Alright I have a couple of questions for all you. My husband and I decided that this coming season is going to be it. I am going to take my horse to her first endurance rides. I would like to go to some early ones, but I am unsure on a couple things. I live in a very wintery area...we already have snow and the cold can be extreme at times so I have a couple questions for you more experienced people.
1. How cold is too cold? Is there a temperature cutoff that you just don't ride? Does the amount of work effect (i.e. a long walk as opposed to a harder workout that would cause them to breathe heavily) what temperature you will ride at?
2. How DO people keep their horses in okay condition through the winter? I am use to show horses and heated indoor arenas, but that is not my reality anymore...no indoors in the area! I live in the middle of nowhere and it is not exactly horse friendly country! Mountains, lots of mountains so most people do not keep horses here. So no horse facilities.
3. If you do try to condition through the winter, Are there month or months that you give the horses a vacation and do not ride?
I am worried about injury in slippery weather and just basically doing more damage than good by continuing too much riding in bad weather ( although I am obviously not dumb enough to ride in the -30 weather!), so anyone who lives in a wintery area if you have any input it would be much appreciated.
As long as I am asking questions...I would like to eventually do 100's...I know this is opening a can of worms, but is it better to start her in 50's even though we are both green to endurance so she knows that the distances are longer or should we get our feet wet in LD's? Also is the interval and fartlek training the same as that for high level event horses or is it adapted somehow for endurance training? I have plenty of experience using these methods for eventing, but am unsure if it applies the same way to endurance horses. Thanks for any advice!! Namaste. Juli
Juli Jakub
I've spent most of my life riding horses. The rest I've just wasted.
~Anonymous
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