Riding on Dartmoor is such a contrast to riding in Dorset - the wide-open spaces, capped with an expanse of sky, make you feel like you are riding on the top of the world. When the weather is kind, you can see for miles and miles - right out to the ships entering the Plymouth Sound. At times the silence is engulfing. At other times, there are sky larks high above you, singing as if their lungs will burst. You can feel like you are 'home on the range', surrounded by grazing cattle or, at this time of year, by ponies with diminutive foals, each one seeming cuter than the next.
We have had a lovely afternoon, the Rector@6 rode out for the first time since we left Dartmoor. He has been too busy in the new parish to escape for a horse ride with me in Dorset. I fear the afternoon's ride may have a lasting effect on him - in more ways than one!
