Nettles had his kit put on lock, stock and barrell at the same time this morning and stood patiently while we organised all of the straps and the cinch. Still, we now have it down to five minutes. He didn't seem at all worried about it today so we decided to take him out and about for an hour and a half.
He may not be required to jump things in his new role but jumping logs gives us a chance to assess how he is coping with the movement and sound of the harness.
Jumping over streams may be a requirement, so we covered that too.
We needed him to work out that he is at least six foot tall with the pack on board and not to panic if he gets caught on bushes and twigs.
He's taking it all in his stride and seemed quite pleased with himself.
Today was one of those days when far more money goes out than comes in what with a visit from the farrier and one from the vet. We like to have all the horses in all the right places so encourage them to stay put with a bit of hay and barley rings scattered around the field.
Henrietta doesn't need a pile of her own.
The horses weren't the best advert for our work today, becoming increasingly irritated by the bot flies which were plaguing them in a last bitter attempt to create more bot flies.
A very welcome visitor, I've been looking out for Natalie's Jasper for some time since he has gone missing out on the Forest. I gave him a ginger biscuit.
