horsegirl
Well-Known Member
What are the best things to do to keep him fit when it is dark by the time I get to the yard so I can't really ride much during the week?
Keeping a horse fit through winter
- Thread starter horsegirl
- Start date
Weezy
Well-Known Member
Have you got access to a walker?
horsegirl
Well-Known Member
unfortunately not. We do have a lunging pen though but it is not floodlit.
I am trying to ride where possible, lunge and long rein (well once so far) to stop him getting bored and keep him exercised but I wonder how other people manage?
I am trying to ride where possible, lunge and long rein (well once so far) to stop him getting bored and keep him exercised but I wonder how other people manage?
vicm2509
Well-Known Member
I put mine in the walker while I muck out then I ride him then pop him back in the walker for a while to cool down while I make his feeds and do my other jobs.
squid35
Well-Known Member
I am struggling with that too!
Im hoping that i am going to be able to hack in the evenings when it is getting dusky (very quiet back road with no cars) and then alternate nights do a little in the school, a friend also has a floof lite school so may try go up and use that once a week with each horse.
gonna be tought work though!
Ultimatly i wanna change jobs.....
Im hoping that i am going to be able to hack in the evenings when it is getting dusky (very quiet back road with no cars) and then alternate nights do a little in the school, a friend also has a floof lite school so may try go up and use that once a week with each horse.
gonna be tought work though!
Ultimatly i wanna change jobs.....
sorona
Well-Known Member
What facilities do you have at your yard as if you have an area to school in, you could lunge for 20 min or you could school him. My daugther has to ride in the evenings leading up to boxing day as she competes in the New Forest Boxing Day Point to Point and her boy needs to be incredibly fit but luckily we have no road work to do if we dont want to and can ride straight onto the foerest but she rides out with a lamp on her hat!
You could do lots of ground work and streches with him to stop him getting stiff and bored or could teach him clicker training!
Is there anybody who could lead your boy out during the day while they are hacking their own out?
You could do lots of ground work and streches with him to stop him getting stiff and bored or could teach him clicker training!
Is there anybody who could lead your boy out during the day while they are hacking their own out?
sorona
Well-Known Member
Could you invest in a engine bay spotlight from Halfords and attach it to a car battery and clip it to the lunge pen so that you have light?
LEC
Opinions are like bum holes, everyone has one.
I only ride mine twice a week and it keeps him ticking over. I even occassionally hunt him and have no problems with his fitness. I think horses are remarkably resiliant and as long as you keep ticking them over they stay pretty fit as long as they are turned out every day as there is no nutrition in the grass.
spotty_pony
...
well, luckily our yard has a horse walker and mine go on that during the day and then after school I ride them normally in one of the schools which are both floodlit. I concerntrate on schooling and maybe a bit of jumping during the week about 3-4 days a week and then hack out at weekends.
dieseldog
Well-Known Member
Well in the bad old days before we had a school and used to keep them in a field on the side of a hill, only used to ride at weekends.
Depends how much you want to do. I would move yards (if you are at livery) to somewhere with better facilities - to me it would be worth paying the extra to enjoy the horse more.
Depends how much you want to do. I would move yards (if you are at livery) to somewhere with better facilities - to me it would be worth paying the extra to enjoy the horse more.
horsegirl
Well-Known Member
We have an outdoor school which is lit but is under about 3 feet of water at the moment.
I am thinking of finding someone to ride him during the day so at least he gets some exercise but no one else at the yard seems to ride their horses very much at all. I am just concerned that he will get bored being lunged everyday.
I am thinking of finding someone to ride him during the day so at least he gets some exercise but no one else at the yard seems to ride their horses very much at all. I am just concerned that he will get bored being lunged everyday.
samp
Well-Known Member
I would try to lunge/ long rein few nights a week on temporary lights.
riotgirl
Well-Known Member
I just resign myself to the fact that all I can do in the winter is keep her ticking over. I'm not on livery so don't have an arena to ride in, just a field. By the time I get in from work it is too dark, plus the owner of the field would prefer it if I didn't churn it up by riding on it when it is a muddy as hell. I just hack out at the weekends and do a bit of schooling whilst hacking. Fittening up starts in earnest when spring comes!
LEC
Opinions are like bum holes, everyone has one.
