We started the year off right, riding at Catoosa Ridge near Crossville TN. It was cold for dixie, mostly cloudy with a high of 42 and a light breeze blowing out of the NNE all day long.
I'm a wuss!! Too cold to do any riding lately. I'm hoping my next days off will be better! I jumped into this thread late last year with my mustang mare, but I'm hoping to become a big poster this year!
I logged my first mile yesterday in the snow! I wasn't sure how the footing would be since we got a little snow covered by some thick ice, so we stuck close to home in the fields where footing was actually pretty good. It felt great to be out in the brisk weather! Isabel was cautious but curious about riding through the snow, she seemed to enjoy being out in it.
TOTAL 2016 miles: 1.13 (that feels very silly to write, but it's a start!)
Thanks, we do have some really pretty spots to ride!
We've had an unusually warm and snow-free winter this year. We did have a lot of rain, but until this past weeks, temps were unseasonably between 40-50*F. The first storm we got gave us an inch or two of snow, but then freezing rain/ice over top- the worst kind of storm!! So yes, we do usually get more, but I'm not complaining
The field was crusty with ice so it was some work getting over it- a different feel to when it's light and fluffy snow.
wondering how long it will be before I get to join this year.. all the fair weather riders I go with wont go out this time of year.. and my boy wouldn't consider going solo..LOL
Just reviewing my logs for the past few years, it looks about 50/50 for us and you never know what winter's going to bring.
A couple of years we got to ride most every weekend in January and February....and then the next couple we only got one ride in each month.
Like you, if the water gets hard and stays hard, we usually won't ride.....actually, it's a much nicer day today than yesterday and here I sit.....
However, yesterday was a long day as I started at 4 am and picked GF up at 6:15.....it was a couple of hours trailing to Catoosa Ridge and with a short stop for a biscuit at Hardee's we didn't get there till 9:30 or so.....
Anyway, the group we were meeting (we wound up with 18 people on gaited horses) didn't make it in until around 10:30 and I don't think we got on the trail till after 11.....
We left at 5pm as the sun was sinking low and didn't get home till after 7 yet still had horses to feed and unloading to do.....so it was after 9pm before I got settled in for the night.
My sister and I got out for our first ride of the year, we haven't ridden the horses for a month (training the mini to cart) and they were feeling good but we had a nice ride, a little snow on the ground but not enough to ball up in their feet, we went through her woods and woods in the farm behind then over to the next door farm and around the corn field.
It was around freezing and not windy so a nice ride, about 2.5miles
Yay !!! a New Year a New Thread and my 2nd year recording with you all. Cannot wait to see what this year brings.... I am doing my 1st endurance ride on Melody my Highland pony and its only my 2nd endurance ride ever at the end of January so got to prepare for that.
Rode in my paddocks for about an hour so would say approx 4 miles but will get my map my ride sorted for more accurate forecast. It lovely and fairly mild here in the UK first week in Jan an no snow so far
Just far to much rain the ground is like a bog. And Melody is the muddy bog monster time to get her rugged and get her and me, much fitter now.
Same way here.....+14 inches above normal here for the year and 12 inches of rain in December. I can't remember when it's been this muddy......We were talking about this over dinner, where to ride where we won't have to deal with the mud.....I feel your pain!
I'm in snow country (ski resort area) and we were on grass until a snow storm on the 29th. Very unusual.
Now, scenery looks normal, but temperature is still high: lakes and rivers aren't frozen over and snowmobile businesses are in trouble as trips get cancelled.
I rode Alizé yesterday to plow the arena, then on trail (bay arabian)
I rode Buttercup today (grey arabian) to keep making our track in the deep snow. As long as I ride each snowfall, I'll be able to keep riding the trail.
2016 is already a personal record: I never ride in winter. I'm no winter wimp this year!
I was supposed to ride today - but my riding partner is unable to go and we will be baby sitting so our son and DIL can go to the Texan's football game.
I did ride last week but it has been so warm here and our horses put on heavy full coats here - we keep saying it is going to be a cold winter and then wondering where it was at. Biscuit was sweating to beat the band every time we rode due to heat/long coat. When we did ride last week - it was gale force winds so it at least wasn't hot!
I did ride last month at the new Rustic Sky Ranch in Melder, La. It is the former Lucky 4 B. If you are looking for a great place to go - this is it. New owners - loads of improvements. 3 guys that ride there all the time are more than happy to take you for a ride in all the cool trails.
Supposed to ride Tuesday or Wednesday with a friend...so hoping to have a trail to share. Hope everyone has safe and happy trails this year! :cowboy:
Like Oreo's girl said......we missed you....Nice to know you're doing well....we got cold are coming down from our friends in Canada.....the horses seem to like it though....
