A Fine Horse in New Country

"There ain't nothing better than a fine horse in new country..."

AUGUSTUS MACRAE

Welcome!

This website is dedicated to exploring Scotland's fabulous landscape on horseback. In these pages you will find trail stories about trips we have done and are planning to do; how we go about preparing our horses (and ourselves) for longer rides; and some information and ideas which you might find helpful if you are planning your own expedition sometime soon. There are also some pages about life on a small Highland pony stud.

Do check out the Hoofprints Over Scotland section, which details a thousand mile, 4 month journey round Scotland (and a tiny bit of England) in aid of World Horse Welfare in 2009!

Why do we do it? Mostly it's for fun. It's also an opportunity to see places we wouldn't otherwise; to build a closer relationship with our horses; a challenge and a delight. Most properly prepared horses adore going somewhere new and stride out with an enthusiasm which they don't generally demonstrate while perfecting the 20 metre circle in an arena.

It's a good way of sharing your horse interest with a friend or partner who doesn't ride: they can walk, or cycle (and open gates...) It also combines well with other hobbies you may have, such as photography, watching wildlife, or camping.

With the advent of the Land Reform Act in Scotland (popularly known as the 'Right to Roam',) facilities are improving all the time. The Where to Ride in Scotland section will hopefully give you some ideas - and please feel free to contact us if there's somewhere you would like to recommend.

You can also follow our daily musings and doings on afinehorse.blogspot.com.

Horses have evolved to be on the move: research suggests herds in the wild will travel up to forty miles a day. Virtually any sound and reasonably sane horse can be used for this type of riding (and steady, varied work within the horse's capabilities will improve them all.) He doesn't need to be beautiful to anyone but you! But the most fun will be had from a horse who:

• is mannerly, both to ride and to lead;
• will stand still on command;
• is the right size for the rider;
• gets along with other horses (unless you plan to ride alone a lot);
• is reliable in traffic;
• will tie up safely;
• is relaxed in strange surroundings, and will willingly eat and drink away from home;
• will happily tolerate saddlebags, unfolding of maps, and other gear;
• has good feet, which will cope with a wide variety of terrain;
• has a strong back (as you're going to be sitting on it for a long time.) Correct work will help, but horses which are congenitally weak-backed, or who have a history of pain-related issues, may not be suitable;
• has a reasonably kind and willing temperament. Only you can decide what is acceptable to you, but I like to feel my horse is enjoying it as much as I am!

Not all wanderers are lost. JR TOLKIEN