The sound of cogs and spindles

This evening in the low sunlight, Mare and I rode in the hay fields again, ideal for giving us more space now they have been cut. The gate to the hillside field was open so we went through, the angle of the sun giving us daliesque long-legged shadows, Iris legs stretching down the slope jumping pond at the bottom of the hill to join our shadow on the opposite hillside. When we had made a little circuit we went back into the larger flat field that will be the winter grazing. We were working on straightness and moving forward when I noticed a swallow skimming just above the grass and adjusted our course to intercept.

For a couple of minutes we trotted around the field trying to catch the swallow as it swooped and circled just above the ground. Having a clear object helped me to offer her a really clear direction and focus and although we didn't really catch the swallow - it will be a while before we can achieve that - we did have a few moments when it skimmed alongside us at a similar speed before darting away and I remembered that riding a smooth horse over smooth ground might be the closest thing to flying I have ever known. Close enough, I think, close enough.

Also, in the hottest part of the hottest day in the last five summers I found a shady walk to take little Cash on and he let me take his picture in the green forest:

This weekend I had herecirm down to visit and it was one of the nicest weekends we have spent together. I made pie, which was delicious, Sari came along to band practice ( Stu wanted to do it at the weekend ) and didn't get too bored, we watched Scott Pilgrim which had some entertaining moments and we took Cash out for a couple of rides.
( Illustrated Version ( in which Cash goes out on the trail and I take pictures ) )

On the whole it was a pretty excellent weekend and I didn't want to be saying goodbye to herecirm at the end of it. Hopefully by the next time she comes down, I might have a job - but then I've been hoping that for a while. What feels like the most interesting interview I've had yet is lined up for Tuesday...

After great searching and endeavours, I have finally got Cash a proper saddle. He's been working in my old Dartmoor Treefree for a long time but that has pretty much collapsed now, so it's not really offering much more protection from my weight than a regular bareback pad, which has slightly restricted how much work I'm willing to ask him to do.

The other weekend, after a long drive up to Lincolnshire with helpful Sari along to navigate, I found this:

Not my usual style of saddle, but it's well made by a very good maker and it's a good fit for Cash.


Also very comfy for me- it is probably a touch on the small side, but Cash has a pretty short back so it's a question of finding something that is small enough for him and big enough for me, I think this is pretty much on that sweet spot.


He goes beautifully in it - much better, I think, than his old saddle.

Onward!

This weekend has been mostly around the ponies. I ramble on about those guys enough, but you might like the ( Illustrated Version )

A bit of video of my session with Cash on Sunday:

I hate to see myself ride on video- I always see stuff I could be doing so much better. That's why it's worth doing, though, I guess.

We had our excellent chiro out on Tuesday and she picked up a few things that needed sorting. He certainly looks like he's moving more nicely now- his back is straighter and his back end isn't quite so tucked under - but I think he might have bruised a sole when we were trotting him up because he seems a bit ouchy on his feet today, which got him out of work. He has some boots on order, but helpful eBay gave the delivery guys the wrong postcode so I need to talk to the couriers tomorrow and sort them out with the correct address. Hopefully it's just a bit of footiness ( what it looks like ) because he needs to be sound for the clinic next weekend so he can be friends with penella22 during her adventure here...

Now that Cash is settled and starting to feel sounder on his feet, it seemed like a good time to get him thinking about working again. After some nice groundwork the last couple of days I thought it might be good to get on him today.

It still took a while to get him ready to wear the saddle - with him you can't take anything as totally read, so it's safer to do some work with a rope around his barrel than to have him get anxious when you girth up and risk tangling in the saddle. We did most of our groundwork with the saddle so that he would be accustomed to it. Also because the girth had to go up a whole lot once he had breathed a bit.

( Illustrated Version )

I own a horse.

That hasn't happened before ( both Zorro and Othello who I had before have been on loan ) so it's quite exciting. Today Cash came to stay with us...
( Consequently there are pictures of uneventfulness. )