Does anyone ride in the dark in Winter?

I did early in the morning (5 ish am) never saw any traffic. It was sooo peaceful. Worked really well. I wouldn't want to do it in the evenings though with folk about, dangerous I think.
 
I sometimes do and look like a Christmas tree with all the flashing and reflective stuff on. We also are lucky to have bike paths everywhere separated from the road so don't have to ride on the road and the few roads I do sometimes ride on are very quiet.
 
I used to, off road. Some glorious sights to be seen, riding at 5am in January with a full moon and hard white frost - stunning. Downside was quite often getting whipped in the face by unseen branches!
 
Once, in the pitch black, hivized up to the nines and wearing leg lights and a head torch.

Watching the blob of light from my head torch moving made me feel distinctly seasick. Never again.
 
vickyb said:
I used to, off road. Some glorious sights to be seen, riding at 5am in January with a full moon and hard white frost - stunning. Downside was quite often getting whipped in the face by unseen branches!
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This! Particularly the second sentence :p I now have a head torch to prevent accidental facial injuries after having to go to work with a puncture wound to my cheek which then became a black eye as a result of a random branch!
 
My horse used to spook at the light from the headtorch shining ahead of her, I was too busy making her go forward to worry about seasickness. If you do it a few times, you get used to it.
 
Yes. Have done on yards where there's straight access to off road riding. Current yard will ride in the field, down a lane closed to vehicles, & on a patch of land we have permission to use off the lane. To reach the lane we do have to brave about 100m of quiet road that dead ends at the lane. Just go out like Xmas trees, tbh though only cars we've ever met are going in/out of the half dozen houses we pass before reaching the lane.
 
If it's properly dark, I only walk but as long as I can see enough of the ground in front of me (i.e. dusk or good moonlight) I'm happy to speed things up a little. Nothing better than a brisk canter in the moonlight!
 
I will trot but I know the ground as I ride around it in daylight and know where there are hazards, I don't canter as she stil props at the blooming light!
 
Limited to walk & trot if the grounds bad, otherwise we canter too. If we're riding in our field which the horses know the footing in, we'll also gallop if there's moonlight. As a teen, our yard went straight to a bridleway, which crossed a huge open field. Moonlight nights we used to race across it. And regularly rode our ponies back from the far end of a 30acre field, bareback in headcollars & no hats, galloping flat out with the rule last to the gate got off to open it, sometimes in the pitch black.
 
vickyb said:
I used to, off road. Some glorious sights to be seen, riding at 5am in January with a full moon and hard white frost - stunning. Downside was quite often getting whipped in the face by unseen branches!
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Sure they were branches....and not ghostly fingers grasping at you....oh is that just me and my vivid imagination..!!
 
Yup! *raises hand :D

I work full time and so have to else id only get to ride once a week in winter which is just no good for my boy as he would go loony without the work. I try to make it as safe as possible though. and yes this is on roads but only quiet ones which are streetlight lit.

Darcy wears:

Four reflective bands with red lights stitched on the back ones facing backwards and white lights stitched onto the front ones facing forwards. (very noticeable as they move when he walks)

Exercise sheet with battery powered red fairy lights stitched round his hindquarters

Reflective breastplate with white battery powered fairy lights stitched on.

Full reflective bridle set with rein covers.

Reflective tail cover

A headtorch. Yes the horse wears one. and he actually knows how to use it too! ;)

I wear:
A headtorch , clipped onto the peak of my riding hat

Reflective tabard with a red light on the back

Reflective things which go on my boots


I feel perfectly safe as when im out i always get comments from the drivers wondering what on earth we were! I have been told that the lights slows them down as they dont know what it is, (i can be seen from a very good distance! yay for superbright LEDs) then when im in the headlights they work out its a horse and rider as the amount of reflective gear is pretty much horse shaped rofl :rolleyes: Plus iv been told that i get 10/10 for visiblity from a very nice police lady who said she had to stop and congratulate me on my safety awareness, after i asked her whether it was a distraction to motorists, she said that it was all fine as i even color coded it right :D
 
Oh and i intend to get pictures too when i start my night hacking, so you can see him dressed up like an xmas tree, in fact i may even make him wear his reindeer antlers near xmas... :eek: (poor horse lol)
 
I used to be on a yard that had a sand school but no lights, however, the sand was so brightly orange that I could school in the dark with just the moon to light our way :) Always had it to myself for some reason... :)
 
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