Major hurdle crossed last night

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Hovis_and_SidsMum

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As anyone who read Hovis' diary will know I'm not the bravest of people and up until a year ago would have never dreamt of cantering on a hack let alone on a stubble field. In fact i'd go so far as to say i didn't really enjoy hacking and was terrified most of the time :(

We moved yards last April and a lovely understanding lady with a horse who is worth his weight on gold took us under their hacking wing. Since then we hack every week with C and Billy and have a great time gradually finding the confidence to go from walking to trotting on roads, to a small canter to a full blown canter across the fields last summer.

Billy is Hovis' and I's saftey belt and although we've got into the odd scrape he and his mum have done so much for the pair of us.

4 monhts ago my good friend Sarah came to our yard with her new horse (Hot Stepper in the diaries). Her old horse (Fit Mare) had been pts 18 months previous and whilst i would take Hovis out with Sarah and fit mare - Hot Stepper was a whole different ask. He's spooky and not exactly "nanny material".

Well last night we did it. I took Hovis and the four of us went off hacking out. Hot Stepper had a few spooks and shies so I tried really really hard not to tense up and scare Hov. We then really went for it and had some very very long canters through the acres of stubble we have at the yard. It was fantastic. Sarah did say she never ever thought she'd see the day when we'd do that together (I wouldn't canter at the old yard even with fit mare).

On the way back HS started to get panicky as there was an irrigator spraying over the path in the veg patch at the side of the yard. I told her I'd go first, took a deep breath, nudged Hovis on and past it we went leading a trembling HS behind us.

Not much to some people but to go out without our wingman Billy, with a known spooky horse, canter in stubble fields (with a plough in there - admittedly a long way away) and then have to be the brave lead horse - its a big deal to me. I was rather proud of me and my furry bog trotter last night :)
 
Well done to you and Hovis of course.

There's no better feeling then a sense of achievement, let alone the feeling of cantering across countryside with your horse!

Although i have a feeling Hovis may have something to say about going first past the irrigator - but then he is so manly!
 
Well done you. Archie and I are often the wingman on roads for young and spooky horses. Last week we went out with a friend and her spooky pony as she's just started riding again after having a baby. Her pony was a star and Archie, who's normally fab in these circumstances, was an absolute tit. I was feeling very guilty but now I'm thinking maybe my friend is equally proud that hers took the lead past plastic bags and new tarmac!
 
Thanks guys. I am so confident now when out with Billy but it was the first time to go alone with a horse other than him (we've been in threes a few times).

Hovis is relaxed when Billys there and so am I. I know that if we meet anything really scary billy will handle it and then hovis (not wanting to look a poof) does the same. But to be the one who had to be the brave one, dealing with a highly bred (very talented) loon shying at his own shadow every few meters and spooking if a worm stuck its head out of the ground was a bit of an ask! Hovis was tense, i was tense and all i kept thinking was "breathe! Sit back. Breathe. Sit back"! By the end Hovis was on the buckle end and we were chilled.

Fab stubble last night though - although the plough was in there again this morning so i think we're losing that field as fast as we got it. Bummer :s. Its acre after acre and up the only hill we have so it was great to head up, as the hill was always going to slow them down a bit if they got stupid (or thats what we told ourslves!!)
 
Wonderful :) What an achievement :)

I have two very different horses, an older gelding babysitter and a younger mare who requires babysitting. Last year I babysat my friend on her mare with my gelding, this year she is babysitting me on my mare (and I don't feel at all guilty about not wanting to trot or canter out on the mare as she was in my shoes last year!)

Good hacking buddies are worth their weight in gold, looks like you and Hovis were on babysitting duty with HS!
 
Fantastic news, well done to you both and to the people who have got you to this point.
I second the need for a like button.


p.s cannot believe its been 18 months since fit mare was lost
 
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