Stable Horses

I did very little with the horses last week - just one gentle arena session each.  The LSH and I planned a long hack on Saturday, but we reduced our initial plan from "a three hour hack" to "a picnic hack" (of undefined length).

The weather has cooled down quite a bit since last week, but both horses were still relaxed and content as we groomed and tacked up, so it's not the warm weather last week that had them so chilled out.

We went a route that I've done part of with Flurry but Aero has never seen before.  Guess who led?  Yup, Aero!  He was alert and interested in everything, but relaxed and happy the whole time, striding out on the buckle end of the rein.  Flurry and the LSH followed along behind us, with Flurry (who is barefoot behind and booted in front) taking the odd detour to avoid particularly rocky stretches.  He has become quite clever about picking out an easy path on rocky ground - to some it might seem like meandering, but if you watch what he is doing, he is avoiding rough, stony ground as much as possible.
Through Reillanne forest at EveryTrail
At the first scenic spot we passed, Flurry very purposefully left the track and strode over to the top of the ridge to admire the view.  The LSH is becoming used to his little quirks (Flurry loves to stop and admire the view), and allowed him to do what he wanted, so Aero and I turned back and joined them at the edge of the cliff.  The valley stretched out below us, with the Luberon in the distance to the left, the village of Viens and the Mont de Vaucluse straight in front, with Mont Ventoux just peeping over its shoulder on the right.  Aero stood beside Flurry as they both stared into the distance, then he turned his head around and nudged my left foot.  I scratched his neck, rubbed his ears and pointed at Ventoux - "See that, Aero?  One day we're going to do that!"  We all looked at the view for another moment or two, then we turned and made our way back to the track.

"So can you ride all the way to the top of Ventoux?" the LSH asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied "But it's definitely a walking route.  It'd be rough going near the top but probably doable..."

We carried on to the next viewing point at Reclapous, where once again, both horses (and their riders) stopped and drank in the view.  There was a heavily mustachioed Frenchman there, standing beside a QatQat (my spelling, not correct, but it means a 4X4 vehicle!) twiddling with the dials on a piece of electrical equipment which had a big aerial.  He looked up and greeted us cheerfully.

"Bonjour Monsieur, vous chassez un chien?" I replied with a grin (you're hunting a dog?)

"Mais oui," he responded ruefully.

Gosh I wish I had one of those tracking things for Cookie, I thought, but my language skills definitely don't extend far enough to get the ironic nuances across, nor could I engage in a conversation about our naughty wannabe cat/chicken/rabbit/mole murderess.

We looked at the view for a few minutes and then continued down the hill along a path towards the car park.  This was familiar territory for me, I've walked here with the dogs loads of times, and I knew that the easiest route for the horses was to leave the roadway and follow a path through the woods.  Flurry took the lead for a while, marching along determinedly, weaving through the trees as he followed the path.  The LSH is really starting to trust him, he just sat there, ducking branches as necessary, and letting Flurry find his way.

"He's great to follow the path," he said.

I just smiled... that's Flurry!  Drop the reins and he'll pick his way along whatever route you point him at!

Aero, meanwhile, was quite content to follow behind Flurry's fuzzy dun bottom.  Again, I felt he was alert and interested in all that was going on around him, but there was no tension whatsoever in his body.  I sat and enjoyed the ride, and found myself with an idiotic grin on my face as we marched along - the same face-splitting grin I wore on most of Le Big Trek!

We passed two dirt-bikes between Reclapous and the car-park.  The first one had plenty of space and motored past us cautiously, but we met the second on a narrow stretch.  He stopped and turned his engine off.  When I thanked him, he replied "C'est normal" - if only all other trail users were so polite!

Eventually we came to a spot we deemed suitable for our picnic and dismounted.  I removed Aero's bit and allowed him to graze.  Unlike the time I went to the river with MC, when he never really settled during our picnic, he put his head down and cropped the grass with single-minded determination, apart from an initial half-hearted attempt to share my ham and cheese baguette.

