Riding in icey frozen conditions.

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poiuytrewq

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I've had my first week off since the beginning of summer and planned on lots of riding. We did get out on Tuesday but yesterday and today the roads are obviously (from driving and dog walking) lethal. There was a huge crash not far from us yesterday due to fog and ice.
What do you school-less people do in bad conditions? Try and pick a careful route walking or just accept time off and whole field days won't hurt?
It stresses me out rediculously 😬
 
My yard is at the top of a steep hill that gets no sun until late morning so if it's frosty we're stuck on the yard. Although we have a school it's quite exposed and usually freezes solid if it's cold enough for the road to be icy so we can't use that either.

I leave it as late as possible to ride in the hope that things have defrosted a bit but if it hasn't I don't stress about it and just accept I can't ride. We're quite close to the sea so have the option of boxing up and going to the beach as it has to be really cold to freeze there but I don't like towing in really icy weather. It's ok if it's just a bit frosty.

Is there anywhere off road you could box to carefully if you have transport? Grassy tracks etc shouldn't be too slippery even if they're frosty?
 
Mine were due a hacking day yesterday but the roads never properly thawed so I left them in the field :(

So lucky that our school rarely freezes, even if the very bottom gets a little hard there's enough top that stays soft enough to walk and trot without an issue. Otherwise they would have a lot more quiet days.

Roads were worse again today, I slithered into the car park this morning :o hoping the sun has burnt through a bit as I've booked arena hire off site so need to get the lorry out.
 
I used to hack in all conditions until I was out with a friend & her horse's feet just went from under him on the ice. Our fields are treacherous so mine look like they are having a few days off - typical when I'm off work!
 
poiuytrewq said:
I've had my first week off since the beginning of summer and planned on lots of riding. We did get out on Tuesday but yesterday and today the roads are obviously (from driving and dog walking) lethal. There was a huge crash not far from us yesterday due to fog and ice.
What do you school-less people do in bad conditions? Try and pick a careful route walking or just accept time off and whole field days won't hurt?
It stresses me out rediculously ��
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I just do not ride. I cannot see the point of looking after horses twice a day for 365 days of the year and then risking their and my life by trying to hack out on slippy roads. Having had one slip up and sit on me on ice, I am perhaps more aware than some of the fall it gives you. Plus it is fair on car drivers to meet horses in icy conditions, I think not.

So here I am, unable to ride today, watching Escape to the Country and eating the Christmas chocolates - frustrating but the boys and girls are safe not splattered on the tarmac.
 
Cortez said:
If you can't walk on it why would you expect a horse to? Go do something else until it unfreezes.
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I had to remind mine this morning that they were wearing ice skates, so would they kindly hold off the spooking until they were IN the field. Dum dums.
 
Was due to take one for show jumping lesson this afternoon but outdoor school looking unlikely to thaw in time and roads just too icy to risk hacking other 2 first thing. Annoying but they're out in the field enjoying the crisp sunny conditions and a day off! Some of the main roads ok but lanes pretty treacherous and if car were to skid ... doesn't bear thinking about
 
I don't have to ride, I'm not getting ready for any competitions or other things, so I just leave them in the field. Very, very frustrating if you have time off and want/need to ride, but unless you have a suitable, safe place then it isn't worth the risk.

I have sorted out the knee boots for riding, because even on a nice day, if it is cold there can be a slippy patch on the road.

I think we have been lulled into a false sense of security for the past few years we really have had very little ice and snow. In fact I think the last time it was really bad, my horse was on box rest with an injury and I had to lead him out every day for a bite of grass, and that was several years ago.
 
-7 here last night so my car said. School frozen (might be OK this afternoon) and roads ok as was a dry frost but not worth it, even with a bf horse.
 
I won't go out on the roads if it's icy as I'm worried about a vehicle skidding into me. Pony lives out so it's not like he needs the exercise.
 
Couldn't even bring mine in from the field this morning to feed them, as my small paved yard was treacherous, let alone considering riding out on the roads.

The c1/4 mile stretch of lane running past our house is permanently in shadow at this time of year, so it stays iced up all day even when most other nearby roads are clear.

I often see folk riding on icy roads, though. IMHO not worth the risk.
 
