Awarded Again

Wow, I can't believe I've been nominated a third time for a Liebster Award. Big THANK YOU to Allie @ Woven Web Diaries.

I'll answer the questions below & post some photos my sis took when we visited the girls last night and one from my hack this evening. Apologies for the pics with me in them, I didn't realise she was snapping them of me! She knows I don't particularly like having my picture taken & so likes to try & catch me unawares - hence the state of me! *blush*

Hug time Ladies!

Questions from Allie:

1. Favorite racehorse and why? On the flat - Grey Swallow, I picked him out of the field in his first start as a 2yr old at the Galway races when I was watching them on the telly. He was a striking grey youngster who ended up running away with the race in great style, trained by the training legend that is Dermot Weld. As an aside, I caught some of the film, The Cup, last night about Dermot Weld's second Melbourne Cup victory with the gorgeous Media Puzzle...must see if I can catch the whole film sometime, but I digress...
My favourite National Hunt horse was Moscow Flyer, he was legend of a jumping horse. Unbeaten in almost every race he finished. He has gone on to be a re-trained as a very successful show horse after his retirement from the racetrack.
2. First racetrack you ever went to or wish to visit if never been? I've never been to a racetrack, however who doesn't want to go to Churchill Downs for Derby day?! Or Epsom for the Guineas, or Ascot for Royal Ascot of Aintree for the Grand National or Cheltenham for the big meet in March every year. What's the saying...Go big or go home? ;-)
3. Favorite horse real or fictional? There are so many real horses I covet, namely top level show jumpers & dressage divas - but who doesn't love them? *drool*
Who wouldn't love a spin on Damon Hill or Vallegro; Gotha or Bella Donna; Imperial Cavalier or Parklane Hawk?!

4. What color of horse do you prefer and which markings on it? I don't have a favourite colour, I like them all...and have always ben told not to judge a book by it's cover or chose a horse by it's colour. Although I will admit to having been warned off chestnut mares, and although Kika is a bit of a confused liver chestnut/bay(ish) mare - she deff has the stubborn characteristics, lol!
I wouldn't be overly fond of gray horses, but I do love a good dark steel gray or dapple gray - it's just a pity they get so light & can be prone to skin cancers, :-( However I do quite like fela-bitten grays...so again I guess i wouldn't really turn my nose up at them if they ticked all the other boxes!
I do love plenty white on my solid colours though, love me some chrome & the quirckier the better - love me a crooked blaze/stripe (a la Kika) or a big white face, I'm also a fan of socks/stockings - and although Nancy has no white I still loves her - so really I do have a preference for colour or markings, so long as what's inside the packaging suits my needs!
5. Who is your riding idol? I'm not an eventer but probably Mary King, she is just a legend.
6. Best place you've ever visited that isn't considered a major tourist attraction or is 'off the beaten path'? I really really enjoyed the Painted Mountains of Purmarmarca in Argentina. They were simply stunning! Not sure they really count as 'off the beaten path', but I hadn't heard of them until my Mother suggested we go and boy was I happy we did!

7. Favorite breakfast cereal? I'm a bit of a traditionalist and love me a bowl of Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes! In the winter a lovely bowl of my Dad's porridge is the best way to start the day, reminds me of being a kid & going to school - but rarely get it anymore lol!
8. Favorite non horse animal? Can't be cat or dog either... Well that's just mean, my favourite animal besides a horse is a dog...hmm after that. I guess I like, dolphins, orca whales &/or penguins in no particular order!
9. What are you most afraid of? Failure - but I guess that is quantifiable and means something different to different people & in any given situation.

Shiney horsey - getting back to her healthy best.
Yay grass!

10. Could you ever see yourself training or competing in dressage? Yes! Not necessarily to a very high level as I don't think I'll ever have the skill - but I do want to "dance" with my horses :-)
11. Three people, dead or alive, real or fictional you'd have dinner with? Hhhhmmmm, that's a tough one...I've never really thought about this, does that make me weird?! I guess off the top of my head...and it would have to be in a non-intimidating scenario, where I wouldn't be judged for my stupid questions & lack of knowledge lol - George Morris, Mary Robinson (first Irish female president & amazing woman) and Dara O'Briain or James Corden (Irish & British comedians)

