Riding when frozen

I’ve been riding up until now as it’s been very dry frost here so roads haven’t been icy and mare is currently barefoot. No issues at all.

But my foal’s friend has gone for taming and he wasn’t impressed at me going out yesterday (there is another horse but in a separate field) and had a tantrum and I don’t want to risk him galloping around like a loony so that’s probably it for us until it thaws and foal grows a brain!
 
We rode Friday night in the frozen arena, luckily we are working on responding to the lightest aids so lots of halt / walk. We had a few very short joggy trots but that’s it.
No riding over the weekend as arena frozen, with the addition of snow and roads also snowy / icy.
At this rate we‘ll be having a week off.
 
Hand walk? Long line? Arena hire? Appreciate not all favourable or doable.

Thankfully my surface has remained fine. I nipped out Sunday morning first thing - my short drive to the yard confirmed the roads were ok - I did 1/4 mile to next doors farm so as little road work as possible. I’m more confident bf of course. The ground was great (I’m almost the only one with access/permission to that track). I didn’t go on my longer route as the last field is clay and it was riding deep when soft so imagine very rutted and hard now plus the road back is unvoidable and wouldn’t be in the sun so a slight death trap.
 
I'm lucky as have an indoor school so still able to ride. We did have it freeze for a couple of days in one really cold winter though.

I won't hack out if the roads are icy. I had a big scare many years ago when I was out hacking with a friend when a car behind us hit some ice and went into a slide crashing into the hedge about 15 feet behind us. We had been OK as we had been able to pick our way around the icy bit but since then I have not gone out if there is ice about.
 
Gloi said:
It's a good job I'm on full livery as I can't get out of the house safely at the moment. Roads are like glass. Not been out since Friday night ?. Out of milk, had to put Bailey's in my coffee instead.
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At ours after the fog lifted a little, followed by near the yard. Both today.3111DD7B-2117-4EB1-91AC-2996780D9C90.jpeg133BC190-EC15-4D63-9A2A-F55917C890E6.jpeg
 
We are snowed in here in Hertfordshire oh didn't bother going into the office as M25 and M11 are shut on the bits he drives through so he probably wouldn't have got there.

No riding here at the moment.
 
If you can’t ride safely then don’t ride. Not ideal but better than an avoidable injury.

I had been riding mine up until yesterday but our yard is directly on a long gravelly/stony byway so there is grip even when frozen.

Big snow dump yesterday which is now an ice rink, so that’s put paid to riding. Luckily got a tiny indoor so will focus on a bit of in-hand work this week
 
I didn't ride my share on Sat, owner hadn't been able to do much with her either. Too hard in the school and too slippy and dangerous to hack.
 
We only had an inch or so of snow but it fell on frozen ground and then the temperature dropped and froze it into ice and has been sub zero since then. It's lethal. I tried to walk to the shop but turned back after a few yards as I was afraid of falling as it was so slippery.
 

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Very very icy so no-one's been out since Friday.

I've put a YellowS**tRoad down between stables and field so at least can lead ponies safely in and out. Don't think Fellboy's too bothered about not being ridden, there's plenty of hay and luckily water is not frozen.
 
I'm a bit fed up. Was -5 overnight and the boilers gone kaput. No heating and the engineer can't get here until tomorrow PM. What's the betting the water pipes will freeze overnight now. ?

Water trough is frozen, water buckets are frozen and all taps are frozen. OH is going to take buckets of water out from the house but they'll freeze even in the field shelter.

However, after reading about those poor boys who fell through the ice, ☹️ I don't feel that I don't have a whole lot to complain about right now in all honesty.
 
Starzaan said:
I would either harrow the school, or just turn out and not bother riding if you can't access fields directly from the yard.
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We can’t ride or lead out, the track off the farm is absolutely lethal. The path to the fields is getting worse to. The dog slipped over today. We are so high, we still have a couple of inches of snow.

We all turned out today (individual turnout) with big nets in hay boxes. However they all just stood at the hay boxes all day, must of moved a few foot if that looking at the snow.

Is it better to just keep them in? Although a bit wary we can’t lead out or ride for exercise if kept in. ? I guess at least if out they can plod about.
 
Mine is living out but haven’t ridden. Although have immediate access to off-road, non slippy for a plod.

Did feel a bit mean when her tail has frosted this morning though!
 
Hormonal Filly said:
We can’t ride or lead out, the track off the farm is absolutely lethal. The path to the fields is getting worse to. The dog slipped over today. We are so high, we still have a couple of inches of snow.

We all turned out today (individual turnout) with big nets in hay boxes. However they all just stood at the hay boxes all day, must of moved a few foot if that looking at the snow.

Is it better to just keep them in? Although a bit wary we can’t lead out or ride for exercise if kept in. ? I guess at least if out they can plod about.
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I'm managing to get mine out as they only have to cross the (gritted) yard. I do wonder if I'm doing the right thing when I hear them galloping and playing. The ground is like iron.
 
I saw a post on Facebook where a girl had ridden her horse on the road. Horse slipped on black ice , went down on his knees and ended up in a ditch full of icy water.
Horse is lucky to not have broken his legs , got pneumonia or hypothermia.

Forecast says on Sunday it will be warmer here and it will rain again. Not worth risking it for the sake of a few days.
 
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southerncomfort said:
I'm a bit fed up. Was -5 overnight and the boilers gone kaput. No heating and the engineer can't get here until tomorrow PM. What's the betting the water pipes will freeze overnight now. ?

Water trough is frozen, water buckets are frozen and all taps are frozen. OH is going to take buckets of water out from the house but they'll freeze even in the field shelter.

However, after reading about those poor boys who fell through the ice, ☹️ I don't feel that I don't have a whole lot to complain about right now in all honesty.
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Re water buckets freezing, have you got some bedding you can pack around it? Or failing that hay? It can sometimes insulate them enough to stop them freezing.

Also my boiler packed in last week when it was -4 and we went down to about 7 in the house but it still wasn't cold enough to freeze any of the pipes, so hopefully you may get away with it too. I hope you have a fire or electric heater to help you keep warm. It's really blooming cold without heating in this weather :(
 
Sossigpoker said:
I saw a post on Facebook where a girl had ridden her horse on the road. Horse slipped on black ice , went down on his knees and ended up in a ditch full of icy water.
Horse is lucky to not have broken his legs , got pneumonia or hypothermia.

Forecast says 6 will be warmer here and it will rain again. Not worth risking it for the sake of a few days.
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Someone sent me that post this morning! Poor big guy ?
 
We have a small indoor school at our yard, its probably only about 20m x 20m but its good for turnout in turns when no turnout is possible, but in 17 years we've only experienced that once a few years back when it was too lethal to turnout for 2 or 3 days. We also have a walker so horses are always kept moving a couple of times a day in some form or other when the school is frozen.
 
Mine are fine turned out on their track. They aren’t shod, so have more awareness and grip and the surface is stoney underneath so it hasn’t gone slick.

We haven’t ridden since the snow fell and then re-froze. Our drive faces north and gets very little sun so we won’t be heading out until it warms up quite a lot. Not worth it.
 
Many years ago when I was young and daft, I went out riding on my pony hit black ice I couldn't see it both me and my horse landed on our side it happened that quick, I dislocated my shoulder; now many years later I will ride in rain etc but if there is ice about I just don't bother I can still remember the pain of that shoulder all these years later. It is better to wait out the cold spell and go when it is safe for you and the your best equine buddy.
 
Walked mine round the farm in hand at the w/e. Fine around all the fields but we did meet a slippy bit on a track, he nearly lost his feet and he is not shod atm. Needless to say we went home a slightly different way.
 
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