How many people ride in the dark?

L

Lill

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In the arena?

We did have floodlights but electricity at yard at the moment is a bit touch and go and the arena lights have gone completely, so Weds evening i dragged Blue out to school in the dark arena....

My eyes adjusted to it after a while and i could read the letters and see the fence but i felt a bit blind and am not sure whether its going to do more harm than good schooling wise??
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I couldn't face it last night as was totally on my own so just fed him and went home!
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i may as well as the lights are pants!! like you say your eyes adjust to it and remember the horse can see better than you! Dont see why it would do any harm, as long as you can see well enough to not crash
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me - i do all work i do normally in the dark.. last night hill canter work by moon light - night before dressage test practice by moon light... doesn't bother me at all...
 
I currently ride in the dark. Dosen't bother me tbh, i thought it would.

I find it does help me as i look down/ at my horses head to see where it is, but riding in the dark is making me look up therefore sit up and stop worryin about my horses head. Oh and cause i'm not worryin about his head i find i'm riding him more forward and he's carryin himself much better.
 
an arena would be a luxury, field! though we are currently lit by the neighbours xmas decorations
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they were fun the first time.
 
I do, I rode down the farm drive the other night and Mick was not listening on the way home (I school on the drive), so I took him straight in the manage and did a full session in the dark. Its quite pleasant and we are on a hill so can see all the M1 lights for miles.
 
we have limited lights in our school, and you have to walk down to the school in the dark, and i was really against it when i first went to the yard, but now it doesnt bother me! we are currently having a 80x35m menage built which will be floodlit like a footi pitch, but it wont be finished for this winter, but TBH the dark does not bother me anymore and horses see better than us in the dark!
i would just not ride anywhere i did not know in the dark as obviously i would rahter know where all the pot holes are!
 
I had a lesson in a badly lit arena the other week and loved it, I had to rely so much more on the 'feel' of the horse underneath me, was quite an eye opener. Not sure how much the instructor could see though!!
 
I exercise in the dark in the morning albeit round the farm. Normally can't see anything at all for first 15 mins and have to make sure I've seriously got my leg on all the time because I can't anticipate hidden dangers such as plastic bags, cows etc because I can't see them!!

Horse pretty good though.
 
during the week in the winter I end up just going up and down our driveway in the dark as don't have a school and no lights there but it is completely off road - lack of options during the winter if I want to keep Styx fitness up to compete
 
i have headlight on my hat star has one on her head we go out in the dark only routes i know well if off road shes fine with it and lots of reflectives of course!!
 
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