Most memorable ride

[Gingerwitch]

Mine is 8 years ago. Just after harvest, sun a blaze 7pm with a cool breeze. I was on the little tb and we walked the track to check for holes etc. I was listening to take that on my MP4. As I got back to the start of the "track" I squeezed into canter, by 3 strides I was grinning, and as we started to gallop the track "the flood" started. It was one of those gallops that made your eyes water, and your jaw ache from the grin. To this day I do not know who enjoyed it more, me the tb or the walkers whom stood by and watched as we thundered past (in our fields). We did the same for the next few nights till the cows were moved in but it never surpassed that first-time.

 

[Roxylola]

Sounds lovely, I'm sort of hoping mine is yet to come. I've had lots of memorable ones for good reasons, and one or two that I wish I could forget up to now lol

 

[ihatework]

I’ve probably got 3 that spring to mind.

One was completing the Xc at Highclere having jumped a double clear on my old boy, sadly no longer here. I am/was such a gutless wonder that I now wonder why I put myself through it. But the feeling at the end was amazing.

Another was a high profile show freestyle test I did on my dressage mare, everything came together and as I came down the centre line I knew I had nailed it for once in my life!!

And the last was in South Africa on safari. The lodge we were staying at had some private horses and over dinner one night having been talking horses with the owners they invited me out the next day for a ride. Well the horse I rode was amazing and we rode a fast 2 hours through the bush and along the riverbank, saw loads of game and jumped a lot of stuff!

 

[shamrock2021]

My part loan horse took of galloping down the hill. I miss him so much.

 

[EventingMum]

Competing in the Foxhunter Final at HOYS when it was at Wembley, coming through the curtains was totally magical for 17 yo me riding a horse I had produced myself from scratch. Sadly we must have breathed on one pole that fell but it's still a cherished memory.

 

[cindars]

Riding the Southdowns long distance path with three good friends on my much missed part arab.2.riding new Arab mare again with friends into Devils Dyke and realising I would never ride anything quite as fast couldn't see a damn thing as silk had slipped over my eyes but she stopped at the top.

 

[Muddywellies]

Mine was at an area festival. I struggle with the absolute worst competition nerves which spoils everything! I had done two tests the previous day and come my usual bottom place. Had one more class to do on the Sunday morning, then quick pack up and head home. As usual I was pooing myself going into the test, but then the sun came out, and on the sound system, they played 'Easy Like a Sunday Morning'. The nerves totally disappeared, I relaxed, and for once in my entire riding life, I enjoyed being in that arena. Loved every minute of that test and lo and behold, we placed 7th and did our first and only mounted prize-giving and lap of honour. Amazing.

 

[HollyWoozle]

Hard to choose but probably on safari in SA when a big male lion jumped out of the bushes about 6ft from the front horses!

 

[Meredith]

1.. Out hunting jumping a hedge, not one of the huge Shires type things just a little local one, on my horse of a lifetime after she had recovered from a bout of azotoria. She had collapsed in the stable and was not expected to live.
2.. Riding a mare who did not like jumping I took her to the bottom of our local forestry. We began to canter, zig zagging up the steep tracks to the top. It was my last ride on her. She went to a long distance riding home where she did 50 mile rides.
3.. Riding my homebred mare at a local show and winning a cup bigger than her head in a showing class.

 

[Sail_away]

Tried to name them all, gave up. There are a few horses I ride that make every single time special. I'm very lucky that one of them is mine.

 

[Baywonder]

Oh gosh - I had lots of fantastic rides with my old boy. The one I always remember was a very early morning, simple hack at the start of winter. It was cold and frosty, and we could see our breath in the air. As we walked along through the leaves on the ground, I sang, and my old boy kept flicking his ears back and forth, listening to me.

On the opposite end of the scale, I took him out on a hack with a fellow livery. We decided to have a canter on the edge of a stubble field. Within three strides they were both flat out galloping, and we had tears streaming from our eyes, desperately trying to catch our breath! That was a bit of an adrenaline rush!

Happy days.

 

[Squeak]

I've been lucky enough to have a few. Galloping along part of high street on the top of the fells over looking ullswater is one of them.