In equine news, I finally got my shiz together this evening and got out to the girls in time to go for a hack in our "new" woods. I took Nancy while, the Guru took her girl, O. We left Kika alone in the field with some carrots strewn across the ground and she didn't even look up as we rode away. The jury is out as to whether Nancy will be as easily distracted tomorrow if my sister decides against joining us for a hack....As always, N was a super star, although far from relaxed on our hack in these "new" woods, however the Guru maintained that her girl wasn't exactly relaxed either so they were probably feeding off one another. It was a gorgeous trail, we followed which led us uphill & downhill (so plenty butt building in store for the girls) across streams with lovely trotting & cantering paths alongside fab orchards where I hope to buy delicious apples from next season (1/2 for the girls 1/2 for my greedy apple-loving ass!). We were a little tight for time today as I had to be home to go to dinner with family, so don't have too many pictures. We're hoping to go out for 2-3hours tomorrow, and hopefully my sister comes with as it'll be great fun and mean I don't leave Nancy 'alone' in the field (there are 4 horses in a neighbouring field and cows all around her) - but she can be pretty vocal about being left alone/taken away from friends. Plus since moving to this new field she has exhibited her fondness of stretching her legs...so we'll have to play it by ear and see what happens...It'll also be interesting as on our hack this evening, the start of new woods hacking trail was being set up for an archery tournament/competition whereby the archers have a trail to follow and targets to hit - so we could be doing plenty mounting from the ground depending on how the girls handle the noise and action as we cross paths with them tomorrow...dun dun duuuuun. Tune in next time to find out how we get on!

Another Award

Huge thank you to K @ Kiss Me, I'm Irish for nominating me for another Liebster award.
My answers to her questions can be found below!

Thanks to The Guru - I have a photo of me & my two girls!
Picture taken last week before we left yard.

1. What is the most embarrassing/funny thing that has ever happened to you? Gosh, I am often saying/doing the wrong thing for minor embarassing moments - but I don't have one stand-out most embarrassing thing that has happened to me. I'm afraid my life is pretty boring...well either that or my awful memory is acting up and I just can't think of anything - that is actually the most likely answer, lol!
2. If you could have any horse in the world, which one would you choose? Have to be predictable and say that I wouldn't trade either of the ones I have - may change my mind many times, lol, but as of this moment in time I wouldn't trade them for the "best" horse in the world.
3. What is your favorite book? I cannot pick one book above all else I'm afraid. I love series of books, my favourites probably being Harry Potter (lends to my age I guess, lol) and I really enjoyed Game of Thrones although there were so many times I wanted to throw the books out the window for killing off so many characters! I'm actually relieved that the last two books aren't ready yet as I got kind of burned out reading the books and not knowing who was going to be bumped off next! :p I am reading the Time Traveller's Wife right now and really enjoying it! Resenting work cutting into my reading, I'm really time enjoying it, lol!
4. If you ever decided to become a working student for a professional rider, who would you most want to work for and why? MARY KING - she is a legend! Or Zara Philips to hope to meet Harry & become a princess...hahaha! I'd deff go with an eventer to get a good grounding in all disciplines!
5. If you were stranded alone on an island and could only take three things with you, what would they be? Private plane, pilot & GPS to get out of there once I'd had my fill of sunbathing & alone time. :)
6. If you were a super hero, what would you choose as your super awesome B.A. name? I answered a previous Liebster award question whereby I'd want teleporting as a superpower - no idea on a superhero name though - going to go for something short and sweet and completely unrelated - Xenia
7. What is your favorite sports team? MUNSTER (Irish rugby team & all around legends of the game)
8. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I went through many phases, at one stage I wanted to work as a supermarket checkout person cos I thought scanning stuff was awesome - my forever dream was to be a riding instructor and work with horses all the time - but then I grew up and realised i wasn't overly fond of kids, lol. I love my current job which gives me the moolah to keep my geegees - plus the work is interesting and the people are great!
9. What do/would you say to people who claim that riding isn't a sport? I tell them to try it and then tell me what muscles don't hurt and which ones did they not know existed before their spin on horseback ;-)
10. What is your favorite board game? Monopoly - hands down was always my favourite go-to board game. We also have a few Irish themed board games at home, which my dad cleverly employed to help us learn about our heritage & history growing up abroad. I can't remember the names of them all, but one was called Discover Ireland which really helped us learn the layout of the island - actually now that i think of it, lol, our Monopoly was also an Irish version...talk about indoctrination! :p
11. Which celebrity would you want to star as you in a movie of your life? Anne Hathaway - don't know why, but now that I've had a quick think about it I think she'd be cool - although my life will never be interesting enough to be made into a movie lol!

