Fun day!!

A beautiful morning for an adventure and it would have to be an adventure to get us three out of bed to ride without it being a competition. We loaded 6 horses and headed for the beach for some fitness work and just the absolute bliss of riding at the beach with two of the funniest people alive. Of course on the way out we get a snapchat being all forecast is for 126km winds and honestly Castlepoint is known for its wind at the best of times though it is achingly beautiful. 

I'm trying with China to make sure riding stays fun and exciting and I want him to be really versatile. (I have a dressage show this weekend and he's showing level 1 but realistically he's only ready for level 0.5. That was where a late entry opening came up though) 

Anyway we arrive and it's like quite windy and a bit rainy and it goes to show how fun the beach is that the weather can be miserable and it's still hella fun.

More pictures!! China had a good splash in the lagoon and quickly got brave in the waves though we had a few pile ups where the waves sent the horses skittering sideways into each other. Everyone of the six horse we rode came over the road and down onto Te beach and hit the sand and got a fright at the footing change, but they were all very brave really.

Castle rock and China in the lagoon

I have wanted to jump this rock since I was a kid, it's always at the base of the Sand dune though sometimes it's huge and sometimes there's more sand and it's littler. It wasn't big though wider than it looks. China wouldn't go near it but happily took a lead over it from the older horse and then was super brave. 

He absolutely loved the galloping and my braking was about 1/10. Dreadful but once he's running he stays straight and never shies. Galloping is serious business. 

My friends horse went out quite deep and then bucked all the way back in. Hilarious. 

Some of them didn't seem to mind that it was undrinkable. Not the cleverest. My second ride pistol was also pretty brave as long as he had someone to follow. Though struggled initially thinking the foam was solid. And uncrossable. Lovely horse though. 

When we turned for home on the second lot the wind had really picked up and the tide had come up some so we got absolutely soaked as the water they splashed up blew back in our ffaces basically and if you looked up the wind would wrench your head back by your helmet brim. Pistol also couldn't quite figure the waves and staggered left and right with the water as the waves came in and out. Still so much fun and the conversation was so hilarious and mostly very lame.