Riding in winter.

Kayfm

Kayfm

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 May 2009
Messages
1,423
Location
London
Visit site
Does the cold wet dark days and nights make you feel like riding less. I dont think i will be doing quite so much myself this winter. Though will keep up the training once a week with my instructor to keep things ticking over and lunge / ride a few nights in the week. Last sunday the weather was so bad, i just put him to bed and came home !! My blacksmith told me that some people dont ride atall in the winter, they have their horses shoes taken off and rough them off until the spring. I coulnt do that with my warmblood as we compete every now and then plus i dont think he would survive being roughed off. What do you do ?
 
i just do the same as normal really, probably more in the school than usual as cant go round fields.
thinking about it i think i do more in the winter, cos there is so much training around!
 
I definitely don't ride as much as I do in summer. I vowed this year that I'd keep up my schooling after work in the dark but it hasn't happened yet. At weekends a friend and I get out sat and sun if we can and have some good long hacks out instead. But sometimes it's great just to bring her in, feed her and put her to bed for the night. I'd not take her shoes off as I want to ride out at weekends and maybe have the odd lesson but riding definitely tails off in winter
 
Our winter turnout is extremely limited, read that as we have a small paddock they can go out in whilst we do our jobs.

As I don't go down until evening, she's been stood in all day, so I feel I have to ride, for her mental wellbeing, as well as physical.

Not many other people on the yard are of the same thought though.
 
I always ride less in the winter, have a lesson every 2 weeks just to keep them tickin over but i think its good just to slow things down a bit and let them have a bit of a break!
 
I don't really have an option at the minute - horses at home with no school & field too wet to ride in so mine are roughed off until I either a) buy a trailer so I can get to a school two nights a week or b) win the lottery so I can build a school or leave work!
 
I hate riding in the wet so definately don,t do as much but then i only hack mine out so they don,t need to be kept super fit.
If the weather is agreeable "dry" i will go on a short hack, whereas in the summer they can build up to long hacks i am whats called a fair weather rider. lol
blush.gif
 
Well this year I am at a different yard, so I don't have an indoor school (well Ido but it's tiny) so when it's frozen etc I guess I will just ride in walk.. lol

But we have lights and I can often ride before work, so I am going to try and hack out down the lane (I think my horse will kill me if I ask her to go in the school too much) but just means I have to hack alone, which so far I have done once and not very welll.. ha ha.

I think it all depends on the facilities and time when you can see your horse. I mean if you work 9 - 5 with no school, what can you do?
xx
 
At least you guys have an arena to ride in! I have paddocks and that's it which makes riding at any time of year a bit of a game depending on ground conditions. My horse gets his annual break now, he was off 2 weeks ago and I wont take him back into work until mid/end January (weather depending). He loves his time off and deserves it, plus it fits in well with avoiding the worst of the winter.
 
I used to feel guilty not riding during the week cos mine's an oldy and I worry about her getting a bit stiff, but after much persuasion from you guys I have decided it doesn't do her any harm and as she has daily turnout she'll keep herself active. We hack out on weekends so she's not totally workless, and that's pretty much all we do so she doesn't need to be fit particularly. Though I had her blanket clipped as I was planning on riding more than I am, just another reason to feel guilty!

We have a school but it's sand with no drainage so you sink in it!
 
no school here
smile.gif


I cut it down a bit, will normally do 4 days a week instead of 6. Enough to keep him fit enough to go jumping if I want to.

hack at weekends (poss down beach to go faster!)
and ride in field/lunge the other times. If it is really really wet then will hack at first light instead but find despited being on the levels if the grass is kept long on the riding on bits it holds up really well.
 
Nope, I was trying to move one of mine to a new livery with off road facilities and a school so we could work more through winter, I dont mind the weather but its just too wet and slippy, last year I think we rode twice all winter
frown.gif
so its not really a choice thing
 
no i still ride seven days a week i get 2 half days at college so take advantage to go for a long hack while it is light and when i dont finish till five i either school him or go for a wee wander with the head lights on lol but then i have to keep him as fit as possible as we do alot of common rides in the summer so the fitter i can have him the less pressure will be put on in the light nights
 
Its all gone Pete Tong for me this year!! Horses were nice and fit but had to move yards in July and have barely been able to ride since due to building stables by hand ever since!

Now that's almost done and I have somewhere dry to put them I'm looking forward to getting back in the saddle especially as the horses are bored stupid. Does mean I'm all back to front, with them being turned away all summer barefoot, now facing getting 4 fit in winter lol
shocked.gif
grin.gif
better dig out the wet weather gear...
 
I still ride 6 days out of 7 but instead of 3 of these being hour hacks they will be 1/2 or an hour if weather okay.
We have an indoor and an outdoor so can ride in all weathers
 
I roughed my mare off last winter but with her being arthritic it actually did her more harm than good, she was very stiff and sore coming back into work and needed several visits from the physio. I've been told not to do it again!!

Luckily my yard has excellent facilities so year-round riding is possible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top