Knackered but a lovely day with the ponies. Went on a long hack seeing as my op got cancelled last minute on Friday. So A rode Rory and I took Pait and we went on a long hack. Poor ponies didn't know what hit them especially Pait.
First thing to content with was going under a bridge then over the bridge (the motorway is underneath us at this point) both ponies were really good and went straight over.
Got to Fairburn and had a trot through the woods and then over a few field tracks to the gallops. Well at this point both ponies were tiring fast so we had a couple of canters with breathers inbetween rather than a long blast like originally planned lol.
Headed home and it was a good traffic experiencing day. We had cyclists, motorbikes, cars and vans past us from in front and behind and neither pony batted an eye.

It's going to be a quiet year this year on the riding front for me as I go for the first op on my knee on Friday. So I hopped on Rory in the school today just to remind him what schooling is before he get a vaction from me.
Well after terrifying me coming into the stables on 3 legs (he had obviously stood on a stone) I picked feet out and make someone trot him up perfectly sound. We tacked up and went into the arena. This point it was trying to blow a gale but I was determined to ride. I'd put him in his show pelham and didn't the little so-and-so do some amazing work. I'm sure he knows I can't follow up and have him out at shows. He dropped a bit of weight and quite a bit of muscle which I'm a bit miffed about as he's being looking really well up to now.
I then decided to hang round until Pait came in with the herd before going home. L goes out and lets all the horses in only no Pait which is very unusual but we do have 2 new liveries that were also MIA and Pait's best friend Lily who lives out just viewable down the bottom end of the field.
I went out to shout and still no Pait (have to admit to getting slightly worried at this point) so I set off down the field. I got half way down and could see her so shouted her again and she stood, tried to take a step and then stood again. Cue a very worried me imaging all sorts of things wrong so got over to her as fast as possible and realised shed managed to wrap her back legs in some old wire fencing that had been missed in the field. Bless her she was just stood stock still and let me manipulate her legs free then when I said it was ok walked away.
She trotted fine and had no cuts but was quite warm so I'm not sure how long she had been there but I am so grateful she has an old soul to her and didn't panick.

Just a quick pic of Pait. She's starting to look a lot more mature at 4.5years old.

Lovely hack

Pait can be such a sweet pony at times. Went to get her in from the field, got to the gate and she was no where in sight. So I shouted. Cue a little dales face appearing from round the far tree with a "Is that mum?" look. Once she decided was it was me she took off in canter across the field. 4 strides out from me she trotted and 2 she walked so she didnt mud splatter me. She is such a considerate girlie.
We just did a quick hack out with A riding Rory out with us (Id call him the babysitter but hes usually worse than us :-p)
Really lovely hack with Pait doing show trot on the bridle for periods when I asked her and a lovely collected canter which she went into at the first gentle nudge. Really need to mimic this in the school!
She did snarl at Rory at few times and got a smacked behind for her trouble everytime but was nice enough not to kill him when he nearly wiped us out due to a plastic bag.
Pait and Rory do take their surrogate sibling rivalry to the absolute max at times.

Took Pait out to our local hunt meet today. Well she was good but very sweaty and on edge for the drinks and nibbles but once the field set off she got a tad excited. To be fair to her I think if I'd have just got going with the non jumping crowd she'd have been fine but I really wasn't feeling up to it after the week from hell- losing my gran on NY day. I decided we'd bow out and have a very fast hack back to the yard. (the good thing about the meet being on our hacking grounds). 
Oh well prob try again next year.

Back on board part 2

Well I've also been back on board Rory. We have just got access to our hacking back after restrictions put in place after a neighbouring private yard got strangles. It's best for us all to be cautious and health consious but it's still annoying to lose your hacking.
So YM on her newest SJer Whisper and my sister M on her 20yo schoolmistress Becky went out for a hack inviting me along.
So I decided to take Rory who after standing like a rock for me to scrabble onboard (the knee is still unstable) decided it was highly exciting and we piaffed out of the yard following two 16.2hhs. Well he didn't stop piaffing the whole way round unless he was cantering. Daft pony the only time he semi behaved was when Whisper took a dislike to the duck sheds and Bex decided to play up to him so Rory very briefly put sane head on to get them past. And as soon as danger from the ducks was over we went back to piaffe!
I have to love the pony though as when we got back my knee had really gone and I did not look forward to jumping off so decided to park Rory along side M's box and just step off which again he stood perfectly for.

Back on board!!!!!!!!!!!
Today our yard was holding a fun xmas show so in true me fashion I decided that I was going to ride a pony and do a class. :-P
I did go for the safer option of the laid back Pait who will just trot (or in 1 case) walk over fences rather Rory who I know will be fresh to say the least when I get back on and to combine that with his favouritist thing jumping I think I'd be revisiting A&E.
Pait was such a good girl to say she's never seen so many poles in one arena and there were planks in on a couple of fences. She trotted round a mini course of crosses for a clear round. Then getting brave I went back into the novice with straights set at the dizzing heights of the first hole! Still she tried her best even if we did demolish a few fences and stopped then walked over the first part of the double.
She was very good standing in a big group waiting between the classes even if she did pull some awful faces.
Am now contemplating hunting in Jan with her doing the non-jumping ride!