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Posted: Sunday 5 November, 2006

by Rosemary at 9:20pm in Equines 2 comments Comments closed

Well, all is not going quite as planned.

The first set of harness I bought for Smokey was cheap rubbish and went straight back to the supplier. The second set was really nice but too big in the breast collar, although it was OK in the breeching. The third set (same make as the second but a different size) fitted in the collar but was way, way too small in the breeching. So, we 're buying custom made. It's from a company called Libbys, which makes a range of synthetic tack and equipment for horses and dogs. It can take up to three weeks to come but hopefully it will be sooner than that.

So we're still longreining and hacking out. We're also trying to source a vehicle so if anyone out there knows of an exercise cart for sale, suitable for a 15.1hh Highland, let me know.

It's been really windy here and there are lots of trees down. We had to manoevre round two today when we were out. However, Smokey doesn't seem to mind crashing through the undergrowth. In fact, for being a member of a plains evolved species, he's pretty comfortable in woodland. Maybe he can get a job as a logging horse...

There was an item on BBC's Landward last week about the original Horse Societies in Scotland in the 1800s. I watched it on the BBC website tonight. It featured an author called Russell Lyon, who has written a book about the subject "The Quest for the Original Horse Whisperers". I've just ordered it from Amazon. My grandfather was a ploughman, then latterly worked for the Co-op delivering milk by horse wagon. My father was brought up on a farm. I wish I had been old enough to know my Grandad better.

This week's Landward had a feature about West Highland Heavy Horses, who are relocating from Skye to Cumbria and are being ridden all the way. I thhought I had recorded it but hadn't, so I'll watch it on the BBC website when it comes on.

I love the idea of horses working - it feels right. There's a horse ploughing match near Perth on 25th November. If the weather's decent, I might take a run up and take the camera. Then in about five years,we'll put the photos on the site!!

Comments

claire

Friday 10 November, 2006 at 7:52pm

no, we're getting the pictures on sooner than that, sure

Rosemary

Saturday 11 November, 2006 at 8:12am

Maybe on YOUR site! However, I now have the software on my PC to put photos on, so I think Dan might show me how this weekend. It will be tortuous - my learned helplessness in all things technical drives him nuts.

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