We wont ride at night on the roads........BUT

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Archie73

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I ride off road usually by moonlight but sometimes a little darker in the woods on farmland paths......

I trust my horse when I cant see so well and we walk, trot and canter, in fact I think we have a great time.

BUT....does this make me stupid?

I would not have ridden on the roads at night but I know lots of people that do who think i'm stupid because I wont but I will ride in the dark.....

My idea is if my horse feels safe I feel safe and vica versa....

Comments please
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I ride in the dark too - people think im mental but your eyes adjust quickly and tbh its quite relaxing and i dont have alot of choice - i finish work late so its either spend the entire winter in the school or go out in the dark - so i choose the latter.
I wouldnt walk on my own in the dark but i feel safe on my horse - i suppose i can get away quick if anything did happen.
 
I would love too, to be honest, but since my mare spooks on the walk from the field to the stables, and I find it hard to hack comfortably in the light I shall not be joining your midnight gallop!

But morefor you having a horse you trust and good places to hack, besides horses can see better than we can in the dark and I am sure your horse will stop should you try and canter him into a tree!!!
Have fun.x
 
I used to hack out in the dark round the farm we used to be stabled at. In walk, trot and canter. But i did it so often i knew where the muddy and uneven ground was, so avoided those parts. When you work 9-5 and you want to hack, if it safe to do so, why not go out in the dark? I even hacked round bareback in the dark a couple of times, only in walk and as you say by the moonlight i could see well. At our new yard, i wouldn't go any faster than walk in the dark though because i am still yet to learn where the ground is good and bad.
 
I leave home in the morning when its dark and love it. We had such a nice ride this morning and I could hardly see!! We have lots of great hills to canter up so I just hoon about on Bog and he is quite happy.
 
As a teenager i did this. I had a stirrup lantern (which was of little use) but if you know where you are, the ground and both you and the horse are familiar with the territory, as you both are, then it sounds lovely to me. Horses (i think?) have better night vision than we do and as you have a trusting relationship with your horse, you'll be fine. Enjoy it!
Wish i could but roads stand in way of me and theford forrest where i could do this...and i am scared of the dark!!
 
When I was about 10/11 I rode my pony in the dark across the field, bareback - i stuck a torch under the headpiece of his headcollar! Not sure he was too impressed - he couldn't quite understand why there was this light infront of him all the time! Lol

I wouldn't ride out in the dark - I can't really as nowhere to access without going on the roads and ridingin the field is pretty pointless as, generally if it's dark it means it's winter and hence field is boggy!

Even if i could ride in the dark, no sure I would mainly as you just can't see things quite as quickly and I'd be more concerned if something did happen - ie I fell off and the horse b*ggered off or something. Not that that ever happens normally but sods law and all that!
 
I used to love riding in the woods in the dark, was so peaceful. I wouldnt ride on the roads in the dark unless it was an emergency.
PixieDust x
 
ok, I am sooooo glad that all the others are silly and not me.

I love night riding and think it really has helped me bond with my lovely beast.

Thanks for the replies.xx
 
I would I have done in the past, we have all off road hacking, the horses would struggle to get near a road anyway and my horse is not a spooky horse generally, he is also not at all sharp fortunetly
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