frozen arena -what would you do?

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ironhorse

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Our arena has been frozen on and off for the last couple of weeks, and I'm struggling to think what to do with my horse. Fortunately she can be turned out, but I can't hack her out as she's not great in traffic and with the roads as bad as they are it's not worth the risk.
We've been able to hire an indoor school a few times over the Xmas break, and might be able to do so once a week this month but no more than that because of transport/availability/cost issues. She's used to working most days and I'm concerned she'll get bored and gallop about in her icy field.
On some days the arena surface thaws a tiny bit and I have been able to walk and trot slowly on it. Daren't do any more as it's hard underneath, altho it was levelled on one of the milder days so not rutted
Are other people risking this or taking the view that it's not worth it and hoping for a thaw? I'm in the Midlands and the forecast is terrible
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This weather is driving me nuts. You are not on your own. We do not have an arena but our excersise area is flooded and frozen solid. The Roads are icy and slippery. The bridle paths are frozen solid etc. My coaching is cancelled nearly every week recently because his arena is perm frozen. I have 18hh of german warmblood doing hardly anything and a dressage test on the 17 th eeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkk. Things can only get better me thinks.
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I am also in the Midlands and in a very similar situation. I can do walk and trot in our arena and my pony is fairly bored - he wants to jump!! I've been trying to keep his brain busy learning things like leg yield, working on rein back etc. We can't hack out because the roads are too icy.

I do think it's not worth trying to do much at the moment
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I have a jumping lesson booked for this afternoon which I will have to cancel if it doesn't defrost. It is really annoying!!!
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Maybe drop her feed down a bit if you can while she's not working as hard?

Roll on summer!!!
 
are there any gallops nearby you cna hire? generally its cheaper than hiring an indoor and you can let her have a good blast?

racehorse trainers will make sure their gallops are in useable condition all year round as they cant afford the down time, so maybe worth a ring round?
 
I'm in the north east and have the same problem, I'v just finished 2 weeks off work that I was going to spend getting my lad hacking out on his own and doing a bit of schooling at the new yard. Frozen yard, roads, fields mean we've ridden 3 times in 2 weeks. AND we can't get to the beach as the road is frozen. Now it's back to work and I have no floodlit arena so can't ride after work, even if we have a thaw! Oh and the landrover is broken so we can't trailer anywhere! I may as well turn my horse away til february. he's quite happy in the field and digging through the snow for grass keeps him busy!
At least turnout is available, feel sorry for people who can't get horses out.
 
yep my horse is totally sick of his stable at the moe and because my car is terrible in this weather ive had to borrow hubbys and so am with him at crack of dawn so its too early to turn out and far to cold. this morning at 5.15 it was minus 5 not fun.
can't win in summer the poor thing has sweet itch and winter its snowy and icy is there no happy medium?????
 
I've had 2 weeks off work and managed to ride horse on the roads every day - did about 4 miles a day trotting. Also managed to hunt twice and had a gallop once.

I am now back at work and so have just turned him out. Cannot ride in the dark on the road before work and too frozen to ride on farm so have just accepted no riding to be done this week at least. I don't think it does horses any harm to have a week or two off in the field at any time of the year - there is no point being reckless riding on slippery roads esp. with lots of cars about if it means having an accident. Would rather horse was less fit than dead!!

But am seriously fed up to say the least. I was hoping to have 2 weeks of lovely rides and cantering up lots of hills etc instead of rushing my rides before work as I do 99% of the year!! Oh well.
 
I am considering giving mine a break til mid feb, when the evenings start to get lighter and hopefully warmer. Otherwise I am just stressing myself over the fact that I can't ride. No school, roads have treacherous patches that I'm not willing to risk.

Have considered boxing to an indoor, but the on nearby has a track to it that is apparently an ice rink, and the other is further away meaning more diesel and not worth the ocst considering I haven't done anything for ages, so wouldn't be able to do much in a school for that long really
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Luckily, I don't think my horse cares, he still gets turned out all day every day and has enough hay to keep him amused
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My girlie is or shoud I say was in trainning to begin BE in March, we need to get out to some Indoor SJ and DR but in order to do this i need to practice loading her and i cannot do this with the ground so icy. I booked next week of work expically for this exercise so annoying!

To be fair its better to do anything or alot for the next than to do to much now cause an injury and be out of work lame for 2 weeks. Just grin and bare it!
 
So its not just us then. We rode twice in the christmas holidays, and they were both rather tentative road hacks picking out way throught the ice. We have more snow forcast for this week. Roll on spring.
 
Same here! Horses were out all over Xmas and NY but our yard is an ice rink ATM (on Sat pm it snowed, then rained, then sleeted and finally froze on top of it so we have about 2in of solid ice everywhere) so it's too dangerous to try to turn out. Thankfully we have a walker so at least they're getting to stretch their legs but the arena is also unrideable. It froze, rained on top so never drained away, and is now frozen again on top. I managed to get a couple of hacks in over Xmas and one blast across the field before it froze again but have now given up trying to ride!

I do work in hand and long rein so I can do that when the arena is frozen but even that is out of the question ATM because it's actually an ice rink.

I can't believe how cold it has been! I know it's winter but I think we've forgotten how to deal with such a cold winter!
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Re. the OP, I think I'd just cut all of the feed out and give up for the time being. Horse won't mind a holiday for a couple of weeks and shouldn't lose too much fitness.
 
I have decided to give mine a couple of weeks off after a few hairy rides on icy roads, it's just not worth it. Fed up, yes but safe at least
 
Most on our yard have decided to just give the horses a break! it wont do them any harm in general and why bother trying to hack for 30 mins here and there when general fitness wont really benefit....I have just given in to the big freeze and I am quite enjoying the break!! Most are in same position, its a horsey holiday fest!!
 
Ditto that! I'm actually looking forwards to this weekend, and might have some friends round and will be great not stressing about having to ride etc.
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Also means I'll be ready to go when the country defrosts and I won't be as poor seeing as I'm not going anywhere and competing for a while now either, every cloud etc etc
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Same here, roads are icy so don't dare hack or box up anywhere. Arena is frozen solid so completely unusable, I also cannot turn out as P has had laminitis in the past and I just can't risk him getting it again from the frozen grass. I have given up now! Fortunately he is not bothered about being stuck in 24/7, think I am more fed up than he is!
 
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