Winter days. Fun things to do with your horse when it’s not ideal riding weather
It’s been a wet couple of weeks. I know it sounds hard to believe that Maui, the land of sunshine, would have rainy weather. But, it’s true. It’s now officially winter for us here in the tropics and that means rain. It’s how our island stays so green. After the summer we had with no rain for months and devastating wild fires it’s hard to be really upset about a few gloomy days. But, it’s been over a week now of these gloomy days and it’s easy to get discouraged if you haven’t been able to stick to your usual training plan. I know I do. So here are a few ideas of things to do with your horse when the weather is less than ideal for your usual riding plans.
When the arena is flooded, or the ground is too soft to practice any high speed maneuvers I like to explore the following:
1.) Hand walking. Take your horse for a walk… on the trail if it’s safe, around the barn, through the field or pasture(if safe) or even down the driveway if that’s practical. Practice keeping a consistent rhythm and pace with your horse. When you stop, they stop, when you walk, they walk. You can ask your horse to back up, or move forward. Experiment with your body language and see if you can move in such a way that your horse picks up on your energy and intention and that you don’t need to add any pressure with the lead rope.
2.) Go For a bareback ride. Our barn is in an area where it can go from sunny to downpouring in a matter of minutes. On those unpredictable weather days I like to ride bareback so if I do happen to get caught in a rain squall, my tack isn’t soaked… just me! Bareback riding is a great exercise for the rider too.. work on your position, balance and core. Ask your horse to stretch over their top line and walk in a forward free flowing rhythm. It’s great exercise for you and your horse.
3.) Do a training session at the walk. If the ground is too slick for trot or canter work, stay in the walk. Practice your halts, back ups, stretching long and low, free walk, and collected walk. You can even do exercises like shoulder in, turn on the forehand, turn on the haunches. Think about all the exercises you might normally do at the trot and just practice them at the walk. A focused walk ride can be a great workout! If safe you can also lay some ground poles down for added exercise.
4.) Ground work. I absolutely love ground work. It’s a fabulous way to connect and bond with your horse, re-establish boundaries of personal space and have some fun! Look for future posts relating to specific exercises you can do with your horse.
The next time it rains, or the weather is a bit less than ideal, experiment with other ways to train, enjoy time with your horse and have a little fun at the same time.
