Fitting in riding over winter

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Daisy2

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I find that riding at weekends is a priority and everything else gets a overlooked ... but today I decided not to ride and went for a picnic with hubby and the dog. Really enjoyed but felt the weekend was not complete without riding sat and sun and such a lovely day. What with working full time and xmas shopping coming up I wont be doing much riding till feb time. Maybe if I had a floodlit school I could ride more evenings and keep some weekends free. So whats your schedule over winter particularly those that don't have a school
 
I save 13 days of my annual leave so that I can take 1 half day every week from Oct to March. So I can ride one afternoon every week and both days at the weekend. We do have a flood lit school at my yard, but I'm a very happy hacker :)

Christmas shopping - how about using the internet? I really don't 'do' shopping!!!

Prefer riding to everything else :D
 
I don't have a school either. Last weekend the fog was too thick to ride safely, this weekend it has been galeforce winds plus the local shoot were out both days :( Next weekend have visitors, so it looks like a fortnight break for nedette. Like you I more or less write off Dec/Jan and just hack the odd fine day it we get one.

Roll on Sping!
 
HollyB66 said:
I save 13 days of my annual leave so that I can take 1 half day every week from Oct to March. So I can ride one afternoon every week and both days at the weekend. We do have a flood lit school at my yard, but I'm a very happy hacker :)

Christmas shopping - how about using the internet? I really don't 'do' shopping!!!

Prefer riding to everything else :D
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Thats a good idea, I have 2 days left for annual leave for December so could take four half days potentially! As for the shopping, well its a must, I am the brood hen of the family and my boys are coming home from uni for Xmas so want to make it special :)
 
I get up and ride ear;y at seven or lunge on grass by floodlight-not brill but enough so that she doesnt fall over. I then get up at seven to ride out and muck out on a weekend so the rest of the day is free. i also use flex time or half days to fit in ride so am managing every other day still but iot does take discipline. I work full time plus do on call duty a week at a time and extra on call duty and have a dog to walk and manage the house.
 
I do the same as you and prioritise riding on the weekend, to the detriment of the cooking, cleaning, gardening, shopping and pretty much everything else!!!

Leave for work at 7.45am in the week (after walking dogs, seeing to chickens and feeding horse) and not home until 6.30pm so no chance to ride.

It is hard - My OH isn't best pleased with me leaving all the housework to him, and I feel like I'm on a treadmill trying to fit everything in. However, with a baby due in Feb I'm determined to get as much riding in as possible, while I still can!!
 
I do the same, lunge 2 mornings a week, very small sand area with light, not big or bright enough to ride. I try to take a half day off work every 2 weeks to hack and hack out at the weekends. Try to get up early so have the rest of the day but I still end up at then yard all day. Oh to have an arena.

Loads of arenas in the area, but no one is willing to hire theirs out. I know they cost a lot, and they wont have insurance etc, but isn't the saying 'every little helps' especially in these tough times.
 
We have a school but the lights are broken. I ride in it anyway. Horses can see in the dark and I'm not supposed to be looking at what the horse is doing, I'm supposed to be feeling her. After a while your eyes get used to the dark and you can make out where the fences are.
I hack with flashing lights, yellow everything and reflective everything - we look like an early Christmas tree but it is a 60mph road so it's not worth taking any chances. We also do bridleways, again on the principle that horses can see in the dark. I know where the low branches are roughly and I just lie flat on her neck.
I have a lesson one weekend day and do my long hack the other day to make the most of the daylight (obviously instructor can't teach in the dark) and I am counting down until the Christmas holidays. My horse has arthritis though and the vet says that it wouldn't be good for her joints to have much time off and would probably speed up retirement.
 
I really hate the dark nights and the impact on riding. However, to get through winter the best I can I save annual leave so that I can have 2 weeks off around Xmas time so I can have some daylight riding. I also use other half day holidays to try and have at least one 'day light' ride each mid week. Sometimes I split the hours from my half day holiday over 2 days during the week so I can ride both of mine at lunchtime from work. Or can hack out when my sharer comes to ride one of my boys.

Aside from this I end up riding in the dark in the school on an evening.

Can't wait for the lighter evenings again!
 
This winter I take 2.5 hours off banked time (from working overtime in the summer) every friday, and am working from home on wednesday afternoons so I can ride in my lunchtime without having to go back into work (more timesaving). I ride both days at weekends.

I need to up my horses exercise though, so in Jan will start paying someone to hack him one day a week - can't afford it at the mo with christmas :)
 
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