this wheather and riding

[racebuddy]

afternoon , i have been lucky and still been able to turn out and had 2 luinge seessions , was planning to ride after work but think the arena is going to be froze as its still so cold ,

hows everyone coping

horse on the other hand is demanding more work

 

[Suechoccy]

We have floods round here so what above-water rights of way are left are crowded with pairs of people walking and cycling (and me if I was riding), which leaves the roads in the low sunlight which makes it more difficult to be seen even in hiviz , and we're tier 4 so morally to me it seems wrong to trailer my horse elsewhere to exercise, so I spent a good while grooming them and untangling their manes this morning in the early sunshine while they munched hay in the field. It's also 2 degrees here and bits of ice about, no snow. So rather a lack of motivation at the moment, just enjoying being with them and watching them be horses in the field.

 

[Surbie]

Arena is frozen, horse is properly on his toes. Fun times.

 

[exracehorse]

I’ve given up.

 

[MereChristmas]

Road is frozen snow with ruts from tractor and car tyres.
Pony is happily digging for grass and will come in later.
Frost forecast for a few more days and 0 degrees for days after that. We are always a few degrees lower than the forecast so the snow will probably be here for at least another week. If there is a thaw the roads will be glaciers each morning so, like exracehorse above, for the foreseeable, I too have given up.

 

[Maryann]

I can turn out and am trying to hire an arena once or twice a week.

 

[AdorableAlice]

We have just done a mad dash to source bags of rock salt, it has sold out everywhere locally. The yard this morning was an ice rink. Lanes are reasonable but I wouldn't risk hacking out. School was fine until a certain horse trashed it and now it is not usable until a thaw and raking can be done.

We are waterlogged and if the freeze deepens the fields will be dangerous. Soon be Spring !!

 

[dogatemysalad]

Only been able to ride once this week in the school.everywhere has been covered in either frost or snow for days.
Currently, supremely happy if I can get him out of the stable to the field or school for an hour or two. Hopefully next week will be better.

 

[Suby2]

We just have a wet/muddy rented field and they live out 24/7. We do have a small area of hardstanding where we tack up but it isn’t under cover and the wind whips around there. I would be frozen before I even mounted and would probably have to be prised off. Luckily my cob is fine if not ridden for a while.

 

[outdoor girl]

Not a chance round here. The lanes are way too slippery and the only track across the snow bound yard is the gritted path to the field. So much snow 2 days ago that it was touch and go whether the car would make it or not and I'd be walking the 5 miles to the ponies. Happy days!!!! Soon be summer

 

[Griffin]

We have been lucky that we have managed to turn out for a few hours each day, either in a dry field or unused arena. However, I am too scared to hack out due to the ice each morning. The arena is frozen first thing but it gets the sun on it from about 9am and warms up quite quickly thankfully.

 

[Red-1]

Yesterday was his first day not working in ages, but he was still turned out all day on the arena. It wasn't because of the weather though, it is because I was repping for mum's funeral and lost the oomph.

Today he was out on the arena again, but the funeral is tomorrow so I may not want to work him then, so I just walked him in-hand round the village around 2.30pm, which I thought would be the least icy time of day. Only 1.8 miles, but at a good forward walk. The only icy bit was the last few hundred yards, which co-incedentally is the awful slippery tarmac anyway. I felt OK to walk in hand (barefoot) over that, but I could have used the verge if it had been tricky. I didn't because he would then have been muddy!

He is only on a little bit of work, but I am trying to keep it consistent. I am lucky that he seems pretty level, worked or not.

 

[L&M]

We are lucky as live a few hundred yards from a main road which is not too busy, and more crucially, gritted. Makes for a boring hack but at least gets them a leg stretch. We are keeping it 'little and often' and still managing to turn out for 4-5 hrs a day so horses relatively sane.

The quieter lanes are too icy or snow covered however, but as we are in Wales (current lockdown), don't need to keep them fit for anything, so just a matter of ticking them over.

