Do you ride in high winds?!

M

Mrs C

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 June 2010
Messages
631
Visit site
We had lots of posts about riding in the snow but how do you feel about riding in the wind? It's blowing a gale up north and my share horse is spooky at the best of times! Wondering if we should just have a nice grooming sesh tomorrow or am just being a big wuss?!
 
my lot go out in the wind if they like it or not :) and in the rain. i dont do snow as nothing i try will stop it building up in their hooves but if i found a way that worked for usm they would be out in the snow too :D
 
Captain- definitely not he hates it and gets very nappy and agitated. Big woss as well and would much prefer to stay in and be pampered, doesn't do "weather"
Fany- no problems with wind in the school, but would not hack her out in the wind due to not being able to hear cars etc.She would not bat an eye lid but nothing phases her.

FDC
 
I have ridden in the school tonight in this wind and my lad behaved quite well! I did think it would be good training for doing shows etc in the wind!

I would probably ride out on a short hack too in the wind as he isn't a jumpy spooky type. On my old mare (RIP Carma) I wouldn't have though! She was a spooky girl!
 
No I dont think you are a wuss. You know your horse and if you are both unhappy in high winds then its probably better to do something else. Hope you have a good day tomorrow.
 
I have no choice living in the Shropshire hills - went hacking today and it was like being inside a tumble drier!! However my horses are pretty good in it as they are also turned out in these conditions so are immune to it now.
If you don't feel safe, and know your horse gets wound up with it, I wouldn't think you were a wuss avoiding it.....!
 
Thanks all. Will see how she is when I bring her in tomorrow and if she doesn't seem too nutty, might give the school a whirl for some nice calm schooling!
 
No, I don't. All the horses here are complete lunatics in the wind. I have to stay in one piece as there is no one else to take care of the six of them. It's bad enough turning out and bringing in!
 
I school my boy in the high winds (such as this evening) as he is only 4 and i want him to get used to being ridden in any kind of weather. He copes really well with it and is better than alot of the older more experienced horses on the yard.
 
Yes, mine are all hacked in strong winds, they are pretty sensible and their hearing is more acute than mine, so they respond to traffic as they would at other times. I am more vigilant, turning to check for traffic frequently and chose the roads with good visibility. I don't ride in fog, ice or poor light, but anything else is ok.
If I had a horse that was spooky in the wind, I wouldn't go out either but I've had mine since they were youngsters and they're fine, actually, when the conditions are bad and we get caught in thunder storms etc they seem to be even better sensing the need to get us all home safely.
 
I will ride my own horse in any weather because he is completely unfazed by anything (although if it's raining hard he'll try to edge round so he can stand with his bum to the rain), but on any other horse I get very nervous about riding in the wind. I've had two bad falls caused by horses getting spooked by the wind, so it scares me and then the horse picks up on that and it all goes wrong. :o
 
Share horsey is a bit of a pleb in windy weather so i tend to stick to the school more than i normally would. But To be honest, it's always either raining, frozen or windy at the moment so if we can get out for a hack on the times it's not icy then i don't care what else the weather chucks at us. He's spooky and jumpy and joggy but not uncontrollable so yes we do usually just hack out anyway, with extra high vis. Makes me laugh when he's full of beans anyway :)
 
Mare, wind is a nono.
Gelding, wind is fine, but rain no, he turns his bum on it and hides in the hedge refusing to walk, very tasking if you're out on a hack down a narrow lane. Cars aren't thankful of a windscreen-full of bottom.
 
I ride one of my boys, as he doesn't mind it. The other one hates it and is very spooky and sharp so I don't ride him at all when it's windy. Yes, this means we end up missing out sometimes but it's for his and my safety. I have also just bought a youngster and I won't be riding her when it's really windy either, at least until I have got to know her and have seen how she reacts to the wind.
 
Not if I can't hear the traffic as he is nervous with cars and a bit spooky anyway. Will take him up to the field and lunge him instead if it's bad, probably makes him work harder than a 20 minute hack up the road anyway!
 
Mine all go out in high winds, gales, heavy rain....won serval classes dressage and showing when the weather has been horrendous as my horses were the only ones carrying on as usual, not spinning around etc....

You never know with English weather if it's going to start blowing a hoolie in teh middle of a competition, so mine are prepared for all weathers. :D
 
I went out yesterday with my girl. Rain and wind.
I would judge it first by how she reacts when bringing her in to get ready - but generally the wind doesn't fuss her.
As for traffic - I just make sure I'm a lot more vigilant and eve nwith the wind yesterday we managed to hear most cars :)
We were out for 3 and a half hours (15 miles) and pony behaved as she does on a calm day :D

Depends on the individual!!
 
Yes I do. He is still a bit green but riding in the wind has never been made a problem so it isn't one. yes he is a bit more forward and spookier but I can ride him through it and he soon settles down. We will hack round the fields, school and jump in the wind just not on the roads as he isn't great on the roads yet so we work on that when other things are in our favor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top