Too Cold to Ride?

For those of us who ride and live in a certain geography, this time of year can be slim pickings.  We want to get out there, we yearn to improve and yet sometimes, we just can’t.  It is time for the practice of gratitude.  Oh, please don’t groan!  Get a pencil and paper and begin.  Not feelin’ it?  OK, I’ll go first…

The practice of gratitude.

Sunday mornings with a cup of coffee and the company of a loyal dog.  New winter tires.  My online community of friends.  Listening to the horses munching after I’ve struggled to do winter chores.  My boots with new insoles.  The plans I make for the summer!  But for now, maybe just starting a pot of stew.

 

I’m especially grateful for the new year-round water that my mother had installed in our pens.

 

Or my tack room, now clean.  I’ve donated all the safe but unused tack and grooming tools to a local 4H club.  Before, it was to therapeutic riding.  Needing inspiration, I’ve printed and framed a couple of last summer’s pictures to put around the house.  I go for walks.  I know, it’s darned cold but it feels good to get out there.  There’s beautiful hoar frost on the trees.

 

I sing!  Even if just in the shower or around the house, singing brings happiness.  I make friends with my favourite riding books again.  There is relief in booking the trailer for its annual safety check.  I’m grateful to be signing up for lessons.  It doesn’t even have to be riding, it can be anything.  It’s a gift to myself to learn something new.

 

Clean, sort and donate.

There’s a buzz that comes from taking an hour and going through our show clothes.  What fits this year and what does not? What needs cleaning, or buttons sewn on, alterations or repair? What is getting ‘tired out’ or ready to go on its journey? Cold weather projects are: the boots that need polishing or a dye job to match my chaps; the hat that needs cleaning or shaping;  the wool show pads that need a good brushing to again look like new.

When it’s too cold to ride, I take a long, hard look at myself and vow to improve my turnout.  I might look online for pictures of someone who I respect in my discipline.  I’ll compare what they have done to look right and where I might make changes.  Being well turned out isn’t about money.  No, it’s about a relentless attention to detail, the mark of someone who has a passion and respect for the horse.

 

When the kids were young, I would make sure their riding and show clothes fit for the coming year.  If not, we had time to alter them, or shop for what we needed, second hand.

 

Catch your breath.

If I’m completely honest, I am sometimes grateful for the break from it all.  Winter brings the chance to catch my breath, to stop doing and start appreciating it again.  In the summer, there is so much needing to be done, even beyond the horses.  Lawns must be mowed, flowers kept watered, lessons to teach, shows to attend, feed put up, buildings and fences painted and repaired.  I’m grateful that these things always herald the summer but I’m really grateful that they don’t need my attention right now.

 

If I’m lucky, there’s the special horse that allows me to go out dressed like the abominable snowman, climb the fence and slide on to his warm, fuzzy back.  Why, as we age, do we forget the joy of riding bareback in the snow?

When it’s too cold to ride, I try and get the other stuff done.  You know, the new blades for the clippers.  The stitching fixed on my reins.  The health records brought up to date, the registration papers printed and organized for the upcoming shows.  Memberships bought.  Prize lists applied for.  The horses’ teeth done, along with their vaccinations and any needed tests noted and scheduled before we hit the road.

 

Working from the ground…

When it’s too cold to ride, I do the next best thing and work my horses from the ground.  I haul once or twice a week to an arena with good footing but here at home, the ground is like cast iron, if not covered with drifts of snow.  If it’s not too slippery, I can bundle up, put the cavesson and lunge rein on the horses and still be a part of their lives.  This constancy is key in keeping them going, if they’re still somewhat green.  The older horses are turned away for the winter, to run in a herd and play stallion games.  They come back in the spring, fresh and full of fun.

 

The ones kept in will work on voice commands, gymnasticizing and stretching in walk and trot ( even canter, if not too icy), always in both directions.  For fun, I’ll teach them how to sidle up to the mounting block and stand.  Some days are scheduled for tender, loving care and little else.  They will melt in one spot while I go over them with a favourite brush, tidying them up, just putting my hands on in something other than my usual taking away.

