When was the last time you rode?

[Marigold4]

Same as you - last October. I also have a young horse. He got mild inflammation in his feet from hard ground in the autumn and a set of tense lumbar muscles, then a mystery lymph node infection, then weather awful, then arena hire shut. We've done loads of ground/pole work though. Got the all clear from Tom Beech osteopathic vet this week to start riding again - fingers crossed for better weather and arena hire open. This is the longest period I haven't ridden for in 20 years!

 

[Dave's Mam]

Yesterday for 10 minutes, but it was so cold, I gave up.

 

[black and brown]

This morning out hacking but I got very cold because we could only walk on the hard ground.

 

[dreamcometrue]

This morning in the indoor school. Moved to this yard a few months ago and that, plus horse walker, have been a godsend.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

We should get some battery operated underwear like the bikers have. Heated vests and gloves at a minimum lol

???
It's my face that winces and then I get 'face hurt' ?

 

[Winters100]

How is your mum ? X

Thanks for asking, she is on the mend. Still very weak, pneumonia in your 80s is rough, but better every day. I need to stay for a bit more than a week to see her stronger and out of quarantine, and then I have arranged 24 hour care for a month, because I have to go back to my own domestic responsibilities. Then we will see. As soon as she has had the second vaccine I will bring her to me to be taken care of, complicated with Brexit, but we will manage. Not easy, but nothing is impossible. x

 

[Leam_Carrie]

I rode today, taking it slowly across some frozen fields. Horse was a little fresh, but a nice ride. Think tomorrow will be the same.

I don’t have a school and can’t use one in lockdown so only hacking. Off road felt safer with the ice. The fields are a neighbours land, used for hay, so pretty flat / unpoached.

 

[vmac66]

A, week ago. Had a lesson and got absolutely soaked. It's become a, standing joke that the weather is always bad at 2pm on a Saturday.

 

[skint1]

Jan 2020, I succumbed to pressure to get on my ID mare after she'd been scoped clear of ulcers and had about 6 weeks off. We got about 20 feet and she bucked me off into a five bar gate, partially nappy (it was her field and her friend was being turned out), partially maybe an issue with saddle fit (which I'd not been sure of for a bit of time before that) partially I'd been sprinkling a mix into her Pink Mash to get her to eat it, when I looked more closely it was basically called Racehorse Mix- that may have been a factor too Before she'd had time off for the ulcers I often felt she wasn't happy about being ridden, she did nothing wrong, in fact she was very good until that one day. I hadn't had her that long, only a couple of months, but before that it had been good

It also turned out she has a lot of issues through her back/SI/pelvis and hocks, I started doing in hand rehab with her last year but it really didn't make much improvement. She seems to genuinely like ground work and in-hand walking, but the minute a saddle is thrown into the mix she's tense and unhappy, it doesn't seem worth it. I've been thinking of sitting on my retired gelding and going for a short walk as he seems to be in rude health at the moment and is being an absolute pestilence, as a ridden horse he was always quite enthusiastic, more so than me sometimes. We will see.

I set about losing weight and getting really into Barre and Yoga to prepare for riding again, but so far I haven't been able to conquer my nerves. Honestly, I feel like no horse is better off for me having ridden them, I lack confidence which is never a good thing for your horse, and not their responsibility to fix and I don't even know if I will remember how to ride as I was never that great at it. I am alive and in one piece largely due to the good graces of my horses and more experienced friends

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I hacked my younger horse this morning and my oldie this afternoon.

 

[brighteyes]

Thursday, but got frozen to death.

 

[Bambelina]

May 2020 when I found out I was pregnant!
Had a C sec so no riding for a few more weeks but it will probably be lunging and ground work first as she’s just been turned away since then. Will need a saddle fitter as she has changed shape a lot.
Haven’t been to see her for over 2 weeks as I can’t drive for a while and it’s killing me!!! Missing her so much!

 

[Esyllt]

15th January. Nothing exciting, a bit of flat work. Probably last proper riding session before that was November. Combination of work, flooding, ice etc has kind of made me not bother to try too hard to ride. I have to be honest, I love just spending time with her, and looking after her, don't really have that urge to mount up like I did years ago, mainly walk the dog and horse together in hand for hours long explores these days.

 

[ExRacers]

Xmas day! Been nothing but snow and ice in Scotland since then and with no school no option but to hack out which is obviously impossible. Losing the will now!!

 

[Chappie]

15 mins in the school last Sunday and 15 mins the Sunday before that, bitterly cold, open to NE/E wind. One hack this year so far, along a road and back. Handful of half hours of an evening in the school in early January. One hack between Christmas and New Year (I think?) otherwise can't remember when was able to consistantly ride.

Wouldn't be too concerned - but - no "big field" turnout since 2 weeks before Christmas. Have to rely on a small trash paddock at an hour the most a day. Rutted and frozen at times. However, it's a valuable resource. Sometimes even the route to that has been too treacherous to attempt.
School sometimes frozen, currently has over 2 feet if snow in it. Sometimes have not even been able to get out of the stable, particularly due to frozen heavy rain on the yard. That phase is going to haunt me for life!

Even when it thaws next week I have no-one to hack with as I used to either catch onto the back of the riding school hacks (none of those till restrictions allow) or go out alone - have to wait till truely better weather before restarting that, pone is not naturally good at solo hacking, and didn't start till later in life. I might be able to tack up and take out an inhand walk though... if the roads are safe enough.

