‘A blissful landing'

In the face of dark evenings and home schooling, a weekend ride in the snow with the children lifts the spirits, says Tessa Waugh, despite a tumble and the prospect of retrieving a runaway pony

PONIES were our salvation last spring when we were stuck at home day after day. They offered varied time away from the house and were ridden more than ever. With all three children back in the home school routine, we should be leaning heavily on our four-legged friends once again. But it is dark when school finishes in the afternoon and it keeps on snowing.

The yard outside the stables resembles a skating rink with a thick shell of bumpy ice. We gingerly skate across it every morning. The fields are rock hard and iced with frozen snow and the horses can’t understand the lack of activity in these peak hunting months. They eyeball us from their gateway from midday onwards, waiting to come in.