Winter is coming! Is anyone else concerned about riding in indoor arenas together?
Nope
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You will be socially distanced on your horse. Should not be a problem.
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I’m not worried at all. If everyone is on horses, you’re not going to get too close.
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Absolutely not
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Nope…
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No, I feel safe.
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Actually I am, but sounds like I might be in the minority. As we put covering our own arena on hold due to the pandemic and the expected economic repercussions, if I want to ride this winter it will require that I board. And that potential exposure, whether in the arena or just having to share a barn space with others is factoring in to my decision. I’m not so much frightened of getting the virus myself as I am worried about contributing to the continued spread and the fact that I have family that are high risk and I really hope to see them up close and personal again someday. I’ll probably end up muddling (and mudding) through the winter as I can at home.
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I would feel a little uneasy about it, but I’m imagining a large lesson group working hard in an itty bitty entirely-enclosed indoor. I think that if it was 2-3 riders in a large-ish arena with a big open door or open windows, I would probably feel okay about it.
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nope…was riding indoors last winter when the virus was out there and no one knew much about it. The people who had it from my barn got it traveling on planes and subways but didn’t pass it on to anyone here.
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Our indoor gets stuffy and is used heavily in winter. We are going to make a schedule to assign time slots to limit how many riders can be in the ring at once. We also have new GGT footing so on warmer days I expect some people might hack outside; it doesn’t really snow here anymore and our indoor is not insulated/heated so the only real benefit of being inside is wind protection.
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Hard nope, doesn’t bother me one bit.
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I don’t think I’ll be within 6’ of anyone even in the indoor, so I think I’ll be good. Our indoor isn’t really buttoned up that tight either. Lots of air flow.
I’ve never met an indoor that was airtight enough not to blow cold air down the back of my neck so I am not so worried.
But because he doesn’t care for the indoor, I bought my horse a wool quarter sheet and we will be hacking outdoors as much as possible this winter anyway, so it’ll be a moot point.
My farm also has put in place overarching COVID policies that further reduce risk: no more than 10 people on the premises at a time with assigned ride blocks, masks 100% of the time including when riding, separating groups of riders into different tack rooms and changing the storage options to reduce traffic in enclosed areas, etc. I don’t want to ignore that there is risk to winter in that we’ll be shutting the barn doors and windows more often, riding in the indoor, people wanting to spend more time standing around in the barn aisle rather than go back outside… but I think that that risk is manageable.
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If I had an indoor I would be riding in it.
I think if one should be worried depends on so many things. Like the general environment of the barn. Are the people there generally careful about their exposure (outside the barn) or are they the type that are posting selfies of them making kiss face, clearly not a mask in site, cheek to cheek with all their friends while they hang at a local bar. If I was in a barn with a group that was being careless I can see why riding in an enclosed area with them would be worrisome.
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An indoor is the primary riding arena at my boarding barn year round due to limited space (it was actually built on top of the original outdoor). There’s some hacking around the paddocks and a small outdoor but we’ve been using the indoor all summer as usual. It’s well ventilated and we rarely have more than 2-3 horses in there at once so I have no concerns. The tack room is probably the riskiest place at the barn due to close quarters but we all wear masks except when riding and there’s hand sanitizer and disinfecting spray readily available.
Well, there was a lot of concern about group activities outdoors like running and cycling, and ultimately exercising within another person’s “respiratory signature”. I think that transmission is possible in these instances (like a group lesson) because a person riding behind an infected person would potentially be riding into their exhalation.
That said, I’m not sure there was any evidence that people were actually becoming infected this way; I think the study that went viral just measured how far a particle could travel but not whether there was enough viral material in the air to be dangerous.
If an indoor arena is heavily used, it makes sense to schedule to limit the numbers so groups are moderately sized and riders can spread out - but probably more importantly, making it clear that anyone with Covid symptoms must stay home, just like most workplaces.
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I have been wearing a mask when riding in an indoor.
Partly the indoor in question is tiny and often very full, and we are all huffing and puffing.
Partly people who are otherwise very considerate seem to forget while riding, so we may pass very close in opposite directions, or they may walk closer next to me while cooling down, etc. The mask is a good reminder to maintain space.
And partly, even though I live in an area which has overall been taking this seriously, for some reason people in the horse community here are crazy. Lots of COVID deniers. People who refuse masks entirely and make no attempt at social distancing. Summer horse camps for kids. Just… Yeah.
Riding in a mask is not pleasant, but at least I can go do some activity at all. Use multiple masks to switch when one becomes wet and use a plastic spacer to keep your mask from sticking to your mouth (you can diy one from waste plastic like a drink bottle). I try to think of it like athletes who train at high altitude… When we can go without masks, it will feel sooooo much easier.
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I read somewhere that the Covid “globules” cling to the dust in the air, which is heavy in our indoor. Won’t be riding there this winter. I can’t even tell you how much I envy people who don’t seem worried.
The article was specifically about whether riding indoors was a good idea, but I can’t remember where I read it.
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I’'m in the minority. Yes, I would have concerns. In fact DH and I have been tossing around the idea of getting another horse and boarding it out so I could ride again but we always come back to “yeah, but what about covid??” I will add that I am sort of in the high risk category.
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