Beach Riding (Slightly Worried)

[fredthoroughbred]

Hi everyone,

I have just started riding Fred again after a year of getting to the bottom of his problems. Now he is diagnosed (ish)

, I have started hacking him out gently for half an hour every second day (just a gentle walk).

All is well at the moment as the riding is very laid back with lots of forestry tracks, fields, woodland etc but he is moving to his new yard for winter at the end of next week and I am slightly worried as the only hacking available is beaches, lots and lots of long, lovely beaches.

Now normally Fred and I would be crazy with excitement if he and I were fit and back to our normal sensible, well schooled ways (NOT) but Fred loves beaches (in a snorting, naughty, wild way). When we used to live in Cornwall the beaches we used to ride on were very short (little coves) and he had no option other than to stop at the end haha

however, these new beaches have sand-dunes followed by roads (very quiet little roads but roads all the same) and I am a little confused as to how to tackle this situation without someone getting hurt (probably me)??

Would it be a sensible idea to take him on some of the hacks in hand or lead him off something else or should I just bite the bullet and stop being such a wimp??

Baileys on ice for getting this far

 

[Flicker]

Lucky you for having miles of beaches, but yes, I understand your concerns...
I would suggest taking him out with another real old dobbin that just wants to walk, and keep him really quiet and chilled, so that he doesn't automatically associate beach with running full pelt.
Also, would you be able to take some of the 'heat' out of him before hitting the beach, with a little hack along the roads or something - just so he's not fizzing with energy when he gets there??

 

[fredthoroughbred]

I think that is good advice and probably do-able as there are lots of nice quiet Highland ponies and which ever way I turn out of the yard I have about five minutes before I hit the first beach. He is generally quite sensible when he can't anticipate a bit of fun looming and actually one of the beaches is fenced at one side so I could possibly head towards that side first

I just really don't want to damage his lovely legs or anything from a moment of madness. Perhaps I should put him on a calmer?

Fingers crossed

 

[sarahs1]

I would defo ride him you have so much more control and you would be really upset if he go loose off leading him ride him down the roads with a quiet horse first then the beach but you could use a calmer if you are really concerned as you no him best and all his previous injuries hope this helps ss

 

[angiebaby]

Lucky you! but I understand where you're coming from
Just got back from a beach holiday in Norfolk. Mine was suppost to be the laid back one............ha ha, he spent most of the time going backwards! All we could do was walk, he was beside himself. However it was great fun, and the fact that we had ridden for 2 hours to get there helped get rid of some energy!