I would love to have decent facilities (or even some) but unfortunately the fact I keep my horse for free outweighs this and the stories I read about livery puts me right off! Winter is a time to be endured!
spotty_pony
...
I didn't realise how lucky I was!
Nic
Well-Known Member
We have no school or off road hacking so 2 decent hacks/schooling at weekends. 1 lesson a week if poss & 1 competition/ training night.
Also my Mum doesn't work Mon,Thu or Fri so she hacks him out for me when she can.
God bless Mummy!
Also my Mum doesn't work Mon,Thu or Fri so she hacks him out for me when she can.
God bless Mummy!
Nic
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I would love to have decent facilities (or even some) but unfortunately the fact I keep my horse for free outweighs this and the stories I read about livery puts me right off! Winter is a time to be endured!
[/ QUOTE ]
ditto that lec, sounds like you have the same set up as us!
I would love to have decent facilities (or even some) but unfortunately the fact I keep my horse for free outweighs this and the stories I read about livery puts me right off! Winter is a time to be endured!
[/ QUOTE ]
ditto that lec, sounds like you have the same set up as us!
dieseldog
Well-Known Member
Wasn't replying to you LEC, I would keep mine at home for free as well if I could, as it is I keep them at home and have to pay livery.....
Back in the old days - say 10 years ago, livery yards generally didn't have schools and everyone was in the same situation as Horsegirl
Back in the old days - say 10 years ago, livery yards generally didn't have schools and everyone was in the same situation as Horsegirl
BBs
Well-Known Member
I had exactly the same problems as Horsegirl when I had my horses at home.
I asked at work if they would mind me working flexi time during the winter! and thsi works really well
I got to work really earler and finished at 3:30 this gave me enough time to get home and ride - use car lights if i had too in the field
At my old yard I had an indoor school! which pretty much got filled up in the evenings, and even trying to ride in the morning was a nightmare as there was always one livery who thought they owned the right to have the school to themselves. So I would start work an hour earlier or start 1/2 hour before and then ride at lunch time (yard was only 15 mins away) this meant i wasnt always stuck to the school so could go for hacks
Now I have my own yard 2 mins from work, I have a floodlit menege (although atm i am still not using the lights even tho it was very dark a 7am this morning lol) and we do have a hrose walker! which i tend to use if the horses are in.
I never found keepng the TBs fit was a problem in the winter, a couple or rides a week sorted them out! I used to box up to a local indoor school 1-2 times a week and then hack or compete at weekends so 4 times out of 7 isnt bad
However, if i had more cobby type (winston included) I would find it far harder to get or keep fit - although taking him hunting and competing at weekends would help!
I would lunge your horse twice a week even use poles if you can to add variety and then hack and school at the weekend - that should be sufficient unless you are planning on doing serious amounts of hunting/competing over the winter.
I asked at work if they would mind me working flexi time during the winter! and thsi works really well
I got to work really earler and finished at 3:30 this gave me enough time to get home and ride - use car lights if i had too in the field
At my old yard I had an indoor school! which pretty much got filled up in the evenings, and even trying to ride in the morning was a nightmare as there was always one livery who thought they owned the right to have the school to themselves. So I would start work an hour earlier or start 1/2 hour before and then ride at lunch time (yard was only 15 mins away) this meant i wasnt always stuck to the school so could go for hacks
Now I have my own yard 2 mins from work, I have a floodlit menege (although atm i am still not using the lights even tho it was very dark a 7am this morning lol) and we do have a hrose walker! which i tend to use if the horses are in.
I never found keepng the TBs fit was a problem in the winter, a couple or rides a week sorted them out! I used to box up to a local indoor school 1-2 times a week and then hack or compete at weekends so 4 times out of 7 isnt bad
However, if i had more cobby type (winston included) I would find it far harder to get or keep fit - although taking him hunting and competing at weekends would help!
I would lunge your horse twice a week even use poles if you can to add variety and then hack and school at the weekend - that should be sufficient unless you are planning on doing serious amounts of hunting/competing over the winter.
EllieBeast
Well-Known Member
i feel really lucky now. the yard i am at has 2 floodlit, well drained arenas. however at my old yard i could only ride at weekends through the winter months. not exactly ideal!
Lill
Well-Known Member
The yard where mine are also has a drained floodlit arena although this is new, we've only had it for 2 years and its only had lights since the beginning of this year! Before we had this i just used to hack at the weekends or try and do an evening show during the week (and take advantage of the practise area!).
