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 Expert
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| I have a work out routine of my own, but I am curious what you all do to keep your horses in running shape. How many days per week, for how long? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | Good Post! Especially if you work full time, and it's just about dark when you get home and it's below freezing...? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 690
Location: Georgia | QH<3er - 2015-12-07 10:52 AM
Good Post! Especially if you work full time, and it's just about dark when you get home and it's below freezing...?
This is describing my life right now! I had someone send me a horse to ride and they are having to board it at a facility with lights so I can ride after work. I am hoping we have a mild winter in Georgia so Ill be able to ride a good bit |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | I don't have access to lights, and of course it's supposed to be a nasty winter! |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | If theres a will theres a way....i ride after work every night in the dark and cold....more than one...so my advice is suck it up...;).....m |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | I just wouldn't trust where I am to ride without lights. To many holes, trees, soft sinky sand spots... |
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 Don't Wanna Make This Awkward
Posts: 3106
Location: Texas | mruggles - 2015-12-07 1:02 PM If theres a will theres a way....i ride after work every night in the dark and cold....more than one...so my advice is suck it up...;).....m
Same here.. You just have to decide how bad you want your horses in shape. I say they need to be ridden atleast 3-4 times a week if you are running them. Lot's of long trotting |
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Expert
Posts: 1314
Location: North Central Iowa Land of white frozen grass | There is no such thing as a bad winter in Arizona or Georga. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 509
| mruggles - 2015-12-07 1:02 PM
If theres a will theres a way....i ride after work every night in the dark and cold....more than one...so my advice is suck it up...;).....m
How do you do it what kind of weather are you having and where do you ride , i try ride when i can get home before dark i get in a couple days through the week and sat and Sunday lol nag trot and mostly trail ride doesn't always prepare a young horse for the shows |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 509
| Lots of long trotting i do work a mechanical cow one day through the week |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 331
Location: Loma Linda, CA | Live in Southern California where it's 80 degrees in December
Lol!
Tons of trail rides and cow work over here. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2161
Location: NW. Florida | I have a 1/2 mile airstrip across from my house. Walked to the airstrip, long trotted the 1/2 mile, walked 1/4, extended lope 1/4 mile on one lead and 1/4 on the other lead. Walked home. |
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 Go Your Own Way
Posts: 4947
Location: SE KS | ride at night too. Have a 1/2 section pasture and we have a route that the stud muffin and I know, so I don't worry about his
footing. I trust his footing and eye sight - not so bad to ride at night when it isn't so cold. When it is cold, little harder to do.
Do long trotting where the ground is solid and walk - since it is dark I don't ride them so hard where we get a sweat up but we are in maintenance mode. This is after I feed the cattle when I get home - hubby is gone alot. So you just figure it out if you want to
keep them in shape. Like one poster put it - suck it up.... :) |
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | Actually, up north in the winter, I think once you get a good amount of snow, simple long trotting can be an excellent conditioner. You don't have to lope circles to keep them legged up. The snow provides a good shock absorber, plus it provides resistance, which is good for strengthening. Bundle up and use a good cooler to soak up the sweat afterwards before you blanket them. |
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Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | tin can - 2015-12-08 5:38 PM
mruggles - 2015-12-07 1:02 PM
If theres a will theres a way....i ride after work every night in the dark and cold....more than one...so my advice is suck it up...;).....m
How do you do it what kind of weather are you having and where do you ride , i try ride when i can get home before dark i get in a couple days through the week and sat and Sunday lol nag trot and mostly trail ride doesn't always prepare a young horse for the shows
So far the weather has been great..the coldest night i had was -18..We have no snow so its tough i had to stop riding my 4yr old..so i just stick to the the 2 im running....i long trot and lope a bit around the hay field..each go takes 30 to 40 minutes...i go longer on the weekends.....m |
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 Veteran
Posts: 274
| I am another one that rides at night. I ride in the pasture closes to my barn so I have a little light from the barn, but for the most part I can not see well. I mostly long trot and lope. I was thinking just last night how it probably is helping my 3yr olds and me, learn to trust and not depend on me as much and learn to go themselves with little guidance from me. It also prepares them to run at night.
At first I did not like the idea, but now, I kinda thought up a bunch of crap, like above, to help me stay motivated to ride at night. I work 10+ hours and come home, feed 20+ head, clean stalls, and start riding! BTW Carhart Overalls and lots of layers :) |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | BS Hauler - 2015-12-07 11:44 AM
There is no such thing as a bad winter in Arizona or Georga.
It can be to us. It may not be as bad as other places, but several feet of snow, icy ground, and -25 degrees is cold to me. |
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | I'm in North Dakota, get off work when its pitch black. I ride by yard light in my outdoor, snow filled arena, if I'm lucky, it has hardly snowed so my ground has been frozen though. Otherwise you can find me in pure darkness long trotting down the road on the shoulders, they have the most cushion, or in the ditches.
I call it the 3 month trust exercise! It's been great for my 4 year old and I this winter so far. |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | I am a teacher, and this time of year I'm especially glad to go home at 3:35. I can get home by 4, change clothes and even sit down for a few minutes before heading out to ride. It's getting dark here about 5:20, but I have a yard light that shines near my trailer so I can untack as it gets dark.
Luckily, 3 of my 4 horses can be ponied for exercise, and in a pinch I can pony all 3 of them off the 4th. I'll ride in my landlord's pasture or the hay meadow across the road. If I need to do circles with one, I'll do that last and flip the yard light on so it shines on the round pen. Streak likes to lope circles around the round pen so I'll do that when the ground in there is good enough, and I can chase Joker into loping a few laps around it in the dark.
Most of the time, I wear my flannel lined jeans, a couple layers on top, gloves and a hat and take them for a nice long trot around the pasture or the hay meadow. All 4 are in good enough shape to be competing now, so I'm just working them 2-3 days a week to maintain that fitness and tune on the pattern as needed. We've been running on weekends, so they usually have Monday off, and I usually haul to my boyfriend's place Friday after school so the horses get that day off too. I try to work everyone at least 2 of the 3 remaining days in the week depending on my extra duty schedule at school.
I usually ride for 15-20 minutes on a normal day and once a week, I'll try to ride longer and give them a harder workout. Harder workouts usually mean long trotting or loping up hills, doing some figure eights & circles, or just doing more long trotting. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1162
Location: White Mountains of AZ | ~BINGO~ - 2015-12-08 7:07 AM
BS Hauler - 2015-12-07 11:44 AM
There is no such thing as a bad winter in Arizona or Georga.
It can be to us. It may not be as bad as other places, but several feet of snow, icy ground, and -25 degrees is cold to me.
Yes haha... we had a few weeks where I don't think it ever higher then - teens. With 3-4 ft snow at min. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534
| I have a route I take that is almost 3 miles. I walk trot and lope. I also have a one acre pasture that I work around. Around 8 times is one mile. So we trot 4 laps one way, walk, trot four laps the other way, walk. Lope 3 rounds one way, walk, lope 3 rounds the other way, walk, trot two more rounds one way, walk and then trot two last rounds and cool them out. Gives for a little over 3 miles.
I wish I had hills because we would do hill work too. On the days where it rains or after it rains and he ground is moist and to slick. I just take them on our back roads and go trail riding. Give them something different to do. I walk only because its dirt roads, but I normally ride 3 to 5 miles trail riding. |
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Keeping your horse in running shape