[Lonestar22]

Do any of yall ever go riding at night? I have done this a few times and its pretty adventurous. I have the urge to do it now. I'm pretty sure I'm going to follow through on that urge.

 

[boldstart]

Only during winter when I have lessons, and then we put the floodlights on.

Only trust some horses though -_-

 

[smrobs]

All the time in the summer . IMHO, nothing will build a bond and trust with your horse like loping bareback down a ditch when you can't see your hand in front of your face LOL. Also teaches you to really focus on your seat when you can't see your horse, kinda like riding with your eyes closed.

 

[gypsygirl]

i LOVE riding at night =] especially on the trails !

 

[PaintHorseMares]

All the time in the summer . IMHO, nothing will build a bond and trust with your horse like loping bareback down a ditch when you can't see your hand in front of your face LOL. Also teaches you to really focus on your seat when you can't see your horse, kinda like riding with your eyes closed.

It is a great way to really learn to trust your horse. Riding in the moonlight is wonderful.

 

[AztecBaby]

I always ride at night! It's great riding around town at night and it despooks the horses to bright lights etc.

 

[wannahorse22]

How dangerous is it?

 

[charlicata]

On the horse that I had before Rosie, there would be no way I would've even tried it. On Rosie though, she's not the least bit spooky; lights and cars don't bother her; and I definitely know she can see better than I can (period...lol). The first trail ride I took her on, we actually came back in the dark. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, but she followed the other horse who did know the way home, and we got back safely. IMO, it's according to the horse.

 

[kchfuller]

i do sometimes but we have lights in the arena so it isn't really fully dark...

 

[smrobs]

Wannahorse, it really depends on the individual horse. Some horses are calm as they can be and others are spooky. I have ridden a couple of horses that were great in the daylight but at night, they were really spooky and I have also ridden horses that were spooky in the daylight and fine at night. I was riding Denny at night within 30 days of his first saddling but I waited for almost a year before Dobe's first night trip. Horses generally do see better than humans at night but it isn't always a good thing. I don't know if it is the shadows or what but most of the time if a horse is even slightly spooky on a regular day, they will be 10 times worse at night. I don't really consider it any more dangerous to ride at night than I do during the day, but it takes time to build the confidence it takes to trust the horse enough to take care of you when you can't see. If you have never ridden at night before, I suggest the first time stick with a level place that both you and your horse are very familiar with so that there will be minimal surprises.

 

[charlicata]

My husband has a helmet light for riding his mountain bike at night. He also has the flashing red light that clips on the seat post of his bike. He told me that the next time I went riding at night that I'd have to figure out how to get the red light to stay in Rosie's tail. I can put the headlight on my riding helmet and just put the battery pack in a jacket or vest pocket. There is also this Horse-E-Lites LED Light-Up and Reflective Breast Plate: Saddles Tack Horse Supplies - ChickSaddlery.com that I've been considering...just for the reflective and the being seen from the side view (if I'm at an intersection of sorts on the road).

 

[dynamite.]

We're not allowed to go on trails past a certain time because of the neighbouring wildlife, but it sounds like so much fun! Sometimes in the winter on full moons the whole field is lit up and I want to try riding in there sometime.

 

[PaintHorseMares]

Horses generally do see better than humans at night but it isn't always a good thing. I don't know if it is the shadows or what but most of the time if a horse is even slightly spooky on a regular day, they will be 10 times worse at night.

The thing to keep in mind at night with deep shadows or lights is that although horses do see much better than we do in low light, their eyes take longer to adjust to changes in light than ours. This is a reason that many horses will pause for a minute when going from even moonlight into a deep shadow.

 

[MyBoyPuck]

I've been on a few night rides during full moons in summer. It kind of scares me, but my horse seems so relaxed it's almost bizarre. It's really nice to know they'll take care of us silly humans who go out riding even when we can't see squat. It is a very good bonding experience.