Do you ride in snow?

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jessikaGinger

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as the title

if you do do yours wear shoes or is barefoot better?

Around Dec/Jan i will be starting to hack my mare again after weening foal but last year the snow stopped me

Is it silly/dangerous to consider it?
 
this year the vets practice put 33 horses down due to broken legs over the snowy/ice period. This has made my decision fairly easy - Only riding in the indoor school.
 
I would never ride out in the snow once it had settled on the ground...far too dangerous and slippery.. Have ridden while it's been snowing though & that was pretty nice as the snow was powdery & not slippy.. I've also ridden in a rubber menage in the snow & the snow just balls up in their feet..
 
i`d ride in snowy fields but would put a liberal dose of vaseline in and around his feet to stop the snow balling up - especially with shoes on. would be a bit wary of snow covered roads. its not so much the snow but the ice/black ice that you dont always see under the snow that could cause a problem with slipping/sliding. plus of course traffic could slip and slid if they have to brake near you.
 
Yes, it is normal, if I didn't then I wouldn't ride at all for 5 months of the year.

My horses live out, they understand snow and know what they are doing, being out in the stuff is no big deal, they don't hooley because they aren't cooped up in a stall. I also only go places where I know what the footing is like, so pretty much everywhere I ride any other time really.

All mine are permanently unshod, no balling.

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A bit of weather doesn't stop the trotters training either as you can see ;)
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Yep but only off road, wouldn't dream of chancing the tarmac with snow or ice around. And with a lot of vaseline on the sole to stop the snow balling up. :)
 
Yes, often ride out in the snow to keep ours fit, don't ride out on roads very much anyway. I just whack a load of vaseline on their hooves.
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Yes - but not on tarmac/concrete or over ground I don't know well (don't know what holes are lurking under the snow!). Ours are unshod, no probs with slipping or having it balling up in their feet. I wouldn't have considered it when they were shod as they had alot more probs with slipping because no matter what I did the snow balled up in their feet so fast.
 
Sure, mine are barefoot and live out in it so they know the score. I wouldn't go on the road or anywhere I thought might be icy / slippy though...
 
I didn't last year but I will this year!

As others have said, not on the roads but I will in the fields. My horse was stabled a lot over the winter and he went berzerk on the days when he did get out... don't want that happening this year.
 
We ride OFF ROAD in the snow no problem. In fact, I can remember one year the snow had drifted up to my waist in places around our sheds, that was a lesson learned for my cob :p I wouldn't ride on the road when it's been snowing. I just have 'Horse Whisperer' thoughts! But on country lanes and fields I think it's fine.
 
Ive been thinking about the horse whisperer all day hence the reason i asked:o

I can ride in the field but all our off road hacking is hilly im just scared she would slip and break a leg

How does vaseline work :confused: when i first read it i though wont it make it more slippery?:o

Mine's unshod and our yards pretty level so riding in the fields in ok some of the pics ive seen of snow riding looks fab im so jealous..
 
I don't go hacking in the snow because to get out our farm the road is quite steep downwards, so would just slide everywhere. Last year I did a wee bit of work in the field in the snow bareback, mine are all barefoot and pretty sure-footed so wasn't a problem.

And because they are fjords, it's just stunning - they look so at home with the snow! It's beautiful sitting on their backs and seeing their colour against the pure white!

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we ride in the snow - both ours are shod all round, with no stud or road nails. We try to go out very first thing when the roads are as untouched as possible, or at lunch time when the roads the the most melted. And we try to get off the roads as soon as possible onto bridleways.

If the roads get iced up then we cut across ours and a neighbours field to get to the bridleway.

The horses go out everyday, without fail, regardless of the weather. They are pretty sensible when we hack out in the snow as they're not wound up by being inside, and they are pretty footsure anyway.
 
melxvengeance said:
I don't go hacking in the snow because to get out our farm the road is quite steep downwards, so would just slide everywhere. Last year I did a wee bit of work in the field in the snow bareback, mine are all barefoot and pretty sure-footed so wasn't a problem.

And because they are fjords, it's just stunning - they look so at home with the snow! It's beautiful sitting on their backs and seeing their colour against the pure white!
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Love the pics of the fjords in the snow.. stunning! Also I like how you're bareback, bet your bum is warmer than a saddle in cold weather! ;)
 
RunToEarth said:
Yes, often ride out in the snow to keep ours fit, don't ride out on roads very much anyway. I just whack a load of vaseline on their hooves.

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I'd never heard of putting Vas in either but looking at the bottom of the feet in the last picture it must work - although my chaps not too sure footed so not sure I'd have the nerve to try it! ;)
 
I don't have a menage at the yard I rent but we have a field we use for schooling so in snow/ice etc as long as the bottomhalf still has a good grass coverage I carry on riding. Stay mainly in walk with lots of lateral work etc. I wouldn't chance the roads mainly because there are so many hills here!
 
I love riding in the snow :D
Riding on freshly fallen snow is perfectly safe, imo, although I don't ride when it has compacted to ice and become slippy and dangerous. When it snowed last year I went out on the lanes the day it snowed, as it was all fluffy and lovely and no cars could get through, but after that we kept to the fields. Once the roads have been cleared and gritted I ride out as normal, but keep off roads that don't get treated and that I know will be icy or uncleared. I think riding in the snow is great so long as you are sensible about it!

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brucethegypsycob said:
i`d ride in snowy fields but would put a liberal dose of vaseline in and around his feet to stop the snow balling up - especially with shoes on. would be a bit wary of snow covered roads. its not so much the snow but the ice/black ice that you dont always see under the snow that could cause a problem with slipping/sliding. plus of course traffic could slip and slid if they have to brake near you.
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Same here. I occassionally ride in the snow - obviously you have to take into account the ground will be frozen solid underneath though so no thundering about. I wouldnt hack out on a road though - way too slippy underneath.

I dont do proper riding generally, its way too cold for that - I just jump on (with the horse still rugged) and play about, as below (although this was quite deep - horse is 16hh and up to his knees!):

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