why is it SO nice

[Alameda]

when they are tightly coiled springs, head miles away in the air (tail too) reminding you what the martingales were for, and it's a long finger chaffing battle until you think they are 'listening' and you think it's safe to go, then you realise 1. you have no brakes or steering at all and 2. it really doesn't matter because you can see for MILES and it's all yours to gallop on

I wonder if it is because it is the only time we are really united in a common cause - don't like roller coasters so it's not just the adrenalin. It's the loveliest feeling, they should create drugs that make people feel as if they are on a galloping horse!

I've only felt that he was completely 100% out of control once and it sobered me up for ages, was scary, thought I was going to die.

hope you do report back dappleton, really don't want the idle 'wonder if she lived or died' crossing my mind intermittently for the rest of my life

It's the best feeling in the world. Complete freedom and the thought of not being able to stop adds to the adrenaline. Aah the days (notes must start riding again) wind in your hair. Perfect. I was always on well behaved horses, but sometimes you realise they have minds of their own and that's what makes it amazing. Horse and rider as one and a good gallop to get the tickle out of their feet. Ooh the days. I was a stable girl.

Wind in your hair is BAD. That has also only happened once, 'ah the sun in my eyes wind in my hair - my hat! My hat! Oh my god my hat' etc

I had really long hair so the bottom of it always got caught even though I wore my hat religiously. Think close to bottom of my back long. And always down. Hair bands bugged me when riding but once hat was off back into a pony tail.

that's a lovely image, all that hair streaming behind you!

time to go and enjoy my horses again I think

Well we survived!
I did take another route however as the galloping towards a road thing seemed Ok when I was on foot yesterday, it was a 1km stretch but i have an ex-sprinter - the 1200m was his specialty - so I wouldn't have much time if breaks failed!
However I found another stretch away from home (and away from roads) and had a blast!

lucky thing, we've lost a shoe so I am stuck with mr barefoot (who I don't gallop v often as it fizzes him up too much, also he just gets out of puff, he's not really built for it!

I always thought you were supposed to tie your hair up so that if you fell the horse couldn't tread on it and scalp you or break your neck? Also it's ok when it's streaming romantically behind you as you gallop like the wind etc etc, but then you have to go back home along the road in a gale with hair in your face and getting in your mouth and you can't see a thing and it's probably started raining too IME, unless of course you intend to go home at the same speed you went out (Alameda I'm looking at you )!
OR unless you are one of those sickening people whose immaculate locks always stay where they are meant to like some kind of Danielle Steele heroine .

I'm about some of the negative comments too. And wtf is wrong with a properly fitting running martingale fgs?

I used to do lots of galloping on stubble fields, sometimes bareback, sometimes jumping hay bales. Now we haven't got any (and the hay bales nowadays are the size of a barn ).

I luved nothing but a good razz up a hill or west wales beach! but these days, chicken sht. Luved jumping, any fence loved the adrenaline, but now chicken sht again. I have found dressage (dont diss it as I used to!) bloody hard work! moving the baby blubber also (3yrs later lol) it's a good med/ext canter in the safety of the menage I like now (the shame!)

We don't have stubble fields here, but I do like a nice collected gallop through the trees (can't really not be collected or you'll get beaned) along the river.

We do have loads of mountain trails too, its great to come out into a big meadow and you can see for miles all around.

Have enjoyed reading through this thread. Brought back some fond teenage memories!

Even though I have ridden some lovely horses in my time, one of the best rides ever was when helping in a riding school about 25 years ago, when new management took over. The poor ponies who'd spent all summer totally overworked going round and round in the school all day every day (one in particular so fed up it used to try and scrape it's rider off on the fence in the school ).

The new manager came in, gave all the ponies a week off in the field, then we took them all for a hack. We looked a right sight as we were all a bit er, under-horsed should I say. Absolutely no sticks or yanking in the mouth, but let them have fun and their heads free. They loved it.

Not that horse is up to anythng other than gentle hacking nowadays, but I used to HATE feeling out of control. I loved a good gallop, but needed to know I could stop when I wanted to.

I only ever went hunting once, but I loved it all apart from the bit when we were belting single file up a track under low trees, needing to duck, which meant I couldn't keep proper brake control, with a horse that somehow got in front with a red ribbon on its tail. aaaargh!!

Nothing better than a good long canter / gallop - slightly uphill to a natural stop like a field edge at the top. Being out of control downhill sounds bloody scary.