Best motivational tips for winter evening riding

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pixie27

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Start a new job next week with a loooooong commute, meaning I’ll be lucky to get to the yard before 7pm. Horse is on part livery Mon-Fri so only need to ride... but I know once it gets cold and darker, I’ll have millions of excuses not to ride after work!

So how do you stay motivated to ride through the winter, especially late in the evenings when you’re on your own?

I’ve got a few lovely friends who’ll hack him a few times a week, but ideally don’t want to let our schooling go to pot over the winter!
 
i used to run a lot and on cold, dark nights when I really didn’t want to I would just set myself a really small target eg run for 10 minutes. I found when you get started you do want to go on. So instead of telling yourself you are going to ride for an hour just set out to ride for 15 minutes or until you get a really good circle/transition or whatever. Chances are you’ll do more and if you don’t you won’t beat yourself up for failing.
 
If possible change into your riding clothes before leaving work while you are in the warmth so you don’t have to change clothes later at the probably cold yard. I find I’m less likely to change my mind once I’ve got my breeches on!
 
Is there a possibility of riding in the mornings instead? I find when I’m on my late shifts and not at the yard until 7 it’s easier to ride in the morning and leave the mucking out until later...unless I’m super productive and get it all done in the AM which is rare :)
 
Change clothes at work, have a plan, have appropriately warm and waterproof clothes :)

And don't beat yourself up if you don't manage it once in a while!
 
Only two days into the clock change and I’ve had enough. I struggle really badly in the dark, I just want to go home- it feels about 11pm when it’s only 5.30pm. In 30 years of horses, it’s never got any easier for me so I’ve given up hoping it will haha.

I’ve decided that I’ll ride 3-4 days a week over the winter- it’s easier for me this year as I only have one in work at the moment. I just tend to get my tack out without really allowing myself to think too much about it, otherwise I’ll try and convince myself to do an early night. I’ll step it up again after the new year. This time of year now, til Christmas, is just a major struggle for me.
 
I'm another one that would suggest morning if you can. I am not a morning person. At all!!! But I know how drained I am after work so I'm better riding in the mornings. I do lunge more in the winter too and do pole work when I'm exhausted in an eve.
 
Thanks all. Definitely need to get lessons and comps booked in - hopefully that will keep me motivated.

I’d love to ride in the morning but new job will mean leaving the house at 7am... think it will be just as dark trying to ride then! And not sure when the yard ‘opening hours’ are as we’ve just moved.

Good shout about getting changed at work, much more appealing than in a cold stable! And will hopefully feel too much guilt to drive home without riding... once I’m at the yard it’s fine.
 
Plan what you want to do at the start of the week, keep a very close eye on weather forecast (cold is one thing, cold and raining is another), get creative with lunging (I can’t hack in the week once clocks go back so have to lunge to keep things mixed up - I do pole work, sometimes pop up a jump) and if you really can’t face riding or lunging any night, give yourself a break.
 
CMcC said:
i used to run a lot and on cold, dark nights when I really didn’t want to I would just set myself a really small target eg run for 10 minutes. I found when you get started you do want to go on. So instead of telling yourself you are going to ride for an hour just set out to ride for 15 minutes or until you get a really good circle/transition or whatever. Chances are you’ll do more and if you don’t you won’t beat yourself up for failing.
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This! I did this tonight. "I'll do 10 minutes" ended up at 20 minutes, nice & warm & really enjoying it!
 
Don’t allow yourself to think of anything else other than getting on the horse! Try and have a little competition with yourself as to what time you will be sat on him - I bet you get it down to 6.40 rather than 7!

Once you are on that’s the biggest hurdle.
 
I commute across London for work and tried it once in stable gear. Oh the stares and the wrinkly noses! :D Admittedly my cob is a bit fond of lying in wee and the smell transfers...

I come home, get changed and go. I need lots of tips myself but the best one I have to give is to putyour hat and gloves under your legs in the car. They are toasty warm to put on when you get there...! :)

I'm on the lookout for some cheap ski pants to ride in.
 
Surbie said:
I commute across London for work and tried it once in stable gear. Oh the stares and the wrinkly noses! :D Admittedly my cob is a bit fond of lying in wee and the smell transfers...

I come home, get changed and go. I need lots of tips myself but the best one I have to give is to putyour hat and gloves under your legs in the car. They are toasty warm to put on when you get there...! :)

I'm on the lookout for some cheap ski pants to ride in.
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My boots live in the passenger footwell of the car nice & warm. My gloves sit on the dash, nice & warm. Woolly hat & socks go on the dash if it gets anything like last winter too!
 
