QUESTION: "If you don't have an indoor arena and want to try to continue progressing thru the winter months, what are some good exercises that horses and riders can do while riding in the snow?"
Answer submitted by Kerry Petty:
When riding in the snow which can be a challenge of even footing I would work mostly on just improving the horse stretching over the top line which will strengthen and stretch the back. You could spiral in and out on a circle with out worrying too much about the footing and perhaps some figure 8's. Remember if the snow is deep it would be much like you running in sand. You are asking the horse to work much harder.
Also be careful or the snow melting and then re-freezing with ice making it slick. If the snow is not real deep and the ground frozen you are risking pounding the horse’s joints. Also remember to allow ample time for a warm up and to dress in layers so as you warm up you can shed layers as you need to.
Answer submitted by Margaret Spencer:
Winter is a great time of year to work on the little things, like basics. First be sure the footing is good in that the horse is not having trouble with snow balling on their hooves and it is not slippery. Also be careful that you do not stress the lungs by causing excessive breathing. You will find that if the breathing increases they will tend to sweat, so keep their work level to where the breathing is normal.
On any training scale the first piece is rhythm or regular. This means the timing never changes at any gait. Because of the snow horses tend to have great timing as they lift their legs through the snow. As you work count the timing and keep it even. Use the snow as a blackboard to draw perfect circles and straight lines. You can easily look to see how accurate your riding figures are. If you start with a 20 meter circle and practice riding it at all three gaits you will begin to feel the size and bend of that circle. Riding bareback also helps you stay warm as you get a better feel of the movement your horses back makes in the different gaits. The deeper the snow the better the cadence. If you always wanted to know what cadence was and what it feels like, ride in the deeper snow.
Remember to be cautious with the footing and the breathing. Stay warm and have a great winter.
Answer submitted by Tracy Rowe McEwan:
Riding in the snow can be very dangerous so my first advice is to make sure you are wearing safety equipment such as a helmet, and make sure your horse has proper tools such as a quarter sheet to keep muscles warm. Also, if you have a chance to trailer to an indoor with good footing that would be much more productive. I know I allow my students to trailer in when they can to ride in our indoor at no charge so please ask your trainer if it is possible to do that a few times a week.
Considering that the footing in snow can be unpredictable I would do a lot of work at the walk, bending, circles and turn on the forehand and haunches. Work on YOUR POSITION which in turn will help your horse.
Winter is a very hard time to work horses outside...please make sure you are safe and if you have to give your horse a few months off vs. putting him/her and yourself in any type of unpredictable situation you are much better off taking the time off. Safety is key always and I rather see a rider (or horse) not progress than get hurt by slipping and falling in the snow.