Horse Adventures – Page 6 – Brave New World of Blogging

Buckle Up Ladies – come for a ride…..

How wonderful to have reached the ripe old age of ‘comfort’.

That age between old enough to no longer to care and not so old that you need to be cared for.

So when two friends I recently met invited me to join them with their girl friends on an annual weekend ride;

I didn’t analyse why; I didn’t second guess their motives; I didn’t worry about whether I would snore or not (I know I do); I didn’t stress about whether I was a good enough rider (I know I am not, I don’t even have my own horse);

I just thought how lucky I was to be included and said yes.

Of course that was 6 months ago and suddenly, here was the weekend away with strangers and I was to all intents and purposes, a stranger , perhaps even, a gate crasher !

Except, that’s the point.

Trail riders are not really strangers.

Within 10 minutes of meeting, with the common anticipation of 2 days riding together, we were bonded.

I knew nothing about them, not even, if the truth be told, their names (as my memory lets me down in that department), whether they had families, what they thought, what they did when not on horseback – nothing.

Except that they loved horses and riding and that is enough.

That is enough to enable 7 strangers to buckle up, and ride into the Howqua river with, yes, you guessed it –

Buckle Up Bush Rides.

And I no longer was a stranger.

The love riders have for horses seems to extend with no effort at all, to those of us who are new to this game, and with open arms, I’m included as if I have always been part of the group.

We met our horses, and set off for 2 days of beauty, fun, food and laughter.

The Howqua Valley is a beautiful area not far Melbourne and yet So far.

Spring had arrived and everything was So green, with new leaves still almost sheer so that the sun seems to shine Through the leaves and summer dust has not yet arrived so it all felt so Light.

or perhaps we following it….

from clear waters

to lush gardens

corner

following us…

and cute homes

blossoms round

every

and so to our ‘home’

always up…..

with steep climbs

44362706_10156822238092560_7509116946818793472_o — from clear waters

44384136_10156822237927560_1532697601139277824_o — following us…

44349861_10156822227187560_6803120255745916928_o — or perhaps we following it….

44379841_10156822239062560_5281906177385431040_o — with steep climbs

44370419_10156822242622560_43891963014938624_o — to lush gardens

44414594_10156822242577560_533259282590728192_o — and cute homes

44425115_10156822247557560_8474649681136189440_o — blossoms round

44445516_10156822233342560_1233816771245375488_o — every

44377329_10156822247862560_2736829138982666240_o — corner

44453455_10156822227652560_1589935492126736384_o — and so to our ‘home’

We rode together, we ate together, we talked, laughed and even slept together 🙂

44365081_10156822238407560_6879250973429071872_o

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We played, on land….

some with more success than others……

jump 1 — Please – see there’s nothing scary on the other side

44366436_10156822245967560_658266934260793344_o — Come i’ve jumped over – follow me

44458607_10156822246237560_8986810898957991936_o — Okay perhaps the other way will be easier?

44461479_10156822246412560_7282863558633717760_o — well if you lifted your hind legs 🙂

We played, in water…..

some with more success than others…

Our horses afforded us such joy, ever patient, sometimes funny, always waiting for us.

Okay not great footage, but how cute – breakfast time and like lemmings…..

they arrive.

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They weren’t the only friends we had on our weekend either

And then there was just the sheer beauty of walking, cantering

and absorbing this amazing countryside.

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A very happy place –

thanks to a wonderful group of ladies

who were prepared to include me

and BUCKLE UP for a ride.

I cannot thank you all enough

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and thank you all, ladies, for your lovely photographs.

Hidden Trails……

For those who don’t ‘have the bug’ this blog may be a bore. I know most of my friends think I am a little crazy and there is no doubt that my father would have something to say about the absurdity of a 60+ woman starting to ride horses when it hasn’t been part of her life up to now.
But then of course, one of the marks of a madman (or woman) is that they march to their own drum and don’t ‘toe the line’. So here I am, riding, more or less efficiently and thoroughly enjoying every moment.

So after the tentative Cape Trail Day zero – Farm 215 (that’s a link you can click 🙂 )and the glorious one to Margaret River (That link again 🙂 )I ventured out into the High Country, Victoria – almost down the road from where I live and did a 6 day trail there. Thanks to www.hiddentrails.com.au (You get the picture – links 🙂 _

It was AMAZING – so to my non riding friends who think I am crazy, I apologise, but blog I must and to my crazy friends, well you will get the madness 🙂 🙂 🙂

16 of us met up in Mansfield for dinner the evening before our Big Ride. 5 of us ‘were single’ and knew no one prior to that dinner, the others were couples/friends. Again riding brought together people from all corners of our country, our neighbours (New Zealand) and across the Pacific, from the USA. By the end of day 1, we were one big happy family gathered around a huge fire, sharing stories, drinks, laughter, memories, food and the marvel of our surrounds.

19238442_1856944080991355_1606487513_o — While our 5 Star chefs prepared the MOST

and a welcome board each day to remind us ‘where we were’

28342703_1856944464324650_445900562_o — Strangers were….

For 6 days we traversed the High Country as it is generally known. From Mount Stirling, Craig’s Hut, Lovicks Hut, Mt Mandala, miles and miles and miles.

