How to keep a horse going in the winter if you work a 9 - 5

[Huntin_Fool]

Dear All,

I have a 6yo TB I’m trying to bring along hunting this year (chronicled in another post). It’s way dark when I get home from work. I don’t have an indoor. I have a “ring” that’s just part of the field fenced off. I have lights in my barn about 25 feet from the ring. How can I ride this horse enough to make him (and me!) comfortable about hunting? I don’t think he’s ready for more than 3rd flight, so it’s not fitness, but keeping him ticking over mindset wise.

I will say that to this point in time, so as not to jinx myself, he’s been ok with a layoff. He didn’t get ridden when I tore my ACL-non riding, and though I was nervous about getting on him again after that layoff, and he was four then turned five during the time, he was totally ho-hum about it. Of course that was also in May.

The last time I hunted him was the end of November. I ride on the weekends but it just seems like so little. I’ve tacked him up and lead him around the pasture. I could lunge him a bit on a short line? I was thinking of the barn lights plus the hayloft light shining in the dark-that might be enough to ride around a wee bit. I don’t know!

What do y’all do?

All ideas appreciated!

Regards,
Huntin’Fool

[xeroxchick]

One of the reasons I became a teacher is so I could get off early enough to ride, sad but true! Anyway, I used to know someone (a fantastic hunting woman who had gorgeous home bred horses) who used to wear a headlamp and ride/pony her other horse. You might try a headlamp? I was told once that even 15 minutes is better than nothing. I know it’s hard!

[Foxglove]

You can only do the best you can --and that’s going to have to be good enough. First --ambient light --when I was a kid, I worked until 11 every night. I LOVED riding after work in the early morning hours --so quiet --I didn’t use a headlamp, just the light of the stars and moon. I don’t recall doing a lot of cantering and certainly no jumping --but having said that, our hunt goes out on Thursdays at 4 PM --and hunts until 6:30 —sun sets at 5! So the hunt club IS cantering and jumping in the “dark.” I’ve been out a few times on the Thursday hunt, and you can see well enough. No head lamps.

So suggest that you give it a go. Saddle up and go to your riding area and see if you can do 1/2 hour of walk --maybe a little trot. Might work into a canter if you are comfortable. Second suggestion is to maximize your time. Right now it’s really cold where I live and I can only stay on my horse about 30-40 min unless I totally gear up. I aim for 30 min --of WORK. The horse has a training plan --we are progressing through a series of DVDs for improving our riding and ground work (on lesson 18 of 50). So today, for 30 min --after a 15 min warm up of ground work --we did bending to a stop at a walk-trot-canter. Ground was frozen, layer of snow, slick, about 15 degrees --but we did 30 min of bending to a stop --we walked most of the time but did get in a bit of trot and canter. My horse was totally focused the entire time. Would cantering the entire time have been better for him? Not necessarily —he needs his head in the game and our exercises will be well used on the hunt field.

If you can only do ground work --then do ground work but go in with a plan and make the time count. At our hunt club, of the 50 or so members who ride out regularly–I’d guess 40 are in the same situation you are --only 10 or so have indoors and the time to keep their horses in tip top shape. The rest of us do the best we can. And since hunting is supposed to be fun --I have no problem telling the field master that I’m taking my horse in because he’s had enough for the day —amazing to me how often a gaggle goes with me . . .

[wsmoak]

I started a thread about portable battery powered lights a while back, maybe this will help:
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/around-the-farm/10234022-portable-battery-powered-lights

[punchy]

Like Foxglove said, ambient light is just fine and preferable to artificial light, IMO. Just mind any small branches on trees you can’t see without leaves on them. I find tack walking, and some light work if footing permits, much better than lunging, especially if you’re primarily concerned with his mindset.

[SLW]

My horses are kept at home so they are ridden weather permitting. During the times of poor weather during hunting season I ride in the hunt field (Hilltopper or Second field) best suited to my horses condition. A lot also depends on what the actual hunt pace is like- fast and furious or steady and time to catch your breath, deep ground verses dry ground. An hour and half of riding over deep row crop fields is one hell of a work out.

