Equiteam’s coach, Liz Daniels, shares some of her tips on making the transition through the seasons to help keep your inspiration shining bright.
I absolutely LOVE this time of year, the morning sunrises are stunning, the stubble fields are calling and nothing beats the feeling of hacking whilst everyone else is still in their beds!
Yet, there has been a definite change in the temperature, and the nights are drawing in faster than I think I like, which also inspired a talk we recently did at the Equiteam Confidence Camps on this topic – keeping your mojo through the seasons.
As someone who has a grass field, it is not always easy to keep horses going through winter, but here are some of my tips, alongside some additional thoughts from some of our campers.
Plan your riding time
Like most people I juggle life – for me this is trying to balance work (x3 jobs), life, kids and their commitments, family and horses. The absolute ideal for me is to ride in a morning before everyone else is up.
This means that my horse time impacts less on the rest of my family and family life as they are usually still asleep when I’m riding!
But in winter this isn’t always possible. With a grass field that is usually too wet to ride in, I then rely on hacking, which isn’t an option at 6.45am when it is dark.
During these times I get up as if I am going to ride early, but instead of riding I start work. This means that I can allocate some time for riding later, but it still isn’t impacting my family time. I do appreciate that I am really fortunate as on the days I am not coaching, I work from home and have flexibility that not everyone has the luxury of.
For me, early mornings are the best time to ride (when possible) if I’m tacked up and ready to go as soon as it gets light. This also means that it won’t fall to the bottom of your to-do list when other things crop up during your day. I find that it also makes you feel good knowing you have that ticked off your list and have done something for yourself.
Make commitments
This is a big one for me – booking regular competitions, or training, so that on those wet, cold mornings it makes me get up knowing that I don’t want to let my horse down by being underprepared when we get to the afore mentioned place.
Whether it is a hack with friends, a clinic, a camp, or a competition – get some dates booked in for the rest of the year as knowing you have something coming up can help to keep us more motivated to ride on those days it is wet and cold!
I also think that by making a weekly commitment it also helps your horse keep a good base line fitness and take the pressure off a little if you can only manage to then ride a couple of times a week out with that.
Managing wet horses
Let’s not dress it up – cold wet hands and muddy horses can made your hobby feel more of a chore. There is an on-going debated with horse care professionals about over-rugging v’s allowing your horse to more natural in winter to encourage the shedding of any extra kg’s they may have gained in summer.
Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with having a solid weight management and maintenance strategy and that keeping horses naturally has huge health benefits, we also need to acknowledge the importance of balancing a busy life and being able to ride our horses.
The reality is that I don’t have the time to wait for my horses to dry before I ride, and I am definitely not a fan of putting tack on wet/muddy horses for comfort reasons – so I rug my horses as individuals to suit both of our needs.
If you’re managing your horse’s weight, but are in the same position as me then why not compromise by choosing a lighter weight rug to keep the rain and mud off the saddle area whilst still allowing for some natural weight management.
Watch our video about rugs here.
Whilst on the subject of rugs, if you haven’t got your winter turnout rugs repaired and re-proofed – here is your reminder!
Using exercise rugs
Last winter, this was a game changer for me. I’m never comfortable putting rugs on wet horses and then turning them in the field, so I invested in some waterproof exercise rugs which have been invaluable in saving time once I have finished riding.
You can watch our video on exercise rugs here.
There's no such thing as bad weather… there's only the wrong clothes!”
Dress correctly
Well Billy, you are 100% correct, but personally I can’t stand getting cold when I’m riding (especially hacking), or coaching all day, so two pairs of socks, a waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers when it is raining, and/or a thick jacket for when it’s cold but not wet are a must for me! I have found that a ski jacket offers more warmth than many of the equestrian jackets I have tried, and are a fraction of the price.
I am not just saying this, but I really love my EquiTeam bobble hat for keeping me warm when it’s cold. I use it for teaching and stable chores, and as they are thick they are water resistant too.
A few of our campers have heated gloves, gilets and jackets and say they are an absolute game changer! Something to add to your Santa list!
Time management
I’m not always very good at this, but it’s important to be realistic with your time – if you know that you can only manage to ride three times a week then understand that it’s perfectly OK to scale back as long as you balance that with the expectation on your horse’s fitness levels when you do ride to help prevent any injuries.
If you find yourself time poor during the week then here are a few simple things to implement which can help make you more efficient.
- Think about what jobs you can do in the dark. Although not pleasant, jobs like poo picking, mucking out and filling haynets can all be done with a head torch.
- Invest in some extra haynets and fill them on your day off for the rest of the week.
- Skip out during the week (instead of a full muck out), and remove wet bedding and replenish any bedding at the weekend. I do this on a three day cycle (I bed on straw), which works well for my horses and definitely saves me time.
- Ride first and you will find the time to do your other chores. If you do your other chores first, you can almost guarantee that you won’t then have the time to ride afterwards as something/someone will distract you!
Asking for help
Not everyone is able to, or wants to do this, but if it works for you then exploring assisted livery, full livery, using freelance grooms, or sharing roles with a friend a couple of days a week can all help, and leave your more time to ride during the shorter days.
I have my horse’s at home so assisted livery isn’t an option, but I do however pay someone to help me with the poo picking since it became a little excessive, but it does help me manage and prioritise my time!
Give your horse a break over winter
If you know that trying to juggle life and horses during the winter is just too much, then give them a few weeks off.
We know a few Equiteamer’s that use this method and it allows them to balance what they can do without adding pressure, and also leaves them feeling even more inspired and desperate to ride again once time allows.
Giving your horse a few weeks off can be really beneficial for them physically and mentally so if you’re struggling then don’t rule this out.
Stay inspired when you are riding
If you are just riding around in circles then it is easy to lose inspiration and motivation whatever the weather!
Use the EquiTeam library of exercises to help you make a ridden plan, or download some of the pole exercises available to keep you inspired.
Having a plan when you ride is so much more beneficial and rewarding than trotting around waiting for a profound moment to happen! There are so many resources available, have a look at which areas you want to improve on.
Surround yourself with people who understand
Yes winter is meh, but is happens every year and so we kind of have to just get on with it. Surround yourself with people who are rays of sunshine and not mood hoovers really helps to keep your own spirits up – you can find plenty of that in the EquiTeam Connected community.
Liz x
