This week

Finally I got around to clipping Finn and Pumpkin. To celebrate I took them both to the beach on Wednesday. I like to take them for a good gallop at least once a month or more if I can. Life at home is rather boring and they love their blasts at the beach.

We set out early and the racehorses were still galloping on the beach. Two went out about 5 mins before us and Pumpkin could see them in the distance. Being his usual ultra competitive self he was reefing and jigging and generally acting like a prat.
Finn of course was his sane Irish self. We trotted off for about a km with Pumpkin doing his best extended trot and Finn struggling to keep up. When I saw the racehorses ahead slow to a canter and turn to trot back towards us I thought it was a good time to open them up for blast. We were doing a pretty good half pace when I spotted Linda on a racehorse coming up behind us at a full gallop. I yelled out to Kati on Finn to be aware she was coming up in case she got startled as she had never galloped on the beach before. Linda flew past us at a rate of knots and Pumpkin decided it was too much to bear. He did an almighty spook sideways which caused me to lose a stirrup and next thing we were bolting flat out after the racehorse. He decided it was about time he showed me just how fast a Great Grandson of Sir Tristram could really go. :) Stupid me in a dressage saddle and with stirrups way too long and now with only one stirrup found out the hard way that it is not easy to stop a bolting horse when you are not firmly secured in a solid position.
Because hes very scared of the surf I turned him slightly towards the water but that just made him swerve and sway all the more and I thought there was no way I wanted to part company at that speed. After what seemed like an eternity I managed to get some control and pull him to a trot. I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest it was pounding so hard. Finn had decided in his much more sedate 'Irish way' to join in the race too and Kati took a bit to pull him up as well. Pumpkin and I have galloped pretty fast on the beach before but this was a whole new gear. I did not think he had that much speed in him! Next time I will make sure I am in a jumping saddle so I have better security and might just take Linda on. :)

We all got home very tired and invigorated and Sebastian had his first ride in 2 weeks after his chiro treatment with Tommy Berhns. WOW WOW WOW. He'd been so stiff after his fall and he was back to the lovely loose loopy huge trot. It took a while to wipe the smile of my face after that. I am so thrilled at how laid back and quiet he is. A 4 yr old Warmblood and hes absolutely bombproof even after 2 weeks off. He never ceases to amaze me.

This weekend is Showhunter at Woodhill Sands for Finn.