This is supposed to be the wettest winter we have had in years and I am dreading the mud. There is no covered arena for us poor folk. What do you guys do to keep your horses in shape in the winter? Do any of you ride in the rain or just hop on and ride through the sludge? I'd like to hear from some of you rugged cowboy types and get some ideas about what is possible in the winter months. Thanks a million.
I feel your pain . The only place I have to ride is my pasture, and it's really low ground-_-
I find that my gelding does a pretty decent job of keeping himself in shape over the winter (benefits of high-energy Arabs, lol), but when I do hop on, I usually just use a bareback pad. I have added grip, as my horse's winter coat is very silky and slippery, and the security of a handle without a cumbersome saddle. If you've got the confidence and seat for it, I find it a fun option.
You can always take your horse to local areas to ride. You might be shocked at the number of places available to riders if only you dig a bit ... for example, the nearest 'official' horse trail is 25 minutes from me, but I found out I can ride on state gamelands that are hardly five minutes away ^. ^
Did I miss something here, Donna? It's spring time where you are-Australia's spring started in September. I'm confused by your question. I ride as often as the weather will allow at this time of year-it's autumn here in the States, and the weather is gradually getting colder. We haven't yet had our first frost, but it's just a matter of time now before that happens. Some parts of the US have already had snow-the Dakotas were under a blizzard warning for a couple days this past week. With the days getting so short, I will soon be riding under lights at night-we only have an outdoor ring too, and it's not covered. I just ride as often as I can.
Wow I can't imagine having rain in the middle of winter!! Here in Wisconsin we get get tons of snow! I don't have an arena at all (indoor or outdoor) I just ride in the fields before planting and after harvest. Otherwise it's always road/ditch riding for my horse and I. So in the middle of winter when theres a foot or more of snow and its 20 degrees or colder we tack up and ride out in the fields. We just go, otherwise we wouldn't be able to do anything. It's really fun!! When I had my old deadbroke horse i would tie a sled to the saddle and pull my siblings who were little at the time:) I say just go!!
I've always ridden in the rain, around here in the UK - if you won't ride in the rain you'll miss out on at least half of the year's riding.
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Just make sure you're extra cautious of the ground, and keep cantering to a steady controlled pace that you can easily stop if the ground starts to get bad.
I hunt my horses once a week - do simple flat work so no tendon incidents and hack out in the woods and on the road I also borrow my neighbours indoor lunging school (it's tiny) to loose lunge my horses.
I usually find a drier place to ride (maybe hire an arena and trailer your horse to it?) or do some road work.
