Your Winter Horse Activities
Up here in northern Idaho, we joke about putting our horses up on blocks for the winter. "Feed 'em and wait for spring" is the strategy followed by many. With a small indoor arena that affords shelter and decent footing, I'm luckier than most owners who keep their horses at home. I can do a lot of ground work, ride a bit, and keep my horses semi-legged up, even if there's too much ice, snow and mud to ride them safely outdoors.
So now I'm curious: What do you do with YOUR horses in the winter? Do you ride outdoors, no matter what? Do you haul out to public indoor arenas just so you can get in the saddle? Do you leave the horses home but go to ropings, team pennings, schooling shows or other gatherings just to hang with horse friends? Do you put a few big round bales out in the pasture, keep the TV turned permanently to the horse programs on RFD-TV, and call it good until spring? Do you browse horse mags, tack catalogs and the on-line sites with horses for sale? Have you gotten past the whole issue by moving to a southern clime, where riding in winter's not a problem? Or do you have some other strategy for getting through the short-day season?
I'd love to hear about your winter horse activities, no matter what they are. How about painting and sending me a word snapshot about them? I can't be the only one who's got time to fill before the grass greens up again!
posted by Juli Thorson @ 10:57 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
When it gets cold around here we head for the videos or RFD-TV. We have had a pretty nice winter this year (although it has been slippery) and I have started walking my horse down the sides of the gravel road. We have a large swamp behind us and she just loves to go for a walk down there. That way we both have fun and get some exercise.
I also do a lot of ground work when it is cold because I can do it with lots of clothes on. Pretty it is not! But we are leaving for a month in AZ the first of Feb and I can't wait!
I board with a covered arena, so I just put on lots of clothes and get to work. Of course it only gets really cold just a few weeks a year.
When it is cold like today and the icy roads keep me from driving, I blog.
As warm as it has been here in the east, riding outdoors hasn't been a problem this year. Typically I try to get out at least once or twice a week anyway, depending on the weather. I also just spend a lot of bonding time with the horses in the winter.
I'm up further north than you and soooo enjoy our recent sustained sub-zero weather and 40 MPH winds.
Usually I just turn my show horses out to "be a horse" on like 60 acres or more in the winter at my place or my parents place. No blankets, no shoes (too much snow) - just some free choice shelter and lots of equine pals to hang-out with with lots of food and heated water.
I have found this helps thier minds and hearts. Plus as an added bonus, thier summer coats always look prettier when you allow them to hair up in the winter. Unfortunately because of our elevation my horses are always the last to shed out when I bring them back to the trainer's barn in Jan. Its not uncommon for my horses to be dropping the last of thier winter hair in late June. Drives my trainer nuts!
Most of the winter I spend cleaning tack - hunting for new outfits online, sellin my old stuff - trying to stay in touch with my horse friends and planning for next year.
However this year because of the way things worked out, I have all 3 horses in the trainers barn and as a result have no money to go shopping online - so I am working out and watching RFD TV and what used to be OLN for the Rodeos.
In northern Illinois there is plenty of snow, cold, wind-especially out in cornfield country. I board where there's an indoor arena, but I much prefer outside riding-just bundle up and ride a shorter time than usual. My kids can always tell when I NEED to ride, so I do, usually 3-4 times a week in winter.
Then there are some of us who are experiencing sub-zero horsekeeping for the first time...
The daily chore of ice removal is wearing me down. HELP! Any comments, or suggestions for using de-icers in rubbermaid troughs? There is power in the vicinity, getting it safe & useable falls under Juli's earlier blog about Honey-Dos "They don't get it". Luckily I just met his electricion, LOL.
I have been told it gets colder here in Macdoel, CA than Fargo, ND the problem is we are so small no one pays attention!
Not raised in this weather, I divide my chores into segments coming inside to warm up in between. Retired, I use this method as an excuse to get outside and walking around, unless it is too icy or blowing.
Food Network & RFD TV watching is tempered with the Western Channel because if you can't ride them, a good cowboy movie is always a good horsefix.
When the mood suits me, I have been known to make mass quantities of horse/critter cookies along with several human varieties - after all they have very similar ingredients.
Without a barn or covered area my riding and groundwork is limited. We trail ride here, from the property to National Forest, or at adjacent ranches when conditions are good. And for the hardy, cattle to be checked from horseback is always an option. Otherwise, I catch a ride along with my step-daughter's 4H group as the adults are welcomed & encouraged. Hey, I missed 4H when I was a kid.
Should I be doing anything special when feeding grains & suppliments in extreme cold weather?
Thanks,
Buckarette Annette
Macdoel, CA
My horse and I try to work on simple stuff in the winter. And since breathing in a lot of cold air isn't good for them, I try to work on alot of responsive work outs and practice our stoping. It really helps to ride bareback in the winter. Because it keeps your bunns warm!
My husband and I are seriously considering leaving So. Cal. for Northern Idaho. I'm planning on taking my two horses with me. I really need to talk with some horse people about what I have to look forward to. My best friend and I trail ride every weekend. We rarely have weather that prohibits riding. What do I need to do to plan for this huge move? Where do I find new horse buddies?
Hi, Tracy,
Northern Idaho has a lot to recommend it, including beautiful scenery, vast tracts of public land to ride on, relatively few people, and a laid-back atmosphere. It's a dramatic climate change from southern California, though--only the very, very hardy do much outdoor riding in the wintertime, especially during a hard winter like this one. Snow stays on the ground for long stretches, and it can be pretty cold--it hasn't been above freezing here for most of January. There's a pretty good learning curve in terms of knowing how to deal with winter horsekeeping challenges.
Juli
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