UKa
Well-Known Member
Hi, I am very interested in what people post here I am currently wondering if I am doing enough with my TB mare. Thing is we recently moved onto DIY so I have to fit in mucking out in as well as riding, this as such would not be the problem but I also have no transport of my own yet so am always going with my friend who doesnt always exercise her boy as he is semi-retired; so I end up riding for about 30mins at the most 2 x a week on weekdays at the moment (we have an arena but it gets busy at nights with lessons so not all days are good for riding) I have also ridden around the yard when arena was busy and 1 x a week stick her in the horse walker while mucking out. 1 x a week I can go up in the morning and ride as I can work at home once a week and at weekends I hack her out for a bit longer. I dont feel I am doing quite enough as used to riding for an hour 3 x a week plus weekend hacking when we were on part livery. And I want to keep her reasonably fit for when I want to take her to a show or so and she is prone to tying up too so cant just ask a lot of her one day and nothing the next
so hope I am doing enough? I am also stuck at the moment as I don;t feel i can achieve much schooling wise during the 30mins I guess that is a trade off for being on DIY at least in the winter ...
Super_Kat
Well-Known Member
If I ride in the evenings if I have colllege during the day I wait until late (8ish) then go and ride in either the covered arena or the indoor arena because at they time they're fairly quiet
Heidi1
Well-Known Member
I'm lucky have an outdoor school with lights, don't get to the yard until 5pm, have four to muck out, but luckily the YO is not strict on what time you should leave the yard, unlike some that are close to me. But Horsegirl I wouldn't worry, if you can ride at the weekend and then have your horse turned out everyday in the week he should keep himself fit.........
horsegirl
Well-Known Member
that's great.
He is out all day until about 6pm and I try to ride as often as possible so it sounds as though he shouldn't get too unfit.
He is out all day until about 6pm and I try to ride as often as possible so it sounds as though he shouldn't get too unfit.
Petrie
Well-Known Member
If you don't need them to be very fit, I wouldn't worry too much about it. A couple of rides a week will keep them ticking over for a bit of dressage and sj, and then you can start doing more in the spring.
The worst thing is to think you have to do something with them every day in the winter, when it's dark and cold and wet, and then the whole thing becomes a chore. Not very pleasant for both.
Daily turnout will also help. Esp if they have a good charge about now and again!
I ride mine 4 times a week in the winter, and on the days when I don't ride them, I snuggle up with my OH and the dog in front of the fire - lovely!
By the time the evenings start getting light enough, I'm raring to go after a nice winter rest, as are the horses.
The worst thing is to think you have to do something with them every day in the winter, when it's dark and cold and wet, and then the whole thing becomes a chore. Not very pleasant for both.
Daily turnout will also help. Esp if they have a good charge about now and again!
I ride mine 4 times a week in the winter, and on the days when I don't ride them, I snuggle up with my OH and the dog in front of the fire - lovely!
By the time the evenings start getting light enough, I'm raring to go after a nice winter rest, as are the horses.
SillyMare
Well-Known Member
A bit of fast talking at work - I can occasionally get in at 10 and leave at 6 so that gives me time to ride & lead to get both exercised before work.
I also box to a school or have a lesson about once a week.
Darkest months my horses only get exercised 3 or 4 times a week but that seems to be enough to tick them over for winter SJ / dressage stuff.
I also box to a school or have a lesson about once a week.
Darkest months my horses only get exercised 3 or 4 times a week but that seems to be enough to tick them over for winter SJ / dressage stuff.
tigers_eye
Well-Known Member
I ride other people's for them, and I definately get more work during the winter. The clocks must be changing soon too. I charge the same whether they want the horse hacked or schooled, but I think I'm thought of as an expensive hack if you see what I mean, so usually it's schooling!
The other option might be to consider getting a sharer? As you would probably be looking for someone only for 3 weekdays or similar maybe you would have to accept that's a very limited market and not charge them a part of his keep. It depends on how important it is to you that he's busy all the time.
The other option might be to consider getting a sharer? As you would probably be looking for someone only for 3 weekdays or similar maybe you would have to accept that's a very limited market and not charge them a part of his keep. It depends on how important it is to you that he's busy all the time.