Mosspaul Saturday 2013

What a difference a week makes.....Glorious sunshine for the longest 'ride out' to Mosspaul , it's around 28 miles all told before the riders return and are lead into town by the Hawick Brass Band. Any riders who complete the full ride for the first time can become members of the Ancient Order of Mosstroopers     and wear their badge with pride.

Moss-troopers were bandits who operated in Scotland during and after the period of the English Commonwealth in the mid-17th century.
Many moss-troopers were disbanded or deserting soldiers from one of the Scottish armies of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They had kept their weapons and lived a life of banditry, attacking both civilians and Parliamentary soldiers for supplies during the Royalist rising of 1651 to 1654 when English Parliamentarian troops under George Monck occupied Scotland. Moss-troopers usually operated in small bands, either on the fringes of the Highlands or in the border regions. Many Highland lairds complained of moss-troopers' cattle-stealing and of how they incurred military reprisals against the Highlands as a whole.

So, because of the wonderful weather this week this blog post is photo rich and tells the story of the day.....please give the photos time to load..... there is also a video of the return into town at the bottom....

Fi's Evening Mini Ride Out....

Thursday had all Primary School aged children excited for there turn to ride with the Cornet... DH counted around 95 young riders on there ponies. Some children are lucky enough to have there own poinies others are able to hire in ponies from as far a field as Edinburgh, Peebles and Innerleithen. Some children were on lead rein other more confident and able riders went along themselves. This ride lasts around an hour and tours around the Park here in Hawick following the Cornet with his Right and Left Hand Men and the Acting Father......As usual Parents, Grandparents and Friends line the streets to cheer them on.....

Here they are heading back....

The ponies were perfect.....

Wet for Roberton

It had to be the wettest 'ride out' possible.....just as the horses came out of the trailer the heavens opened and didn't stop....lots of soggy photos today.....

It rained that much that the river was impassable....so the horses had to detour passed my house.....in the 20 or so years we've lived here it's only the second time the ride has come this way......

No amount of rain can wash the smile from Kyle's face on a 'ride out' day.....