Hacking, group lessons and some ad-hoc cross-country

Last week, I returned to the land of working people – I mean, I do work, but at home, which doesn't always require similar effort as going out to an office. I have landed a part-time job doing what I do as freelance anyway, but this job takes me to an office 2–3 days a week, so time to ride in the daytime will be reduced a little until July (lucky evenings are getting longer..!). I need to get back into the swing of things, as after a whole-day meeting in the new job on Friday I just about managed to drag myself to the yard and mucked out Rainbow, but didn't have the energy even to lunge her... She'd been larking about in the field the whole day, so I was greeted by a horse wearing mud stockings! Luckily this year we seem to have avoided mud fever. I have been extra vigilant, keeping on top of brushing off dried-up mud each day and I also periodically apply a bit of Sudocrem on clean skin, under fetlock, in the pastern area, to restrict any bacteria getting hold.


We have new friends who we go out on hacks occasionally – Anna and Piglet. Piglet is actually Rainbow's stable neighbour, so she's not a new acquaintance as such, but Anna has started loaning Piglet fairly recently, when Piglet's previous loaner went to uni. We went out on Thu and it was a glorious day... Took some sunny pics:

Saturday I figured it would be good to join a group lesson after a long break from them. I don't think they're necessarily so useful now that Rainbow and I are a little bit more advanced than going around in a circle each horse nose-to-bum, but they're sometimes a bit of fun and I think it's a nice social for the horse, given that they're herd animals after all...

Well, Rainbow behaved but it was a bit of a battle the whole hour as she was quite taken by the trotting in one mass, so was pushing forwards like freight train. I had also decided to take the nose flash off her bridle, as I am not sure she needs it. It was only put on her nearly two years ago as she was opening her mouth a lot when I first started riding her... It might have been even caused by my inexperience which made her open her mouth!  But I don't think she gets strong, so I think I won't be using the flash – perhaps only if hacking out, but doubt it... Back to the lesson... I had to use all my skill to get her to soften a bit and to collect herself. It only happened intermittently, but when there was a moment we didn't have a horse right in front of us, she instantly relaxed and accepted the contact better. So that was good.

After the lesson I turned Rainbow out to the paddock with her friend. They have another paddock at the moment as their usual paddock has been water-logged and Rainbow also busted through the fencing while I was on Christmas hols in Finland. But, unfortunately, Rainbow has decided to be a bit of a rebel and she has now escaped two or three times from the current paddock too... Not quite sure what she does, but the general thought is among people at the yard that she either goes over a cross-country log jump, which is in one corner of the paddock, or over the gate. I think it's the cross-country log... Serves me right for teaching her to jump well! So, now she's banned from going out with Zara as she leaves Zara upset in the paddock when she saunters off... And the big field might be closed for a while to let the ground recover, so I am at a bit of a loss where to put her to graze at the moment. I might try erecting some electric fencing again, especially over the log, but will see...