How do you keep your horses fitness levels up in winter with limited riding

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littlenordic

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How do you manage to keep your horse at a basic fitness level in the winter when you have restricted riding?? my yard has no school lights and I work full time so other than at weekends I will struggle to ride. My horse is semi retired but want to keep him ticking over the winter at a basic fitness level so come spring i wont have to start from scratch with a fitness plan. How do you cope? Thanks!
 
If I had a school I'd ride in it without lights. As it is we ride in our field when ground permits in the dark. Farm driveway opens onto a quiet lane that passes a few houses, then is closed to vehicles, so we go up & down that. And have permission to use a field off the lane too when ground allows.
 
We've got floodlights, a horsewalker and are straight on a bridleway which we can go up and down in the semi-dark without riding on roads. I love my livery yard. :D
 
I let their fitness levels drop, I won't ride in the dark, and it is pitch black in the sticks at gone 6 when I get to the yard! Occasional hacks in the week if I can start late and weekend hacks are it for the winter. .
 
debsey1 said:
I just couldn't do this, my yard is in the middle of nowhere and when it's dark, it's dark you can't see your hand in front of your face it would be like riding blind for me anyway! I know horses can see well in the dark.
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Yes I have been at yards in the past where they have been in the middle of nowhere and pitch black, but luckily our field backs onto houses and is pretty well lit.
 
turned out 24/7 plus i just ride in the dark
due to the long winter hours up here dogs get walked in the dark too - i never use a torch as i find it wrecks my night vision - there are no lights up in my neck of the woods ;)
 
Last winter I was at a yard with a school but no lights - I would school or hack before work when there was some light.

This year I'm at a yard with floodlights, so that's an option for after work riding. But I would also recommend investing in a fishing cap light on eBay - they're dirt cheap and attach to the peak of your riding hat. 5 very bright LED's and Bob's your uncle for night hacking :D

Also track moon phase...we're a few days away from a full moon and the illumination it gives is fantastic.
 
I am lucky with my shifts as do a week of 10.30-6.30 so can ride in the mornings. The next week is 8.00-3.30 so impossible to ride as too dark in the depths of winter. I ride as much as possible to keep her ticking ovet but sometimes the weather has other ideas :(
 
Well if they are fit going into winter and you ride them at the weekends that should keep them ticking over. Can you lunge a couple of evenings? Horses don't have to be ridden every day if they are turned out. Of course, some horses are very active and gallop around, roll and play and they do tend to keep themselves fit. Others just mooch around lazily and those are the hardest to fitten up.

There was a study done in Australia with some racehorses and it was to find out how soon they lost fitness without any exercise and it was weeks. Unlike humans who start to go off after two weeks, or so the study said.
 
I don't really sweat it.

He goes out daily on hilly paddocks, is hacked at weekends and then lightly schooled/long lined or worked in hand when weather/motivation allows - usually two or three times a week.

He serms to pick fitness easily again in the Spring, do doesnt worry me too much ;)
 
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