I went out this morning, down our little road (which was dry) got down to junction to village road, which was wet from water thawing off the trees, but not icy. Carried on through village, roads were wet, but ok. After 10 mins, decided to turn back, as it was getting colder. By the time i had got back to village, the roads were sheet ice!! It was freezing in front of me......and this was around 11.30am time. Luckily, very very quiet roads. Would not want to have met anything, as i had to pick the best bits of road to get back. Phew.. thankfuly, our little road was ok, so rode safely home. x
 
No school here, we mainly hack but if conditions aren't suitable we don't go out. If we have prolonged bad weather I might go for a wander around the fields just as something to do as I can get on in the field closest to the yard and then do a short field tour without going on the drive. It does depend how rutted and frozen the fields are though, again if they are difficult to walk on we don't go. If you have a nice network of off road tracks I would imagine that is where all the nice frosty photos are coming from.
 
i'm lucky enough to have around 200 acres of farm hacking, the only yard in my area that has this, so will never be moving! so I did hack around there a couple of days ago but even around there it was really slippery where parts of the grass were starting to defrost! I've given him 2 extra days off as we did a lot of road work on xmas eve and he wore down a lot of toe, so I want him to be nice a comfy for our lesson tomorrow afternoon! and will probably just go round the farm for the rest of the weekend

oh but also today, the sun is sooooo low in the sky, even if it wasn't icy on the roads, I would not be hacking out on the roads! I like to think I'm a very cautious driver, having been a motor claims case handler for 5 years. However, I was reversing out of a parking space a tesco earlier, luckily slowly, but I almost hit a car driving down the main part of the car park, I honestly couldn't see him at all, until he whipped past me and beeped! so I dread to think how scary it would be to be on the road on a horse when drivers can't see you.
 
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Just dont ride. Horse doesnt leave the stable if its too icy to get to the field too. Not risking him slipping and injuring himself for anything. But new yard hasnt had that issue yet so think we will be fine.
 
I don't ride if it's icy as we live in a very hilly area and it's not worth the risk. We got caught out yesterday as the roads didn't seem bad when we went out but had iced over as we headed home so we ended up getting off and leading as the horses were sliding everywhere and we figured they were more likely to be able to keep their balance if we weren't hampering them.
 
I'm lucky in that I have access to 600 acres of grass gallops, so although the ground is to hard to do any real work I can get out and do off road walk work. Was minus 6 when I was out this morning, horse came back with frosted ears!
 
I won't walk my boy off the yard (I usually lead him onto the bridleway to graze inhand) if I can either see the slightest patch of ice on the road (even off to one side) or if my car is giving an ice warning. YO doesn't turn out if the path to the field isn't safe, or if the field is so hard it could bruise soles/too rutted and at risk of breaking legs.

A couple of years ago we went for our walk thinking it was all fine but the road was coated in black ice and we both fell; I thought we'd really done it that time. So now, I am massively over cautious as I don't perceive the risk to be worth it.
 
As I was away over Xmas Mr B had four days off and since I've been home the school is frozen and the roads are too icy to ride. So he's had a week off and I spent this afternoon in front of the fire watching the TV. TBH I think it's quite nice to have a break from time to time!
 
not ride. hardly worth the risk of a car or pony skidding on the roads for the sake of a few days or even a month off...you can always get them fit again. you cant always heal an injury or the outcome of a fall/accident on the roads
 
We have a couple of set asides on the farm that are okay to ride on frozen as you can get to them without hitting a road but they are normally too wet this time of year to ride in but okay if it's frozen.
I absolutely wouldn't go out on the road tho. Or any distance across the yard etc.
I rode yesterday and there was about a foot of frozen fog mist stuff lingering on the ground in the fields and it was pretty yuk to be honest
 
I was lucky yesterday boxed up over top of Mendips to friends near Glastonbury, arranged to meet at 11 and by the time I had to box (3.5 horsevan) roads clear and by time hacked fields lovely and soft for some great cantering. If roads had still been icy would have cancelled. Couldn't grade arena till late in day so hoping may be able to use it tomorrow, if not will veg on sofa!
 
Ice studs here, or I wouldn't be able to ride 4-5 months of the year :) I do avoid areas where I'm likely to meet psychotic car drivers or snow scooters travelling at high speeds though, they tend to veer about when overtaking.
 
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