Flurry was being a bit of a pain, he wanted to eat the LSH's baguette, drink his water, try the packet of cashew nuts... anything except eat grass, basically.

We remounted and made our way home.  Both horses were calm, settled, contented - I think "stable" is the word I'm looking for!

This is all I have wanted for Aero, that he would be relaxed and confident in his new environment and enjoying his new rôle.  I feel that he has really and truly turned a corner.  Suddenly anything is possible.

The maps are out...

New Improved Aero?

Why do I always end up with the filthy horse?  Usually it's Flurry who has plastered himself in muck, but today it was Aero.

He even made sure he got it all over his face, too.

Not only did I have the dirtiest horse, but I also had to fit twice as many hoofboots as the LSH... moan... grumble... but eventually I was ready and we set off, walking through the lavender field across the road from the farm.  Our plan was to do this loop :

heading towards Reillanne following a footpath and then coming back up through the woods and fields - about 5.5km.

Aero's happy ears in front!

The New, Improved, Aero led almost the whole way.  Apart from one "SQUIRREL!!" moment early on (I think it really was a squirrel, it was light brown and had a long bushy tail) he was foot-perfect.  He was interested and looking around, but the underlying tension I'd been feeling in his body in October and November is gone.  Has he settled in?  Recovered from the trauma of the long journey?  Decided that he likes being a trekking horse?  Was his back sore and the osteopath fixed it?  Did he need a break?  Or is he just feeling ultra-mellow because of the warm weather?  Time will tell... but for now, I'm enjoying it!

Flurry settled into riding-school "follower" mode behind Aero, so the LSH got lots of photos of Aero's bum.

Believe me, there's loads more but they get a bit boring!  

Then the LSH wanted us to turn around and face him for a posed one, which is harder than it might seem... Aero trots away from Flurry.  Flurry speeds up.  The LSH slows him down.  Flurry shakes his head and snatches at the bit.  The LSH nearly drops his camera.  I stop Aero and turn him around.  He poses beautifully for precisely one second and then decides that he wants to rejoin Flurry.  I correct him.  He pokes his head out, makes faces and fidgets.  Meanwhile, Flurry continues to try to creep forward, ruining the LSH's focus.  Eventually we both say "Ah fekkit, that'll do."  

Yes, it's a little out of focus.  Blame Flurry.

This was the same route that I covered in Show me the Way to go Home and I was still a little uncertain about the start of the second half of the trail.  There are acres and acres of featureless oak woods, criss-crossed with tracks and trails of various sizes, many of which just peter out, and all of which look similar.

The scrub oak woods

We put Flurry in front to find our trail, and despite the fact that we both know he's good at finding his way, I have to confess that, once again, we doubted him, saying that "worst case, we make our way to the road and follow it home."  Eventually I recognised the place where the track Flurry was following veered off to the right and Flurry most emphatically veered off to the left.  We are now calling him "our little homing pigeon."  

No, LSH, not that way!

We passed close by some hunters at one stage, we heard gunshots from some distance away and then saw a large black dog at the far end of a field, and then further on we could hear a clochette ringing nearby - hunters put bells on their dogs so that they can track them.  We talked extra-loudly, just to be sure they wouldn't think we were deer.

When we got to the top of the last ascent near the farm, we dismounted and let the horses graze.  We also removed their bits - it's easy to do with the Micklem bridle, and it's something I want to get into the habit of doing when they are given permission to graze.  I got lazy and sat on a log, and Aero was checking me out for carrots rather than grazing at first, but he got the idea eventually!

Carrots??

After about ten minutes, we carried on home.

I spent some quality time with Flurry, brushing the sweat patches off his face,

Aww, no mum, not behind my ears!

**smooch** well alright so...

but only if you brush my 'tache as well!

Afterwards, we visited our local hostelry and enjoyed a couple of these in the sun!

2013 is looking pretty good so far.

Show me the way to go Home!

