Any suggestions - riding in wind and rain

Gingerwitch

Gingerwitch

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Ok - i managed to stay on in the outdoor in a galeforce wind and hammering down of rain for 10 mins - we only had about 98 spooks and although the riding was not pretty it kept me on!

The killer blackberry bush nearly got us, we had a bit of a bum under moment up the centre line - and the flaming wood pigeons gave both me and the big lad a heartattack. I kept it busy as in changing direction, kept a contact in walk and we did have some nice work - i was not brave enough to go into trot or canter out there - as i think i would have been blown off! but its a start.

Anyone else got any tips for riding in this awful weather - and dont forget i am at a bit of a loss as i have ridden in indoors for the last 5 years - and i honestly cant rember the weather being quite this bad in County Durham - but i am sure it must have been!
 
I'm a fair weathered rider I'm afraid, particularly as one of ours is ridiculously silly to the point of being dangerous when there are high winds.

But from reading your post you did well and kept riding forward, keeping your horse occupied etc which sounds like it did the trick.

Roll on an Indian Summer please!
 
The wind has been awful here too. Well done for staying in one piece. Keeping a contact is the best way and staying in walk too is good. Wear plenty of high-viz so you are seen, especially if you get caught out in the rain as drivers will see you quicker in between the windscreen wipers. Talk to your horse and reassure with a gentle pat, thats what I do with mine as she can be spooky at the best of times. A last thought, watch out for the conkers falling from the trees - make you jump if they hit you on your hat!!
 
Having watched my lot grazing happily in storms and gale force winds, I always think they have no excuse to be silly when ridden in it, so I ride regardless and they always behave. However, one Diva I had used to object to heavy rain or sleet if I schooled her in it, but if we hacked out, she was as good as gold. She always did have a lot of opinions, sweet girl that she was.
 
Lol, I am in Cumbria, rode out this afternoon, spent most of the time picking my mare off her knees as she jumped at every sway of a branch. Nightmare but winter is coming and have to get used to it. Kick on is my mantra!
 
I will ride in any sort of rain but not very high winds...we have too many dodgy trees/saplings along the bridleway and too much litter blowing about on the roads.
 
Im lucky as theres no scary bushes beside our outdoor but there is a field with galloping horses sometimes lol ... Have you tryed turning her out in the outdoor in the wind whilst you muck out or something so she can get used to it? Or choose a particularly windy rainy day to lunge in so she gets used to it? Mine was always a duffus in rain so one day i just got sick of it and made him stand in the heavy rain until he moved forwards lol im mean :p
 
I think ours spook when there is no wind :p (well it is a rare event on the pennine hills :D )

Not keen on riding in the rain, partly because of cars going through puddles at us! Did ride the Appy on such a windy day that I thought the bus shelter was coming down the road after us! For a spooky creature she did very well. It was blowing a fair bit at the show on Sunday and chucking it down at one point, as I had to hack there and back I don't take too much notice of the weather, would ride very little if I only rode in good weather.
 
I just kick him on and tell him to stop being a wimp, he eventually gets the idea that if I'm in the rain getting wet he can aswell and he won't get any sympathy from me.

I guess if you try and ride as if its sunny your horse probably won't see much of a difference.
 
Tend to stick in the school if its very windy as majority of our hacks mean going through some woodland - and I have had one scare of trees coming down when I was on board.

Actually what mine is finding hardest is riding in the twilight atm - obviously considerably more spooky than daylight. He showed me up big time on Monday by being a complete pain and acting like some failed big brother contestant when hacking out with my friends spooky big wb. Hers was fine, mine was a p**t!
 
You know i used to object to folks shooting woodpiegons and grose and pheasant.... not since my move to this yard ! - think the little sods sit there waiting for us and doesnt it always seam worse when you have a spooky horse? my little tb ok he spooks but hes a straight up and downer - the big lad is the rein back, canter pirouette type.


Knew what you mean about never riding if you only ride in nice weather - i lived by hamsterly forest for a good few years and if i had not ridden when it rained or was not blowing a hoolie i think i would have ridden about 3 times in the 3 years i was up there!

It is doing my confidence the world of good in someways as i a coping with it when on horse its my negative head that kicks in when i get off - like tonight i was thinking - i should have stayed out longer, why did i not get a forward active trot going on - at least once - but hey ho we have all winter and next summer to learn to ride in the wind and rain (lol)

I also only hack on the farm lands in this weather - but do tog up in high viz for me and the horse just in case we loose company - and i am now tending to stick to where i can have a gate closed behind me - again just in case we part company - is that the coward in me or the wise old head?
 
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