Riding in winter

Lucyad

Lucyad

New Member
Mar 30, 2006
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Renfrewshire, Scotland
As the evenings draw in it will get increasingly difficult for me to ride during the week, as I work during the day (9am till 5.30pm). I'm sure that most people have similar hours, so how do you all manage over winter?

I keep my horse at home, so dont have access to a floodlit school (Or a school at all). Do any of you ride on the roads at night? Or cycle tracks?
Or do you just ride in floodlit/indoor schools or wait until the weekend?

If only weekend riders, what effect do you find that it has on your horses fitness?

Do you think that getting someone to ride during the day a few times a week for me would be useful?
 
Can you not change your work hours over the winter.

I am going to shuffle mine around so I either come in an hour late or go home an hour early.

Mornings are easier then you can get up and ride at 7.30am then get off to work by 9.30am-10am.

We have a floodlit school so I will school during the week and go for some longer hacks at the weekend.

Probably drop down to 4 days a week.
 
i usually end up just hacking at weekends during the winter. i can juggle my work hours to ride mid afternoon but i haven't a school so don't like churning up my grazing if it can be helped. i might consider boxing to the indoor school at my friends yard, but toby isn't the type to lose fitness that quickly so weekend hacks keep him ticking over nicely.
 
Im going to work around my University timetable to ride either most mornings or afternoons. We have a floodlit school, so not so much of a problem riding in the evenings. I wouldnt be hacking out when its dark, just making an already risky thing, riskier...

I ride/lunge/school 6 times a week at the moment and her fitness is great, in winter, Ill drop it down to about 5 times a week probably, sometimes 4 if the weather is particulary wet and windy..
 
When we used to keep horses at home they were usually only ridden at weekends during the winter (more often during school holidays) but had plenty of turnout during the week; they seemed to maintain fitness and were able to hunt and compete.
Now we have William at livery, with only a little limited turnout in the winter, he really needs exercising every day for behaviour reasons! This can be difficult even with a floodlit menage as everyone tends to be there at the same time.
I would certainly think about getting someone to hack your horse out during the week if you could find a suitable person. It would stop you worrying and take the pressure off you.
 
Cant juggle work I'm afraid, as I already work lunches to leave early 2 days a week to pick my daughter up from nursery (but cant ride until OH arrives home anyway). I can take the odd afternoon off.

He will have a lot of turnout (24/7 in fine weather - 14 hours in poor weather), and doest get silly when fresh, so I'm sure will be fine on weekends only, but will try and get someone to hack him out a couple of days a week in return for mucking out dutys anyway (any takers?).
 
Its dark then as well in winter! I turn Oscar out at 6.45, then get my daughter ready for nursery, then me ready, then drop at nursry at 8am, then get me to work for 9am!
 
i'm lucky this winter because i'll only be working until 1.30pm, so have plenty of time to ride both.

last winter i rode luke every morning before college, and i had a sharer for harvey who had the time to ride during the week just to keep him ticking over.

would that be an option for you? to get someone else to help out?
 
I had to ride in the dark this year. The roads around where my horse lives are beginning to verge on suburbia (attack of the sprawl!) so we have street lighting at intervals. Plus I have hi viz hat cover, vest, arm bands, leg bands for me and halter, tail band, and leg bands for Cheeky. The roads are sort of quiet around me in the evenings.

I don't do much competing in the winter (none) so I would ride maybe once or twice depending on the weather during the week, and ride at weekends. He lives out 24/7, so he was turned away for a month through the worst of the weather in July.
Now it's getting warmer and lighter (can see until 6:30pm now!) and daylight savings is in one month, I'm relieved!
 
Our school is lit, so even with juggling work and Uni (not sure of hours yet) I'll be able to ride most days, and obviously make the most of the weekends!

