Long weekend in the saddle = sore bum

I know! Who woulda thunk?

Today was our club ride around the vineyard at work. Sorry, no photos as I forgot to take my camera. It wasn't a great day, and was in fact raining as we saddled up. But as there is so much on at this stage of the season, it was today, or not at all, so everyone got told to toughen up. By the time our last straggler arrived and we set off, the drizzle had stopped and it wasn't too bad at all. I had Possum in her bitless bridle and she was pretty well behaved apart from wanting to walk fast to get to the front. One of the others rode in a bareback pad as her saddle was being used by her daughter. Might have to try that myself next time!

We had a quiet walk around the vines, down to the river and then back for the special treat - a winery tour and tasting. This had been the main attraction for most of the members so it was great fun to show off our place and let them try some of this year's new wines. I take it so much for granted that it's always wonderful to see people's reaction to wine on a big scale.

Our horses had mostly stayed tied up, apart from one who got loose and wandered up on the lawn to check out the grazing. As everyone had been told to stay off the lawn, he was greeted by a chorus of "Not my horse!". The embarassed owner scuttled over to retrieve her boy and put him back. We had a nice, wine-filled lunch with lots of laughter and then made our way back into town.

I was reluctant to go home as I knew there was housework waiting for me. So I procrastinated, soaking P's feet, giving her a massage and then a hoof trim. It has been getting obvious even to me, how long her hind toes are getting. To make it a bit easier on myself, I drew a line across her hoof to try to get the angle right. Unfortunately, the only thing I could find to do this with was a pink whiteboard marker! It lasted through the soaking well enough to do the job, so I guess that is okay. I need to do more in little bits, more often to stay on top of things. Note to self!

Log- One hour trek at walk but with some hills! at Riverview. Massage (no stretches), hoof soak and trim. Also slightly hard to catch in the morning - trotted around for about 10 mins then gave up.