MC and I had another long trek planned for Saturday.  Originally, all three of us were going to go - the LSH on Flurry, me on Aero and MC on Quieto - but when we thought about it, we realised it mightn't be the best thing for Aero.  I haven't been able to work him as prescribed by the Osteopath due to three days of torrential rain this week (it was just like home!) and a three hour (or more) trek would have been unfair on him.  The LSH was more than happy to go off to Apt market and play with his camera, while I went up to the farm early and first of all rode Aero and then started scraping the muck off Flurry.

My lovely horse - ahem

About an hour later, I wiped the dust off my face and decided that Flurry would have to do - he was superficially clean, but there was still a lot of dried mud in his feathers and his mane.  MC was ready and waiting patiently, but in fairness, she started off with a much cleaner horse!

The plan was to do a large loop on the north side of the ridge, which would bring us close to Reillanne, and then return along the crest of the ridge.  I know part of the route, having walked it with the dogs several times, and I was looking forward to a very enjoyable ride with plenty of spectacular views.  Unfortunately, about twenty minutes into the ride, MC stopped and apologised - she's about to go for a hip operation and was in a lot of pain, despite having tanked up on pain-killers before leaving home.  We decided to cut the ride short by just riding along the crest to Reillanne and then we would split up - she would go home and I would return to the farm via the woods.

Flurry was incredibly lazy and slow - not at all like a horse that hadn't been ridden all week!  He was bootless behind and was finding the stony track tough going, so I was happy enough to do a shorter ride than planned, as I was a little bit worried about his feet.  I am just going to have to put the Renegades back on him for a while and hope they don't come apart again.

There were fantastic views to the right hand side of us all the way along the ridge, but I was too busy worrying about Flurry's feet to really relax and enjoy them.  I let him pick his own way and he opted to walk along the grassy bits at the side of the track as much as possible, which meant I had to duck under a lot of branches!  Still, if it made him feel better...

We stopped for our picnic at the Reillanne end of the ridge.  The sky was clear, there was no wind and the sun was shining enough to make it feel warmer than 7C.  Both horses settled immediately and were happy to snack on the grass, although they both tried to snack on my baguette, too.  I like this whole picnic idea!  Other than when Anne and I were doing Le Big Trek, it's not something I've done before, but it's so easy to organise - throw a bottle of water, a piece of fruit and a sandwich into the saddlebags - and it sure is pleasant.

Flurry enjoying the picnic

Food break over, we remounted and continued.  Before long, we were saying goodbye in Reillanne and tentatively making plans for Sunday - MC is one of those people who needs horses like the rest of humanity needs air and she really wants to get one more ride in before she goes into hospital.

Flurry was slightly anxious and rushing when we parted company, but within minutes we had the challenge of a very large, very angry dog behind a fence.  The dog was less of an issue than its shouting, screaming owner, but after a couple of hurried trot steps, I could actually feel Flurry "get a grip on himself" and relax again - you'd really wonder what goes through their heads, sometimes.  We soon left the noisy dog and owner behind and made our way into the woods.

The Blue spot is where Flurry
stopped and thought a bit

I let Flurry choose the way home - there were two possible routes, and he chose the shorter one, which we've only done once before, in the other direction.  He confidently made his way along the track through the cork oak until we got to a point where the track was clearly going in the wrong direction.  He paused and thought for a moment, and then headed off to the left, meandering through the trees.

"You're wrong" I told him, and thought about correcting him, then I thought, what the heck, we're going in roughly the right direction and we can always retrace our steps.

I shouldn't have doubted him, even for a moment.  After a couple of minutes, we came out into a lavender field, where I could still see traces of the tracks MC and I had left last week.  After that, I just left the reins hanging for the rest of the ride!  He stopped and had a nibble on some grass a couple of times, but continued amiably when I asked him and unerringly made his way home, stopping for a drink at the stream just before our last bit of climbing.

Making our way through the woods

We finished our trek jumping a ditch into one of the Farm's fields - yes, me, voluntarily jumping!  He did a typically conservative jump (sensible boy) and then I dismounted and let him have a pick of grass, before untacking and brushing him down.

