How Little Did We Know
Reflections on a Morning Hack Across the New Forest
On Saturday I rode our horse, Benney, in the company of a very good friend of ours, Catherine, who rode her horse Ami.
Little did either of us know.
We were out for about 90 minutes, just taking our time going out as far as what the other people at the yard call 'Lion King Trees.' This is a small enclosure of coniferous trees set on top of a hill half way between Newlands Enclosure and The Red Shoot pub.
They were given the name 'Lion King Trees' by the daughter of the lady who owns the livery yard who had one of her first hacks on to the forest about the time the movie 'Lion King' was released. As far as the little girl's imagination worked the trees were probably cover for lions, tigers, and leopards that would jump out from the undergrowth and eat her horse. But that would never happen because her Mum was with her as Mum's always are.
The 'Lion King Trees' were a good turning point and on our way back the air was so clear and the warming sun on our backs. We could see the high rise buildings of Bournemouth, the Purbeck Hills in the hazy distance, Somerley House across the Avon Valley and the start of Cranbourne Chase. New Forest ponies grazed contentedly making the most of the flush of late summer grass. Young foals slept in their beds of heather oblivious to the hardships of approaching winter. Cows mooched along munching where they could. Buzzards rode the thermals giving us a free air show as they hovered effortlessly over the ground in search of their next meal.
Unusually we didn’t see any deer on this part of our hack.
Sitting on our two horses, with no one else around and surrounded by such beautiful scenery we both felt deeply privileged to be where we were when we were. I guess that is what living in the moment is? If it is then all of us should try and find that space as often as we can? What was happening elsewhere in the world was happening in another world just for those moments.
We retraced our outbound steps on the way back. Benney was in the lead striding for home and an extra breakfast when he got there. I heard Catherine call in an excited loud whisper.
"Alan! Alan! Stop!"
Thinking something awful had happened to Ami I stopped and turned Benney around. Ami and Catherine looked alright so no emergency there.
"Look, look. Just up there in the gully, look," Catherine said as she pointed off to her right.
About twenty meters away from where we tried to stand still was a pale coloured stag with a full set of antlers. He played statues hoping that if he didn't move he wouldn't be seen while I struggled to open the camera on my phone. Catherine caught him beautifully and I caught him in part profile just a millisecond before he took flight and disappeared into the undergrowth.
That was the highlight of our ride and we showed everyone the snaps of the deer we had on our phones. They were so bad that they could hardly be called 'photographs.'
My wife Catherine and I went to check the horses later that day and all were well. We had coffee and tea with other owners discussing the clinic the instructor, Roland Bellido, was holding the next day. There was a buzz about the place. Almost like there is before a party.
The next morning I got up early and was in our garage sorting some kit out to take to the yard for the day. The garage door was open and I heard Catherine there.
"Alan, can I talk with you?" Which came out between sobs.
Her husband was away for the weekend and I immediately thought something had happened to him.
"It's Ami, the yard, the yard…….have just just rung to say…...to say he is dead. He died in his field overnight."
That is how little any of us knew on that final hack that Benney and Ami would ever share, at least for now.
Benney
The 6yo New Forest gelding - my bestie
The Stag on Our Way Home
1 millisecond later and he was nowhere to be seen
Ami at Sunset
About the Creator
Alan Russell
When you read my words they may not be perfect but I hope they:
1. Engage you
2. Entertain you
3. At least make you smile (Omar's Diaries) or
4. Think about this crazy world we live in and
5. Never accept anything at face value
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