Sept 2020. As we head into the season of university terms, bronzing bracken and berries, I’m presented with an opportunity to add another horse to my riding regime, and it seems the Poldark theme is back. At a glance, Morwenna’s build, colour and height (a dark Celtic mix) has me in mind of Captain Poldark’s Seamus, frequently spurred on by Aiden Turner across the Cornish headlands. But this is where the fantasy must end. Although her name is suitably Cornish, Mo is of course, a mare. She wears matching tendon boots and a fly-bonnet for hacking and when appropriate, a petticoat to stop her fly-rug from chaffing. She’s a good three hands taller than His Little Lordship and this fact alone presents a host of ponderables; mostly centered on emergency re-mounting. The fear of gates is real! I’ve always hankered after a proper hunting crop – one of those short sturdy jobs with a handle for the persuasion of troublesome gates, but I don’t want a whip on the other end and anyway, I can’t warrant the price of such a fancy. I plan to improvise and order a cheap walking stick fashioned with a similar style handle – an aid surely made for prodding, pushing and pulling. Husband says he can easily cut it to fit inside the length of my boot. I can’t wait to see how this item will transform my life hacking about the countryside... From: mybook.to/MyLifeinHorses2