 
As for actual horsey-news from me, I'm afraid I have nothing new to report, sorry!
I haven't seen my girls since Sunday, I won free tickets on the radio to go see Tegan & Sara on Monday night, they were amazing - love their unique voices & sound.
And last night a colleague had a retirement party & the systems went down at work just before home-time, so I had to go to party for a bit then back to my desk to sort out work before I could go home as I knew the system was to be undergoing maintenance this morning and wouldn't be working until supposedly 9am this morning, however going on last week it'll probably be after 10.30am...so I wanted to get what I could done last night when the system came back up.

Hoping to get out for a spin this evening! Cross your fingers that I manage! :p

Happy Horses

The "BIG" move happened on Saturday - The Guru, her two dogs, the three horses & I moved the horses from their field at the yard to an off-site field 2 communes (villages) away by hacking in convoy through the woods.
All animals & humans arrived safely after crossing a road & a river - we even entertained a village fête that was taking place by the river crossing - thankfully all girls behaved impeccably even though they hadn't been to that river crossing before - could have been a recipe for disaster!

Photos & video of the girls having fun stretching their legs in the new field to follow!

En Route - Kika would make a good pack horse ;-)

Next the girls grazing as we sorted electric fencing inside the perimeter of the field & farmer's fencing is barbed wire & we don't want them getting too close! :-/

Inspecting our handi-work

Nancy has been having a ball for herself racing around the field - the other two join in, but you can deff see who is having the most fun in the video - Kika is most unimpressed with all the running, hahaha!

It's heartwarming to see "little" Nancy stretching her legs, it's the first time I've really seen her let her hair down and act like the young horse she is :).

Peek-a-boo Sunday morning when I went to see that they were all still in the field

Dark skies

Being spoiled rotten with end of carrot bags before new delivery this evening

I also got two lovely arena spins in on Kika before we left, one on Friday evening and the second Saturday prior to departure. She was fanatastic on both occasions - we even got a flying lead change on our own! What a way to sign off from arena work for a while! :)
We will have access to the arenas if we hack back to them, L reckons we can get from current field to yard in 15-20mins. we took long route on Saturday as we had dogs loose and K on leash so we crossed the rode rather than ride along it which would have taken less time.
Once I get the lay of the land over that side of the woods I'm sure I'll make my way back for some arena work at some stage over the next few months. We're hoping to stay at this off-site field until mid to late September, whereupon the evenings will get dark too early to allow us hacking after work so we'll have to come back to the yard for final month of turnout before horses go back "in" from November 1st.
We had hoped to go for a hack in the woods yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, unfortunately weather had other ideas and every half hour - 45mins a heavy shower would fall and undoubtedly soak the ponies so we had no chance to throw tack on the girls to go for a jaunt. However I did get a spin on a cute arab horse when I stopped into the yard as her owner has a bad back and can't canter her, so she asked did I fancy a spin - she was a gem! First horse I've ridden that isn't mine at the yard!

Thursday Tidings

Just a quick update between Liebster questionaires - Thanks Ruffles for another nomination! *hug*, I will answer your questions below the update!

The two girlies dozing before our hack on Monday evening

Thankfully have no real updates to add from Luxembourg-Land. The Guru & I had a lovely hack Monday evening with the three girls & 2 dogs. L rode her mare O, I rode Nancy and Kika tagged along on a lead from L's western saddle - my first time going hacking with both girls and am delighted to say that it was a resounding success. Nancy would lead the way when it got narrow or we had to pass cyclists or dog walkers as L had the two horses to manage and her two dogs to call to heal - so really it is lucky Nancy isn't your typical flighty young horse and was happy to forge the path at times :p

Tuesday, Nancy & I went on another hack in the woods with another yard friend, S and her horse K, who is slowly coming back from a couple bouts of colic and is now being treated for a slight liver issue - so fingers crossed he's on the road to recovery. It was the first time we've managed to organise ourselves to go on a hack together despite being on the same yard for 2 years now - woopsy!
Again Nancy was an utter sweetheart and again took the lead when we met scary (to K) cyclist and what not - we also did the most trotting to date in the woods - after Sunday it must all seem like a walk in the park for the angel!

