Born to Drive

Ever since I've had Daatje, I've always wanted to drive her.  She has a great temperament and her breed was bred for it!  I've just never had the money or the space for the equipment, so while she was started in harness (borrowed gear) as a young horse, she was never finished. 

She long lines well, has pulled a drag and was even put to on one occasion before I had to return the borrowed equipment. 

Well, now is the time to continue where we left off 8 years ago. :)  I found this absolutely gorgeous harness on Craigslist for (I won't even say how little!) a steal of a price.  It's a Smuckers Deluxe that was used on a 15 hand Hafflinger.  While it's turnback strap and traces are little short for Daatje (I'll have to buy longer ones from Smuckers) the rest fits her quite well and looks smashing!

Without further ado, here is a set of pictures of her modeling this fine pleasure harness.



See how the turnback strap is on too low a hole?  The strap should be in the last two keepers and the hip straps shoudl be further up her hindquarters.  I need this piece to be longer....



Such a pretty lady!

So, here's what I need to do:

1) Buy a longer turnback strap from Smuckers (how much are they, I wonder?)
2) Buy a driving bit (preferably a Zilco flexi mullen butterfly)
3) Make a drag for her to pull
4) Buy a set of saddle and breastcollar pads
5) Train, train and train some more!
6) Buy a nice roat cart
7) Buy longer traces from Smuckers (if the current ones are indeed too short as I suspect)
8) Hitch and go!  (after lots more training, of course)

This is one of our goals for 2013-2014.  I really, really want to drive my horse. :)

Nice to have a horse you can trust.

On Sunday, January 13th, Daatje and I headed out into the Hampstead woods to explore the trails.  One of the reasons I was so thrilled about the location of our new house was the proximity to the trail head at Golden Meadow Rd, accessing miles and miles of trails I rode on as a kid (from the Atkinson/Plaistow access points).  One can litterally be out for hours on end and travers land in three different towns.

The map above shows some of these trails (the blue line is where we went that day)  More trails extend beyond this map, but they are not surveyed (that I know of). 

It was late in the afternoon when we started, 2:00pm by the time I was in the saddle.  The sun still sets early here this time of year, so I knew it would be dusk by the time we returned.  Heading out alone, late in the afternoon on one of the foggiest days I can remember is not something to be enjoyed on a horse you don't trust! :)  Days like this day make me proud to have a solid equine citizen.  She's not the most talented and certainly shouldn't be in my barn if I really wanted to follow my dream of competing in the sport of eventing, but this is a horse you can rely on to get you home safe.  There is alot to be said for that, when 99% of the riding you do is solo, and in very scary places! 

We started out taking a left after Kelly Brook as I wanted to see if we could make it down to the old Mill site.  There are a couple of trappy water crossings that are not improved by the snow, ice and mud.  The first one is a tributary of Kelly Brook that flows across the trail in the bottom of a mini flume lined with huge boulders, hewn into square shapes as though they once supported a bridge.  The span between the two sides can't be more than 18 inches, but I've never asked Daatje to hop over it for fear she'd slip on the moss covered rocks and catch a foot in the gully.

So we went to the right of it, off the trail.  The watershed is broader there, but shallow, and but for a few small fallen trees, was a fairly unobstructed path to the other side of the little flume.  She entered the watershed and half way across, she started to sink!  "Shoe" sucking mud was grabbing at her legs as she struggled to make it to the other side.  Yikes!  I urged her on a bit faster fearing that if she lingered she'd get stuck in a bog.  She made it out (phew!) and on we went.  A fleeting thought of how we were going to get back crossed my mind but I threw it out for the time being.  We'd address that on the way back.

There was a few hundred feet of small windy trail ahead of us before we were met with the next water (muck) crossing.  This one had a small foot bridge, no more than 2 feet wide and probably 6 feet long, that spanned a boggy hole covered in ice.  I know it's boggy as I've ridden through it in the spring, when ice is out of the equation.  Not impassable, but not a nice feeling for the horse if she were to a) slip and fall on the ice or b) be supported by the ice for a brief moment only to break through into a boggy mess.

So, we sat there for a minute, facing the little foot bridge and I discussed with her the matter of attempting to cross the bridge.  It was low to the ground, and sturdily built, but barely as wide as her "wheelbase".  Daatje was quite firm that it wasn't something she was comfortable attempting and I tended to agree with her so we backed up (yup, trail so small and heavily treed that we had to throw it in reverse!) until we could turn around.

Now I was going to be faced with crossing the bog vs. crossing the flume alot sooner than I anticipated!  I had no desire to get my horse stuck in the mud, so I decided that if she was ok with hopping over the mossy rocks, then I'd let her try it.  We get to the rock gully and I give her her head. 

She never hesitated.  Not one moment of "can I do this, is this safe?".  I must say, I closed my eyes. Lol!  For Daatje it was as easy as a 1-2 hop and the ice covered watershed was behind us.  On to higher ground and wider trails, I say! :)

Here we are after crossing the mini-flume, heading into the thick woods that leads up the hill to the abandoned cellar hole.

