I have never seen such a commitment to making a venue work. The rain running up to the Barbrook ride made the original venue too boggy to park on so they sorted another field with a track and yard, as we were driving in they were putting down hard standing to make it easier for the lorries and trailers to get in, having to individually sort through the arriving riders to make sure the non 4×4 went in the easiest parking spots. It was a mission and it was much appreciated as the ride was well worth it.
The route was wonderful, despite the rain the going was perfect bar one very short muddy section. It was an amazing mix of open moor with bouncy grass or track to canter along and technical rocky climbs through the woods. We did 30km at 11.7kph and I would have loved to stay out on course for longer.
Estrid has upped her average trot speed from 9.7kph back in January to 14kph now, it’s great to objectively see that progress. She’s starting to choose to canter more as well, though I haven’t done any proper canter training yet, I just let her canter when she wants to.
We did have a couple of dramatic moments. She spooked sideways and half fell in a ditch scrabbling around to right herself, she managed not to fall over and then carried on like nothing had happened though she did have a little heat in her knee at the end of the day and had cut the inside of her leg she was perfectly sound, phew! She also took against a couple of chestnuts, she has never been aggressive, she’s not dominant in her herd and she’s used to horses being too close behind her. But for some reason she pinned her ears back snaked her head towards them and sent a very meaningful single leg kick in their direction, not once but on three occasions. I apologised and said she’s never kicked before, though I always think someone should never be in kicking range anyway…and I’ll definitely be putting red in her tail in the future just in case.
The views were stunning, the weather was perfect and the going was great. Estrid and Fluffy still aren’t the best together and I find it slightly frustrating riding with someone else with Estrid as she’s so much better if she’s gone to a ride by herself but we still had a great day and the end of ride sausage bap and cake stand was a definite bonus.
Thank you to everyone who made the ride happen I can’t wait to be back!
Beth Endurance 