The slog that is winter

[WBmare]

I work full time as well so the majority of my rides during the winter are in the dark except for the rides on the weekends. Good quality cold weather riding clothes do make a difference. I still grumble putting all those layers on but, but at least I’m not frozen at the end of the ride.

Warwick Schiller has some great exercises that might help with your horse. There is one exercise you can do when their ears are pricked forward where you pick up softly on one rein and wait for that ear flick back towards you. Once you get that ear flick back towards you, drop the rein. What your doing is communicating your awareness of their awareness. Which helps to foster connection and relaxation. The other exercise is the bending for relaxation exercise would also be a great one as well. Warwick has a bunch of videos on his youtube channel. Here’s link to one video that talks about the bending for relaxation exercise some.

Helping an Anxious Horse While Riding in a Busy Arena

[TheDBYC]

We’ll be moving in with you by the end of the month, ok?

[FjordBCRF]

We have a real winter here in NEOhio and no indoor, but this is when I have a fjord who is much more willing to work. Canter? Upwards transitions? Ok! But by no means too much zip😂

I’m able to get to the barn around 3:30 after work, which will give me just enough daylight for a ring ride on workdays if the weather cooperates. We’ve already had two snowy rides that went amazing. We also are set with a lit breastplate and have done a couple dark trail rides which are pretty cool. Once there is snow in the ground, those will be even better with the snow making things brighter.

I got a lot done with him this time last year; last February was pretty brutal though so we both got a pretty good break then.

[lenapesadie]

Cool, leave your pumpkin spice at home. We’re still drinking margaritas.

[Larbear]

I have to slog through winter with no indoor as well. It certainly isn’t easy that’s for sure. Over the years I’ve found what winter layers work for me but the big thing for me is my feet. It really doesn’t matter what sort of winter boot I have on or sock combination, my feet always always always get cold. The only thing I’ve found that makes it bearable is those adhesive toe warmer things.

Where I keep my horse (self-care), there’s no indoor and unless there’s a decent amount of snow I’m forced to to schleep along on either concrete-like ground or if I’m lucky, snow covered ground. Added to the challenge is that by the time I get out of work, get home, change, feed kitties head to the barn, the earliest I’m in the saddle is 8pm, it’s usually more like 8:30pm. After a long day (on my feet, I’m a lab rat), crappy commute home, it takes a lot of discipline on my part and some days I just say the hell with it.

The last few years in MA there hasn’t been a ton of snow so it can get pretty dull. If it’s icy, I do have hoof boots that I have studs in. The outdoor ring at my barn when it’s frozen is pretty rutty so I have to ride around the barn and try to be creative. What I do find helps being able to listen to the radio/music and last year I bought a fleecey bluetooth headband that fits under my helmet. It doesn’t sit in my ears like regular earbuds and I don’t have it up loud so I can still hear things. My horse does ground drive so I like to mix that in a couple of days a week so I can walk my fat bass around and ease some of the guilt. My big goal was to jury rig some sort of ski joring set up if we ever get a decent amount of snow again. I also try to truck out on the weekends when I can. This summer I started using the Equibands and I’m hoping that using those this winter may help with his core as well.

I will say though, despite the winter hardships, my horse comes out of winter not too bad and found that I could get him up to speed in a relatively decent amount of time. I think it helps that my guy is a thoroughbred but I’ve been doing things this way for at least 15 years now.

[beowulf]

The ability to (properly) work the horse outside through the winter is regional. I’m ready to move somewhere south already and winter hasn’t even started yet.

We just went through a classic NE fall week: it rained for days after an unprecedented wet season, and the paddocks are pure mud in the congestion areas. That mud froze overnight at the beginning of this week, leaving frozen rutted footing. The barefoot horses always struggle with this transition and the shod ones don’t care for it much either. The one time I hope for snow is after a hard freeze!

This morning it was a tropical 55F and back to mud.

The NE winter wouldn’t be bad if they put a layer of snow down and stuck with it - but the constant freeze and thaw, freeze and thaw makes a snowpack and icy layer under snow that makes riding above a walk questionable.

On the plus side, we can ride at the beach this time of year…

[islgrl]

@Larbear @beowulf yeah, I"m in Mass too. If we got snow it would be easier. Instead we seem to get rain/slick/mud/ice rinse repeat…

yuck

[Larbear]

Yeh and this year is especially rough because we had such a wet summer. All I can say is that since we had so much rain this summer, we better get a decent amount of snow for better riding…lol yeh cuz it’s all about me and my riding!