We arrived at the cellar hole and I decided to take an unmarked trail up the hill.  A trail that I thought we had taken last time, but I was mistaken!  It was much smaller, not quite horse sized, but we managed. :)  Quite a treat though when we came across this massive winding stone wall.  Oh how wonderful it is, living in New England with all these rock walls built long ago by hard working ancestral farmers.  You forget sometimes, that these did not appear on their own, they are not a natural phenomenon.  The were built.  stone by heavy stone. 

We finally made it around the loop in the Old Stagecoach Rd Parcel and I decided to pop out at the Nelson Ave street access before heading back through the Martel Woods.  Never done that before and I thought it'd be neat to see where that was on the GPS.



The fog kept getting thicker the higher we climbed!

By the time we reached Hadley Rd/Central Street it was almost 4pm and we really needed to be heading back.  Didn't want to get caught out in those woods in the dark!  Who knows what roams around.....I kept seeing lots of tracks, even Moose! :o  So, we sauntered home and arrived just before the darkness crept in.

I love these peaceful, spooky rides.  Just my horse and I.  Not another soul to be found.  It is bliss to have a horse you can trust.

Happy New Year!



All New England Hunts Joint Meet 2012 - Crossing the Ipswich River

Woah, a blog post from the Foxhunting Friesian?  You don't say. ;)

At first I was too busy to sit at the computer, and now that the hunt season is over.....well.....there's just not that much going on.  At all.

I miss the hunting, but it's nice to sit back, relax, sleep in on Saturday mornings. :)  This time of year we putz around on our trails, plotting and planning what the new year will entail.




Standing at a check - Wentworth Joint Meet 2012

What will 2013 bring us?  Not sure, really.  I've reached the point with Daatje where there aren't too many new things we could try (without buying tons of new equipment!).  I did get an awesome blingy breastcollar to go with my western parade saddle. :)  The day after Christmas I tacked her up and we went for a hack.  She wears the western gear well.  Me?  I just feel weird sitting in that saddle.  So much leather between me and my horse!

Weaver Back in Black collection to go with our Simco Parade of Diamonds saddle

Top down view of the saddle as we head out

Here's the whole set put together.  She looks so big here! lol.  (she's only 15.3 on a good day) :)

So that's our western adventure.....getting her to the point of showing in this discipline is probably never going to happen but it makes it alot easier to have the non-riding family members hop on and feel secure!

2012 Blessing of the Hounds

Since the hunt in Lyman on 9/22 we've attended two more hunts and a hunter pace (9/29, 10/6 and 10/7). :)   I'll start with the Blessing of the Hounds, which took place on Saturday, September 29th.  It was drizzly with the threat of rain (again) but that didn't stop us from a great turn out for the first hunt of the 2012 formal season at Yorkfield Farm.  Yorkfield is gorgeous, one of my favorite fixtures.  There is a huge polo field, lots of coups and trails through the woods that take us through a campground and neighboring tree farm.

I did take out my camera, despite the drizzle, and managed to take 239 awesome shots.  If you go to the Wentworth Hunt Gallery, you can see them all, in addition to a few taken by other members. :)

Here's Daatje and I milling about while the bagpipes played in anticipation of the ministers blessing of the hounds.

The fields moving off after one of the first checks in the field across the street from Yorkfield.

 We're in there.....second horse in from the left in 2nd field in the bottom photos.

  Stirrup cup is after a run through the tree farm.  We're the second horse in from the left in the photo.

After hunting back from the tree farm and arriving at Yorkfield (3 hours after the start of the hunt!) the last effort was to run up the three tier steps to the conclusion of the hunt.  A hunt member's husband got this cool shot of us up the first step!  As she described it, "pure joy"!

Yes, I do believe my horse and I enjoy this sport very much.  If we can look this thrilled 3 hours into a drizzly, soggy hunt, we must!

So, the next hunt after the Blessing was in Milton Mills, NH at Branch Hill Farm.  It dawned a LOVELY day and the photos were incredible.  Be back to share!

Rest and Be Thankful Farm Hunt!

I woke up at 4am to a drizzly fog.  Not the morning that was forecasted the day before, (partly cloudy) but hey, at least it wasn't pouring!  Fed the horses and cleaned my tack in preparation for what was promised to be a fabulous hunt.  Horse was loaded and on the trailer by 7am and we were on our way to Lyman, ME! 

Cheap indiviual that I am, I refused to pay the highway tolls, so we meandered our way through Dover and Berwick, arriving in Lyman by 9am.  I had a friend from college riding as a guest (yay Liz!  You finally got out to hunt with us! :) ) and my Dad's cousin, who lives nearby, came to follow the hunt on foot/by car.  Quite a bit going on for me, as I'm not used to balancing such socialization with preparing to ride!

