Lots of work with the horses, leading up to a long trail ride on Sunday.

The first day was just more of the same – groundwork followed by riding.  We took Nipper and Flash out, because Missy would be getting a lot of exercise on the weekend.

I did get a photo of a welcome swallow perched on the fence, though:

I also got a video of it chirping to itself – it’s a pretty funny little sound:

 

The second day was crazy windy – I had to take down my caravan awning.  But we were determined to set off anyway.  The trail ride on Sunday specified that you bring a saddlebag lunch, and we were trying out the brand new saddlebags Aunty Sandy bought.  Nipper had previously served as a packhorse, so he was the one chosen to wear them.

Here’s a picture of the new gear:

That nice bag behind me looks pretty snazzy, huh?  It had a partner on the opposite side as well.  The little bundle on top was called an ‘oilskin cover’, and we bundled up the rope halters in them so the horses could have some grass when we had our break.  We could have probably tied with up with the bridles, but we want to get them in the habit of not eating with the bridle on, so we swapped them for the halters and tied them up in the shade.

Here they are, looking pretty chill:

Both Missy and Nipper were really relaxed about the whole thing (as you can see).  After Aunty Sandy and I had let them have some grass, we tied them up high so they wouldn’t be able to step on the lead rope.  Missy kept shifting and circling at first, trying to reach the grass again, but eventually she settled down.  Nipper was funnier – he’d try to put his head down, realise it wasn’t happening, have a nap, then wake and shift, try to put his head again, realise he still couldn’t eat the grass, and go back to napping.

Another photo taken after lunch:

We also spotted a turtle in the horse paddock when we got back.  This is an eastern long-necked turtle:

These little guys can’t actually retract their neck the way most turtles and tortoises can – their neck is so long it folds to the side to tuck their head under their shell.

I also got a video of this one shuffling across the paddock.  I’m not sure where it was headed, but it was in a hurry:

They move a lot faster than you’d think they would, don’t they?  The rushing noise you can hear on that video is the wind, by the way – very strong!

On Sunday, Aunty Sandy and I went along on a ride with the Trail Riding Association.  We put Missy and Nipper on a float and Martin drove us all to a property out past Uralla, and we rode around for hours.

This is a photo Aunty Sandy took of me with some trail riding people in the background:

When we stopped for lunch:

As you can see, I’d just taken Nipper’s bridle off and tied him up.  We had a quick lunch, and then it was back into the saddle!  We started at 10, and only finished at around 4 in the afternoon, so it was a pretty full-on day.  My knees and butt were really sore at the end – it’s been a long time since I rode so much!