Free Rein 30 June 2007

With the benefit of hindsight, picking the middle weekend of Wimbledon for a ride through the Brecon Beacons was asking for trouble. The severe weather warning only confirmed the folly.

Jenny sensibly opted for full water-proofs though even she was a bit damp by the end of the day. Fortunately, the drying room at the Roast Ox Inn in Painscastle, our destination for the first day, proved more than adequate for the task.

We were thoroughly briefed before setting out from the stables - Jenny with the directions and Mark with the maps. All waterproof and kept in handy pouches. It all seemed well organised.

http://www.free-rein.co.uk/homepage.htm

We covered 13 miles in a little under 4 hours, mostly at a walk though with occasional trots and canters. Much to Jenny's disappointment, we both stayed on and made it to the Inn by late afternoon. The feed and grooming kit had arrived ahead of us (as had our luggage so we had dry clothes to change into) and we turned the horses out into a small field in the centre of the village.