Winter Time Riding

This winter I have been given the incredible opportunity to board the horses at my former facility thanks to a very near and dear friend who is free-leasing Tiger.

So…how is that going, you ask?

While I do love having the horses at home it turns out it has its degree of difficulty…especially in winter. We have no water or electricity at home so winter means a lot of hauling water from the house. It also means trudging over ice and through snow, lots of chores, and little to no riding. I don’t prefer to haul the boys in a trailer in winter either since the roads are covered in corrosive salt. In addition snow blocks parts of the driveway that my trailer needs to maneuver.

Keeping the horses at home means I get to see and care for my boys daily but it also means I have more work. At home, I don’t have riding buddies or an indoor arena to work in throughout winter or on rainy days (or whenever the ground is sketchy). The lack of proper footing and riding friends I have found demotivates me; it’s lonely.

Horsekeeping at home is wonderful but so is boarding.

So far this winter I Have ridden more than I even do in the summertime. Good quality rides too! I take my lessons weekly and I ride with friends a couple times a week. When we have the freedom to do so we set up interesting courses or patterns to practice. Sometimes we practice flatwork over ground poles, sometimes we set up jumps at an angle and practice slicing.

Most times I ride Nahe, and the improvement I’ve seen from this horse absolutely astounds me. He has shown just how willing he is to learn and please. His neck is getting thick and he’s really learning to collect up under himself. At times he and I are so in sync with each other that we truly become one.

Nahe has come so far in such little time. He feels better than he ever has.

My friend is the primary rider for Tiger, but occasionally when the timing is right I’ll hop on him too. Tiger has been very calm and happy….happier the more he works in fact. On my last ride, I ended our session by jogging him on the buckle since he enjoys the stretch. He looked nearly western pleasure! He was so soft and relaxed.