what do you plan with your horse this winter ?

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thinlizzy

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The summers flashed by-im thinking ahead of winter not sure what to do for the best with ned ,weve had a few set backs lately , lame/back /sickness with him and myself had planned on doing a few show by now, at least one pleasure ride lots of hacks and light work/holiday over winter.
Whats your plans and how old is your horse for winter ?
Thank-you i love to compare what we do with our big children
 
I wish I could do that much in the winter, I only manage to get riding 2 or 3 times a week :(. I do long hacks on weekends, but not lots if its frosty/snowy/rainy. Plus my horsies fitness decreases from lack of work, so the hacks arn't too intense. Then I do some light schooling/lunge on a weekday in the dark...The YO has to attach the generator to the lights and it takes time to cart it down on the quad and hook it up, then other liveries want to use it too. then every 2 or 3 weeks I swap one of my hacking days for a jumping lesson. But hes out 24/7 all year round. I don't show in winter as I usually hack to the locals, but the locals dont do winter shows. Oh and my lad is 11 :D
 
jhoward said:
bbq? :D
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PMSL:D:D

I was thinking of looking for one to ride again, was hoping that offering to do the rubbish time of year might demonstrate that although I am skint, I am not a freeloading joyrider who will only turn up when the sun shines:)
 
thinlizzy said:
The summers flashed by-im thinking ahead of winter not sure what to do for the best with ned ,weve had a few set backs lately , lame/back /sickness with him and myself had planned on doing a few show by now, at least one pleasure ride lots of hacks and light work/holiday over winter.
Whats your plans Most of the mares are in foal so they'll spend winter with their heads stuffed in round bales, I will have some horses to bring on no doubt, the Morgan will be showing, a couple others will be just going out for the odd trail ride when I fancy it, and the weanlings will just get the basics done. Sadly no hunting for me, sob.:( and how old is your horse for winter ?Ages, currently, (my horse population is floating) of 23 here, the youngest is 3 months, oldest is 20 years
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At the rate we are going, to have him riding will be an achievement. I love him so much, but he really tries my patience at times. Severely rope burned yesterday (still feeling very sorry for myself). Got the gloves and put them on after it happened. Will I ever learn?? Had planned to be doing a few little training shows and maybe an hour or two hunting by christmas, but Spirit wasn't blessed with alot of brain cells - you'd know i got him for nothing as a foal. It takes him ages to figure out what you are asking him to do. In fairness to him, once he figures it out, he's great, but the process is driving me mad. Finally backed him yesterday, and it went ok!! He has been driven for ages and is lungeing well most of the time, but when i backed him, he wasnt very forward going. Didnt give him too much leg, but no bucking, plunging etc.. I reckon he's biding his time, lull me into a false sense of security. Sorry for going on, back to the topic, very friggin little for the winter I'd say, except mucking out!!!
 
Oh i love winter :D its my favouite, ohhh im sooooo excited :D love clipping, my horse is fresher so works better, jumpings better just everything! Cant wait, clipping season starts in approx 4 weeks hehe ... I hope to do some dressage for the first time hopefully novice mybe elem if hes working well and some sj-in :D
 
Well, I have the distinct feeling my baby will be out of action... If she isnt then a season hunting will do her the world of good, but it is too early to call... And I dont yet know what is happening with the big girl (staying with her pro rider on not.... ) if she is home, I will have a good hunter... if not.... anyone got a horse in east anglia / east midlands that they want hunted????? Very used to babies / quirks ?!?!?!? Lol, I will start the desperate appeals closer to the time!!!

I would hunt my mum's old boy, but he is now in his mid 20's and wont do a full season. He does the odd days with mum, but it is very sedate - for him it is more of a group trot!!
 
my main boy has been relaxing for summer as i have been flatout with work, and mares and foals. he is loving it though, so think i will start him on the lounge then few hacks and just fun riding havent done it in ages, apart from breaking in young ones. miss my boy, he is 18 yr old thinks he is 3 yr old. he is 3/4 trotter and 1/4 dutch warmblood. he is the double of black beauty, everyone says. i love the bones of him, ah now i want to go for a ride. he is called johney that was his name when i got him, he was a breed for racing in cart as a trotter, but i got him as 2 1/2 yr old, he was awful looking my uncle bought him from travellers who beat him and straved him. my uncle brought him back to a healthy beauty and i bought him of my uncle. the travellers were racing him from a yearling, which was awful. but he has a home till he dies with me, which i hope wont be for years and years. ah now you have me thinking of him now, love him to pieces.
 
