Riding on frozen ground?

[doodle]

Is it safe or not? Field in question is a grass field, frozen but no patches of ice. Not rutted as hay field. Is it safe to ride round in walk only?

 

[canteron]

Possibly be happier if the horse is unshod - I wouldn’t ride a shod horse on anything icy .... but it really is a matter of judgement as to how solid and reliable your horse is and whether there is any give in the ground!

 

[stormox]

Yes I would walk and trot on a frozen field as long as its not too rutted and slippy

 

[doodle]

He is shod all round. I expected the field to have thawed more than it had. Track down to it had a few icey patches but they were avoidable. But got in field and it was still frozen. I wasnt sure if to turn round and risk bouncyness or carry on round field. Hes pretty well behaved so compromised and walked round half of it.

 

[L&M]

Yes to a gentle leg stretch on a hard frozen field - but not on a defrosting one as can be very slippy.

And only on a sensible horse...…..

 

[doodle]

My thinking being he had a mad gallop off up his frozen turnout field in the morning without bother!

 

[JFTDWS]

I would, but it's very much a judgement call depending on the horse and the field - if it felt slippy I might decide it's not worth it, but I've never really worried about frozen grass other than the hardness/ rut issue.