I didn't make it to the yard last night (Wednesday) due to having to work late make up time ahead of leaving early today for vet visit at 5pm (means leaving work in 30minutes at 4.30) - to take bloods from the girls. Fingers crossed all is ok with Kika, I'm hoping for a check up on her following last summer's treatment for low selenium levels and a minor liver issue - we shall see how she stands 12 months on.
I am also getting Nancy tested, as I've mentioned in previous posts, she tends to look quite sucked up and skinny after a bout of rain/cold weather - and as we had another round of thunderstorms last night and this morning I am actually glad that the vet rescheduled from yesterday to today - so this way if Nancy has wasted again after last night the vet can see first hand.

Now for Ruffles questions:

1. What is your favourite song? I don't have a favourite per se, but I do love most things by Snow Patrol & Florence and the Machine among others. I have an eclectic taste and am loving Rudimental at the moment - looking forward to going to see Tegan & Sara live on Monday night.

2. If you are outside, what are you most likely doing? Playing with my ponies.

3. What is your horses favourite treat? Kika eats everything from bananas with peel to melon to your typical horse treats of carrots, apples and flavoured treats. So far Nancy hasn't proved as exotic and only likes apples, carrots & horsey treats.

4. Do you have a colour for your horse? Not really for the horses, but I like purple, so a lot of people have given me purple items for the girls...I also like royal blue & emerald green, what can I say I'm a libra and we're renowned for being indecisive!

5. What is your obsession? Horses I guess and/or Rugby, I am a big rugby supporter - but i don't play so I don't think I'm quite as obsessed on that level as I am with the horses!

6. What is your favourite equestrian dicipline? I guess I'm a happy hacker, but I do enjoy jumping and I appreciate how good flatwork/dressage helps when riding a course - there again the libran in my is showing her indecisiveness!

7. Least favourite? Haven't done anything on horseback yet that I haven't enjoyed.

8. Why did you start blogging? To keep track of what Kika & I get up to since moving to Lux, I wanted to be able to look back if we made progress to see where we came from. Admittedly I didn't realise the road would get quite as bumpy as it was for a while!

9. Do you drink coffee? Nope, no hot beverages. I dislike tea, coffee & hot chocolate - most people find me weird. *shrug* Especially being Irish and not drinking tea, friends in uni found that one very odd!

10. What other pets do you have besides horses? None, would love a dog though...can't while I'm living at home, but maybe once I have my license and my own place so that I can get home at lunch time to walk it. would feel mean otherwise!

11. What are 3 things you can't live without? Love, laughter & food.

Thanks Ruffles & thanks to all who read my blog, check hers out if you haven't already! She's based in NZ and has wonderful fun with her quirky mare Poppy who she has trained to be able to ride bridleless and also recently sa´tarted doing pony club games with her (with a bridle) and new boy Romeo who sounds like such a saint and so much fun to work with!

Liebster Blog Award - Thanks Carrot Top

Thank you Carrot Top from the wonderful Little Bay horse for nominating me for the Liebster Award! You should definitely check out her blog if you haven't already, always full of wonderful cartoon drawings of her horses and fantastic anecdotes & stories from her adventures with SP (Show Pony), BCM (Big Chestnut Mare) and LBH (Little Bay Horse)!

 
HOW TO ACCEPT THE AWARD: The Liebster Blog Award is a way to recognize blogs who have less than 200 followers.  Liebster is a German word that means beloved and valued.  Here are the rules for accepting the award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and include a link back to their blog.
2. List 11 random facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions given to you.
4. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.
5. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or fewer followers to nominate and include links to their blogs.
6. Go to each blogger's page and let them know you have nominated them.

Eleven Random Facts About Me

1. I am the oldest of three girls.
2. I suffer a bit of an identity crisis in that I don't know where I am from. I was born in the USA to Irish parents and grew up in Luxembourg. I went back to Ireland for university and although I very much think of myself as Irish - I don't quite fit in there. I am a foreigner wherever I am!
3. I don't drink alcohol or go out for nights out at the weekends - just doesn't really appeal to me anymore.
4. I love my job & the people I work with, I'm lucky to be part of a great team/unit.
5. I wish I had a more conventionally spelt first name - it's going to make competing on the continent difficult if i ever decide to be brave and take out a license.
6. I was born 2 and a half months premature.
7. My eye colour alternates between green & blue depending on what I am wearing - usually flipping to exactly the colour I don't want them to be, ie: I am wearing blue clothes they go green & vice versa, :p
8. I am a massive Rugby fan, I have my team I support (MUNSTER) & watch as many games as I can on TV - have never played myself as (a) I am a wimp & (b) I am a lazy sod who wouldn't run for a bus let alone for "fun".
9. I am only just learning to drive!
10. I semi-fear technology and feel like an old fogey/disconnected as I stay away from facebook/twitter/tumblr etc and have no idea how to use them!
11. I found answering these questions & thinking up random facts about myself ridiculously difficult! It's taken me two days to finalise this post!

