(NB: pic of key equipment above - safety pins are a must when you don't know what to do with your stock - the rest speak for themselves!)
All looked pretty grim on Saturday with absolutely pissing down windy rain, decided not to take out the Arab on the basis of last weekends' fun and games, so quietly did my ponies and dived back home to clean tack and prep my hip flask.
My buddies and I headed out on Sunday with the SC & RMA Sandhurst to Tweseldown for their 12:30 meet which we just about scraped to meet despite my hectic planning efforts, not quite sure how we actually managed to be late given my cohort are normally complaining how horrifically early I always am!
Anywho, having spent hours of fun plaiting, trimming and bathing and what-not, we eventually get on board Derek's trusty lorry (see my transport page for more info on Derek :) and we are off. Now normally, one of my cohort is an avid stock tier who sorts us all out, but unfortunately on this occasion we were not quite so lucky (how very dare she have to go to work instead of coming hunting - this won't be forgotten if you are reading this), so having spent some considerable time searching Google and UTube for video's of people tying stocks, we eventually settle for a half tidy, bouffed-up looking stock which I attempt on each of us and which as you will see from the pics below, was not too bad ;) well ish........
We then fly our ponies out of the lorry, leap on their backs and we are away - galloping across some great countryside over various hunt jumps (rails and tiger traps) and we are as happy as Larry. Slightly out of control, but I wouldn't have it any other way. My highlight of the day was debating a larger tiger trap on an awkward corner with a two stride run-up before a cocky looking showjumper in front of me made it look like a blooming crosspole at which point I merrily kicked on and galloped over it - I later thanked the lovely lady and her gorgeous chestnut for growing me some balls very quickly !!
We then parade ourselves around Tweseldown XC Course (which I might add looks amazing and has had even more jumps added - definitely going there soon) whilst we get quietly informed not to piss off over any jumps unless instructed to do so - eye eye captain - at which point we all gallop off over a heap of XC fences - woohoo (all behind the field masters off course ;)
Great fun, lovely folks and I cannot fault the day. Thank you to the Sandhurst Drag for having us, see you soon ;)