Mosspaul Saturday 2012

Saturdays ride went to Mosspaul, there were around 136 horses for this 26 mile ride. It was a lovely shirtsleeve day with a cooling breeze for the horses and the Cornet's followers whether by horse, foot or car. This is a short video of the first gallop of the day in the famous Pilmuir Field, no fallers so that was great....

The Cornet arriving at Mosspaul.....

This is the river crossing at Linhope on the start of the return journey where the riders again disappear up into the hills to the ride over the 'Moss'!

The riders gave their horses every opportunity to drink, no one wants their horse to be dehydrated on such a warm day!

 Graham and Kyle already have their Mosstroopers badges but there will be a few new followers who receive their badges after todays ride. The female riders can now get a 'ride out' badge which wasn't available when I did this ride.
Here's Kyle upfront with the youngsters following the Cornet back into town behind the band. Well done!

Priesthaugh...

Tuesdays ride went to Priesthaugh, I only had my tiny camera at work with me that day. I took a video but to be honest, it was rubbish, the resolution on that camera isn't great enough for a video on the web but it does take a cool photo. No horses, but this is what was happening right behind me in town just over the wall......

Nature all around us, isn't it wonderful?

Phillhope Brig

Its always nice and quiet where we park the trailers and unload the horses, enough time for a photo shoot!

Photo by Fieron

Here is a short video of all the horses arriving on our hill top at Greenbanks after they had ridden up hill mostly for around 6 miles. They are slowing down as there is a small road and gate crossing just behind where we were standing.
Sorry, had to stop the video abruptly as Granda needed help to re-attach his stirrup again before galloping off?

Our farm is made up of two hill tops, off they go into the distance again over Burnfoot Hill, this is the highest point of the ride after this from here on in to Philhope Brig it's mostly down hill. Again we had torrential rain this week and the ground is sodden. The route of the ride was changed a fair bit but this hill top can withstand a bit of pounding from the horses.  It's a bit tricky to ride downhill over the steep slippy slopes and apparently there were a few fallers as the horses feet slid away from them travelling downhill over the next farm back down into the valley.

 

Our Picnik spot for today is Philhope Brig about 4 miles up the valley from our farm where family and friends are waiting in the cold and wind for the horses to arrive it was only about 5/6 degrees celsius here today.

Washing the horses off in the stream.

After the picnik we went home to get Fieron and Rosie ready for their ride, this time we dropped her off so that she had a longer ride into town, about 2 1/2 miles!

This ride is usually about 26 miles but because there had been so much rain, the ground was sodden and the rivers were flooded and too high to cross the routes were changed so the ride may have been a bit shorter.

Back into town safe and sound!

Bloggers Quilt Festival Spring 2012

Amy over at Amy's Creative Side is again hosting the Bloggers Quilt Festival Spring 2012 Thank you Amy!

This is my third time of posting a quilt for Amy's show and tell, why don't you post a quilt too or at least pop on over to check out all of the wonderful eye candy!

I'm a longarm quilter living in the Scottish Borders, I only just recently started quilting for customers, but today I am showcasing the last quilt that I quilted for myself

I had a love hate relationship with the quilt right from the start, I lost my motivation during the piecing, even when I loaded the quilt onto my longarm I didn't feel inspired. That was before Christmas last year, I stabilised the quilt and did all the stitch in the ditch work then I had to take the quilt off the frame to do more pressing customer work and it was into February before I got back to it.
I never know what I'm going to quilt, something just comes to me once the quilt is on the frame and the design emerges.  I never intended to quilt hearts, I'm not a heartsy kind of a person, in my defence it was the week of Valentine's Day, now I like it and am keeping it..... this is definitely a large Queen sized quilt and is now on our bed!

 Its a jewel box design that I drafted in EQ so that the borders were an actual design  and colour element.  Pinks and greens always look fresh and clean. To get the scrappy look for the jewels I used part of a layer cake.
The quilt finished at 90 x 90  I used Hobby poly batting and Glide thread in the needle and bobbin. There are four different styles of hearts all freemotion quilted into the quilt.

Check out the colourful batik on the back, it's a lovely match to my duvet cover and pillow cases.

The original post is here

Thank you so much for visiting.......

Junior Ride 2012

The Junior Ride is for Primary school children, Kyle is now at High School so is too old, how did that happen?  This year only Fieron is eligible to ride.

Rosie had a 'beauty parlor' treatment especially for the occasion....

  Even her tail....

Fieron and her Mum.....

 The Children are following the Cornet on a short ride around the Park....

All shapes and sizes, some on lead rein some not.....I think the count was 68 ponies...

 

Here they come back up the Avenue...

It was a bit of a wet night but it didn't seem to dampen anyones spirits!

Well done Fieron and Rosie, you both looked and behaved fabulously! 

 

Roberton...

This weeks Saturday 'ride out' went from Hawick to Roberton our home village to the farm next door to us (and then back again after the picnik, around 12 miles today).
We've had lots of torrential rain this week so the rivers were flooded and not safe to cross on or off horseback.  The rides were diverted and routes changed. It was a little difficult to get correct information to see the riders so no action shots across country this week. Lot's of washing as usual as the riders were all well spattered with mud!

Here's Kyle and Layla all saddled up ready to leave...

The Cornet left at 1.30 by the town clock.

It's a bit like a military maneouvre sometimes as today Robin, Graham and Kyle were riding.......

At the Picnik point the town kids always rush to get a horse to hold while the riders enjoy refreshments, it's quite lucrative to be a 'hodder' for an hour or two. This is Ellie who was holding Dibbley today.

However, only Graham and Kyle set off back into town .....

We had another trip back into town to pick up the horse trailer, then home to pick up another pony and get Fieron dressed for her first try riding with the big horses....nerve wracking to say the least .... Fieron is nine years old and Rosie is 11.3 hands high, that's very small in comparison to the bigger horses!

Here they are waiting for the cavalcade to pass by at the crossroads where we hoped it would be a good place to join in, it's about 1 1/2 - 2 miles into town?

Fieron and her pony Rosie were stars and both took everything in their stride, here they are supported by Dad on one side and big brother Kyle on the other.

 

 

Back to the trailers safe and sound.

Lilliesleaf

This weeks Tuesday 'ride out' went to Lilliesleaf, here are the horses waiting for the Cornet....

Here he comes wearing his ceremonial Bowler hat, when they get out of town the whole ride stops so they can change into proper hard riding hats, it's law in the UK.