Would you ride at 5pm tonight?

[Perfect_Pirouette]

As I am now, at the last minute, also competing this dressage mare on Sunday I MUST go over tonight and practice the test.

People have said I'm stupid as there'll be loads of fireworks etc, something which I had thought of myself. I finish work at 4, will be at the yard by about 4.45, by time I tack up make it 5. So I will be riding at 5. Yard's pretty much in middle on nowhere.

If it was any other Friday I'd leave it but I've GOT to practice for this test now on Sunday. I will literally only be riding for half an hour. I've said to people that I don't think there will be many fireworks going off at 5, maybe about 6-7 o clock?

:Sigh: I just don't really have a lot of choice tonight. Obviously if when I get there there are fireworks, I'll just leave it and go home.

Is anyone else riding tonight?

 

[noodle_]

tbh thers going to be fireworks for the next two weeks or so....

I plan on riding anyhow as mine dosent bat an eyelid on bangs etc.... (show her a piece of grass "looking" at her the wrong way n she freaks tho...)

depends on the horse would be my answer

 

[Perfect-Piaffe]

Yep I'll be riding about 6pm ish tonight! Have ridden every night this week and I think finally they are getting used to the fireworks!! Go for it- whats the worst that can happen :S ! hehe x

 

[FigJam]

I am off to my local show centre for a RC lesson at 8pm tonight! It is indoors. A couple of years ago I schooled Hopalong in an outdoor school overlooking a main public fireworks display- I could hear the music and got the full benefit of the display while schooling! Hopalong was a little more forwards than normal, but not doing anything stupid.

She is quite used to hacking past shoots though as she's always been liveried on or near estates who do pheasant shooting, so maybe more desensitised to the bangs than others?

 

[Suziq77]

I've got the saddler coming out tonight, at 4.30pm. Like you I doubt they'll be going off that early, plus in general when you are schooling a horse which is concentrating properly you shouldn't get the same level of extravagance in a reaction to a loud noise as the horse might give if it were loose in the field.

I probably wouldn't go for a hack around any built up areas this evening though

 

[JenTaz]

your just as well riding theres going to be fireworks going of for the next few weeks if your in the middle of no where the bangs will be pretty quiet so you should be ok

 

[star]

took my horse to evening dressage on Nov 5th a few times in the past but then he is stabled next to a military firing range so bangs dont bother him. Wouldn't have thought there would be much going off at 5pm. Wouldn't stop me riding unless I had a horse that I knew was likely to be stupid about it as there's no point trying to school a horse who is upset.

 

[skint1]

My daughter and her friend are doing a bit of gridwork in the school tonight at 6pm, they never alter their plans for fireworks afik. Mind this summer the farm hosted a WW2 Reenactment on the fields behind the school/turnout and none of the horses were that phased, people were practicing dressage tests with a full mock battle going on behind them, that was quite surreal

 

[JFTDWS]

Yea, I've ridden during fireworks many times. Not organised enough to plan around it...

 

[Perfect_Pirouette]

Well i had a lesson last sat and there was a shoot going by in a nearby field and she wasn't very good :-/ not dangerous or anything but just distracted! Think she was just taking the P to be honest! But yeh.... It doesn't make me feel all that confident about her and fireworks!

But F it, like I said, I don't have a lot of choice!

 

[MadisonBelle]

I ride everynight at 7 on a youngster and have loads of fireworks going off all around. Really hasn't been a problem.....At all..........except for the porr dog of course

 

[BeckyD]

I've never had any problems riding on bonfire night. Ronnie used to love the fireworks (unusual, I know) and you could almost hear him going "ooooooh...aaaaaaahhhhh" as they went off and sparkled. A little mare I sometimes ride was a bit worried by the bangs when I rode her, but nothing silly, she just shot forward a little faster than usual.

I think it will depend on the mare herself - you know her better than us!

 

[flyingfeet]

Yes of course, but mine are gun trained

Lots of horses do battle proms with fireworks and cannons, so as long as you are with them and give your horse confidence you should have no problems

 

[Farma]

Mine are 100% with fireworks, dont even seem to notice them!

 

[barbaraNcolin]

My boy is a muppet so I'll be doing some lungeing when i get home from work at 4.30 tonight but not riding. For me it's not worth the risk, plus I've not got to ride for a comp. Are you maybe able to give the horse a lunge first if there are some fireworks going off to get a grasp how she'll react before getting on?

 

[Baileysno1]

My old TB was quite partial to fireworks, there was a big bonfire party at the windmill near the yard where I kept him and in winter they were in outdoor crews, he'd stay out till 5 and would be stood admiring the display when I called to get him in, he was virtually human though

 

[ecrozier]

Mine don't ever bat an eyelid! We had a display locally on Monday for halloween and I rode both the 5 and 15 year old. 15 year old far more bothered by the strange noises the pigs in the pen by school make - first time this year riding him under lights, and one set of lights is out of action!

 

[amandaco2]

yeah
tbh i didnt even know why you were asking until i read the fireworks bit...
mine arent bothered and theres no big displays nearby anyway so will just go for it LOL

 

[measles]

Yes and it would only concern me on a newly backed youngster or on something I knew to be sharp.

 

[dieseldog]

No because its raining

I used to have a horse that loved fireworks, on 5th November I would sit on him in the school while he watched them all going off. He also loved hot air balloons, in fact anything in the sky.

 

[TheoryX1]

I planned to, but it was raining far too hard.

Mine are also staying out tonight and tomorrow night as well. Our YO even organised a bonfire and firework night party a couple of years ago in a corner of our big field. The horses that were turned out all came over and watched what was going on from a distance. None of them batted an eyelid.

 

[Shandys_mum]

How did it go?

 

[Perfect_Pirouette]

Fine thank you! Neednt have worried, there were none going off at that time!

 

[A1JUMPJOCKEY]

I was still out Hunting at 5!!!!!

 

[kirstyhen]

I rode at 6 this evening and had a lovely view of the hotel fireworks. Mally went lovely too, relaxed and soft for once!