Eleven questions for me

1.  What's the last book you read cover-to-cover? Triple Infinity from the Flame Moon series by KJ Jackson. I stumbled across the first book as a free ebook for Kindle on amazon and flew through it, so when the second book was released I snapped it up as I was invested in the characters and wanted to find out what happened next. Second book was a bit smuttier than I'd normally read but still liked the storyline and am looking forward to next installment after epilogue at the end of second book!

2. Have you ever broken a bone, and if so how? Fractured the ring finger on my right hand, summer 2008 - horse riding...lol, how else when I do nothing else remotely sporting.

3.  If you could chose any super-power, what would it be? Teleporting of myself and those around me - would cut out on all the traveling it takes to get to places if i could just blink & will myself there!

4. What would you change about the horse world that doesn't have to do with animal abuse or money? Gosh that's a tough one...I can't think of anything to change that doesn't touch off of abuse or stem from or need money...what a nasty question - showing my ignorance & highlighting my lack of imagination!

5. What are those 'Baby on Board' signs for cars really for? Nobody have ever been able to give me a satisfying answer. Is it not a warning that they can be carrying children in the vehicle in case for whatever reason that might stop someone from crashing into them or robbing the car or something...I don't know have never actually thought about it  again you are showing up my lack of knowledge & open-mindedness/inquisitiveness

6. What are your 3 favourite words? Do people actually have favourite words...I've never thought about it to be honest, gosh I am beginning to feel very naive, sheltered & narow-minded in answering these questions! Judging from the last three answers, I think Gosh, is cropping up pretty frequently in this post! I like the non-word a friend of mine in uni made up, to snot oneself, namely to fall over/flat on your face - love it! And erm...waffle, i guess both the food and the fact it is used to describe 90% of my posts! I'll also add onomatopoeia as I like the intonation and the way it rolls off your tongue, :p, and to snot oneself isn't a real word!

7. What's the most 'out there' thing you believe in? I believe in fate & everything happening for a reason, not necessarily out there - but there ya go. I think things happen to us for whatever reason, be they good or bad and whether or not we appreciate them at them time. Everything has a way of working itself out eventually and lessons are learned. I also believe in karma & treating others as one wishes to be treated - I try to live by those principles...although perhaps I am not always successful - I am only human after all!

8. Describe the last time you laughed out loud. Re-reading Kitty Catastrophe's take on EL James Fifty Shades book - Makes me cry with laughter every time! In fact many of her posts have me sniggering when reading them at my desk in work trying not to laugh out loud! LINK

9. Mares, geldings or stallions? I've only really owned mares, and have to say I am partial to them - but so long as the animal is healthy, happy and rideable ... I'll love it!

10. Who would you most like to go on a trail ride with? Anyone who is a friend and we can have enjoyable chats & laugh as we discover new sights.

11. What's the most ridiculous thing you've bought for riding or horses? I try to only buy things I need and/or will use. Owning two on livery keeps my frivolous spending curbed so I actually can't think of anything in particular that I have bought that could be classed as ridiculous - although I guess ridiculousness depends on the eye of the beholder. I reckon if you asked my mother she would say buying a second horse was ridiculous (although I think she's changed her tune seeing how well Nancy has fit in and how happy she makes everyone - herself included), The Mammy also takes offense to the amount of rugs I own, so I guess some might call that ridiculous. But at the same time I don't not use any of them - so to me they are necessities and not ridiculous at all! ;-)


Eleven questions from me

1. What's your earliest horse-related memory and have you photographs from the early days to share? (Please say yes & post them!)
2. What did you have for lunch today?
3. Have you any pets? If yes names & info please ;-)
4. Who is your sporting hero/idol?
5. Have you ever ridden a horse on a beach/in the sea?
6. Do you live to work or work to live?
7. Have you traveled to other countries? If yes, which ones?
8. Do you listen to music while you ride? Mp3 with personal music or radio?
9. Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey? If not I suggest you check the link above for a good laugh.
10. What was your first horse called? Tell us a bit about them, age/breed7disciplines worked on together...
11. What's your favourite song on the radio at the moment?

