A-Visitin' we did go

After a midday lesson with Julian we went off to visit evil_c and Asher and their herd of ponies in the afternoon.

It was pretty cold and wet, but we brought in Lizzie and gave her hugs and grooming and scratches and general attention ( which she loves ) and then tried putting our treeless saddles on her to see how she got on with them.

I rode her on my saddle and she was very sweet- forwardgoing and willing, especially once I got the rein short enough for her to really trot forward. Her trot is beautifully smooth and pony-like and something about her combination of size, willingness and general nature suggested to me that she would make a tremendous cowhorse.

We also got to meet the rest of the herd, Tari being sweet natured and rambuctious, Piceur being friendly and very striking in motion and Curly thinking he'd quite like to come and say hello only he wasn't sure we were to be trusted and anyway Lizzie said he wasn't allowed to talk to her new friends. Watching evil_c and sleepsy_mouse playing welsh-pony tennis with him while they tried to persuade him into his stable so he could enjoy dinner without the girls stealing it was very entertaining. Curly seemed to be having a lovely time too.
( A couple of pictures - not many as the weather wasn't conducive to pictures )

It was a really nice day and a pleasure to find some other imaginary internet friends are awesome in real life as well as in imaginary internetland.

Book Review: Lucy Rees- The Maze

Lucy Rees is a familiar name to some people thanks to The Horse's Mind, which is still one of the best books on Equine Psychology more than 20 years after it was first published.

The Maze isn't about horsemanship, although horsemanship happens in it, instead it's a very traditional travel book. Lucy and her partner buy a couple of horses headed for the meat market and set out to ride across Arizona with them, giving themselves the opportunity for a unique journey and the horses the chance to work out any problems they have and start a new life at the end of their adventure.

It is a beautifully written book, bright and colourful, the journey is both physical and spiritual and it tests every traveller hard in their own ways. More than any other travel book I have read it runs deep and wide, making the path through the maze of the title ( the ancient labyrinth found carved in Crete and Cornwall and in Hopi petroglyphs in Arizona among many other places ) into it's own heart and back out again, very much an inner journey but full of the idea that the wide open skies of that landscape and the joy of travelling across them on horseback make the deep-running division between us and the world around a little thinner.

I was expecting the horses to be very well written, but I was very impressed by how beautifully and honestly everything else was described the author very quick to describe her own failings and negativity when they arise and showing the beauty in simple things and the kindness and generosity of the people they meet.

I really enjoyed reading this and I certainly recommend it to anyone, horsey or otherwise. Like the journey it describes it covers some tough ground, but it is very rewarding.

I thought it was out of print, meaning a search around for it second hand, but it looks like the very brilliant Long Riders Guild are reprinting it as part of their mission to keep equestrian travel writing alive.