Saturday, October 21, 2006

horses and harness

Jean and Rosie, driving along with Samba
I went off to Dumfriesshire for a refresher driving lesson on Tuesday. I actually managed to persuade my daughter Rosie to come with us! She makes a marvellous horse brusher, but isn't overly keen and this is probably enough 'to do with horses' to last her for a few years. Jean is very expert and shows and competes her ponys regularly.

After driving Samba part of my refresher lesson was taking his harness and fitting it to a smaller pony, Teddy, who is just the nicest wee pony. I am frowning quite seriously in this photograph, trying to dredge information from the dark recesses of my brain while Jean looks on.

I'm glad I had the lesson, I had offered to help with Smokey today, and although this is what I used to do both with my own pony and as a job it's been a few years. It was lovely to meet Smokey and his mum, we long-reined him along the road and back, he's a super horse and I hope to go and see them again soon. The folks at work were quite surprised when I said 'driving lesson' that I meant 'of horse' and not 'of car'.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

You do look rather serious. Great photos, great experience. Wonderful thing for Rosie to be exposed to. This is something I know nothing about; though we did have horses on our ranch when I was a young girl...

Kerri said...

How nice to see you in this photo Claire. I was just wondering about Rosie the other day. Really! Isn't that funny? I always remember the pic you posted of her way back when, and your comments. Reminds me of my Kathleen :)
What fun to have a day with the horses. Smokey is lovely.
I like the other picture too.
Sounds like a fun day.

clairesgarden said...

Wildside, Rosie thinks she had far too much exposure to horses when she was little, I can hardly persuade her near them now.
Kerri, Rosie rarely wants her photo taken now in case she hasn't checked her make or hair in the last five minutes. the ponies were all great.

Anonymous said...

Oh man...I am jealous.
I have been horse mad my entire life.

I learned about riding from tv shows and once a year birthday gift lessons from my dad.

My mom used to muck out stables just to be near the horses and went pony trekking around Scotland as a teen.

My daughter is horse mad too and is really comfortable in the saddle for such a tiny thing...I will have to get her lesson I think.

grannyfiddler said...

i practically spent my entire summers in the local riding stables as a young teen - to the point where the owner used to send me out as guide for groups of paying kids who came. (my weekly allowance was usually all spent on riding the Saturday it was recieved. then i just hung out the rest of the week, hoping he'd find things for me to do... he usually obliged) now, i find i'm horribly allergic to horses. life takes funny turns

bonnie said...

Oh, what fun!

I grew up riding, can't remember the first time I was put on horse. Ever notice that kayaking has some major similarities to riding? The way my Romany responds to weight shifts feels almost equine. And of course there's the balancing lightly as it moves.

Fortunately the Romany doesn't require daily riding, grooming, feeding, stall-mucking & comes out of a month of no outings as steady and even-tempered as the day I put it away.

clairesgarden said...

Crunchy Carpets, I think the younger you can get a child on a horse the more confident they will be, it doesn't really follow though that they will like it, Rosie decided she really wasn't 'horsey' by the age of 8.
Grannyfiddler, I was the same, and then went on to work with them full time till I was 34. sorry you have become allergic, I have a friend who became that way with cats.
Bonnie, 'doesn't require daily riding etc', well exactly, re-the child went off ponies at eight, so the toss up between a horse box and a kayak fell right on the kayak side. my big plan was for her to grow out of all those ponies and then I would have them for driving.

Dan said...

It was great to meet you on Saturday, and very kind of you to help out with Smokey.

Rosemary & Dan

clairesgarden said...

Dan and Rosemary, it was a pleasure to meet you both and all the entourage. I am delighted to have been of any use!