Winter Depression

MissMay said:
What is top barn
Click to expand...

12 Week Challenge | Top Barn Online

www.topbarnonline.co.uk www.topbarnonline.co.uk

It's a 12 week challenge that can be tailed to you and your horse. I looked at it last year but didn't have ponies that it would work for at the time.


Reggie has gone bum high again so his winter holiday has started early. Rugs sorted and ponies will be roughed off until the new year now. I might ride at the weekends if the weather is kind.
 
dorsetladette said:

12 Week Challenge | Top Barn Online

www.topbarnonline.co.uk www.topbarnonline.co.uk

It's a 12 week challenge that can be tailed to you and your horse. I looked at it last year but didn't have ponies that it would work for at the time.


Reggie has gone bum high again so his winter holiday has started early. Rugs sorted and ponies will be roughed off until the new year now. I might ride at the weekends if the weather is kind.
Click to expand...
It can be a good motivator, I have done it the past 2 years with yearling/2yo and obviously focused on basic groundwork exercises. It’s getting rather commercialised now unfortunately with lots of people egging each other on to do things that they and their horses are not prepared for, or fit or healthy enough to do.
 
Trouper said:
I try not to look at it as the whole winter - but just have to get through the darkening days until January. Then, it might be cold and/or wet, but the improving light levels really make a difference to me.

Can't help with the riding as now too old but just do what makes you happy and gets you through.
Click to expand...
That is a great point. I generally pick up a bit in mood when the daylight increases and celebrate winter solstice more heartily than Christmas! Motivation lags behind, somewhat, but it's little steps towards sunny days.
 
I'm not a fan of the hot weather, so I'm in the minority where I actually like the cooler months....

In terms of riding, I'm lucky enough to have a school on site so my main plan is to potter around in there doing either in hand work or the odd schooling session.

Baggs my 20 year old isn't a fan of schooling however, so he'll join Rabbit my 2.5 year old in terms of groundwork, but with the odd hack/schooling session chucked in.

Rabbit's work will be purely groundwork to prep him for his first rider next year. I'm planning on having him comfortable with someone on board, happy in walk and happy in trot, before I turn him away to grow for a bit as he'll be about half way into his 3rd year, and with him being a big horse, I don't want him doing anything strenuous. I'd rather play things safe and wait an extra few months, rather than rush and have things come crashing down. He's my personal horse and project so I've no strict timelines to stick to etc which is nice :) I really want to nail the foundations before moving onto the next step, as there's no point in going forwards if the prior step isn't concrete.

Baggs is the sort that you can turn away for the winter and bring him back into work in spring which works really well, as he also hates getting wet and cold (despite being part native he lives a rather sheltered life - heaven forbid he get wet!) so the winter months means I don't get a lot of riding done with him anyway.

I do a lot of prepping over the weekend (I work a 8.30 to 5 job, 5 days a week) so that'll include prepping enough haynets for the week (14 nets between the two, and several large buckets for extra top up hay), doing the feeds (again 14 buckets and I feed a basic feed of alfalfa chaff and speedibeet - they have a few supplements but I pop these into tubs where I can, so again it's simply a case of taking the lid off, dumping into bucket and serving), I take out the wet if it has risen to the surface, make sure that water buckets are thoroughly scrubbed (these get cleaned daily but I like to give them a thorough once over at the weekend), make sure that any rugs I need are easily to hand and swap over the battery for the electric fence if needed.

There are some days where I question my sanity, but overall I wouldn't be without my lads :)
 
I struggle with SAD every year and have been hit with it pretty early this year as I think the weather has just done a complete 180 and gone from lovely and sunny to miserable overnight, which obviously also makes it darker earlier.

I have already lost motivation for this winter with the horses. I have one who starts trot work today and I’m really stressed about how I’m going to keep his fitness/rehab up in the depths of winter whilst also trying to avoid the school as much as possible due to his suspensory issue. I also ride another who gets extremely sharp in winter and whilst she doesn’t worry me yet, I’m just mindful that she might do. Plus trying to ride two when all I want to do is stay in bed is really difficult. I can’t sell mine because of the issues, but I’m at the stage where I wish I could at least part loan him out to give me a bit of a break but no one wants to part loan a horse who is rehabbing in winter.
 
