The beach!! Advice please!

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LouiseG

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Hey folks, I'm taking my boy to the beach for the first time ever next weekend and I am pretty nervous! He's never been on a beach but is usually pretty sensible, however has been known to have the odd crazy excitable moment! I am going with a friend who has a sensible horse.

Can anyone offer any tips/suggestions? We have already said that we are going to walk only for our first time at the beach. I have no idea what to expect so any advice would be appreciated!! :) How do I tackle the water and the waves and the noise?!

Thanks!
 
I just put up pics from my first trip to the beach. My top tip? ENJOY!! :D

I was a bit nervous too as I didn't know what to expect but found my horse behaved angelic ally & really listened to my aids as she was in a new environment....it's so much fun! :D
 
Your pics are fab!! :) Your horse is beautiful!

My only worry is we dont enjoy it... or he enjoys it far too much and forgets I'm on his back! He's just turned 6 and VERY green! I'm sure it will be a great day out. It's also my first ever outing with him in my new trailer as only just passed my trailer test so I fear I'm taking on quite a lot on our first outing, but we are lucky to live close to the beach so that part should hopefully be stress free!
 
Why thanks v much :D

Trust me there's no chance of you not liking it! It's the most fun ever!!

If it makes u feel better it was my first outing in my trailer too, OH was driving. At least your not too fat from the beach either. You'll be fine. Will be expecting lots of pics tho!! :D
 
i used to ride on the beach a lot and the horses all knew the place extremely well. by the time you hear the sea, the pace gets quicker and quicker and off u go. once they started they can't stop... one thing, be mindful of other things on the beach...also the odd dog walker, and the stupid dogs...we got chased by dogs on god knows how many occasions...
have fun...
 
Beach ride = Great fun!!

The horses I've ridden have loved it, and just wanna keep going....

Very good idea to go with a sensible friend and horse who have been before. Take things steady, let them have a good look and sniff around. I would perhaps recommend a neck strap if you don't normally have one, just as a precautionary back up.

Like someone else said, look out for other people, dogs, kites :eek: etc. also pack some spare clothes in the trailer, just in case !!

Most of all ENJOY IT!! :)
 
You have to be mad not to enjoy it!

First, unless you know the beach well be careful as some ares might be very soft and deep

Second watch out for the 'white horses' on the tops of waves, these can be worse than dragons and make the horses not use to them, head back to dry land!

Watch, when you stop the horses don't try to get down and roll.

One word of warning - the sea is darn cold at this time of year!
 
Thanks folks! Feel a bit better about it now! Worried he might get a fright with the sound of the sea and the waves coming towards him and then take off into the mass of open space!!! but we will just take it really slowly and stay away from the water until he settles with the noise and then maybe venture towards the sea! :)
 
My horse is stabled by the sea so we use the beach regularly.
Best advice I can give is check the tides before you go! It would be a disaster to arrive and find no beach, or get so far along it and get cut off.
Also the best weather is poor weather - our beach is a no-go on sunny warm days due to the amount of visitors. But in the rain, we have it to ourselves. You will have to watch out for dog walkers but dogs tend to run up to horses barking and then stop when they realise how big they are. I always say to their owners to watch out, as my horse may kick dogs. He doesn't actually kick, but it makes them catch their dogs pretty quick!
Remember to walk the ground first in case of deep sand. Then have a blast. I tend to canter away from 'home' and go steady back. My horse loves the beach but I haven't let him 'learn' that it's a free-for-all. We do a bit of schooling down there too.
My horse was and still is very wary of waves so I don't manage to get him very far into the water, but that's fine. It's all fun and I'm sure you'll have a great time.
 
Look up tide times and try to go when the tide is heading out - usually find it easier with horses that are a little spooky re the waves as they are heading away rather than coming up the beach if you get what I mean.

I always take spare clothes as my reasoning is that if I forget them then that is the time that I will fall off and get soaked to the skin. ;)

Most of all take some pics and post them here!

Or a friend to take some video :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJP65dYhASI
 
Hope you don't need to walk over any shingle. That greatly upset mine before we started! And see if you can take someone along who can photograph you. I managed , oh let's say 3 photos, before deciding I really had to concentrate on my horse if I wished to remain on board !
 
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