Here's a shot of Liz and her 21 year old Standardbred, Dreamy, ready to head over to warm up.

The mist persisted as the hunt begand with a trot across the road, through the barnyard.

And it wasn't long before the hounds were bounding in joy on the scent line.....

The 8 farms and over 800 acres of adjoining land were spectacular.  We did run into some bees in the newly cleared trails (Daatje had a sting right on the edge of her saddle pad) and the cow pastures we traversed were occupied.  This hunt had such natural terrain, we tackled muddy water crossings, natural ditches, over hill and dale with views to send tingles up your spine.  The last run of the day was not followed by the fields, but rather viewed by all from the top of a grassy knoll.  They were the best I've ever seen!

At stirrup cup, cousin Joanne was kind enough to take a picture of the photographer. :)  Daatje's looking smashingly fit!



One thing happened during the hunt that made me more proud of her than I've been in a long time.  We were all aproaching a skinny roll top in the middle of a field on one of the runs.  The horse in front of us ran out.  I sat up, with leg on and with all my body, channeled her to the base of the fence. 

She jumped it.  No question, no hesitation, no problem.  That, my friends, is a horse that is listening to the rider!  Not long ago, she would have taken point from the lead horse and skirted to the side.  My good girl. :)

This was a sweet moment during stirrup cup.....

The mother stroking the face of her daughter's pony.  Such a good pony too!  Keeps right up with 2nd field even though his legs are 1/2 as long as the horses he runs with. :)

So, a sincere thanks to all who made yesterday's hunt possible and I cannot wait until we hunt at Rest and Be Thankful Farm again!  I'll leave this post with a 15 minute video from the hunt, taken by the foot followers and posted to R&BTF's facebook page.

Branch Hill Farm Hunt

Last Saturday, we hunted from Branch Hill Farm in Milton Mills.  Another gorgeous day for a foxhunt!  This hunt starts off slowly through winding wooded, rocky New England trails and then crossess Applebee Road to the sandy paths along the river.  There are many jumps on that side of the road and the hunt often gets going pretty quickly!

Here's a photo of Daatje at the trailer taking a carrot from a fellow foxhunter.

The field in front of us as we head into the woods on the North side of Applebee Rd.

Not long after we crossed the road, we lost a rider at one of the jumps.  First field was pursuing the hounds on a line and by the time the rider was remounted (seconds, mind you!) we had lost the first field!  The trails through the sandy pine forests are numerous.  They criss cross and all look the same!  Our field master did an awesome job of guessing which way they went and after a long fast trot/canter we heard the huntsman blow the horn not too far away.  As we pulled up, the whippers in came charging across the field.

....to meet up with the huntsman who had the hounds at a check.

Moving off again, we had another fast run through the woods, bursting out into an open field.

Daatje's mane flying in the wind.....

That was the final run of the day, and what a day!  Someone asked for my camera and took a photo of us at stirrup cup.

After a nice hack back to the trailers, the club hosted a "hunt clinic" at the tea geared towards Pony Clubbers.

So, this coming Saturday, we're hunting a new territory in Lyman, ME.  A cooperation between 8 farms allowing us access to 800 acres of Maine farm land is promising to be the hunt of the year!  Stay tuned for more tales from the best seat in the house! :)

Prodigue Farm Hunt

I have been sick for three weeks.  THREE weeks!  Started with feeling run down, then sore throat, sinus, cough, cough and more cough.  I'm still coughing although a little less now.  But, that did not stop me from enjoying a fabulous hunt in Rochester NH last Saturday at one of my favorite fixtures, Prodigue Farm.  The open fields at this compilation of properties is unmatched.  Our usual run was dampened by the fact that it is early in the season and many farms are not done with haying quite yet, but all the same.  Gorgeous.

Daatje has been really, really strong on the hunts lately.  I'm loving it, but it makes for difficult picture taking when we're in motion. :)  I've needed both hands on the reins as of late.  Perhaps as the season wears on and the hunts get faster and longer, she'll settle into her gallops a bit better and stop trying to race the horses in front of her.  Silly mare.

Someone got a shot of us during stirrup cup.  I'm in the process of hacking up a lung.  Not quite flattering, but very fitting capture of my day. :P

I'm on vacation this week, and was planning on hunting Wednesday (tomorrow) but the heavy rain in the forecast convinced me to stay put.  Thankfully, the hunt called the meet off, so I won't be missing out on anything!  Our next hunt is this Saturday, again in Rochester, only this time at the Myhre Equine Clinic.

On a most positive note, our barn and fencing was completed on schedule and the horses came home yesterday!!!!  I could not be more thrilled to have Daatje right outside my back door again.  She and her mini friends are settling in well.

Rainbow (the chestnut) and Spooky (the bay) are just loving the extra room, in-and-out stall and having Daatje right next door!

My husband Jake and Daatje, hanging out in her paddock.