Last year was very hard, as I was at school for 5 days, and then worked saturday! We didn't have a school at all on the yard I was at then, so I could only ride once a week - weather permitting. :(
 
during the winter i will be 50miles away from home so will only be able to ride at weekends (mum looking after the horses while i'm away). i am in the the same situation as lucyad as i don't have a school (let alone floodlit) so i ended up riding in the dark
1359860817a1740877310b605595039l.jpg

or just at weekends when i was still at school. unfortunately during the winter the weather makes it almost impossible to ride regularly as visibility would be very poor so wouldn't like to go out on the road even in high vis clothing (stopping distancs for vehicles not so good and more road noise from wet and slippy roads) it depends what you are doing for wheter you notice a difference in your horses fitness. if you planned on doing a 25mile endurance race abroad or sim then yes you would notice but it is amazing how fit a horse will stay.if you can't ride then walking the horse for just 30mins a day (might be twice can't remember) can help keep a horse fit and you don't need a school for that.
 
If I didn't ride in the dark I would never get to ride in winter.

We reflective them up to the eyeballs - flourescent/reflective tabard, hat band, gloves and chaps, stirrups reflectors and light on my boots. Flouresncent/reflective quarter sheet, neck strap, tail band, leg band and bridle kit with red light on the tail and outside back leg and white light on the neck strap and (if she lets me, noseband) for the horse.

Look like this but with lights on and chaps - it wasn't actually dark in this photo - the light balance was just playing silly beggers.
MeonPinkindark.jpg


We are lucky that the entire area is quiet housing estates and therefore fully lit. I do occasionally ride along the old railway line or the country park in the dark (place I know well) but, although the horses don't mind in the slightest, I'm a woose in the dark:eek:
 
Thanks, Pink's Lady - that's what I was thinking of - dont fancy unlit country roads, but maybe a tottle round the village - quiet street lit resi roads. There is also a completely unlit cycle track, which would be safer, but I know from walking the dog there in the winter just how dark it gets - I would need some serious stirrup lights to see anything at all (usually just rely on white dog to lead the way..).

With all his turnout I know his legs arent going to fall off or anything, it just seems a waste to bring him in, groom him, and then put him to bed without riding occasionally in the evening!
 
I'll be in similar situation, the pony I look after & ride (only once a week though) is kept with no schooling facilities so I'll have to hack alone in the dark if I want to ride :( . I'll stick to the quiet lit roads through the housing development (30mph and quiet) with full high viz on (ordering it from the new Robinson's catalogue as we speak). Expect hacks will have to be 20 mins max (unless we just go around in circles :D ) but that has to be better than nothing. If it is far too scary then I'll have to stop - but hope it doesn't come to that.

I wouldn't advocate riding on unlit cycle tracks. There could be all sorts of hazards that you can't see. Roads are dangerous in lots of ways - but as long as they aren't fast or busy, you are careful and can be seen (and horse is pretty traffic proof), I still think that is safer than an off road unlit track in the dark.

It's catch 22 for me - at the moment I prefer riding her on the roads as bridleways get her so exicited it's pretty unnerving, but bet as soon as bridleways are ruled out I'll be fed up with road work and gagging for a canter!
 
Im going to struggle to ride this winter too!

I will be able to ride saturdays and sundays and Fridays after work!

But i plan to hunt every weekend so that should keep her fit! :D
 
Struggling already

I am already struggling with time to ride also, I am probably luckier than some of you have use of indoor and outdoor school but trouble is not actually able to get in there - as it is a really busy riding school and lessons quite often are until 7-8 and the staff are exercising their horses too after they finish work.
My horse is still a baby ( alittle chap of 18HH) and finds all the distractions a little too much and we are really struggling with concentration issues!!!
We are trying to be able to canter under control at the moment but i am really scared we are just going to crash or mow down someone in the process!!
I have tried the early morning but it is just too much before work, have to drive 30 mins to yard and then 30mins to work- Any suggestions???????
 
If your not competing or hunting your horse, and he has plenty of turnout time, then why don't you just wind down for winter and just have gentle hacks at the weekend. Am sure he would probably appreciate that too. I really wouldn't risk riding in dim-light anywhere near a road - even streetlights aren't good enough. Drivers get glare from other car headlights and streetlights and that can impair on what they can see or not see.
 
Ah, old post from 2006 - lots of old faces on it! Nothing changes though, still unable to get out during the week, though now have someone to exercise occasionally, and doing just fine. Never did venture out onto dark roads - just not inviting even if I didn't think I might get squished:eek:
 
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