[Larbear]

Last couple years have been sucky… nothing worse than being out in the cold doing laps around the barn looking at my watch and seeing that it’s only been 10 min (and thinking, geezez I’m never gonna make 40 min). That’s where the Bluetooth headband helps. Walking is ok but it does get boring (ok maybe just for me?) but also makes it hard to stay warm!

[JB]

@Larbear

Added to the challenge is that by the time I get out of work, get home, change, feed kitties head to the barn, the earliest I’m in the saddle is 8pm, it’s usually more like 8:30pm

Can you go to the barn right from work, and change at the barn (quickly LOL) I did that for years, as it was the only way I could ride after DST ended.

And just in general, I was just having a discussion with someone in a FB group about Winter riding. It’s ok to not have high production days. Low production days with the horse can be extremely beneficial to the mental side of things. Maybe we’ve been meaning to really improve the leading/hoof handling/personal space issues we know needed work, but riding was more fun when weather was nice. But working on those, which can take just 5 minutes at a time, will end up positively influencing riding, so it’s win-win

[Larbear]

Well no not really… everything’s cold and I draw the line at changing clothes in my trailer in the winter (though I suppose I could change at work). My clothes would be cold from sitting in my car and princess here likes to put on warm clothes

I make up my horse’s soaked feed at home too so I’d have to stop at home to grab his stuff anyway. Plus my kitties need to eat (ok yeh everyone comes first before me and they are spoiled).

[JB]

@Larbear

Well no not really… everything’s cold and I draw the line at changing clothes in my trailer in the winter (though I suppose I could change at work). My clothes would be cold from sitting in my car and princess here likes to put on warm clothes

I took my barn clothes in a gym bag that I took into work with me. And yep, on the colder days, I changed at work!

anyway, it’s just something to consider, but if you have to go home first anyway to get his feed…

[Larbear]

Lol I used to bring my barn stuff in and thought it was sealed up good enough but apparently not enough. Some people started to comment and people with allergies were kinda giving me away

[JB]

[Angela_Freda]

Well, I would dress in the unstinky stuff (breeches, etc) at work, and slip on the stinky stuff in the car or barn.
If I went home to change…ugh, I’d have to walk the dog, brr it’s cold, feed the cats, ugh it’s dark out, start dinner… Motivation gone.

[LilyandBaron]

I keep my horses at home in SW Ohio. Outdoor has lights suited for dressage, not jumping. I don’t ride in windchills below 30, and footing is the biggest limiting factor otherwise. If it “flash freezes” into a concrete mess, I can walk around my gravel driveway. But I honestly appreciate winter - holidays, then I read more, workout more myself, and do the little, focused sessions to address whatever I ended the year thinking about. This winter, I’m using equicore-like bands on my Standardbred, and I want to do lots of shoulder fore. All to hopefully help him canter more/longer. For my aging TB mare, I view my role as her rider as being her personal trainer, just keeping her moving for her health.

I have great clothes for myself. Game changers for riding have been the little ear muffs you can attach to your helmet harness and a warm neck gaiter. I like that set up better than a balaclava as I can adjust it easier if I get too warm. I may splurge on a heated vest or jacket next - seems like most people appreciate those.

[islgrl]

@LilyandBaron

I may splurge on a heated vest or jacket next - seems like most people appreciate those.

You will NOT regret your purchase. It is the best thing I ever bought for myself I think.

[Bebe_Falcon1]

@islgrl

My horse is so much harder to ride, its cold, its almost dark, we ride on the grass, and every ride feels like nothing is getting accomplished. I don’t feel like we’re moving forward in our training, each ride is about 30 minutes of “please stop dragging me around the ring like you don’t know what half halt is” and “why are you spooking, there’s nothing there…”

Get into double lungeing and ground driving! It’s been transformative for my mare. When she gets extra silly, we focus on transitions. A lot

Lately though, trot poles have been my go-to. It’s so lovely to see them move from the ground for once! Plus, no need to change into riding clothes. Plain clothes (with the appropriate footwear and gloves) will do

[islgrl]

@Bebe_Falcon1 Funny, just yesterday I was looking at my long lines thinking I should get back to that. He’s good at it, I’m not bad at it and it would be a good way to get back to some basics…

[endlessclimb]

I feed soaked feed every day. I pack it dry in my car, then the FIRST thing I do when I walk in the barn is to start it soaking (even with cold hydrant water). Then I go ride, then chores, then by the time I’m done the feed is very very well soaked.

The kitties will learn the new routine. Or get an auto feeder for them.