I know someone who had a very small and overweight Shetland pony that needed more exercise and a friend that was training for a marathon. She paired them up and they made fantastic running buddies, logging many miles of country roads together! And honestly, he was probably better than a dog for deterring would-be attackers. That pony had serious sass and would’ve gone for the jugular. Got any friends who are strong distance runners?
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There are no roads without cows? You can do fitness work on a pretty short stretch of path if you must. It’s boring but even a quarter mile back and forth can get something done for your combined fitness. Don’t overlook the utility of the driveway.
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There’s about a quarter mile stretch of pavement. Can trot work be done on pavement? Ultimate goal was a mile long hill past several cows, mild slope but perfect for trotting or just walking.
I used to be a WS for an eventing BNT back in the long format days. She had me do trot sets on her string two times a week on pavement and dirt roads. Yes it can be done. It is a great way to condition them, both their legs and their heart - but do so judiciously. I used to have to pass a pasture full of oxen! It was great exposure for her young horses and taught me to be real sticky in the seat :lol:
A few things:
If the horse is shod, pavement can be slick/slippery - so don’t trot on it while it’s wet.
If the horse is not shod, keep an eye on their hooves Trotting on pavement can wear down an unshod horse rather quickly.
Anywhere there is pavement there is usually dirt on the side, this is better IME.
Like @poltroon said, don’t underestimate the utility of a driveway. This is all I use in the spring for my string of horses - I live in the NE with no indoor. The driveway is about 1/4 a mile long, uphill, gravel. It’s often the only part of the property that is dry in the spring so it is pretty much the only place I can ride until the ice in the grass ring melts and the ground dries up. I usually do about 2 minutes of trotting up/down the driveway, followed by 4 minutes of walking, repeat 3x. I do this three times a week and hack the rest of the week. By the time the ground dries up my horses are fit enough for W/T/C 1hr in the ring.
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I conditioned on rock logging roads.
Legged up at walk first, building up to about an hour…then added some trot sets. Horse was barefoot, so I used cavalo boots, or later, shoes with pour-Ins.
never a windfuff, lame step, nothing.
Eventually we did long gallops.
this horse did have very sound, straight, streamlined movement.
I was able to get my gelding semi-fit fit by walking him 2 miles, on a gradual hill every other day. If you can’t do it, find your local running club and recruit someone. I bet you can find someone that has some sort of horse experience and could help you out. I know of multiple horse savvy people in mine and I’m in the middle of the city. You can also try posting a flyer at a local college.
No…a hundred times NO! So incredibly dangerous and not too mention just plain lazy! Drives me insane when I see this at horse shows! Horses are flight animals, they spook hard and fast…imagine them spooking INTO that golf cart or away from it and into the rest of us, possibly now dragging an injured you behind it…just don’t, for the love of your horse and all of us around you, do not take this lazy way of leading!
Can you hire someone to help get him over the cow phobia? Then go ride your horse! 
Getting over the cows sounds safer than a bike and ultimately necessary in the long run.
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Just wait until it dries out and warms up or do slow work in the pavement, just not much or often. Walking, done correctly with extension and collection, can get a lot accomplished in a short time.
Every time I see this thread title, I have visions of a panicked horse with its leg stuck thru a bike tire full of pointy ended broken spokes…I wouldn’t… Have led from a golf cart but that was on a hot day after they’d jumped around 3 courses and hacked on the third day of a show, they weren’t going anywhere. Not fresh horses in a large area in winter. I don’t recommend it even at the show after showing on a hot day, not too smart. Too much can happen too quick and you can’t control vehicle with one hand and horse acting stupid with the other.
I would not lead even the brokest, most cynical horse on a bike. One wrong move and he could put a leg through it and cut himself on the gears.
Unfortunately you may be out of luck for this particular horse show given the limitations around where and when you could ride. There will be more. Is there a section of the barn driveway that is free of cows? Even if all you do is walk until your brain comes out your ears, anything is better than nothing, and you can turn your walk into low-impact fitness work by incorporating lateral and longitudinal agility work.
Is there someone at your barn who doesn’t have your time constraints whom you could pay to hand-walk or jog him?
I golfcart my horses all the time. The are all used to it. When I could not ride, I would take each up a dirt road to a huge field and golfcart them about 2 miles, beginning at a slow trot and ending up at a very strong trot. They know not to canter and they really love it. I use a short lungeline so if they try to get away from me, I have enough line to “reel out” to jump out of th cart and get the horse back under control. (I always wear gloves ) I have never had a problem, but I know it could happen. Every time you get on a horse something bad could happen.
PS: I would never do this on a 2 wheeled vehicle
Hmm. Haven’t seen many folks leading from bicycles at the shows. Gosh, I wonder why they are all using golf carts?
My horse was scared of bikes, quiet moving things that they are.
So I put in the arena and hopped on my bike.
He accepted it so well he gave on those kick outs that horses do when joshing around.
I stopped then, wasn’t a smart idea.
But… a few weeks later we were on the trail and a group of 5 serious bikers came up and passed us.
I had a really hard time holding him back because he was so excited and wanted to go with them.
Unexpected consequences.
Ive done it successfully with my dog, but she was respectful of my space and learned the rules:
keep away from me
cross to the other side must be done in front of me.
If your horse is sane and you’re athletic enough to keep up, go for it. I worked for a barn in Europe where one of the trainers would often take the horses out with her bike (and tbh, most of those horses were nut jobs) and no one died. However, if he’s going to spook at the sight of cows and you can’t find a place without them, it’s probably not the best idea.
Second this. I did this on a horse who had 0 respect for much of anything after a few days off work. The driveway was the only dry enough place to work. We would just do walk work. Stretchy, collected, lengthening, leg yielding and then a turn on the forehand or haunches to change directions. I even laid out poles and did a few patterns.
That horses topline looked fantastic and I had the best foundation for my eq classes come spring.