 

[J&S]

No snow here in Devon, (South Hams) but wet and cold. I got mine out just before lunch by the time I had cleaned up field, yard and them. The local framers' shoot was going on along side the road so I did actually have to make an effort and ride forward properly as had a couple of snorting dragons on my hands! I don't enjoy being out in the cold much any more but am making all efforts to keep the ponies exercised so can cut down on field time if neccessarry.

 

[Gloi]

Fortunately the sand paddocks are still suitable for turnout. I've not ridden for a few days as the frosty air has been upsetting my asthma.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Glad it’s not only me ?
I’m not allowed on the farm as it’s so very wet and the roads are so icy, we are on a bit of a hill and which ever way I go it involves downhill bits under trees. I’ve had such terrible luck with horses there’s just no way I’m risking injuring this one!
The bigger two have been turned out almost every day and the ponies when really frosty stay loose on the yard so it’s not like they are stood in stables I guess.

 

[SpotsandBays]

Mine are basically retired over winter! I don’t hack (it’s rubbish and boggy and my boy is a t*t), and don’t have an arena, so I can only ride in the fields - which are usually very wet!
They don’t seem to mind the break though so I don’t worry too much!

 

[RHM]

Our arena is completely frozen and under about three inches of snow and the lane is an ice rink. Very annoying as I was hoping to get some long hacks in this week before back to work.

 

[Petmurf]

I’ve just written this week off as it’s too snowy and icy to get to the yard yesterday and managed a quick visit tonight, horses were turned out today but it was a struggle bringing them in down hill on an icy track so we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

gutted as I’m off work this week and wanted to do loads of things with my boy but oh well, I’d rather be both be safe than sorry

 

[Snow Falcon]

This is when I feel lucky. We cross a road and are on the open forest. We are riding slightly later to allow the ice on top of the puddles to melt!

Son's pony very fresh though. Did her own version of a capriole today, I howled with laughter! ?

 

[Abby-Lou]

lane is frozen and pony is bare foot and hates it when its icy so not ridding until its thawed not worth the risk even to ninja down the grass verges with her, tried on previous winters she just doesn't settle so we wait it out.

 

[DabDab]

Nah, I looked at the forecast on boxing Day and decided Arty was due a month off ?

Pony is ticking over in the school. The lanes around here are too treacherous even in normal frost to attempt going out on them. I would be alright if I could get into the forest but would have to make it up ice sheet hill first and even verge crawling I couldn't trust the cars - unfortunately we see the worst of idiotic behaviour on that hill because people park there to go in the forest (and avoid the car parking fee in the proper car park), and it seems when driving to walk people tend to leave their brains at home.

 

[Sir barnaby]

Mine are out for most of the time unless it’s really wet and windy, then I will bring in, Barney is unclipped but rugged, but pregnant mare unrugged but has a nice thick coat. Liveries all put in last night but I decided to leave out as fields are good they have a small copse at the side of paddock and are much better moving around than stuck in stables. When I awoke this morning I was horrified at the amount of frost it took me ages to get my car cleared, went up at 7.30am horses were just fine gave them hot breakfast and had taken container of warm water. Cleared ice from trough, put hay in feeder bucket and poo picked. Horses munching hay, heard thunder of hooves, they decided to have a brilliant time bucking and rearing and they both looked amazing, I managed to video it but unable to load it up on here as file too big. The other liveries think I’m cruel to leave out on such a cold night but my horses were really happy and settled. The stabled horses were banging their doors waiting for their breakfast, I’m going to leave mine out again tonight so will be frowned on yet again but hey as long as horses are happy so am I

 

[LadyGascoyne]

Mine are out 24/7 (unless it’s too rainy for Her Royal Highness and she stands crying at the gate) but are only lightly hacked at the moment.

Neither of them care much if they are ridden at all, and if the conditions are good and I do feel like popping out, they are both very mannerly despite being left to go feral.

 

[mini_b]

Xmas day was frosty but pleasant.
due to the continuation of wet weather the soggy ground is now absolutely rock solid.

so it was too wet, then fine to walk and now it’s just big frozen awful ruts interjected with frozen paths. Yay.

arena frozen. Yay

he will be thinking week off. Yay.