Winter Nights - training/schooling

Cullohill

Cullohill

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 September 2005
Messages
1,819
Location
Staffordshire
photobucket.com
So we are now well into winter dark nights
frown.gif
, but this year i don't have to load Bud up drive 35mins to friends arena work in whatever the weather as now i have my own arena and most recently a light !
smile.gif


so my question is what type of work do people do through the dark nights with only the use of an arena and light? Obviously can do flatwork/dressage but are there any other things people do to add variety? I really don't want Bud to get bored being in arena all the time..... i jump and hack at weekends depending on competitions and would like to ride 3 times in the evenings...... does anyone jump with a light? or do pole work? or any flatwork exercises that are fun?
I just have one big light at 'A' which lights whole arena lovely but not sure how horse eyesight reacts? or if you jumped whether you'd jumped towards or away from light mast etc..... or not at all...
confused.gif


any advice/tips gratefully received!
 
I tend not to jump and i have two lights which arent brilliant, but fine for flatwork.
I leave jumping and hacking to the weekend, lunge once and school the other times. I only ride 3 times in the week too as at this time of year there really isnt any point (IMO) to ride 6 days a week.
 
I agree with BB I ride each horse 3/4 times a week. We have an indoor school but is used by everyone so jumping isnt always possible and quite often there is 3 of us riding at the same time. So if i need to jump I do I one night when no one is around.

We vary what we do each night as much as poss. Grids etc at the moment we are making indoor XC jumps which we all love and the childern (2 girls) play games on the ponies just for variety!!

Im practicing skinnies and corners at the moment indoors on my mare and using the pessoa on my youngster
 
I jump under lights - never had a problem with doing so at all, and go towards or away form the light fine. Usually do grids as am too lazy to put more jumps out/away!

I usually lunge once, school 3 times and give 1 night off in the week. Do pole work too if I can be bothered to get them out.

Weekends are for hacking and competing, though if I haven't been able to get in the jump school during the week I may jump then hack.
 
well i normally only ride on Tuesday and Thursdays as my mare doesnt need much more than that plus the weekends !! I also long rein and lunge her on one of those nights !!
 
You lot are making me feel bad. I hardly ride my horse in the winter let alone school it or jump it. I never really do anything till February because have to get my head down and work hard to make up for all the time I slack over eventing season!
 
I exercise every night in the school. We have good lighting one one side so I am happy to jump/do pole work. I normally:

lunge once
dressage lesson once
gridwork/raised poles once
plain flatwork twice

lec, don't feel bad...my horse is a horrid grump if he is not worked and my husband would would feel even worse if he knew I was spending what I spend on the horse and not riding!
 
Have three to work at night so bit busy, but all have mondays off, tuesday and thursday lunge, wednesday ride two younger ones, friday older one gets ridden and then weekend competing and hacking. All fun and games.........
 
I usually school 2/3 times in the week, but dont jump. I usually go for a jumping lesson once if a can. I hack/ compete at the weekend.

Sometimes i really struggle to be motivated to ride tho, especially when its dark, windy, rainy and cold!

BTW i also have 3 to ride!
crazy.gif
 
Don't worry I do not feel bad really - winter is me time. I could not be bothered to ride even if I did have amazing facilities!! I have friends to see, food to eat, places to visit, holidays to take, gym to visit and TV to watch all the things I do not do in summer!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I tend not to jump and i have two lights which arent brilliant, but fine for flatwork.
I leave jumping and hacking to the weekend, lunge once and school the other times. I only ride 3 times in the week too as at this time of year there really isnt any point (IMO) to ride 6 days a week.

[/ QUOTE ]

ooo a kindred spirit!!!! I only ride a couple of times a week in the winter, the neds dont like being out in the dark!
grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Don't worry I do not feel bad really - winter is me time. I could not be bothered to ride even if I did have amazing facilities!! I have friends to see, food to eat, places to visit, holidays to take, gym to visit and TV to watch all the things I do not do in summer!

[/ QUOTE ]

Lec I actually see your point. And TBH am coming round to the idea. We work jolly hard over the summer making us skint sometimes you do need to chill out at times.
Snoopy will have sessions in the week, but now ive joined a gym I wont ride every night, plus i teach and have friends to see, its nice isnt it to have *Me* time.
TBH if i really need to ride, boss is quite good and i can slope out for an hour at lunch time
grin.gif
 
Have a floodlit arena so either school or jump in the evenings or do pole work. Not had a problem as arena is 45x25 and we have 8 floodlights so its quite well lit!
grin.gif
 
The one light is brilliant, much better than i expected.... might just put little fence up and see how he reacts and how comfortable i fell just want variety for him. I think i will lunge once a week i have pessoa thingy although he bucks alot in it! Then flatwork and other session try bit variety see how goes. i too have joined a gym so Buds nights off mean i can go up there, but i want to keep him fit as i'm hoping to have good go at indoor bsja this winter....
 