I have a lumie, it mostlu softens the jolt of awakeness
I hack 1/2 mornings before work and stay late or I try and cycle in for some daylight
I have a sad light at my desk as we have no windows
 
Top barn online challenge has been a good thing for me. You pleadge a time per week for twelve weeks to do things with the horse. I pledge just the lowest which is one and half hours. I include all time, catching, grooming,tacking up, riding,leading. Sometimes there are arguments about what is and isn't countable,but to me anything with the horse counts otherwise its just me chucking hay in the field then going home. This way doing the challenge at least hooves get picked out and if the horse isn't wet then he gets a bit of a groom and lead about weather permitting. He lives out 24/7 so wet and icy weather can make things difficult.its really motivating I find and at the end you can buy a rosette. There's other challenges throughout the year but I find they don't suit me so I stick with the winter one.
 
rhino said:
It can be a good motivator, I have done it the past 2 years with yearling/2yo and obviously focused on basic groundwork exercises. It’s getting rather commercialised now unfortunately with lots of people egging each other on to do things that they and their horses are not prepared for, or fit or healthy enough to do.
Click to expand...
I took a peek and the gulf between the easiest and hardest things in each package is WILD. The liberty one has like, back up 4 steps and also teach your horse to lie down??? I suppose if you didn't have a brain like me, who would need to complete them all, it might be fun! 😂
 
Trouper said:
I try not to look at it as the whole winter - but just have to get through the darkening days until January. Then, it might be cold and/or wet, but the improving light levels really make a difference to me.
Click to expand...
This absolutely, I always feel a little more positive come January (well maybe feb…) as you can literally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s now until Christmas that’s the worst so it’s really only 3 months if I can convince my brain of that logic
 
Top Barn challenge is a good motivator for me from January.

I use it as a way of learning different groundwork exercises and ideas to do with the ponies. Each Monday a groundwork and ridden exercise video is posted, for you to have a go at. If you want to log hours etc, you can order a rosette for your achievement at the end. At the beginning, you pledge how many hours you are going to do with your ponies each week. Sometimes on a rainy evening it would be easier to just muck out, feed, wade through the mud etc but this way I will do 20 minutes of groundwork or even exercises in the stable.
 
Ugh, I hate winter. At least until the snow comes and the temperature drops a lot and it feels like "proper winter" when you can put on tons of warm clothes and go cantering in the deep snow. Unfortunately due to the climate changes the snow in recent years have come later and later, and right now it's dark, wet and icy instead.

I bought a broken to drive, but not broken to ride young horse in april and started him myself under saddle during the summer and autumn months. He has spent the last two - two and a half months mainly being a paddock pet though, because of me and my complete aversion to hacking out in this current weather. We do have access to an indoor school, but both me and him are tired of it so now I just let him loose there a couple of times a week just to get the sillies out of him. I don't think it does him any harm actually to take some time off and process what he learned earlier, and also since I don't plan to have him as a competition horse, or even do some serious training, but mainly potter around outside hacking, I don't feel the pressure to have him in work.

At first I felt like a complete failure as a horse owner, but now I kind of have accepted that it is what it is and we are patiently waiting for better and brighter times ✨😊
 
rhino said:
It can be a good motivator, I have done it the past 2 years with yearling/2yo and obviously focused on basic groundwork exercises. It’s getting rather commercialised now unfortunately with lots of people egging each other on to do things that they and their horses are not prepared for, or fit or healthy enough to do.
Click to expand...
It's a shame. I also think the bar is set too high and I dislike the colour grading. Copper bronze silver gold platinum. It appears to be based around time spent. So someone with no menage or indoor can only do basic things as lack of light,cold,ice snow rain curtails what can be done. If they were just,say rainbow colours it wouldn't feel like your the bottom of the heap doing copper. And tbh I think doing anything with the horse in the winter should count, grooming and so on.ive noticed the majority pledge copper and bronze. There's only a handful do the longer things,at least one being an admin.
 
Re: Top Barn 12 Week Chsllenge . A lot of people pledge lower but aim upgrade. I usually always pledge Copper or Bronze but aim for Silver/Gold upgrade but it allows for a couple of weeks where you might not get all the higher level hours, without being 'out'. Plus, most people taking part are normal people who work, have families and other commitments so 3 hours is much more do-able than 10 hours for most. I wouldn't consider anyone 'bottom of the pile' for doing Copper (I've done it - will probably do it again in the future) - it's just about making the most of what you DO have, for your own circumstances. It's really not a competition between who can do the most hours overall :)

I think having the lower levels low more to participate. It was set up years ago to originally help people have fit(ter) and/or better horses come Spring hence why there is a emphasises on exercising & training and less on grooming. Grooming counts towards some pamper time so it doesn't go to waste!

You get everyone from people with young/unbacked/older horses, those with fewer facilities, people with unridden horses, people that hackat weekends right through to competitive riders. It makes a lovely mix to see what everyone is up to over 12 weeks. There's a lot of joy in seeing other people at a dark, miserable time of year and succeed with goals where they might have just been tempted to muck out, a quick groom and go home most days.

