A busy weekend

Its funny how even going into winter I'm flat out with the horses. It's good though. I'm losing all my farming muscles very quickly so I need to keep some riding muscles or I'll be a limp stick. And a fat one haha! Working next to a supermarket is not good for my waistline. Anyway, I digress.

I hunted on Saturday with Eastern Bay of Plenty hunt on my Aunties horse Blue. Thats the big strong clydie cross I had trouble holding at opening. Changed him out of the mullen mouthed pelham to a Dr bristol snaffle and he was actually easier to hold. Though Bridie was riding a pretty green horse so we didn't do to much. It was more of a long trek really.

We did spend 45 mins guarding the boundary to a property where the owner will shoot the hounds and has previously threatened them with knifes and the like. He even called the master a toffee nosed bastard. The idea was if the hounds came over the hill, we would try and turn the hare back onto the allowed property, or stand on the line of the hare and try and stop the hounds. I was freaking out when they appeared on the top of the hill but luckily they went down into another gully.

On the Sunday there was a tiny local jumping show. A bunch of us piled into my Aunties truck and rolled up with 4 green horses and Blue the hunter. I had Bill in the 70 and 80cm classes. I haven't been able to jump a course since Langdale sports because of the way everything has sort of played out. She warmed up beautifully, though very overjumpy. Into the ring and she got very very spooky and wouldn't go forward and when I showed her the wall she reared up and twisted and I fell off. I hadn't even jumped anything. Anyway, I got back on and she trotted around really nicely. Jumped very big and was very spooky about the pavilon where all the people were but trotted straight over the wall she was scared of. The fence that gave as the most trouble was one painted like a candy cane. She didn't like that at all.

I then did the jump off and cantered a few more fences and in the 80cm course I cantered most of the jumps except for the wall, the candy cane and the double and she was super. Man she is quite powerful in the air eh. Then I did the 90cm on Blue and was third. He was so dull and like a draft horse to warm up but once he got into the ring, he got his strut on and was quite strong. Shit he was fun though. I was cracking up the whole way around. Next event I do I promise photos. Look out Bill, there is a lot more jumping in your future.