Good to hear, think i will put up little grid or something and see how we both feel - i just don't want him going off the boil by over doing 'flatwork' this winter. I might try talk to boss nicely see if i can start later one morning so i could get him out in the daylight do some hacking/fitness work round fields....
smirk.gif
 
Thats funny about your husband!

What kind of grids/polework do you do. I've never really done raised poles, do you just do trotting pole distance or others? Do you mainly do bounce distance for your grids?
 
8! wow i'm just hoping no one notices my little 1 as not sure the lovely planning people would be too happy!
ooo.gif
i am pretty sheltered away from road and one neighbour loves me and other don't have much to do with but always smile when ride past and they're far enough away i think for it not to bother them... i have also gone down the route of having light on a plug as apparently it is then not a 'permanent' fitting and you don't need planning - so i have been told?!?!
 
I tend to ride Tuesday to Sunday and Mondays are his days off.. However this is only if I have him hunting and doing XC etc.
I have a team Chase this weekend so will be riding every day and give him sat off before the event so he can be nice and fresh for Sunday
grin.gif


But I tend to ride for 15 / 20 mins in the school then hacking at the weekend.
 
During the week, he has 2 days off and then I school him twice and lunge once. Every now and again I will drag out a few trotting poles, and then I jump/compete and hack out on the weekends.
 
If you're thinking about indoor SJ put some cones out one night and think about turns. You can also put poles on the ground. We used to do this a lot and by the end of the winter my old showjumper could turn like a gymkhana pony!
 
ooo brill idea! that sounds like fun too and will add variety.... i can practice neat turns and some speed in between only 20x40 arena but enough room for a rag about! he will be confused... did you go weaving cones? or in figure of 8 type? did you go round poles?
 
I tend to treat winter as 'down time' for me and the horses - I find it hard to motivate myself to ride when it's dark and cold, and it just becomes a chore, when it's supposed to be fun!

I tend to school in the floodlights once or twice on week nights, then hack/jump/compete etc at the weekends.

IMO, you can keep a fit horse ticking over on 3 or 4 rides a week enought to do show jumping and dressage at the weekends. There's no need for them to be eventing fit again until the spring.

And I haven't noticed them being stiffer in the school either - it probably does them good not being ridden 6 times a week. I think I'd feel pretty stiff if I went to the gym almost every day!

The only problem would be if there was no turn out. Where I am, then go out in the field every day, so it really doesn't matter if they're not ridden.

But I do feel for those of you with no turnout at this time of year, must be horrible.
 
I'm a morning rider, and drag myself out of bed early! With two to exercise some mornings, as well as a yard full of horses to sort out, it means getting up EARLY but I really am a morning person, and on a dark evening, I'd rather be tucked up on the sofa with a nice glass of wine!
 
Il be riding 4 times a week in the evenings, and then both days on the weekends. I just do schooling im afraid, probably very boring for Archie, but winter is for training training and more trainging!!!! I do add in some pole work, and he gets hacking on the weekends and jumped so he still gets variety.
 
I have gave frost nov off for a holiday and turned him away. As he has had a busy season eventing being a youngster too!
We have decided to go to a yard up the road with a big arena and floodlights for dec and jan, so i can start getting him back on track again....
 
Same as you Rachael, Goddy is on hols for the time being. He wont be back in the school until the new year, and even then will only be in the school twice a week, otherwise we hack and jump at weekends. We have half decent floodlights, and I am happy to jump small things under lights. Generally i just keep schooling sessions short, and work on suppleness and obedience, and build on strength until it gets lighter!!!!
 
I ride in the morn before work every day so evenings are not a problem! Having said that getting up in the dark and motivation is difficult....... I think I actuallly sleep ride!!!! Indoor school is available but at a cost of £10 I normally muck out first and wait for the first light then get 3/4 hour in schooling/lunging/hacking
 
I flatwork/school 4 times a week, loose school and/or lunge once or twice a week, compete every 2nd or 3rd weekend (depending on budget). Dont hack out my boy as sandwiched between 2 main roads and horse is too spooky. We collided with a car last year which put me off. YO boxes us up p to local off road hacking as much as I can afford once or twice a month. Or I ride round the fields if weather dry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top