Eleven Nominations for the Liebster Award
In no particular order:
Equestrian Reality - Hilarious blog about the things they don't tell you in stable management books & by the same ingeniusly funny author The Random Adventures of Little L
From yard brush to paintbrush to creatures great and small & Equine art and more, look over my shoulder and join me in my studio - two great blogs by a lovely local artist I met when I used to live in Ireland.
Life of Riley - Another very talented lady who creates beautiful unique paper cut portraits, who is re-embarking on horse ownership with a lovely young TB named Riley.
Tails From Provençe - A lovely blog about life in the South of France after moving lock stock & barrel from Ireland with two horses & two dogs in tow. Always beautiful envy inducing snapshots of scenery and food accompanying restaurant & lately picnic reviews! *drool*
The First Day of the Rest of my Life is a blog that has truly inspired me, Jen also blogs @ Tails of the Off Track Thoroughbred
Guinness on Tap  - An OTTB & his owner's forray into the Dressage world.
lorlee1 - The ramblings and happenings of an irish woman living in Africa (I am beginning to notice a trend to my reading preferences having a patriotic feel to them!)
A Blonde, Brunette, and a Redhead - follows the life of a lovely Hafflinger & his owner.
Photos & Sketches - another art blog, I wish I was artistic - but I'm not I love nothing more than admiring everyone else's amazing work! This artist kindly drew my portraits of Kika last summer.
'Capture The Light' Photo - a cool Equine photography blog from professionals who share their knowledge - a must for me as i try to figure out how to get the best out of my DSLR camera.
lucysax - unfortunately she doesn't update as often as I'd like as her posts are hilarious...they have to be read to be appreciated!

Hopefully there are blogs mentioned that my own readers may not have come across before, i read so many more, but a lot of them have already been nominated by other bloggers! That doesn3t mean I don't love your blogs guys - I just want to spread the Liebster Love if I can!

Mostly Mute Monday

Hoping to keep this word-light as photo heavy, may add a few explanatory captions to images. *blush*
All photos taken yesterday on our pic-nicking/pit-stopping hack up the country!

Nancy & Kika's first away from "home" adventure since moving to Luxembourg!
(AKA Kika's first re-introduction to a horsebox in 3 years!)

View from horseback on way to breakfast pit stop of croissant & coffee/hot chocolate (apple juice for me)

Height of log pile all passed without batting an eye lid

3 amigos

Pit stop #2 - a couple mouthfulls of grass for the girls,
Fanta for me & a tasty mini meat & gurkin salad!

Took bit out of mouth for easier chow-down after photo was taken

Pit stop #2 as we rode away - lots of full Friesians also did it...
I still think my unique ISH X is best though! (yes I am biased)

Woods

Fields

Coming up to a gorgeous castle for Pit Stop #3

Pit Stop #3

Soup & bread + another cool drink - needed as weather was lovely, just right.
Not too hot, but warm enough that sweater not needed for woods!

We took bits off so girls could graze if they wanted,
was also a bucket of water here for them to slurp if re-hydration wanted

View of castle which we got to go into to use rest rooms - horses had to stay outside ;-)

Back to business

We also got some road hacking through the village
Kika bravely leading the way

Steep incline

Final pit stop - ponies looking quite tired bless them!
Kika shared some of my melon - she's such a ham and will eat anything!

Last leg as we headed back to/through village

I am so proud of both my girls and indeed myself after our first off-site adventure. We each took turns leading, there was some trotting & cantering and lots of walking as we took in lovely views and enjoyed some tasty food along the way. Each equine had their spooks and hairy eye-ball moments, but no massive misbehaving from anyone (yes Kika I mostly mean you :p) - all in all the jockeys had a great day out and I think the horses enjoyed themselves also!
We did learn that Nancy is not overly fond of sheep or cows, she did give  a yellow phone box a good look - so did the rest of them though lol. Her biggest spook was at a large metal cylinder feeder-type thing, where she scooted sideways and trotted past with a lovely bend - pity we weren't looking for that, lol!

To say I am body sore today is an understatement, lol! We set shortly after 10am and got back to the boxes some time after 4pm, but it was totally worth it! L & I are going to take the three for a short stroll in woods this evening to take things easy, L on O, me on N and Kika playing doggy on a lead! :)