A very relaxed, happy ride, despite his initial laziness.  I think the route home suited him better, too, because it was less stoney - and I'm sure he knew it was shorter, too!

Walking the last bit home

My Superstar Trekker!

On Tuesday, I had a very nice and completely uneventful trek with Flurry.  I rode down to Reillanne, met up with MC, Quieto and Doug the Dog and we rode back to the Farm via a different route.  Oh, wait, I saw my first sanglier(wild boar) - that was an event!  Doug chased it through the woods beside us.  All I saw was a large, dark creature running ahead of Doug - Flurry was mildly curious but not particularly alarmed and we continued on our merry way.

MC suggested a picnic trek for Wednesday - about one and a half hours each way plus picnic time at a nearby river.  I thought for a while... would I bring Flurry and have a nice, relaxed ride, or bring Aero and face the unknown?  

Flurry had done a good three hours on Tuesday on top of three hours on Sunday, I felt he deserved an easy day after that, and Aero had had Tuesday off and really needs to be exposed to as much trekking as possible, so the decision was pretty straightforward - Aero it was.

We both arrived at the farm at about ten, tacked up and set off, leading the horses, as is now the norm.  After a short distance, we mounted and continued.  Guess who led the way?

Happy Ears, leading the way!

Apologies for the blurry photo, but I had to share the "Aero's Happy Ears" picture!  He was calm, attentive, not at all jumpy, and what is most important to me, he was happy, striding out confidently and enjoying the scenery.  He led the way until we turned off the trail he knew and headed into unknown territory.  After that, he wasn't balky or spooky, but he was a little more tense, so Quieto took over the lead and he followed along easily.

After a very pleasant trek through the ubiquitous oakwoods, we finally arrived at the  river Largue, let the horses have a paddle and then settled down to eat our picnic.

The river Largue

MC tied Quieto up, but I wasn't confident enough in Aero to tie him up - I held him the whole time. 

MC, Doug and Quieto

He didn't really "get" the whole picnic idea, and never settled to graze contentedly like Flurry would have - he was constantly on the move, circling around me at the end of the lead rope, picking at the grass for a moment or two and then wandering off again in a new circle.

Ok, I'll graze for five seconds before I wander again...

I gave him the pieces of chopped carrot I'd brought him, but he still wanted my water, my sandwich, my cereal bar... I kept telling him that his picnic food was all around but he didn't really believe me!

When the time came to tack up again for the return journey, I tied him up to a tree so I would have both hands free.  He stood absolutely fine as I went to and fro picking up his gear - next time I will tie him up but stay nearby while I eat.

We came home via a different route, and this was where it got interesting.  The first issue was three baying hounds as we rode through a farmyard - Aero looked, but, actually, the hounds were no problem.

Then we met a tractor, carrying a load of wood down from the forest on the narrow pathway.  Again, no problem, we ducked into the trees and avoided it.

The path got fainter and fainter, until it became clear that we were following a sheep trail through the forest.  Ok, MC had gone slightly off course, but we could see the proper trail beneath us.  We were on a steep hillside, covered in stunted oak trees, far too low for us to duck under on horse-back, so dismounting and leading the horses back down to the trail was the obvious thing to do.  MC went first, with a slightly heart stopping moment as Quieto half-slid, half-fell down the slope behind her.  Aero and I descended by a different route - we had the advantage of MC being able to spot an easier way down for us!  A slight scramble/slide/jump later, with Aero popping down neatly slightly behind/beside me, and we were back on the trail again... or were we?

The trail once again became fainter and fainter, and eventually gave way completely at a point where there had been a bit of a landslide.  MC thought she could see the trail above us, so we headed back into the oak-woods, this time scrambling UP the steep slope. Up and up, eventually we faced into an almost vertical ascent, where Quieto had a major slip and ended up scrambling up the ascent with difficulty.  I went left of where he had his slip, and tackled the ascent, praying that Aero wouldn't launch himself after me and knock me over.  I needn't have worried, he completely understood what he had to do, I climbed slightly above him, got onto a level-ish bit, clucked at him and he popped up beside me, and then continued to climb while I hung onto the lead-rope that was still tied around his neck.  What a little star!