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Mysti - Spending hours cleaning the little mud monster :rolleyes:

Honey - Trying to lunge her when shes sound, she slips over and pulls somthing on a weekly basis in the mud :o
 
I wish I could fold them all up and put them in a box under the stairs until March :o

I hate the winter, those dark evenings (and mornings) Pah! :mad:

Is it really only 4 weeks till clipping season starts :confused:

Anyone in Aus/Spain/Anywhere warm want to swap????
 
not sure myself either back off and rest over winter or go to equestrian centre with indoor riding school and get horse fit then give time off after xmas for a rest
 
Nothing exciting for my lad...just try to keep him worked as best I can in the dark with no school facilities. The riding before work will stop by the beginning of Sept as we are straight out onto roads here and it will be dark before I know it, so not safe. My plan is to use the rest of my holiday entitlement as half days once per week up to Xmas so I can hack him still in the morning one day in the week and then at the weekends too. Then do two days in the field with him...probably in hand walking, trotting and anything else I can think of to keep him vaguely motivated in order to give him some more exercise!
Just need to keep him ticking over so that he does not put any weight on and keep the laminitis at bay.
 
Some hacking at least would be nice, having spent the last year building the stables when the weather allowed, and wading through knee deep mud or waist high flood water when it didn't!!!!!

God I hope I get the yard finished in time.... Off now to move some more hardcore...by hand........ :(
 
for me the winter will consist of schooling, either flat or jumping most nights, with a wee hack in the dark after (with my hi vis) and lights ), then a weds/friday out competiting depending on the road conditions and then he will get a saturday off as i will be working and then sunday touch up his clip and go for a nice long hack with as much canter work as possible, maybe hunt him for the season if im brave enough :S
 
I think it's going to be a lot of lunging, long reining and everything up to backing. Plus, working to lose weight myself for the backing stage in the spring :)

Oh and watching my boy's lovely fluffy white feather becoming brown and muddy and me wondering why I ever bought a hairy along with so much white in the first place! Lol, pig oil and sulphur better work... hehe :D
 
well mostly hacking a bit of pony club hardly any jumping as ground is bad and i will put my jumps in so they dont freeze and crack and maybe takng my pony out hunting for the first time :D and some local shows that are still on
 
I'm looking forward to winter. My work is seasonal and we are very busy throughout the summer and I have to work long hours, but I can do my own hours from September to February, so that means I can go to all the midweek dressage comps and also do some hunting :D :D

I am also going to start looking for another (saner) horse in a few weeks too - so I can do these things! :D

I don't mind the cold and the wet. As long as it's not dangerous i.e. icy or snowy, then I wrap up and ride out in any weather.
 
Lollii said:
Anyone in Aus/Spain/Anywhere warm want to swap????
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I second this!! :D

Well mine will hack out when its not icy/snowy/throwing it down...so they wil be enjoying a holiday going by britains winters!!
whilst i will 'enjoy' the mucking out although iv done that all summer too so no real changes just colder and wetter! I wish I had horseys who loved me equally and would live out all year to allow me to enjoy them all the time!
 
Well I'm hoping to be able to get back on and ride. I haven't ridden my mare since February , but now that she is ok to ride sis has been bringing her back into work for me. We are just waiting for me to be fit to ride now. I am hoping that I shall be able to get her hacking out before the dark mornings/evenings mean weekend only riding. Then we'll be aiming for the RC Hallowe'en and Christmas Fancy Dress rides hopefully.
Sadly we have decided that our old lady (28) won't be going through another winter, so will have her pts on the last Friday in October before the others come in for Bonfire Night.
 
I'm hoping I will be able to take my Welsh one cubbing, if I'm brave enough! And I'll start having lessons on her. My Irish semi retired mare will probably have most of the winter off, bar the very occasional hack. She hasn't been very sound in trot all summer so I will probably put her back on devils claw throughout winter when I start feeding hard feed again.

The horses will probably only be exercised two or three times a week in winter, but whatever happens I'm sure this winter will be better than the last one. Doing everything from the field, and the excessive amounts of mud, and lugging hay everywhere because we had no grass last year, and when the ground was frozen for weeks on end, was just horrible. This year we will have stables, more grazing, and a school, I can't wait.
 
well with my ridden horse hes probably going to get back shoes off and a rest till next year, Ive got a new foal coming so will work with her as planning to get her out showing next spring for a full season to get her used to it.
 
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