My last BE xc on a horse that I'd been given as unrideable, his legs started struggling to hold up to eventing so he went to a hacking home but that day he pinged around that course so easily, a complete schoolmaster, it could have been my granny on him and he would have still popped round.

Another two of my favourites have been when the stars have aligned and allowed me a jumping round on each of my old boys that I thought would never jump again. One of them was a sj round and the other was xc. Both times it just felt like putting on my favourite pair of jeans, we'd jumped so many rounds together and they both were just so incredible and had given me so many of my favourite memories.

 

[Archangel]

I was out riding with my friend and as it had been quite a long ride we were just ambling back through the woods, loose reins, yapping away, and not paying attention, the last bit was a long, long firebreak, down a dip and up the other side. Both horses just looked at each other and off they went, flat out racing, down the dip, up the other side and away... it was so funny, we were frantically gathering up reins and trying to stay with them. We still talk about it now.

Same horses, riding in the snow in the fields out the back of the farm - I turned to my friend and said "I'll just take it easy round the outside and see how they go" At which my horse just went for it right across the middle, flat out with my friend in hot pursuit. We still talk about that one as well.

 

[SEL]

Namibia - flat gallop on a fast, barely broken horse (who went on to be one of their schoolmasters). He stole a little bit of my heart that boy ? He also properly dumped me the last ride I had on him before I had to fly back to the UK!

I was off the horse at the time but I rode in Botswana a few times and can remember stopping to give the horses a break just as herd upon herd of elephant crossed an open plain a few hundred metres away. The guides had never seen anything like it and we were all spellbound for half an hour.

I've been incredibly lucky to ride in some incredible places on some incredible horses. Great memories.

 

[Annagain]

On Gower, we went with riding club for the weekend. Two friends of mine were aunt and niece and the aunt was (still is!) getting on a bit. The niece wanted to go with the 'fast' group so I promised to 'look after' her aunt in the middle group. Every canter we had, I would prepare the aunt, check she was happy to go and stay alongside her. Then we came across a group of wild ponies at the bottom of a very inviting hill.

We tried to walk past them quietly but there was one very aggressive stallion doing all her could to keep us away from his herd. I turned to say to the rest of the group "I think we're just going to have to go for it and outrun them." I was about half way through when the aunt, with a huge grin on her face legged it past me and galloped up the hill. We all followed with the little stallion in hot pursuit (for about 100m anyway) and a good five minutes later the horses all came to a natural stop as they were exhausted. I've never galloped for so long or been able to let Arch choose when to stop before, we always run out of space before we run out of steam. We could have gone on another mile at least.

Later on the same ride we saw another group of wild ponies and watched the last minute of a mare giving birth to a foal and the foal take its first steps a few moments later. The horses all stood like statues and the mare and her herd didn't seem the slightest bit bothered that we were there. It was magical.

 

[Tally05]

In the Dominican Republic riding the herd stallion Casanova. Racing flat out up the hills into the mountains, then approaching a bridge over a 10ft ditch with no sides three abreast and the bridge was only wide enough for two horses... luckily he wasn't the top horse for nothing and had to be at the front so put on an extra burst to get us there first!

 

[Sealine]

The first time I went hunting on a Saturday. Up until that point I'd been out mid week with a small field and popped the smaller jumps. A friend's school age daughter wanted to start hunting and after enjoying a newcomers meet I took her to a big Saturday meet. I'd promised to look after her but she was absolutely fearless and jumped absolutely everything on her super pony and I had no choice but to follow. I'd never dreamt I could jump so much and so big but I never looked back after that. She made me realise how amazing my horse is and what I was capable of for which I will always be grateful.

 

[Gloi]

Hard to pick but I'll probably go for the three days I spent riding the Mary Towneley loop with two friends. ??

 

[millikins]

Booked a beach ride at Newquay when on holiday in Cornwall. I had my daughter with me, she must have been about 12 and a friend who lived there. It was a fairly wild, windy day and these RS horses and ponies got down to the beach and just went like the clappers. We eventually pulled up, daughter and I grinning from ear to ear though my friend had gone rather pale

 

[Bambelina]

Possibly going clear in my first hunter trial on my old pony, we were both about 15 at the time. Had had a play country plenty of times but never competed. I specifically remember jumping the 3rd fence, and thinking “we’ve got this”, as he just gave a specific feeling that day. Finishing clear and 3rd was amazing and it’s one of the rosettes I’ll keep forever.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

So many with Lady Gascoyne but especially galloping up the dunes and leaving the other horses miles behind us because she was so quick. I do miss her, she was such a nut but I just adored her.