It's been my most challenging winter in 12 years, over 2009-10 & 2010-11 winters, and Beast of the East. And unfortunately, there literally is nowhere even remotely close that we can move to to get more turnout! All works out well when all the facilities are available.

We've muddled through. Thoughts go out to those who cannot ride for more serious long term reasons.

 

[kathantoinette]

6 days ago due to the snow/frosty weather. Hoping for a defrost tomorrow ??

 

[Wishfilly]

Things had defrosted today, so today! But before that I hadn't ridden since last Sunday because of the weather, and that was only a quick mooch down the road and back.

 

[popletaa]

Last weekend, and won't be riding this weekend. Was beating myself up about it today, so I'm glad I saw this thread and realised I'm not the only one!

No school, so can only ride at the weekend anyway. My pony sometimes takes off with me on hacks - the ground here currently switches between deep slippy mud or rock solid ruts, so nothing I would want to be going fast on. I've been getting off and leading her through the bits she can be naughty at just in case, but I'm losing motivation and she just gets frustrated at her dull hacks. On the plus side she lives out 24/7 so at least she's getting plenty of time to move around, so I try not to worry too much, and she's always the same whether she's being ridden five times a week or twice a month. So far it's still better than last Feb when we had storms three weekends in a row!

 

[teddypops]

Yesterday but only got 10 mins up the road when I came across sheet ice, so just turned for home again.

 

[Suechoccy]

Today, this mornng. Back in January I signed up for the facebook-based Top Barn 12 Week Challenge which started then and runs until nearly end of lockdown (sorry, March!) where you pledge to spend weekly amounts of quality time (riding/training, not feeding/mucking out) with your horse Bronze (3 quality hours with your horse which can include up to half-hour pamper (groom, plait, etc), Silver (5 hours) or Gold (7 hours). They give you lists of ideas for stuff to do ridden, driven, inhand, at liberty, pamper, etc. Everyone posts photos and updates and it's a lovely community with wonderful camaraderie.

I pledged Bronze with my 2 year old which is easy if weather/ground good as I can lead him out for 2 x 45 mins, do a couple of 20 min in-hands plus a pamper, but give us flooded drove to field, ice/snow, sub-zero temperatures and a rutted frozen field, made this week much harder as all had to be groundwork in the field, so stuff like pick feet up with me on one side of him, drop his head while I sit in a chair to put his headcollar on him.

With my older horse I pledged Silver and 3 good hacks, I'm there, again really hard this week with the weather. Today we hacked for 2 hours by doing circuits around the village (roads dry and ice-free, unlike the bridleways) with a brief picnic stop at home in front garden where he grazed the lawn and I sat on the front doorstep and wolfed down baked beans on toast handed to me by my lovely hubby. So cold that the last 3 mouthfuls of beans were cold!

If it wasn't for the challenge, I doubt I'd have done very much with either of them in the past month, so I'm really really glad I joined up.

 

[MummyEms]

This morning, and I wish I hadn't. It was so cold that Blue was uncharacteristically spooky when hacking. She jumped at nothing, skittered off the non-slippery path and onto some frosty mud, and her back legs went from under her.

She got herself back without us parting company, and she doesn't seem to be hurt at all, but I'm not bothering now until the weather improves. We'll have our weekly lesson, and she gets daily turnout, but I'm not risking her getting hurt.

I almost could have written this today.
My horse was uncharacteristically spooky today too in the freezing biting heavy winds of Suffolk... she did her first run backwards for 50 metres!!! Not fun.

 

[maya2008]

This afternoon. Walk, a few trots and some little canters in the wooded bits where the carpet of leaves is thick and the ground still soft enough underneath. No roads - our fields face the sun so tend to defrost, but the road is shaded and icy.

 

[MummyEms]

15th January. Nothing exciting, a bit of flat work. Probably last proper riding session before that was November. Combination of work, flooding, ice etc has kind of made me not bother to try too hard to ride. I have to be honest, I love just spending time with her, and looking after her, don't really have that urge to mount up like I did years ago, mainly walk the dog and horse together in hand for hours long explores these days.

Sounds lovely

 

[PapaverFollis]

I've been really rubbish this winter and haven't ridden since some time in the autumn. ? Just haven't been able to face it. Daylight, weather, no school, no transport, wet fields, frozen fields. Etc.

 

[fredflop]

About six weeks. Nothing ever goes right on the days I could actually ride. (Bad weather, horse in bad mood, the list just goes on)

 

[Sprout]

About 4 months ago, when I went over on my ankle! Still not right, something not mending.?

 

[maya2008]

I've been really rubbish this winter and haven't ridden since some time in the autumn. ? Just haven't been able to face it. Daylight, weather, no school, no transport, wet fields, frozen fields. Etc.

The fear of springtime laminitis is what keeps us all riding no matter what the weather - good doer, fluffy ponies...spring is only a few weeks away really!

 

[catembi]

This evening. I have a floodlit school at home. It was -1 but I don't like not riding so we had a potter. I was wearing a LOT of clothes!

 

[TwoForTwo]

Not for ages and for me that’s a problem because the less I ride the more my confidence drops ?

 

[PapaverFollis]

I've ridden every single day of two previous winters with the big mare. I'm not usually a wuss. Last winter we had just moved house so stopped then delayed getting back on because Covid. But this winter we just ground to a halt for no real reason. Because we got away with it last year I suppose.