans. You can tell it’s me though, so I’m claiming it.

Everything else on the list apart from a couple of them would be wildly out of reach, either money or talent wise.
 
22 (and backed the winner, who was by no means the favourite) and 26 (multiple times and all Trakehner foals, hence it counts double for me ;) ) and the only one missing I am still aspiring to is no. 1.
 
1 6 7 9 20 21 22 23 30 33 35 36 ✔

I have done 21 but only because I was a livery on the edge of the park and we were allowed access the rest of the year. ?

I would have done 22 but it was the year there was a bomb hoax. I had the car full of bags of horse feed and when we picked it up the next day all the bags had been moved. Did they have keys for every one of the thousands of cars in that car park?

I have done 23 but in Manchester. We went to Vienna, strode up to the door and read a notice which said "The Spanish Riding School is currently performing in London" ?

30, I've definitely ridden a couple of bucking broncos, but not the ones they mean.
.
 
Last edited:
Things that aren't in that list, why not?

Drag hunt.
Follow Bloodhounds.
Gymkhana games.
Ride a cross country course alone (arguably much more difficult than a team chase).
Piaffe and/or passage.
Ride courbette or levade (deliberately!)
.
 
I've done thirteen of the things mentioned. However, I'm old and been around since well before Health and Safety rules were standard.
 
I've done 1,5,7,8,20,23,24,33,35,36,37.
I've ridden in Hyde Park but not at sunrise and my pony was once in a charity race but Jonjo O'Neill was riding him(he came second).
 
I've done eight

1,5,7,9,18,20,23,31

and sort of a bit of 3 and 14 as I've ridden a film stunt horse (very entertaining as he had extra 'buttons' !) and pre-training fittening for racers.
 
I seem to have done a surprising amount! 19 in total.

1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 26 , 33,35, 36, 40

And whilst I haven’t competed I have groomed at 21, 39

I’m desperate to know is anyone on here has competed in the mongol Derby ?
 
Things that aren't in that list, why not?

Drag hunt.
Follow Bloodhounds.
Gymkhana games.
Ride a cross country course alone (arguably much more difficult than a team chase).
Piaffe and/or passage.
Ride courbette or levade (deliberately!)
.


I like this idea of our own HHO To Do list

Can I expand Gymkhana games to include skill-at-arms

and add

Ride in deep snow
Ride at dusk or in the dark


Run a Welsh Cob stallion in a showring (Royal Welsh for maximum points, but other big rings count too ?)
 
I seem to have done a surprising amount! 19 in total.

1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 26 , 33,35, 36, 40

And whilst I haven’t competed I have groomed at 21, 39

I’m desperate to know is anyone on here has competed in the mongol Derby ?
I have not, but was going as crew a few years ago, but got pulled out.
Maggie who was the England chef d'equipe for 12 years till end last year has had a great team and gone out a few times.
 
7, 20, 23 & 25. Really want to do number 1! Also went drag hunting recently. First time hunting for both me and my boy and we had a fantastic day. I was still on cloud nine a week later :D
 
Last edited:
I like this idea of our own HHO To Do list

Can I expand Gymkhana games to include skill-at-arms

and add

Ride in deep snow
Ride at dusk or in the dark


Run a Welsh Cob stallion in a showring (Royal Welsh for maximum points, but other big rings count too ?)

I've done deep snow and galloped in c35cm snow on a road.

And hacked in the dark.
 
I seem to have done a surprising amount! 19 in total.

1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 26 , 33,35, 36, 40

And whilst I haven’t competed I have groomed at 21, 39

I’m desperate to know is anyone on here has competed in the mongol Derby ?

i was just thinking, not many could say they’ve done #40. Wow, would you share please, would be lovely to hear about it?
 
Does the Badminton fun ride count? It just says "ride at Badminton" ;)

I've done 1, 8, 20,21 (see above), 23, 26 (well the last couple of seconds. It was a wild pony on Gower when we were on holiday there, we arrived just as the back legs were hitting the floor. Mum wasn't the slightest bit bothered by our presence and our horses were all mesmerised) 33, 36,37 and 38 (tried, failed - couldn't catch or pick the ball up - gave up after about 2 minutes!). I haven't quite done #14 but I did feature in a Welsh TV drama on horseback in a fake show jumping competition, does that count? I've also ridden plenty of horse doing an impression of a bucking bronco?

I can't say I have much inclination to go to any races either as a spectator or a participant. I'll never ride at Badminton Horse Trials, Hickstead or HOYS but there are a few things on there I'd like to do. Riding with giraffes and herding the cows in particular.
 
I've done 15 from the list but agree as above that there's lots been omitted - gymkhana (before Health and Safety stepped in) bred a foal, lots more - ride at Olympia?
 
Not lots, but tbh there isn’t many on the list I’d actually be too fussed about doing if I’m honest!
1 gallop in the sea.
□ 7 Back a horse or pony (not on my own, helped with the process if it counts)
□ 9 Do tempi changes - pure fluke, only managed once, most I can usually get is every 3 or 4 strides
□ 20 Volunteer at a show.
□ 23 watch the Spanish Riding School (did this in Jerez, beautiful)

Not done this but it’s an absolute bucket list one! A friend of a friend did it, jealous. Last time I looked into it it’s about £10k as well as a lot of hard work to train for it and incredibly tough.
□ 34 Compete in the Mongol Derby.
 
Does the Badminton fun ride count? It just says "ride at Badminton" ;)
I was going to ask that too.
Almost did 4 there a couple of times ... reins being slippery didn't help, it was always raining! Pony would inevitably try and run out just as the photographer took the picture, but jumped fine everywhere else.

Watched an onboard video of 12 - ? Crikey... I though it was polo that involved riding off !
 
Top