Anyone ride in the dark

No. I hunted until dark on Saturday and then got the lorry to fetch us, I would not risk myself or the horses on public roads in the dark - mad.

I cannot understand how you can be confident enough to go at a productive pace in the dark - I rely on what I can see to avoid potholes, rubbish, rabbit holes whist on exercise, and last time I looked you couldn't see those in the dark.
 
Never on the road. Too dangerous esp the speed people race round the lanes near where he's kept, there are also several blind bends so can be scary enough in the day.

Plus he is a spooky tit at the best of times so would probably be even worse in the dark not that I intend to try!

Fortunately where I keep him has floodlights for the schools, though I have occasionally been already riding in the field when it's turned to dusk before.
 
Depends on where you are riding.

On the edge of a city/town round lit surbuban streets, yes.

In the country on unlit roads, no. Though away from roads, no problem

The horses don't really care so much. If they need exercising then they need exercising.
What do people think used to happen when darkness fell before the advent of cars?

And what's a "productive pace"?
 
Aarrghimpossiblepony said:
Depends on where you are riding.

On the edge of a city/town round lit surbuban streets, yes.

In the country on unlit roads, no. Though away from roads, no problem

The horses don't really care so much. If they need exercising then they need exercising.
What do people think used to happen when darkness fell before the advent of cars?

And what's a "productive pace"?
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Well you have sort of answered yourself there 'before the advent of cars'? That is the problem isnt it, modern road traffic. I am sure back in the day, meeting the local doctor out on an emergency call on his horse, whilst the groom exercised the horses wasn't a big deal.
 
Not on the road but yes occasionally. I wear a head torch and I know my hacking ( I have a nice solid air strip to go round) so can trot on just fine if I want to so going at a 'productive pace' not too much of a problem. Certainly better than the pace I go in the school which is the other option and involves crawling about like a snail! I wouldn't hack on the road in the dark unless it was some kind of emergency.

This was last week in the dark and the fog

IMG-20131212-00436_zps68bcdf48.jpg
 
Yes-in our floodlit indoor school... ;)
Would never purposefully hack in the dark though...ever! Got caught out when the night started drawing in a few months ago and it was pretty much dark when i was hacking but i was only a couple of minutes if that from the yard and the lane is very quiet. There were a couple of cars that came which worried the heck out of me but i was in very bright hi viz and pony had a quarter sheet on that practically glows in the dark so we were easily spotted.
 
I ride a few times a week in the dark and am lit up with so many flashing lights as well as hi viz. it's country lanes and get far less problems with the cars in the dark and in fact they won't come near us and stay miles back, flash their lights trying to work out what I am. car drivers have stopped and commented how visable I am from a very long way away. In the day the cars race up behind me but I get none of that at night and at the mo I'm perfering hacking after work than at weekends
 
MrsJingle said:
Well you have sort of answered yourself there 'before the advent of cars'? That is the problem isnt it, modern road traffic. I am sure back in the day, meeting the local doctor out on an emergency call on his horse, whilst the groom exercised the horses wasn't a big deal.
Click to expand...

Yep this before cars horses were the only form of transport
 
In theory not a problem, as previous posters have said, 100 years ago we wouldn't have thought anything to saddling up and going to the local at night for a few pints then riding home...

However now with cars etc to contend with, the only way I would consider doing it would be where it's off road, and if there was an accident, horse could go straight back to the yard with out running down a road and potentially killing someone. Don't think the insurance company would like that one!
 
Would never hack on roads in dark
we used to hack round the back field as a kid but I would never do that now
I worry far to much now!
 
If I lived in the middle of nowhere and had access to miles of riding off-road, then yes, I would.....we have a bridleway just 200 yards from our gate entrance, wouldn't chance it though.....!
 
I ride round the farm in the dark, on the tracks I know well and I keep close to the yard. There is a private road with a very small amount of traffic but I still make sure both the horse and I are lit up like a Christmas tree. It can be quite nice at night, especially if there is a good moon.
 
misskerry said:
As the title.
Jut wondering would you go for a hack in dark during the winter..I work 9-6 most days during the week.. with Saturdays and Sundays off. I on hunt on sundays and spends Saturdays at our yard catching up on jobs I didn't do during the week..
Some times after spending the whole day at work all I want to do to unwind is go for a hack.. Our roads are quiet and the horse I would take bomb proof.. Is it doable? thanks
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Not the dark, Dusk maybe and never far and always loads of Hi Viz and leg lights, never make a habit of it.
 
no, someone locally here does though as OH has had the misfortune of coming across them on an unlit, national speed limit country road, he said he could see the lights and just couldn't work out what it was until he was close enough for the horse to be identified in his dipped beam. He was gobsmacked to say the least as it's a bad enough road in daylight when cars go flying up there!
 
I hack on the bridle paths in the dark. Maybe once or twice a week. I can get out in the day the other times. But do not go on the road in the dark.
 
I hacked home across country after hunting finished late one day, it wa terrifying. My horse was great and we jumped ditches and everything, she could see where she was going. Scarey at the end though, we rode right over a bonfire without seeing it (it wasn't lit!). So no, never out of choice.
 
I ride in the school in the dark on moonlit nights. the light isn't good enough to do any polework or jumping but certainly enough to do some flatwork and keep him ticking over. If I didn't I would be limited to weekends only in the winter. I wouldn't hack though - too scared of rabbit holes etc on bridlepaths and cars on the roads.
 
Me and a friend hack out quite often in the dark. If I didn't I would barely get chance to ride at all in the winter. We keep our horses at a yard right on the bridle path so that is never an issue and we are always well lit up. We have to cross over 1 quiet road to get into the woods and with the use of torches we are able to navigate our way around. I would say my horse is marginally better behaved in the dark than he is in the light, he can clearly see a lot better than I can.
The views not bad either when the suns setting

A34CBD15-E637-4298-B9CF-1D99BB5BE05F_zpsctwz0ptk.jpg
 
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I have an arena so have no need to, in the past I used to ride in the field but I never would the road.

There are a number of riders in my area who do ride in the dark, even the ones who have lights and reflective I sometimes struggle to see until I'm nearly on top of them.
 
yup, well usually just as it is light enough not to need the head torch. Am loving being able to get straight off road, although have done it previously when needed to only do a short amount of roadwork. - and am sure I am more than on some days as I do look like a christmas tree. At weekends we often come back in the dark :). He's too old to want to go in the arena too many times a week so hacking is better for him :).
 
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I often rode in the dark last winter as our arena lights were playing up! But I wouldn't hack on the roads in the dark as it's too risky by us and no bridlepaths unfortunately :(
 
I'm surprised at the amount of people that don't/won't ride in the dark.

I do, I have done for years and will continue to do so. I've never even had so much as a near miss and I've ridden on quiet unlit roads, off road, round housing estates and on busy (but very well lit) main roads. The places where I've felt safest have been on housing estates - traffic goes a lot slower and people are generally more considerate.

At the moment I ride on unlit quiet lanes and I have flashing lights on my hat, leg, arm, jacket. Reflective rug and leg bands for horse, reflective noseband, rein covers and I have attached small flasing lights to the back of the rug. Also have a tail guard. I've been riding in this area along these lanes for 4 years now and have never ever had an issue.
 
I used to when I was completely off road-not at any great speed mind you but horses see well in the dark when not blinded by headtorches :p moonlit riding is fab!

riding in the dark on the roads is very selfish to other road users IMHO. I used to have the lead the horses up a small stretch of country lane sometimes in the dark, we were all lit up but you could tell people were surprised to see a horse there as they got very close.
 
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