Winter is not really an equestrian’s happy day dream (unless you live in Florida). It gets dark much earlier, and snow and cold keeps you from being motivated to do anything. Winter brings harsh weather and difficult weather to ride in. Well, depending on where you live. Colorado has decent weather in the winter for the most part, so we are lucky to have the option to ride outside many days. However, what should you do if you don’t have an indoor and the weather is such that you can’t ride?
Here are a few quick ideas of things to do when you can’t ride:
- Give your horse a good grooming
- Lunge your horse (if the footing is safe/comfortable for them)
- Take out the clippers and scissors and get your horse’s hair under control!
- Take a walk around the barn/neighborhood (we do this if it isn’t nice enough to ride, but the dirt roads are safe to ride)
- Clean out your tack room or tack trunk
- Do your horse’s laundry (yes, I am guessing your saddle pads are as dirty as mine)
- Work on teaching your horse some new tricks (Spanish walk and bowing are some of Dede’s favorites)
- Practice in hand work (think showmanship exercises)
- Deep clean your horse’s stall – walls, waterer, new bedding, etc
- Catch up on barn projects you’ve been putting off
- Clean your tack
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