Riding in the Snow - do you/ don't you?

HashRouge

HashRouge

New Member
Feb 18, 2008
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Cheshire..but London right now
Questions in the title really :)
I used to be the only person on my first farm who'd go out riding in the snow, and it was always wonderful! The other owners were always very wary of hidden ice and accidents, but as I realised, it's very easy to tell which snow is safe to ride on. And cantering in the snow.....man is that exciting!!!
 
I once went out on a Penine Hack in a snow storm, Hack Leader said they did it all the time, I was nervois of horse slipping etc. When we were going along the top of a sheer drop 4 foot wide, I asked to go back, he was shocked.????

I will take mine on gritted roads but never down hills.
 
Yeah I never did any mad traversing of hillsides either......not surprised you asked to go back!
I used to take a road route to some old railway sidings that had sort of been appropriated as perfect riding tracks by all the local riders. The snow was never cleared from them and they were fairly flat, so they were ideal :)
 
I refuse to get out of bed in the snow, quite literally. :D
Red would much prefer to eat it and play football with it, so I shall leave him to it I think haha.

Hate the stuff, i'm such a scrooge-ette. :D
 
I've ridden loads in ths snow, it's fun! Used to keep previous po way up in the hills of Scotland and if we wanted to ride in the winter there was no choice! Think they're better unshod as shoes will tend to slip more.
 
We don't get snow. Live ten minutes from the beach and the salt kills any hint of snow pretty fast! We might get the odd smattering but it's never been snowy enough to stop me going out in it really.
 
chev said:
We don't get snow. Live ten minutes from the beach and the salt kills any hint of snow pretty fast! We might get the odd smattering but it's never been snowy enough to stop me going out in it really.
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same here - I love the snow - its not fair!!!!!!
 
On the rare occasion that we have had snow, then YES, I LOVED riding in it.

Its so magical if you go out early, and are the first one to make hoofprints in the snow. :D
 
I rode my first dressage compeition on Capo this April in snow, its was beautiful but v.cold and the markers were hard to see!
 
I think it's like anything, if you try to be careful and are aware of the dangers, then it isn't a problem ;) I've ridden my mare in the snow :p Heck, my Dad and Bro found it most fun to have a snow ball fight around us, she had a few hit her bottom she was like "Who threw that?!" but mooched along in walk :D I'd love to canter her in snow though, wow, that would be fun!

Besides, A horse can slip on a road, drain covering, mud, in water or over themselves, but do we stop taking them along or over this terrain?! nope. ;)
 
well.. id love to ride in the snow... but..

1: IT NEVER SNOWS!!!! :mad::mad::mad:

2: Taffy is scared of it.... even though he was born in wales where it snows all the time, but hey...

so yes!!!
 
i do but i dont hack out i ride in the school, and i have hoofpick to get the snowballs out from under her feet (though snowballs might be smaller this year coz she hasnt got any shoes on!!)
 
Djtaf said:
well.. id love to ride in the snow... but..

1: IT NEVER SNOWS!!!! :mad::mad::mad:

2: Taffy is scared of it.... even though he was born in wales where it snows all the time, but hey...

so yes!!!
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it certainly never snows in this part of wales! :D
 
ive rode in the snow twice first time the snow kept balling up in my horses feet but the second time i got told to put vasaline on the hooves on the bottom this helped to stop the snow sticking for a while
 
I found as well as the snow balling in the soles of the feet, it also balls in the feathers (if they have them) - this can get quite bad if the snow is very deep, so you need to keep checking and if necessary, clean them out every now and again. I used vaseline in the hooves as well which does help.
 
My worry is not so much riding off road on the snow but riding on the roads in the snow.

I know it is very much a regional thing as in other countried you'd have no choice but to ride in the snow but I am nervous. It's not so much about how Joy would go but more about the ability of drivers to be able to stop.

I'd be very wary and have to admit to avoiding riding in frozen conditions in the past. Now I'm on a new yard right in the middle of some good off road routes I'll have to see how I feel about it this winter. At least the frozen ground would make some of the very muddy tracks very passable!
 
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