[Equibrit]

Hang some floodlights on the barn. LEDs are really good now and use very little power.

https://www.westgatemfg.com//lighting/led-outdoor-lighting/led-flood-lights.html

[PNWjumper]

I usually ride my last horse of the day in the dark this time of the year. Doesn’t seem to matter whether there’s a full moon and it’s “bright dark” or pitch black. The horses deal with it just fine (they’re better in the dark, in fact, than they are at dusk), and my daughter and I do full rides (walk/trot/canter and occasionally canter over [white] poles even when it’s pretty dark). Horses see in the dark a lot better than we do, so I just trust that it’s not as hard for them as it is for me. But with that being said, I have an arena and so I know it’s a level surface and I’m not worried about much. But also, I listen to my horses galloping around in their pastures in the middle of the night, and they seem to have no problems with going mach 9 despite the lack of light.

So I guess my short answer is - just ride. If you’re really uncomfortable with the dark, even walking for 15-20 minutes is better than nothing.

[jawa]

As others have said, ride in the dark. Even if all you can manage is a 30 minute walking around.

If it would make you feel better, you could get some of the solar powered garden/lawn lights and place them around the edge of your “arena”. That should give you enough light to be able to walk and trot and maybe even feel confident enough to canter.

[FitToBeTied]

I’ve ridden by moonlight, artificial light, ambient light and a headlamp on my helmet. The little LED solar lights are actually pretty decent for putting some light into a ring and they are not very expensive. My riding time used to be about 5 am.

[classicrocky]

Before I put lights up in the arena I am riding in, I longed my gelding in pitch black. I am now using two of the flood/shop lights mounted in the covered arena, but I think you could easily keep them on the stand and ride by those. For $250 I lit an entire arena.

I tried a headlamp but I hated it. I’d rather longe him in the pitch black. I’ve ridden by moonlight before when I had no arena and it was fine too.

[BigMick]

Either pay someone to come and school him for you during the day, or put up portable lights. When I once boarded at a farm with no lights on the ring, I backed my horse trailer up to the ring and put a tri-pod work light on top of the trailer with an extension cord running to the barn. That threw enough light into the ring for me to work him on the flat.

[Emily_amp_Jake]

@Foxglove

The horse has a training plan --we are progressing through a series of DVDs for improving our riding and ground work (on lesson 18 of 50).

I would love to know what DVD series this is! It sounds very informative.

[Foxglove]

Emily&Jake --there are many DVD series by many good/great trainers. What I like about the one I use, is that it takes about 20-30 min. to watch the lesson that’s divided into WHY the action is important --then shows a horse that is well-trained in the action. Next the trainer shows how he trains a horse who has never done the action before --one horse is highly reactive TB type, the other is a “fat lazy” horse. He works with the horse until he gets the action in a basic form. Then he shows the same horses 5 days later. The last section is “rider or handler errors” and “horse errors” and how to fix them. In the ground manners series there are 50 skills --in two years we’re up to #18, but we only work on it about one lesson a month . . .then keep doing that until horse gets it well. In the riding series --which we do at the same time because I’d lose my mind if I did only ground work although the clinician suggests mastering ground work before the riding series . . .we are a bit father in the riding series. Ok -now the clinician seems to evoke strong feelings on this bb --he’s not perfect, and maybe he’s not the best. But for this old lady who has no access to a human trainer, it works for me. Clinton Anderson’s “Gaining Control and Respect on the Ground” and “Riding with Confidence” --new the series is about $500 but I bought it piece by piece for $25 off ebay used. I think there are 3 Ground parts, about 4-5 disks in each --same with the riding series. And if you don’t like Clinton Anderson --fine, pick another. It works for me and my horse. The important concept is to go out with a plan --don’t (every time) just go “ride the horse.” Although I do that now and then, too.

[ecileh]

I know you said you keep him at home, so there are no “barn rats” around looking for something to ride, but perhaps there is a young person in your hunt that would be interested in riding him a couple of days a week after school/before dark?

[awaywego]

Assuming the footing is good in your “ring,” I agree with everyone about even doing the 15 minutes of walking - but definitely you have to walk like you mean it! It should be a working/marching walk.

It’s already starting to stay lighter longer