And riding the most fabulous Arab mare in Denmark, galloping on the beach.

 

[Ambers Echo]

My most memorable rides were also Denmark - on the island of Romo. I was about 9 and there was a riding stable on the beach. One of those huge wide beaches that went on for literally miles. The herd slept overnight on fields above the beach. I met a child on holiday and her mother worked at the stable. We were allowed to ride down to the stables on the beach at 6am. We had to put bridles on them all then just choose any horse and hop on bareback and the whole herd galloped down the hill, onto the beach and along it to the stable. I had never known such a feeling of joy and freedom. I dragged my dad out of bed every morning of the holiday to ride. It was in the 1980s. Not sure that would be allowed now!

My other most memorable rides were all riding Amber XC. She was (is) the most amazing XC horses. Gave me such a great feeling.

 

[Wishfilly]

The first local show I did as a kid, and winning my first "proper" rosette. I can still remember my excitement at being pulled in for a place!

Swimming a pony through the lake on my old boss's land for the first time.

And a riding holiday I went on in Wales, riding the most amazing black Welsh D, riding through the most amazing countryside and having some amazing gallops!

 

[Lintel]

Most memorable ride:

Being ditched in a field at full gallop, losing a boot during this and running back to the yard chasing a Highland pony.

Thankfully we both made it back alive.. he was unfazed, however I was a few pounds lighter, one boot down and nerves shattered to pieces.

Note to self: Do not gallop downhill again.

And that is my most memorable ride, yours all sound lovley ?

 

[tristar]

the night my horse won a championship, he was hoof perfect, nobody knew what that meant, because three years before he was had navicular syndrome and the vet said later, he was cat meat at that time, but he had treatment and worked, it was the loneliest and most emotional moment, i stopped and bought him a mars bar on the way home, the big horse who i got for two old saddles, who should have been dead, i`ll never forget the ride that night.

 

[littleshetland]

Glastonbury fun ride.....Worthy Farm opens up for riders for the day....galloping in front of the pyramid stage, and cantering through miles of apple Orchards at a near by village.

 

[scats]

One of my favourite days out was on my little Dales pony in about 2009. We used to go on the wynnestay hunt ride in Malpas every year and one particular year stands out because me and my friend didn’t stop laughing from start to finish. I remember us setting off for a fast canter across a field full of cow pats. My pony has an incredible turn of speed and left my friends 16hh cob a few strides behind us. I remember vaguely hearing my friend shrieking behind and when we finally pulled up, I turned back to see my friends face covered in cow pat. I think I might have pee’d a bit I was laughing that much!

 

[ycbm]

What a great idea for a thread!

My most memorable ride is the one I can't remember ?. My horse died under me out on a hack. I remember it was a stinking hot day and I persuaded myself to wear a hat. I have no real memory of the ride, just of coming round from being knocked out.

But I've got so many great ones to choose from. The cross country in my avatar was pretty special, Chatsworth even more so, but I think the winner is being out with the drag hunt and being the only rider who followed the field master over a hedge that later turned out to have been over 7 feet high and 8 feet wide. Made even better at a hunt party, seeing the look on the face of the guy whose hedge it was when he said 'you jumped what!!?' .
.

 

[muddycloud]

South west France, it was my first beach ride. I had tears in my eyes after because I couldn’t believe that I finally got to ride on a beach! Later that week after lots of trail and beach riding it was saddles off and strip off to swim wear - we hopped back on and played about in the waves - absolutely awesome!

 

[planete]

I think my most memorable ride was at morning exercise when I was asked to ride a horse who was going to race the next day. When the other rider asked me to come upside and yelled at me to let my horse go. I had been riding work for a few weeks by then but the speed of that fifth gear came as a complete shock. I had been riding for years and had never known anything like it.