A friend and I took the day to ride around and have some fun. We took a three mile trip to the store for some hot dogs and beer. The trip was a success as were the fire roasted hot dogs
Got out for another ride today, it is still about 30 degrees, supposed to get colder tho'.
It started to blow and a quick snow shower came up just as we were mounting up but we decided to go anyway and the snow didn't last too long. We don't have much snow yet and the ground is now frozen so the horses were tippy toeing on the hard ground until we got into the woods where the going was softer for them.
We did about 3 miles today.
Y'all are so sweet. Just had so much going on here personally....my sweet grandmother used to say when kids were little they stepped on your toes and when they were big they step on your heart.
So true...but it will all work itself out. I have vowed to ride more this year and was planning on doing more riding by myself. It is a beautiful day here and would have liked to have rode but keeping the grandkids and my great nephew Tuesday is the day to ride to make up for staying home and taking down the Christmas tree. Going to Ebenezer to ride all day long....pray for good weather!!!
Got out again today. It was warm- about 37*F but there was a hard crust of ice over the snow that was melting.
She was very careful walking through the banks from the plow on the side of the road- she took a minute to study them and then chose the best path through. It's fun to see their brains working
Another road crossing:
It's been interesting riding in this footing. I can feel her working harder than usual to travel through the crusty ice, but it's not distressed. We primarily trotted on our ride today and I could really feel her engage her back while she maintained a nice rhythm. Hopefully most of this icy stuff will melt next week as temps go back up, and will eventually be replaced by something a little fluffier and easier to get through.
you all totally make me soooo jealous, My boy won't trail ride solo, and I don't have people to go with, or a truck/ trailer.. so unless I can bribe someone to drive out to the middle of nowhere to pick me up I can't go..LOL
Anyways I got my first official ride of the year in, in the pasture, the ground was frozen, so It wasn't as long as I would like, but he was really good, so that made it better, I updated some new pics of him in his topic, since I haven't added any new ones in a month +
you all totally make me soooo jealous, My boy won't trail ride solo, and I don't have people to go with, or a truck/ trailer.. so unless I can bribe someone to drive out to the middle of nowhere to pick me up I can't go..LOL
Hey Ginger, it wasn't so long ago that I wouldn't have dreamt my horse would ever ride solo, or that I would be confident enough to try it. I actually ended up starting a journal here on HF as I worked up to being able to ride alone, and got lots of great advice and encouragement. And actually, this thread was really motivational for me too!
I'm like you, I don't have a truck/trailer and rarely have people to ride with, so if I wanted to get out of the arena, my only option was to work my mare (and myself!) up to it. I'm certainly no pro or trainer, but I started with baby steps, just riding in the parking lot of the barn, then riding up to the pasture, then crossing the road within sight of the barn, and slowing going a little farther (literally even just a few feet farther) each time I went out. I occasionally could work out a schedule with other people at the barn to go on longer rides early on in our training, and that helped.
I'm very lucky that I have an older, generally compliant and level-headed horse, and I think most of our early problems were my nerves. But after several months, I was confident enough to go alone, and we even eventually became the "babysitters" for other horses and riders from my barn who were just starting to ride out of the arena for the first time.
My rides are never more than about 4 miles long, because we run out of options and I don't have a trailer, but still, it feels great to get out in the fresh air.
Not sure what's preventing your horse from going out alone, but I figure if I can make that happen, the folks here on HF who I'm sure are better riders than me can too!
I rode to preg today. I got to ride three different horses. I rode two of my parents behind the chute because I didn't want to put my colt in that situation yet. They were pretty good.
I used my colt to put cattle back. He wasn't as good today, but there was a lot going on and I was nervous about the icy ground. He was much better as the day went on though.
Tomorrow I go back to work, so I don't know how much winter riding will get done for a while.
The roads are now iced over and dangerous around here. I'm glad winter started out like it did, but long distances are done until spring. Got wrapped up in a couple projects and only took the time to throw the bridle on and bareback over to the neighbors.
I didn't participate on this thread last year as much as I would have liked, but I'm going to try and change that this year. I didn't get much time to ride Friday, but I was able to squeeze about half a mile in before it got dark. I didn't want to be out after dark since we've been having a couple of issues with hunters this year. Today I was able to go for a short 2.5 mile ride. So a total of 3 miles so far this year.
Sorry the quality on these photos aren't the best.
yeah that could work.. if I measure up the pastures I ride In I could count those as miles..lol just have to figure out how big a lap is of each one.. ha ha
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
The Horse Forum
3.4M posts
92.6K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to horse owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, grooming, reviews, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!