We had to have a brief stop because Quieto had pulled off both hind boots, leaving one behind where he had had his bad slip.  MC held both horses, who stood like angels while I went back and fortunately found the boot very quickly.

We consulted "maps" on my iPhone, which gave MC a good idea of where we were, so we continued upwards and upwards towards where the trail should be.  It was less steep, but still very over grown - both saddles were being scraped by low branches nearly every step of the way.  Aero at this stage was walking behind me, it was way too narrow for him to walk alongside, but he really seems to be getting the idea and wasn't treading on my heels at all.

Eventually, huffing and puffing (the two mature ladies, not the horses!) we reached the trail and remounted.  We had one final bit of excitement, though.  As we went through the grounds of Le Couvent de Notre Dame (we shouldn't have been there, shhh!) two sheep ran across in front of us.  The temptation was too much for Doug, and he gave chase enthusiastically.  Aero wasn't bothered, either by the appearance of the sheep or the dog chasing them, but unfortunately Doug didn't reappear, despite calls of "Au pied!" from MC.  We had to turn back and tiptoe past the priest's house once again, hoping that Doug wasn't tucking into fresh, juicy sheep as we went.

He reappeared, looking slightly guilty but fortunately not blood-stained, and we all carried on towards home.

Guess who led on and off for the rest of the way home?  Yes, my formerly anxious and unsettled little ex-dressage horse!  Himself and Quieto took it in turn, sometimes walking alongside each other, sometimes Aero in front, sometimes Quieto.  Yeah, Aero rushed a little from time to time, but not in a worried sort of way, more in a "I know we're heading home and I'm hungry and Flurry's all on his own" sort of way.

Superstar Aero!

I could not be happier with this little horse!  This is the sensible, reliable Aero who has lived with us for twelve years, and today he proved himself sure-footed and intelligent as well.  He is finally settling into his new rôle and learning that it's FUN!

This trek would have been a disaster if we had attempted it two weeks ago, I'm pretty sure he would have freaked out climbing through the thick woodlands, but he has now de-stressed to the extent that he can analyse what's going on, figure out how to handle it and learn from his experiences.

Happy me and happy Aero!

'Twas a Grand Weekend - Part 2

Saturday was a rough night.  We had friends staying overnight - they weren't the problem!  We had a lovely evening, sitting by the fire and chatting, while sampling my pickled garlic - no, the pickled garlic wasn't the problem!  Then we went out to the Carluc restaurant in Céreste and had a lovely meal - but, no, indigestion was not the problem, either!

No, the problem was that our neighbours were having a party.  Now, they had very cleverly invited us and apologised for the noise in advance, but at 2am, I was thinking that I'd definitely have gone around to ask that the music be turned down if I was at home in Cork, and I quite possibly would have called the Gardai when the thumping rhythms were still pounding through the walls at 3.30am.  I had ear-plugs in, and I did sleep on and off, but it was not a restful night, and I was worrying about our friends, who had driven from Belgium on Saturday - an eleven hour road-trip - and were facing another eleven hours as they continued on their way to Spain on Sunday.

I needn't have worried, they said that they slept fine.  I hope they weren't just being polite, but I do think that their room was better insulated from the noise than ours.

Quieto waiting for "Mum"

Undaunted, we headed up to the horses shortly after nine.  They're horsey folk, too, I got to know them through Dressage Ireland, and they were keen to see our set-up here in Provence.  They Ooh'd and Aah'd over the incredible view from the arena, they liked the herd-living aspect of the Farm, they especially liked the sturdy field-shelters in every paddock, but most of all they were blown away by the beautiful, green, crisp, sweet-smelling hay!  There's none of the mouldy, dusty crap we get in Ireland here!

We said our goodbyes (and thanks for the Barry's Tea, guys!) and started to get ready.  The horses were reasonably clean, so grooming and tacking up went quickly, with the LSH paying particular attention to Flurry's Renegades, making sure they were good and tight.

