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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
  
| I know a lot of folks on here who ride right through the winter, myself included. This is however my first year without easy access to an indoor since I've moved the horses home.
How much do you worry about riding on frozen ground? I've been doing a couple miles of trotting in our hay field when I have the time and daylight. That's the best footing I have available until spring.
Everyone seems sound and just fine. All of them are barefoot as well, which I think helps absorb the consussion.
Thoughts? |
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  Ms. Marine
Posts: 4641
 
Location: Texas | I won't ask for anything faster than a trot if I don't have to on frozen ground. My mares have always handled it fine without any problems. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| That was my though too, a trot seems like plenty and provides a good opportunity to slow down and work on some other things.
Might try to start hauling out to the closest indoor once a week when i can start getting on them a little more regularly. |
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Location: northeast | i always find this such a funny question lol if you wouldn't trot or lope on concrete, then NO! |
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Location: northeast | i always find this such a funny question lol if you wouldn't trot or lope on concrete, then NO! |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Depends on how slick it is. This weekend, I rode, but I walked and trotted, sort of. We'd trot where it was really flat, which was about 2/3 of the area I was in, then walked.
The footing was rough in that 1/3.
They live and play in that frozen tundra, and pick their way through it. I treat it more like a trail class, let them find the best route. Not going to make them run through it, but it doesn't hurt them to use their head and feet.
In grass, I'd w/t/l and not worry about it. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1100
Location: Southeastern Idaho | We are getting rain on top of snow for the 2nd time this year. No way I dare ride with all that ice. We are salting trails for our cattle to get from feed bunks to water and back to their bedding. Scary stuff. I was hoping to get started riding earlier this year but unless we get a big thaw I don't see that happening. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | I don't ride if the ground is frozen. If it hurts my knees to jog to the barn I'm sure it isn't fun for them either. Might end up sore and I don't want to sore them up if I don't have too.... |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Nateracer - 2017-01-09 8:05 AM
Depends on how slick it is. This weekend, I rode, but I walked and trotted, sort of. We'd trot where it was really flat, which was about 2/3 of the area I was in, then walked.
The footing was rough in that 1/3.
They live and play in that frozen tundra, and pick their way through it. I treat it more like a trail class, let them find the best route. Not going to make them run through it, but it doesn't hurt them to use their head and feet.
In grass, I'd w/t/l and not worry about it.
My area of choice is our hay field, so it's flat and grass covered.
We use our arena to calve in so it won't be available for a few months and even then won't be worth riding in until we can drag it good once all ththe frost is out and the mud has dried up.
I'm finding no soreness issues with light work walking and trotting, personally. None of ours have any pre existing issues and live outside on frozen ground 24/7. They were sore for about a week after the first freeze back in December, but have been fine and occasionally acting like fools in the dry lot since then.
I'm kind of in the proverbial rock and a hard place as we'll likely be frozen up into March, and then muddy into April. |
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 Ms. Elvis
Posts: 9606
Location: Running barrels or watching nascar | I let them feel the ground and decide if it's safe but I don't trust any faster than a jog. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | I ride on frozen ground probably more than nice dry ground..lol...its a pasture and dirt trails..most have snow cover...i trot lope and sprint......and mine are all barefoot.....m |
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 That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
| There is nothing wrong with ridding on frozen ground and no it isn't anything like concrete. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 964
Location: Alberta, Canada | ^^^^ Agree
I ride outside all winter in Northern Alberta. My horses stay sounder and healthier than being inside all winter. I do liniment their legs following a long conditioning work, but I do that through the entire year, has nothing to do with the frozen ground. I also ride in the dark with a headlamp in the winter :) |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| I w/t/l throughout the winter as long as there is snow coverage. I don't lope much and make sure I personally walk the space first. I would do anything faster than a walk if it was frozen ground with no snow coverage. here anyway, it is too jagged and bumpy even in the fields without snow. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Thanks all, glad I'm not the only one with the same train of thought. I was spoiled for too long! Next up is the purchase of a headlamp so I can ride in the evenings...
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Depends on how grassy the area is. I feel safer when the (dead) grasses are higher up. Bare frozen ground and I'd say no-way. Snow is better. |
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| mruggles - 2017-01-09 1:43 PM
I ride on frozen ground probably more than nice dry ground..lol...its a pasture and dirt trails..most have snow cover...i trot lope and sprint......and mine are all barefoot.....m
I'm with you. I ride hard packed dirt roads (clay and road gravel NOT sandy ones) and walk, trot, lope and breeze them and never had any problems. I would be more concern about icy patches, slick, frozen grass and frozen UNEVEN ground where they can bruise a foot that flat, level, clean frozen ground. Where I live if I didn't ride on the roads or on frozen ground I would be strictly arena riding and having to haul out in the winter to do it. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 672
| rodeoveteran - 2017-01-10 1:46 PM
mruggles - 2017-01-09 1:43 PM
I ride on frozen ground probably more than nice dry ground..lol...its a pasture and dirt trails..most have snow cover...i trot lope and sprint......and mine are all barefoot.....m
I'm with you. I ride hard packed dirt roads (clay and road gravel NOT sandy ones ) and walk, trot, lope and breeze them and never had any problems. I would be more concern about icy patches, slick, frozen grass and frozen UNEVEN ground where they can bruise a foot that flat, level, clean frozen ground. Where I live if I didn't ride on the roads or on frozen ground I would be strictly arena riding and having to haul out in the winter to do it.
Also need to watch out for those nice days where the top starts to thaw, but it's still hard and slick underneath. I've had my share of skiing around on that sh!t and it's no fun! Luckily for me any thawing is still about 2 months away *cry* |
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Expert
Posts: 2122
Location: The Great Northwest | I don't ride on frozen ground. It is a good way to get abcesses and if not a abcess surely to sore them. It is especially bad when the hooves are soft from too much moisture. I don't exercise horses on rocks either! |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | rodeoveteran - 2017-01-10 12:46 PM mruggles - 2017-01-09 1:43 PM I ride on frozen ground probably more than nice dry ground..lol...its a pasture and dirt trails..most have snow cover...i trot lope and sprint......and mine are all barefoot.....m I'm with you. I ride hard packed dirt roads (clay and road gravel NOT sandy ones ) and walk, trot, lope and breeze them and never had any problems. I would be more concern about icy patches, slick, frozen grass and frozen UNEVEN ground where they can bruise a foot that flat, level, clean frozen ground. Where I live if I didn't ride on the roads or on frozen ground I would be strictly arena riding and having to haul out in the winter to do it.
I'm kind of the same way. I can ride the ditches in the summer, but in the winter they are blown in. I don't breeze on hard roads, but will ride at a trot. Luckily there are a couple of fields I can use nearby that are either hay fields or worked well that blow off ok in the winter and I can ride in them. I couldn't get my trailer out if I wanted to right now because of the snow drifts. But if I let frozen ground limit me, I'd never ride over the winter. |
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