White Horse Pilgrim

Hawthorn

On the hill trails, the hawthorn has reached a peak of autumnal brightness. Red berries dot the hedgerows, in colourful contrast to the white spring blossom of these chalk hill shrubs, and are quite palatable to horses. Well, to some horses: Brena loves them and happily crunches on the hard-stoned berries. They are supposed to have digestive benefits.

I've read of a folkloric dread to harm hawthorns. So it's said, they grow where lightning has struck. Were that so, the Romanian mountains would be clothed with them, so frequently were the slopes and ridges struck. I remember shattered smouldering trees and blackened grass...and the occasional cross memorialising a shepherd fatally struck. In August I'd be keen to start day rides early so that we missed the typical late afternoon storms that grew and darkened, boiled and struck.

Breastcollar

I decided to start using a breastcollar because it seemed that Brena's saddle was slipping back a bit going uphill. I may have imagined this. Equally, she may have changed shape a bit. Either way, I bought her a piece of tack for my birthday. Such is horse ownership.

I am very much in favour of using natural materials on natural: leather or felt against a horse's skin, for example, Neoprene is an exception, however, where heating and absorption of sweat aren't an issue. So neoprene works very well for this breastcollar, and for the girth on this Tucker saddle too.

This breastcollar came from the US because English breastcollars don't work with Western tack. The English equivalent loops around the girth, rather than attaching to the steel ring where the cinch attaches. The Western version, therefore, is more robust and (because it doesn't slip down the girth) is more effective too. I did need to punch a few extra holes in the straps to reduce the reach of this breastcollar, however what tack doesn't need a bit of personalisation?