Extreme hacking

Our hack went very well yesterday and we were out for longer than we expected. Not sure why, but time just ran away with us. Sammie gave me no real reason for concern - he was a little jumpy on the way out but soon settled down and started racing his ginger girlfriend towards the end (much to her great annoyance!)

I just let him go at his own pace in walk, trot and canter. Hardly any rein control at all - just letting him stretch out and run! He really did run at one stage but I didn't feel unsafe at all. If we came across some hard stony bits we just went off piste through the heather (watching out for rabbit holes along the way) - I'm not sure if we need to do this, but best to be cautious I reckon.

He was pretty tired and very sweaty by the time we got back but soon perked up after his shower when he knew supper was on its way. We have two new horses at the yard and their human is very keen to get out hacking, so we might have another partner there. One of the newbies is a youngster (4 years old) - part Welsh, part Warmblood and part something else - quite a dolly mixture but a real honey.

I went down to the yard later in the hope that it might have cooled off a bit, but no chance there. So I took Sammie to the pond field for a spot of long lining.

He went off in his 'hot to trot' mode - I wasn't pushing him at all, he just decided that's what he wanted to do. I thought he'd be a bit tired after yesterday but obviously not. I keep half expecting that time to come when he just doesn't want to go into trot (that's how I'll know something is going wrong back there). I do try and put it out of my mind but it's a hard habit to kick. I just remember so well when all had been ok and Sammie had been trotting merrily along on the long lines and then gradually he became more and more resistant until it was obvious he couldn't do it at all.

Anyway, enough of that; always work with the horse that you've got in front of you.

Sammie did some nice canter work as well during his speedy work out. By the end he'd calmed down a bit so we did some more controlled work, had a long stretching walk and then went home for supper after yet another shower to cool him off again.

I plan to take him to the jumping field tomorrow for a spot of schooling and to see if he'll attempt the poles again. If he doesn't want to, that's fine by me, but it'll be interesting to see if he will.