The Top Barn lot are a lovely group & community & I'd really recommend giving it a go :) It can also still be completely free of charge!
 
Last edited:
Hope everyone is getting on OK so far...not long until the longest day then it's all downhill to Spring! 🌷🪺🐛🐦🌱

I'm setting a low bar this year when it comes to Winter riding (once a week minimum, two times if possible), but I'm a supply teacher and have flexibility around my work days, so I'm trying to book a half day on good weather days to go riding and work full days when it's raining 😅 But if I really can't be bothered or feel too busy, I cut myself some slack!

Luckily my pony is still fit from the good Autumn riding conditions and it does no harm to have a week off now and then.
 
Pure grit and determination get me through. Hunker down with the outdoor jobs. Focus more on indoor warm cosier hobbies.

On the plus side OP, only 12 days until the days start to get longer and brighter. I always have Valentine’s Day, feb 14th, as around the time when the winter blues has a noticeable effect of lessening, because spring is glinting in our side-eye view and before I know it, I’m enjoying more daylight and warmth.
November 1st to feb 1st - just 12 weeks but can feel longer due to the weather. Those weeks I absolutely just focus on surviving the outdoor jobs!
8hrs sunlight out of 24 is just not healthy for anyone but determined distraction for those 12 weeks with indoor hobbies and allowing the horses to cycle with mountains of forage, movement and shelter, that gets me by every winter.
 
Last edited:
WBGG said:
Hope everyone is getting on OK so far...not long until the longest day then it's all downhill to Spring! 🌷🪺🐛🐦🌱
Click to expand...
I am SO excited by this 🥳

As usual I always find the start of winter the worst, particularly the clocks changing/having to ride in the dark again. Once I get used to that it’s not too bad and I’m feeling surprisingly upbeat again now
 
I’m starting a new job tomorrow so hoping tha will make the rest to the winter fly past! Tbh (I’ll probably jinx it) but so far it’s not been as bad as this time last year. A couple more weeks and we will stay getting more daylight again. January is always my worst month as it’s like the calm after the storm one Christmas has come and gone and it always feels very grey and dark but hopefully it will be a bit more manageable this year as I’ll have other things to focus on too.
 
spotty_pony2 said:
I’m starting a new job tomorrow so hoping tha will make the rest to the winter fly past! Tbh (I’ll probably jinx it) but so far it’s not been as bad as this time last year. A couple more weeks and we will stay getting more daylight again. January is always my worst month as it’s like the calm after the storm one Christmas has come and gone and it always feels very grey and dark but hopefully it will be a bit more manageable this year as I’ll have other things to focus on too.
Click to expand...
Congratulations on your new job! Exciting!! I feel this year is just whizzing by. I would like it to carry on whizzing until March then go slowly!! More daylight will be more than welcome!!
 
Joining the Club here: I have hardly ridden my little mare for about 10 days now, coz am sick to death of the whole morbid regime of retrieving muddy pony from the field, tidying it up (or trying to), then having to put on hoof boots onto filthy fetlocks (we are barefoot!). Then you go out and the weather chooses that precise moment to bucket it down, and you get soaked to the skin.

I keep mine at home, and Saturday night about 10pm it suddenly got hot here. I'd put her light turnout rug on, and thought ohh poor girly she'll be boiling in that, so went out to the field to take it off. The fields here are well-lit, we've rigged up spotlights, so it wasn't like I was out there in the darkness poking around. The mud out there was just awful, it came in over the top of my welly-boot, and I just could not move, simply toppled over in the mud. Normally I'd have laughed about it, but I was just sooh fed up I could've cried, pathetic I know.

BUT take heart....... as from the middle of next week, the evenings start to get lighter; OK yes admittedly so the mornings don't start pulling back till early January - but after work we will soon notice the evenings pulling out - and soon will be at the shortest day - and then rock-on the summer!
 
Highly recommend a sunrise alarm clock - best purchase I have made in a long time - makes the early mornings feel much less depressing. I just bought a cheaper one on Amazon but definitely recommend putting on your list to Father Christmas!
 
A few days of heavy rain and winds, fields a bit wet, yard powers-that-be making us keep our horses in for a third day. The 60mphs winds, fair enough, but come on.

