icey roads are you riding?

merlin12 said:
I have a weeks holiday from work and want to ride.I hack and have no access to a school. To reach the fields I have to ride on the roads for about half a mile.The roads are rural,icey and untreated. I don't feel happy riding on icey roads. I have friends who will risk it. What are your opinions?
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We are riding out at 2 ish with knee boots on, booted up ready to go mind is shod all round.
 
I think for the sake of two or three days its safer not to ride. It will become milder this week anyway as we're hoping its going to warm up for Sunday to drive the ponies out as long as it doesn't bliddy chuck it down lol
 
No I wouldn't. I did ride this morning, but I use hoof boots with ice spikes in and it was all off road. I'd be more worried about other road users sliding into me if I went on the lanes.
 
I rode today, the snow has gone but we had a hard frost. I didn't make it to the road though, I thought I would ride up the farm and see what it was like on the quiet lane at the top but pony wasn't happy on the frozen fields and after meeting some deer and her becoming very excited and a bit of bronking (very out of character for her) we walked around the field a couple of times then headed for home. We were out less than 20 mins and she was dripping in sweat, on our usual 1.5hr hack she hardly ever sweats up. It is due to get warmer here over the next few days so we will wait until all the ice has gone before trying again.
 
No, I am with the rest. Just not worth it.

I go if the roads are completely dry and I think that maybe there might be a ljust a little bit of ice under the trees for instance, in which case it is boots all round and knee boots.

Maybe the Hunt horses have frost nails in their shoes?

I have skidded twice in the car on ice and I am a careful driver - only just the other day I thought I was going to sail straight over some crossroads because the Councils don't grit the lanes any more, just the main roads, so I reckon it is more dangerous now than in the past.
 
Nope, won't risk it. Firstly for the horse not slipping over and secondly for the cars possibly skidding. We haven't had majorly icy roads, but my car has fish tailed a couple of times driving slowly.
 
Well........ we did hack out yesterday morning, keeping to quiet lanes where we KNEW there was either a spacious grass verge OR grass/grit in the middle of the road so we would always have a safe surface to ride on.

Horses were popping out of their skins, and needed riding. We don't have an arena so thought let's go for it.

One horse is a native Welsh, the other a foot-sure cob, so we were fine.

Think it depends on individual circumstances and whatever surface exists. Tho' think that if there's any doubt, stay at home. Wouldn't have dreamt of putting my two at any risk.
 
I wanted to drive out today, but decided against because the lack of grip wouldn't do his confidence any good. However we did ride out instead. Surfaces varied from gritted roads, to gravel tracks, grass verges and frozen puddles. He's unshod and didn't slip once, but the ground's like iron. Used it as an opportunity to check that the tracks are still clear for a carriage.

I did get to teach him that it's OK to crash through the surface of frozen puddles if I tell him to - so that was today's lesson.
 
The last time I rode out in icy weather the horse slipped over on a frozen puddle 4 miles from home, landed full force on my ankle which broke in 5 places and ripped all the ligaments. Luckily it was my right ankle, so I could still remount and ride home (horse was unscathed). That was 25 years ago, and the last time I rode out on ice.

P.S. ankle still gives me gyp and "gives" without warning every now and then.
 
I'm hoping for a thaw tmrw, but no I have been out since Boxing Day, horse is barefoot but one way we have a steep ungritted hill with incomplete verges and the other way is a ford which can have black ice either side.

I'm just glad I didn't do my usual thing of clipping then being frozen off from riding!
 
Ouch, Cortez...I suppose you *could* mount because you had to!
I rode with a couple of friends this morning, stuck to the fields, going "the wrong way" round to counter any horsey thoughts about "this is where we gallop, right?!". Too icy for us on the roads, it was bad enough driving to the yard. Glad to say we had a nice steady ride (even a little trot at one point) and got back safely. Take note of local conditions, consider alternatives and stay safe, :)
 
I went out on a lovely hack today. My horse hasn't done anything all week as I have been ill and today was the first day I felt like getting back on. We went out about 2pm, there was a little ice on the car park but the roads were completely fine, no ice at all. We even had a gallop up a nice long hill which she definately needed to get out her system- just mud, no ice. I find that sometimes if I don't keep Her mind ticking over she goes do-lally!!!
 
I thought I could sneak down my lane on the grass verge but had to cross the bridge and very nearly came down my mare scrambled to to keep up right, I jumped off and led her home lesson learnt !
 
Nope, not worth it for the sake of a few days. I schooled today instead.

Too many risks, horse slipping, cars slipping, the sun being so low and bright that drivers can't see.
 
I did. Mid afternoon, roads had been well thawed by the sun. Went on roads that I'd driven on to check for ice, then chose a track that was fully exposed, so no ice. It was fine. You have to call it as it is. If it's looking dodgy, you turn back.
 
Won't ride on the actual roads when icey as I'd need to cross ungritted bits to get to where it's gritted but I did ride around some of the field edges belonging to the yard I keep him at on Saturday (also unintentionally did a few hundred metres either way on a rough dirt track with dodgy patches due to my inattention and turning the wrong way out of one of the fields!). Have been impressed at how much more grip my unshod pony has compared to the shod ones. I have to go across the car park and down the drive (both were ungritted until today) to get to the field mine's in and the only slip my pony has had was on a frozen puddle that I hadn't spotted, shod horse I led mine out with the other day seemed a bit more slidey and was leaving marks in the frost as he went.
 
No, horse is too much of an idiot at the best of times. I got told by a walker the other day about how naughty and unnecessary his misbehaving was - as if I didn't know!
 
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