has anyone else lost their enthusiasm to ride in this cold?

Firehorse

Firehorse

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i'm not a fair weather rider, rain doesnt bother me. i hve waterproofs and my horse has a sheet. but this cold is doing my head in. i have raynauds but its not as bad due to some tablets, but i still cant bear being cold :( all summer i've loved every minute in the saddle. i'd just regained control and my confidence after a bit of a blib. but now this cold has struck i really struggle to find the motivation to ride, especially if alone. if a friend is going, i'll go without question. but today, i always ride tuesdays, my friend is having a lesson later so wont be joining me and i'm thinking maybe i'll stay home and do housework. hmmmm.
 
I haven't been able to ride for nearly 2 weeks, the roads are so bad around me, the field is frozen and I don't have a school. I get annoyed that I can't ride but really its not pleasurable if you are freezing cold anyway.
Do feel a bit mean though as I clipped mine the day before the freeze set in - poor pony!!
 
Enthusiasm to ride is a distant memory at the moment!

I don't get down to the yard until it's dark, after work. By the time I've walked the dog, mucked out, got horses it, whipped rugs off for checks etc, I am utterly freezing and can't feel my hands or feet. I have no desire to ride whatsoever.

I'm not too worried, to be honest. Riding is my hobby and passion, not a chore! If she only gets ridden at the weekends until the worst of this weather passes, I don't mind too much.

I wouldn't beat yourself up about it, I'm sure many of us are feeling this way at the moment :)
 
YAY for some one else feeling my pain, I was just going to start a "lets rant about the weather" post on here!!!

I am so far from a fair weather rider and the same as you..... we cannot get out on the roads because they are too icey and we live in a hilly area so you cannot even attempt to risk it. The ground is ice - everywhere. I bought my horse in from the field last night which was fine and then when I went to take him back he was almost on his bum, I was so scared that I was yelling to my friend for help as I just didnt know what to do. Denzil is really sure footed and to see him like that really scared me. The poor buggers have frost on their mane and tails and feathers and I just want to bring him home and give him a hot bath and a hug!!!

We are lucky enough to have a school, but guess what? That is frozen solid too as the sunshine came at the weekend and melted the snow / ice that we had and boom, ice rink.

Maybe there is a new thing there, Horses on Ice.....

Please tell me this will end soon before I get so sad from not riding and before my horse takes up ice skating rather than endurance!!!
 
I always struggle at this time of the year to get motivated to ride in the week, and this extreme weather is just making it worse. It is dark and cold by the time I get up there after work, often nearly 7 pm and I'm usually the last one there.

I stopped beating myself up about it a few years ago. It is something I do for enjoyment and if I only ride at the weekends for a couple of months then so be it. They are turned out every day, and as long as they get out at the weekends for a change of scenery we are all reasonably content.
 
i love riding in the cold, im one of thoose freaks that so long as im moving around im really warm! but bad mr ice meens I can even get off the fileds drive, let alone the evil lane outside!
 
I haven't ridden since last monday when i had to get off and lead for 2 miles as the roads were so bad. Now they are even worse so there's no chance i'm risking it, we don't have a school and the fields are snowy and frozen so he has to make do with playing in the field!!
 
I have the enthusiasm I just can't ride =( Mine hasnt been ridden in about 10 days, there is still snow on the school, its rock hard so I'd only be able to do a quite walk, the roads are deadly and the fields are the complete opposite, very muddy and slippery =( =(

I tried to lunge last night in the school (silly thing to think about with it terrible up there) and lasted up there walking him around for about ten minutes.

I REALLY wanted to ride a lot this winter as I'm off to Aus in Feb for the month and he wont get as much work done whilst I'm gone as I'd like, and I am trying to practice for my BHS stages, but FAILING miserably, though my theory is coming along well ;) !

Hopefully the weekend will bring some sun and it will thaw some more!
 
I have ridden 5 times in the last 4 weeks :mad: you can tell just by looking at me..... I swear I feel about a stone heavier and more tired :o
 
A lot of us obviously feel the same even when we have an indoor to ride in.
I have Rhuematoid arthritis and its not easy in this weather to do anything. I am constantly FREEZING! and don't want to ride! Now I should because i have only been back in the saddle about 8 wks since replacement ankle surgery, when it was killing me because I couldn't ride!!

