quick(ish) questiom

[xbuzzx]

I have my riding lesson on thurs and half the time i take my boy up for it but the other times i just use a riding school horse. This week will be the first time that i will have rode him in the dark (with floodlights ofcorse!) so just wondering if horses moods change when its dark cos kinda scared about it! :L
Also the horses are used to getting grass at aboout half four but i would prob be taking my one out the field at quarter to 6 for a lesson at 7, so would this be too short a time for him to have eaten lots of grass then worked? cos i could prob see if i could move the fence after but the others might get impatient :L
sorry its kinda long and confusing! x

 

[dianchi]

Hi, im its a school he has been in before no reason why it should be a problem, is he normally spooky. As for riding that time after grass shouldnt be a problem either.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[xbuzzx]

No, not usually spooky, can be hyper though...but not really bad :L ok thanks, thats a help, was a bit worried...but feeling better now

 

[Tickles]

xbuzzx the first time I rode share horsey under floodlights was a *total* disaster. I think that may have been around the same time his saddle was being re-flocked so we might have been bareback for one of the first times too.

We were at a yard (by my city dwelling standards) in the absolute middle of nowhere. There was a weird and totally unresponsive (deaf?/senile?/both?) lady living on-site but far enough away she couldn't have known we were there anyway so we were basically alone. He spooked at the dressage letters (as he'd always done in twilight) but then also spooked at our shadows. And with four arena lights that meant spin-spook-spin-spook for 360 degrees and counting! I gave up after walking (spining and spooking) less than a side of the arena. Did some in-hand work (involving rearing at me and me being bitten by him for the first (pretty much only bad) time with no clue what owner would approve of for discipline/safety) then turfed him out in the field he was living in before running (literally) with no torch to the car after turing off all yard lights. Then I had to get out to open/close gates on to a local lovers' (doggers'!) lane used by druggies and all sorts...

But you know what? That was only a few months back and now, whilst we're still a little more spooky in the dark, get on fine with it when we have to (indoor arena = lovely!) or have company.

So, long story short, even if your horse is used to living out in the dark he might be a prat. BUT you have a RI there to help you so it is the perfect opportunity to learn safely. And if it is bad, don't worry. It WILL get better

Re: grass it isn't like hard feed so unless you're doing *loads* in your lesson I wouldn't worry too much about riding after him eating some. But do check with your RI.