Today was meant to be Esja’s first ride outside but it started to rain and not just a brief shower, proper soak-you-to-the-skin type rain.  No one likes particularly going out.  Rain dripping off the brim of your hat and the tip of your nose makes me very unhappy.

We will got out another day.  So we were back in the school.

This was Esja’s first step with weighted boots on. She lifted up both front feet, one at a time, to find out why they felt different!  She is also shod on her fronts.

It did not take long for Esja to get used to the boots and she went happily along in them – especially in tölt – the four-beat lateral Icelandic gait.

Esja is working very hard trying to find out which leg goes where, why and how best to carry her rider.

Her trainer, Bjørn Roar Larsen, and I are very pleased with Esja’s progress.

Afterwards, we free-lunged Klængur.  He is not very fit and I am working on this as well as trying to help him, without my fat arse on his back.

I have discovered that it is very difficult, nay impossible, to photograph and lunge a horse at the same time so I asked Bjørn to show me what he wanted me to do while I took photos of the outcome.

Trotting.  I don’t do trot.  Haakon has never trotted in his life (apart from when he saw a mare and then floated across the yard like a dream a hundred years ago).  My back hurts if my horse trots.  I would probably get off and walk home.  But trot is useful and Klængur has a beautiful trot which I should encourage as it helps all the other gaits too.

I love Klængur – he always gives 100% to any job asked.

Horse in a million ❤