HO HUM!! he will still be there in the spring lol


I am managing about once or twice a week, which then proves entertaining as he is so fresh lol
 
I am so relived I am not the only one. I managed to ride this weekend, as the roads are ok round us, and they harrowed the school, but I don't like hacking in the dark and the school was frozen solid the last 2 evenings so I haven't done anything and was feeling very guilty.
 
Yes, both horse and I were losing weight fast, both looking fairly fit and skinny. Now we both have our tummies back!!

I have two and a half hours til I have to pick the children up and cannot decide whether to try to ride. The sun is shining, so maybe the roads will be a bit melted? But if I tack up and get out there and it is slippy, I'll have wasted nearly an hour that I could have spent working. Anyone want to make my decision for me??!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGHH is all I have to say about this weather!
 
DubSeason to be Jolly said:
Another 4 weeks and it'll be noticably lighter a little later, another 4 after that and the weather will have perked up some days...won't be long till summer!
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That's the spirit!
I always count mid-December to mid-January as the absolute worst part of the year. During those weeks there's no hope, but by early Feb hope is back!
 
I'm still enthusiastic about riding, but don't want to risk it on the ice!

I can only ride first thing (like, 7.30am) or at weekends and I don't want to risk my horse slipping over so I can ride! Just not worth it.

They'll be plenty of time to ride when it get slightly warmer, and weekends are fine.

Oh and I'm another one that doesn't really mind the cold - I just wrap up and I'm snug!
 
It's the thought of having to take off layers in order to be physically able to get on my horse which puts me off!
At least it's meant to be warming up over the next few days - 7 degrees here on Saturday apparently - almost beach weather! :D
 
i suffer with reynards as well and i know what your going through its very painful and everything takes twice as long to do cause you cant feel your hands. i have to really prise myself oout of the house to go and muck out and everything . my horse hasnt been ridden for about a month now due to a very badly bruised sole vet thought he had broken his pedal bone hence x rays and a 400 pound vets bill he hasnt done thank god , but hes been stuck in for 3 weeks turned him out for a couple of hours yesterday but im scared that the frozen rutted ground is gonna make him sore again... so no riding for me just yet , just a few hour s turn out . morgan thinks he is now retired and seems to be enjoying his time off.. i feel really guilty though cause iv not done nothing with him.. but iv got him for ever and theres no rush i suppose better to be safe than sorry and let them have a winter holiday till the snow and ice has gone thats what im doing
 
there little orange ones called nyphadene. they do help though i take one in morning and one at night . i boil the kettle at the yard wen im doing my jobs and put my hands on that as well... i hate the cold i dread it
 
Haven't been able to get the horses out of the yard for about 2 weeks now, we even had to change there field as we couldn't get them across the road. Luckily they have been able to get out about 95% of the time, only a couple of days spent indoors but they didn't want to go out on those days anyway and were quite happy to stay inside where it was dry and warm. Hate to tell you this but some weather men are saying this could be here with us until well into the new year!!!! Sorry.
 
Everything got ridden Sunday for the first time in a week but then it froze solid again, the school is like a concrete car park and the fields rutted so they are getting out in the fields all day and thats about it. It is meant to warm up Fri/Sat so maybe they will get a couple more days work. I am not too concerned at the moment as long as this weather doesn't continue into the new year. With the snow last winter being so late we didn't manage to get them fit enough to start eventing until May!
 
Yessssssss Only just restarted riding, had few rides and then this bitter -6 frost came, anyway our aarena is frozzen so roads too bad, horse ok so will try again after xmas.
 
Firehorse said:
i'm not a fair weather rider, rain doesnt bother me. i hve waterproofs and my horse has a sheet. but this cold is doing my head in. i have raynauds but its not as bad due to some tablets, but i still cant bear being cold :( all summer i've loved every minute in the saddle. i'd just regained control and my confidence after a bit of a blib. but now this cold has struck i really struggle to find the motivation to ride, especially if alone. if a friend is going, i'll go without question. but today, i always ride tuesdays, my friend is having a lesson later so wont be joining me and i'm thinking maybe i'll stay home and do housework. hmmmm.
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I have given up trying to ride, lanes are too icy, cant ride on the road that is clear of ice during the week anyway because there are too many lorries, so I usually box up to local farm to ride on the lanes from there, but their driveway to the lanes is lethal and their school is frozen ! Roll on summer and the flies and wasps etc etc !
 
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