 

Health and wellness.

This is the time of year to book those sessions, for both ourselves and our horses, with the chiropractor and for massage.  Whether we have longstanding stiffness from past injuries or whether we grow stiff from standing clenched in the cold, on icy ground, these things do wonders for keeping us agile and ready to go to work in the spring.

 

When it’s too cold to ride, I like to teach the new horses and ponies to put their own halters on.  I put my right arm over their polls and wait patiently, without being aware of the pressures of time and performance, teaching them to lower their heads. By holding the halters open below their noses, it’s not too long before they are reaching down with their muzzles and helping.  Strangely, this has made all of them easier to catch.  Without grain or treats, they are happy to help and to show their new skills.  Best of all, it starts each session off with submission, praise and trust.

Load ’em up!

These are also the days that I will work on loading into the trailer.  When we have all the time in the world, loading takes minutes; when we have mere minutes, loading a green horse can take all the time in the world!  I’ll begin by sending him, either on a long lead rope or in a round pen, teaching him to move away from my space and to stop and turn when I face up to him in front.  We’ll work on backing up with lightness.  When all is good, I’ll just work on sending him into the trailer and praising him when he responds.

 

Loading, then unloading.  Loading, then unloading, several times over several days, all without tying him or closing the door.  When his response becomes quiet and without question, then we’re getting somewhere.  Now we can haul.

 

I spend a lot of time with my young, green or herdbound horses, hauling alone on short trips.  We’ll go to the grocery store or to get the mail, then home again.  They learn that no matter where we go, we’ll come back. It’s a valuable lesson.  This way, no horse or pony is hauling for his first time to the show or an emergency trip to the vet.

 

Home on the range…

If we’re housebound and itching to do something, we can stir up a bunch of horse cookies to take to the barn.  There are easy recipes online and even if we don’t make a practice of feeding our horses by hand (and I don’t usually, but that’s a discussion for another time), a few homemade cookies slipped in with the supper ration will be appreciated.  We all like to show – and be shown – unconditional love.

When winter feels long ‘n’ hard and I need my horse fix, I’ll bring what I love inside.  I knew that when I grew up, if ever I did, that my home would be a place where my dogs and all my horse things were welcome.  I’ll dust off and decorate the mantelpiece with special ribbons and trophies, some beloved pictures.  In the corner of the dining room, I’ll set up my favourite sidesaddle.  While conditioning the leather, I smile and remember fabulous rides and long ago summer.  It helps me remember that my life, even in darkest winter, is good.

 

The point of all this is that each of us has something for which to be grateful.  It can be family or faith, friendship or good health, our home or our horses.  Just remembering to look is what changes everything.  Yes, even in winter.

 

The bottom line?  When it’s too cold to ride, we can still get our fix:

• We can do chores and sweep the aisle, listening to the sounds of contented horses stamping, snorting, munching. We give thanks.
• We can catch one horse and give her a beauty makeover, a mindful, meaningful grooming session. We feel appreciated.
• We can take our buddy to the pen and work on lungeing exercises, asking him to go forward in a long, swingy rhythm, or even just head out on the halter for a walk. We get some exercise and fresh air.
• We can clean our equipment and check the soundness of reins, billets and latigos for the coming year. We look after our own safety.
• We can visualize what it will be like when we can get riding again and we think about doable goals and expectations. We allow ourselves to hope and dream.

Horsemanship comes to any one of us, however we invite it in.  Not being able to ride isn’t the end of the world.

 

By the way, I may as well admit it. I’m trying to build my email list to offer books and get help with reading chapters and reviews in the future. You are my tribe! Rather than fill your face with pop-ups on the blog page, please, I’d be so grateful if you’d trust me with your email and subscribe using the red button. Thank you!