We set off, leading the horses once again, and headed into the woods on the other side of the road from the Farm.  This time, there were two dogs coming with us - Doug and Chips, who is a wiry, energetic spaniel type.  We mounted after a few minutes, but, literally within seconds, Flurry had broken his boot again - both he and Aero spooked at the dogs, and I guess he trod on it and pulled it off, with the cables once again being pulled out of their tracks.  

We decided to try him without his hind boots, and agreed that if he was uncomfortable, the LSH and I would head back home.  So the LSH took off the other hind boot and tied both boots onto his saddle, remounted and we carried on.  After about twenty minutes of following a track through the woods, we joined a marked walking trail which leads all the way down to Reillanne.

Aero was very good - mostly!  He spooked at the dogs a couple of times, particularly Chips, she is smaller and more active than Doug, and would suddenly shoot out from behind trees or bushes, intent on her hunting games, but frightening the living daylights out of Aero in the process.

I noticed that the times when he relaxed and settled the most were the times when we were riding along roads or particularly wide tracks.  Going through the thick woods or the scrubland we crossed, he gets more nervous and jumpy.  This makes perfect sense - to date, any hacking he has done has been has been on country roads and through stubble fields.  In his eventing days, open fields and moors would have meant a cross-country gallop with his blood up, but he has never come across this kind of heavily wooded, rocky terrain before - it's all really new to him and he's trying to figure out what he's meant to do here.  I've noticed him eyeing up heaps of stacked logs in the forest - perhaps he's wondering if they are cross-country jumps?

I did my level best to just sit in a relaxed manner all the time and keep the reins loose, but occasionally, I would have to pick them up and tell him to slow down, as he attempted to power-walk down steep slopes, or if his tension escalated into trotting sideways behind Quieto - not fun on a narrow, tree-lined trail, but to be fair, he wasn't bad at all!

We got off and led them once, because we had to pass along a section of broken trail with a drop to one side and low trees overhead - the sort of situation where you're definitely better off on the ground.

The couple of times we trotted, Aero was still rushing and I felt terribly uncomfortable on him.  I ended up going into the forward seat, which felt a little better, but goodness me, I felt insecure doing it in a dressage saddle!

It really was a lovely trek, as you can see from the photos.  I had forgotten my camera (but I remembered the boot repair kit!) so the LSH snapped away with his iPhone as we went along.  Of course he was on super-safe Flurry, so he had no worries about his horse spooking or getting silly and making him drop it!

After about an hour and a half, we arrived at MC's house.  We offered the horses water, which they declined, MC offered us Diet Coke, which we accepted, we chatted a while and then we turned around and headed back the way we came.

Aero was better on the way home.  Chips came back with us, and although he spooked at her once or twice, I think he's getting used to our canine companions.  He came close to a meltdown at one point, though.  As we approached the point where we would have to lead the horses over the broken trail, we had to pass through a narrow, trappy thicket of trees.  The LSH said he thought maybe we should dismount, but had a go at it anyway, but part of the way in, he said, no, we definitely need to be on foot for this.  I stopped Aero before he went into the thicket, but he wanted to follow his dun friend no matter what and wasn't impressed at being stopped.  Flurry then went out of view, and he started to get really upset, spinning and dancing on the spot - so much so that I couldn't dismount.  Come back, I yelled, I'm in trouble, and a couple of seconds later the LSH appeared leading Flurry - they had gone a little deeper into the thicket where there was enough space to dismount, and then turned back to us.

Aero calmed down enough for me to get off, but he was still quite tense, and was inclined to rush and step on my heels as we walked along.  Eventually, I got cross with him and gave him a sharp tug on the reins and a slap across his chest.  You know what?  It worked.  He behaved much better, and in fact once we remounted and finished the trek, he was calm, attentive and walking along at the buckle end of the reins, even as we approached the Farm!

Definite Progress!