This country is stunning, the gum trees like ghosts with so many stories to tell, curled and misshapen from heavy snow, miles and miles of rolling hills as far as the eye can see where almost no man has been, reminding me of British Columbia, steep edges with the Howqua river below. The Low Country with forests, koalas, birds, insects, flowers and so many river crossings we lost count.

Hells Pass

There is no doubt that It’s all about …. (yup, you got it – a link 🙂 )the horse and once again I won the jackpot with Audrey. Yup, as in Hepburn, although she was neither slim, nor elegant but very large and quite heavy. But a lady nonetheless with an appetite that defies description – she tried to eat at every opportunity and for a day or so it was a battle of wills between her and I as to who was going to get their way. We compromised a great deal!!!!

But these horses are remarkable, faithful, strong, willing and so so kind. All of us were constantly grateful for their stamina and sure-footedness as we climbed up and down the MOST awesome hills (some would say mountains!) – and while it is difficult to take photographs and ride at the same time, we do have some and I will let them ‘do the talking’.

We wandered through the terrain used for the film “The Man from Snowy River” based on a poem by Banjo Patterson and relived a moment or two.

With a kiss at the ‘kissing tree’ as we called it, where Craig and Jessie from the movie are believed to have ‘spent time together’.

This kiss marked 44 years of marriage – a celebration worth most definitely a kiss!

And as each day took us up to the top of the world, or down to a beautiful valley, we drew closer through our shared experience and gratitude to the Hidden Trails crew who worked tirelessly to make this one of the most remarkable weeks of our lives.

Whether it was the amazing food, or the incredible work involved in caring for our horses, feeding, shoeing, washing, saddling, unsaddling, corralling, the transferring of our camps, the attention when one of us didn’t feel well, and most importantly, keeping our drinks colds!!!!! It was a trip of a lifetime.

28460641_10156228324947560_1913206501_o — Heights and edges

28696121_10157167946639746_2039189737_o — the likes of which

28407903_10204400039996776_379107526_o-2 — …too often

28685541_1871274449558318_5397022475848667342_n — Spectacular as it was

28407312_10156228325687560_1203204991_o — The real Man from Snowy River image

28503747_10156228327817560_163047238_o — Hells Pass

As wobbly as this photo looks – so we sometimes felt riding up to this point 🙂

And of course for every up, there is a down – debates constantly about which is more challenging!!!!!

scattered as we were in our swags under a sky alive with a million stars

Having been well cared for; fed. watered and doctored.

There were days of glorious views, river crossings, trees so tall I felt I was in a cathedral of some kind, birds calling, skies so blue and fresh, faint sounds of riders behind or front, the glorious silence of riding companionably, along with your thoughts, the creaking of the saddle and sound of their feet on the ground somehow at one with the earth. Old huts, with stories to each, a koala in a tree. Hidden trails indeed.

and in case you have not had enough : some more images and even a stunning video thanks to Rachel Meek of our epic climb to Mt Magdala!!!

And thanks to all my now friends, from this amazing adventure for your wonderful photographs.

Another day – Another lesson

Life is full of surprises.

I mean, take saddles for example.

Yes, that’s what I said, saddles. They go onto the backs of horses.

Ever thought about them? Well of course not, nor had I until last week.

Like chicken breasts from the supermarket, saddles, just ‘were’. How many of us think about the size of the chickens that offer us these juicy large breasts – when I did, I baulked at the thought that they may be the size of dogs!!!!!

So why would we think about a saddle? No reason of course since we don’t eat them, and most people don’t go near them in day to day life.

Except I am not not on of the ‘most people’ having decided well into my 60’s that I shall learn to ride. Which means sitting in most instances on (in?) a saddle. Still I gave it (the saddle, not the horse) little thought – it just Was.

Some saddles rubbed me in uncomfortable places, some buckles chaffed and left reminders long after the ride was over, but mostly they just came with the territory.

Until I changed my territory and went on a fabulous trail to the High Country (blog to follow: HiddenTrails,Globetrotting.com.au) where I met a Saddle Maker. Not just ‘a saddle maker’ but Peter Horobin and his daughter Marlee who make saddles which are sent all over the world; these are ‘bespoke’ saddles – think Kate Middleton Duchess of Cambridge and her bespoke dresses and you get the idea.

note the chalk diagrams of the ever patient horse’s muscles

Peter was amazing, teaching us about the muscles and bones around the shoulder of the horse, how saddles impinge or don’t on their movement, how poor mounting (climbing into the saddle for my non riding friends the wrong way) can bend the tree.

Yup, its okay I also didn’t know what he was talking about and heard the voice of a rather dumb naive blonde (that would be me) ask what on earth he meant. Turns out a tree isn’t what we were seeing all around us, but rather part of the saddle, a foundational part in fact.

And of course there was a next step – a visit to his shop/workshop/sanctuary/creative studio which I did today after my third only riding lesson put on the Mornington Peninsula.

And what a wonderland of energy, passion, skill and hospitality. The saddles – there are SO many different types, every one hand made, so many colours, so many uses, so many textures, it was like entering Aladdin’s cave, an abundance of smell, touch, leather, style and confidence.