Yippy, there’s finally snow on the ground. There is just something about riding a horse through freshly fallen snow that I just love. Maybe it’s the muffled sound of hooves falling or the snow dust blowing off the tree limbs overhead but I get all excited about new snow.
Winter is a hard time of year to find things to do though. Getting motivated knowing how many layers of clothes you need to put on or how much extra time needed for tacking and cool down is pretty overwhelming. But when you have friends both horsey and non horsey to enjoy in your fun it can be even more entertaining!
Non horsey friends can have fun with you and your horse? Well do tell! Yup about this time of year is when the idiot in me thinks up of totally dangerous and death defying fun in the snow and for some reason non horsey people always want to join in. Of course having a bomb proof horse is a must in all of my adventures.
– Horse drawn rope tow. We have a sweet sledding hill in one of our pastures and when the snow is hard and fast kids of all ages love zooming down it. The part about sledding that always stinks is getting back to the top of the hill. 1 horse + Rope w/snap end = problem solved. Yup that’s right, riding my trusty steed I hold a rope with a carabineer end that folks could easily snap to their sled rope and we’d pull them right up the hill. I kept the rope long enough make sure they stayed far away from hooves and do NOT tie it to the horn of my saddle so if any spooks happened I could just let go of the rope rope.
– Horse drawn sled? I’ll let the video say the rest. Result? AWESOMENESS! Even my non driving hubby went around the pasture a few times. Not the safest of ideas I’ve had in the past but what a blast.
– Skijoring – The hubby is a skier and I’m not so I get the fun of riding and he gets the thrill of being pulled behind a galloping horse. Helmets are recommended for both participants.
– Sleigh Rides – My sleigh runners just came in! For $80 I just got a set of sleigh runners to fit on my “made in china” wire wheeled cart. I’m still waiting for the ground to freeze a little more before trying out my sleigh. The best part about sleigh rides is anyone can join you and they don’t’ have to know how to ride. Just cuddle up under a blanket, throw on the sleigh bells and your off!
– Bareback Riding – One of my most favorite things is to ride bareback in the winter. Not only do you not have to tack up but your horse keeps your bum nice and toasty warm on the rides. Of course don’t do what I am doing in the photo, always wear a helmet!
I just realized most of the things I like to do with my horse in the winter involve a driving horse. If your horse does not know how to drive they probably aren’t advisable to try. I highly recommend folks teaching their horses to drive; you not only get a safer horse in the end you can also enjoy them so many more ways!