Trek to Reillanne at EveryTrail

I only "tracked" the trip on the outward journey, which measured 6.3km, giving us a total of 12.6.  It says it took two hours to cover the 6.3km, but I think we were only riding for three hours all told... not too sure about that.

Equipment assessment : 

Flurry's left hind boot (Renegade) came off with cables pulled loose once again.  I am taking it home to disassemble, clean and reassemble

Flurry managed fine without his hind boots, although there were a handful of "ouch" moments when a rock pinched him somehow

Cavallo Sport boots were excellent, although Flurry's heels were "shiny" afterwards, they did not seem to be painful

Aero's Renegades once again were fine, although he does seem to feel some of the sharper stones through them, on his front feet.

Aero's numnah slipped badly once again.  I will definitely have to use an alternative when trekking

I need a new saddle (Did you hear that, Santa?)

'Twas a Grand Weekend - Part 1

The first "serious" trek was planned for Saturday - MC wanted to take us on a route which was about two and a half hours long.  We were aiming to be mounted and ready to leave at about 10am, so the LSH and I headed up to the Farm a little after nine.  MC was there ahead of us, but hadn't caught Pietro yet.  A big revelation was that it turns out he's not called Pietro, he's called Quieto, which is very appropriate, given his even temperament!

The three of us caught our horses and settled down to groom, tack up and boot up.  MC was laughing at the fact that this is the first time she's ever gone out with two other boot users - no-one has to feel guilty for slowing everyone else up while fitting boots.  Hmm, I'm not sure how she felt as events unfolded...

Flurry was wearing his saddlebags again, for the first time since we finished Le Big Trek.  Today, they contained only water, but I had intended to bring along the Renegade Emergency Repair kit, containing the tiny allan key for adjusting boots, a spare cable and a spare strap, and a mini First-Aid kit, both of which I forgot.  Oops.

We headed off, leading the horses.  This is something I've noticed Serious French Trekkers do, and it's probably a good idea - I assume it's to allow the horse's back to warm up before we plonk our weight upon them.  Is this just a French thing or does everyone do it?

We agreed to mount up about five minutes out, and I was first in the saddle.  Aero was very calm and relaxed, and stood like a little gent beside a rock while I hauled myself up.  As I turned to follow the LSH and MC, who were aiming for a rock further down the lane, MC spotted that Flurry had pulled off a boot, so I quickly jumped off again and held Flurry while the LSH investigated.

It was more serious than it appeared - both cables had been pulled out completely.  At this point, I was deeply regretting not remembering the Renegade Emergency Repair kit, but lo and behold, MC pulled a teeny allen key out of her saddlebags, and herself and the LSH started repairs while I held Aero and Flurry.

Attempted Boot repair, with Doug the Dog looking on

All was going well until they dropped the allen key and failed to find it in the grass.

Enough was enough, the LSH said "This is crazy, go on without me" and we agreed, it seemed the only solution, we had already been delayed a good ten minutes by the broken boot.

My heart beat a little faster though - Aero would surely get a bit wound up once Flurry left, was I setting myself up for a disastrous ride?  What if we put Aero's front boots on Flurry's hind feet, then I could relax and enjoy myself on Flurry!

Great idea, but no go - after another bit of boot juggling, we determined that Flurry has definitely outgrown the size 2W boots.

Ok, I said, trying hard to be positive, I'll go with Aero, he really needs the trekking experience anyway.  I'll be cautious and stay on foot for the first while, in case he's silly about Flurry leaving.

MC took photos

Well, he could have cared less about Flurry leaving.  There was no drama, no calling, just a little generic anxiety from time to time.  Eventually, we mounted and carried on, Quieto striding along calmly in front, Aero walking behind, a little tense and anxious at first, but he soon settled, and settled really well, too.