I think lying upside down in a bog and screaming, I DENY THIS REALITY, is about the only thing I can do at this point. And some half-arsed yard hunting, but the thing this yard does give me is a hell of a lot of control over how long my EMS horse spends on the grass in the spring/summer, and many of the other ones nearby force you onto 24/7 or overnight turnout, or a YO who tells you what to do, or are in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire, with fields stuffed with rich cattle-friendly grass,. Uh, no. My ridiculous Spanish horse was the only horse out of 60 livery horses to get laminitis last spring, after our draught, and then all the rain in one weekend. And I rode her every day!! (I ride her more now...). So if you tell me your magic grass won't cause laminitis so my horse can totally be out 24/7 on your field, you can f-- right off. Unless you live in Namibia. Then I might believe you.

So we might just have to man up with the yard's (predictable but frustrating) winter flapping.

If these big low pressure systems would just f- off, that would also be nice.
 
Last edited:
My biggest winter issue is that every nerve and cell in my body is screaming, "hibernate!!!" but what I in fact need is more energy, because if I could get up earlier, start work earlier, and get to the yard earlier, life would be a hell of a lot easier, but that seems impossible. And knowing that is stressful, which makes me more soporific. I don't have answer.

Today told me who my horses are. Third day stuck in (they are out tomorrow, thank god). Got to the yard in time to take Hermosa on a very short hack. She was fine, but I was annoyed that I hadn't got there in time to do a longer one (see above paragraph). Then I took Fin into the outdoor to lunge him. No one else was riding. It was dark, and you can't see anything past the floodlights, but it's not like he hasn't been in there a million times under those conditions. But he decided the school horses in the hardstanding paddock adjacent to the outdoor were, in fact, the Jagaroth, or your monster/alien of choice, and was a spooky lunatic on the lunge. Those schoolies are always there. Not a new thing. I gave up, led him around the yard a bit, and put him back in his stable.

Then I re-saddled Hermosa and we went into the arena. Perfectly normal schooling session. Three kids and ponies came in. No bother. Then an adult owner came in to lunge her fairly new youngster. She lunged at one end, and me and the kids rode at the other end. Arena is BIG, 90m long, so I wasn't paying that much attention to stuff happening far away. Then while I was trotting down the long side with my back to the lunging horse, I heard his owner shout, "watch out!" Me and the kids all stopped to see him galloping along the long side, lunge line trailing. I thought, "Oh, cock." He ran around, and the kids' ponies were all tanking off, and Hermosa just froze, like "WTF! Not sure what to do so shall I just stand here?" And I said, "Yes, do that. Definitely do that." I ride in a bosal, where control is more of an agreement between you and the horse. The youngster kept running up to the ponies, and they'd shoot off away from him, so there were like four horses out of control around me. Once I worked out that I wasn't going to die and my horse was going to do whatever I told her to, I then thought, "what can I do to help?" I jumped off Hermosa, thinking if he ran up to her, I had a better chance of catching him if I wasn't on board. However, a few seconds later, his owner got a hold of him. The lunge line was kind of wrapped around his fetlocks, and the very-flustered owner didn't want to leave his head to sort that out. I said, "Hermosa will stand if I tell her to," and the hackamore reins have the long lead, so I untied my lead and kind of ground tied her (she would have stood anyway, but with all those anxious horses, I went for safety first, so held onto it), and gathered up the lunge line, then handed it to the youngster's owner. Suggested, "Maybe just walk him a bit."

So that was fun. But I was very pleased with my little brown horse.

The youngster is generally alright, but three days in was too much for him, and God knows what lunging he's done. His owner has only had him for a month or two. When Hermosa was that age and the yard had their little winter flaps, I'd time my lunging so as not to do it when people were riding, just in case she was an idiot, and I knew what she was likely to do and not do (airs above the ground, not bogging off) because I'd trained her. I know this is why lots of yards prohibit lunging and riding at the same time, but not ours.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: SEL
My 3 live out. I haven’t ridden for 3 weeks. I enjoy caring for them. I am in fact enjoying taking things easy, having time for other stuff and taking the pressure of myself.
 
Hygge till 31 December - rest, indulge, horses on holiday unless weather very lovely, read books, hot chocolate, christmas shopping.

Top Barn 1 Jan-31 Mar to motivate me each week.

And, crucially, a little bit of Hygge continues into and through Jan-Feb - no harsh sudden New Year resolution diets on 1 Jan or other such cruelties to womankind.
 
Caol Ila said:
My biggest winter issue is that every nerve and cell in my body is screaming, "hibernate!!!" but what I in fact need is more energy, because if I could get up earlier, start work earlier, and get to the yard earlier, life would be a hell of a lot easier, but that seems impossible. And knowing that is stressful, which makes me more soporific. I don't have answer.
Click to expand...

God I feel this, in every inch of my soul 🙃
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top