Neoprene boots were a revelation last year...they kept me warm all through that awful cold.

I have an elderly mx5 - so all the dash vents are needed to keep the blessed windscreen clear.
 
Surbie said:
Neoprene boots were a revelation last year...they kept me warm all through that awful cold.

I have an elderly mx5 - so all the dash vents are needed to keep the blessed windscreen clear.
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I have a very elderly Focus. Thankfully I can warm clothes on the passenger side once the screen clears. Morning yard visits have residual heat from home, as only 5 mins away.
 
try and not hang about, get him tacked up straight away and into the menage no procrastinating and putting it off until your toes are frozen ;)
i find music really motivates me and i love riding to it. Riding with headphones in may gee you up a bit and 'distract' you from the cold haha
 
I find if I keep a training diary it is a motivator. I just make a note I my diary of what I have done. If ever I feel like giving it a miss I mourn the fact that our training record will be spoiled, and go do the riding.

I did the same for running/cycling/swimming. That one needed serious motivation so I did an excel spreadsheet with pretty chart. I was working away near the end of the month to keep the chart going upwards!
 
Make arrangements to ride with someone, join a riding club (if you haven't already) and go to their midweek lessons, or book a lesson at your yard if transport/time's an issue. The light in our school isn't quite good enough for jumping but it's ok for poles so we have 'pole club' once a week where we all chip in to get the poles out and put them away and we all bring one excercise to work on - either one we've found online or picked up from a lesson.
 
Love these ideas, thanks. Definitely will try the music and training diary - I did have one on the go with my other boy but stopped doing it when he retired.

Ihatework- this is so me, I know already that I’ll be trying to shave minutes off!

Warm clothes a must, the yard has a solarium so I may end up paying for a few minutes to thaw me out if it’s that cold!

I’m pretty sure it’ll just be me in the evenings through winter, most people ride during the day (or don’t ride at all), and those who do ride in the evenings are those lucky people with Flexitime or 5pm finishes (still not sure how I’ve never found a business to work for that finishes at 5...)

Booking mid week lessons is a great shout, I’m part of a RC and they do occasional weekday clinics, would just depend what time they run until as I can’t imagine being hitched and loaded much before 7.30

Think it’s time to dig out all my ‘101 exercises’ books and start actually planning my sessions! I absolutely adore riding my horse and always feel better for it, just need to get myself to the yard! Luckily the yard means coming off the motorway a junction before home, so hoping that’ll encourage me to head to the yard first.
 
Andrew657 said:
A last resort is to make it so you must go to the yard (eg ask the yard only to give small haynet before they leave when you're riding) so you know you have to call into yard to give rest on way home.
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I've just started this to stop him racing through his haynets, but it's a good idea to build riding into that too. Where's the thumbs-up smiley when you need it?? :)
 
Put headphones in and go. I have also had such bad luck with horses being out of work/ retired over the years that I've learnt to enjoy every ride I get on them! haha
 
I had my first early morning ride today and it was wonderful. What better way to start the day than watching sunrise from horseback :)

Although sorry, that doesn't help you OP because you need to leave too early to manage a ride before work.

I tend to ride twice during the week in winter and then have an in-hand / lunging / liberty session and then ride both days at the weekend. Sometimes I just give him the week off - try not to put too much pressure on yourself :)
 
I have to step myself into it
1)Take riding clothes with you
2)Put them on before I even see the horse - failing to adhere to this has a high failure rate for riding.
3)Take tack with you to see the horse - so intent is already there, can't really pat the pony and walk off when the saddle and bridle are there with you :)
4)Cut some slack, for me I'm better with no set plan at this point, just a case of get on !
5)Once actually on it usually all comes together :)

But I'm a bit type personality; so would force myself to ride 6 days a week even when it was clearly going wrong, and my horse isn't the type who needs to be ridden everyday.
So I do allow social plans to cause me to skip a couple of nights.
 
When i used to have to ride in the dark in the evenings a few of us would all ride together in the school and practice dressage tests together, its quite good fun we often learnt them then would ride round in a line together.
 
All really good ideas. I have found a training diary really useful. I also use a weekly training plan - I plan sessions in advance and print them out each week and stick it on the fridge. Then tick off what I have done.

I find not letting myself think about it helps. Just move one foot in front of the other and get on with it.
 
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