He was excellent - I was really pleased with him.  The scariest thing we met while we were in the woods was a hunting dog with a loud bell hanging from its collar - both horses were slightly alarmed, until they saw that it was just a dog.
We had a slight climb at first, then went along the top of the ridge for a while, and then had a long, steep, tricky descent, for which we dismounted.  Poor Aero has been taught for the last twelve years that he should follow "BHS style," walking shoulder to shoulder with his leader.  He is struggling to learn how to follow like a trekker  - walking behind, but not too close, because in many places it just wasn't wide enough for him to be alongside me.  He was reasonably careful not to trample me as we went through particularly steep and slippery places, but apart from that I felt I had to keep nagging him to slow down and stay behind me.  He'll learn...

We remounted after the steep descent and rode along the valley floor, somewhere near Aubenas, I think.

MC and Quieto through Aero's ears

We trotted a couple of times, and although he was power-trotting, I didn't feel out of control.  I did, however, feel incredibly uncomfortable and unbalanced in his saddle.  I think there will have to be a new saddle on the horizon, but that won't be until January at the very earliest.

We tried Aero in front for a while, but he but got progressively more nervous and jumpy, so we came to the conclusion that his little brain was not yet ready for the responsibility of leading, so Quieto took up the lead again.

Numnah readjustment after the rolling incident

We gave the horses a short break just before we tackled the last ascent.  I'm pretty sure Aero knew he was near home, because he was reluctant to settle and graze, but I was surprised and horrified when he sank to his knees and started rolling - I was looking at his Isabelle Werth saddle and thinking, don't go over on it, you idiot!  It may be incredibly uncomfortable, but it's still the most expensive saddle I have ever bought and I'm planning on trading it in!  Thankfully I got him back on his feet before he tried to turn himself over - Phew!

We remounted and set off up the rocky trail, which led to the woods and the fields just at the back of the Farm.  Both horses knew they were near home, and both were rushing, but again, I didn't feel out of control.  However, once we got to the top of the hill and turned onto the trail home, Aero got silly.  All of a sudden, Doug the Dog, who had been just another companion up to now, became the Vampire Attack Dog Who Lurks in the Woods.  I had a short spell of spooking and cantering sideways, which wasn't very nice, but we got ourselves sorted out and carried on.

Quieto trying to get into the picture

Coming through the woods back into the Farm, though, he got silly again.  After sitting another spook and sideways cantering spell, I decided to dismount once he had settled and lead him the last bit.  He was still quite jumpy, but we made it back in one piece.  Although I didn't come close to falling off either time he spooked, I did lose my balance a wee bit, that Isabelle Werth saddle was definitely not designed for trekking!  A nasty horse would have sent me flying as soon he felt my lack of balance, but thankfully, Aero didn't, he just carried on going sideways/rushing after Quieto.

I'm putting this bit of silliness down to a form of nappiness.  He's still very insecure in his new rôle as Trekking Horse in France for the Elderly, but the Farm is now a place of security to him, which is why he's rushing to get back there every time.  I know this will improve, as we never had this issue with him before, it's just a matter of him becoming familiar with all these new things I'm asking him to do.

A grand ballade at EveryTrail


All in all, a great ride, 8.4km in two hours (not counting the faffing around with boots time).  On Sunday, the plan is for the three of us to ride down to Reillanne with MC, then the LSH and I will make our way back to the farm on our own.

No Problem.

But I'd better bring the Renegade Emergency Repair Kit, this time.

Equipment assessment : 
Flurry's left hind boot (Renegade) came off with cables pulled loose.
Cavallo Sport boots were not on long enough to make any judgement about them.
Aero's Renegades stayed on and did not rub for the whole trip - this is by far the longest ride he has done with them.
Aero's breast-plate is essential, I could actually see it holding the saddle in place any time we were climbing, we should probably use one on Flurry, too.
Aero's numnah slipped right back twice and had to be reseated.  I may have to swap it for one with loops when trekking.
I've stopped using the YD's old GPA helmet, because every time I duck under a branch it "falls off" until the chin-strap stops it.  This was my first day riding with the YD's Champion Skull Cap, and it sits much more securely on my head.  When I think about it, the GPA is about ten years old and the padding is well packed down with years of sweat and grime - ick.  Definitely time to retire it.

Remember to pack emergency kits into the saddlebags in future.

(Thanks to MC for the photos!)