Every year brings a season full of unpredictable weather. Winter is a great time to rest and relax indoors, but it also opens up new opportunities to bond with your horse! Whether you’re looking to stay in shape during the colder months or just want to find something new and exciting to do, we’re here to help. Here’s a list of activities to entertain you and your horse this season.
Ride Bareback
If you’re not accustomed to riding bareback, now’s a great time to try! Bareback riding refers to riding a horse without a saddle. It can be a pain to motivate ourselves to tack up a horse in the cold months, but bareback requires much less preparation. Though it can be quite a challenge, bareback riding offers a way for you to improve your balance and strength. This will even pay off when you’re riding with a saddle next time. Horses have well-insulated bodies you can feel when you’re riding bareback, so they’ll also help keep you warm!
If you’re just starting to practice bareback riding, we recommend providing additional support to keep you stable. You could buckle a strap around your horse’s neck to grasp when you need stabilized. Pulling on a horse’s reins can cause pain and discomfort for your horse, so try your best to avoid it. Riding bareback also gives you a chance to get out and see all the beauty winter has to offer! Just make sure to ride with caution and avoid any icy areas.
Learn A New Trick
Is there a certain trick you’ve been thinking about teaching your horse all year long? Now’s your chance to master it! Winter provides us with a chance to bond with our horses in a different way than riding. You can practice a new trick in the barn or stable to avoid the cold, and you’ll come back in the spring closer than ever. There are tons of tricks you can learn, but some common ones are: how to smile, perk ears for photos on command, or fetch.
Clickers work pretty well for teaching new tricks, but don’t worry if you don’t have one. You can train a horse similarly to how you would train a dog. Just mark when your horse performs the desired behavior, reward him for it with a treat, then repeat the process until it becomes second nature. Patience and practice are the key words here. Your horse may take some time to learn a trick, so always train in short sessions with many repetitions. Start practicing now and be ready to impress your friends this spring!
Have A Photo Shoot
Owning a horse is something to be proud of, so we don’t blame you for wanting to take tons of photos of them. Practice taking more professional looking photos during the winter with a photo shoot! You can find props and other decorations to shoot photos that will leave your friends and family absolutely speechless. You can also simply rely on nature’s beauty for all the Instagram-worthy shots you could ever ask for! This activity will help you find better angles for you and your horse. It will also make your horse more comfortable around you and cameras.
Reinforce Ground Manners
Some horses have issues being tacked up for the first time in the spring due to a lack of handling in the winter. Consistent handling is the key to a smooth transition back to riding season. This can be as simple as catching your horse from the pasture, practice tying him for a few minutes, leading him into the barn, grooming, or checking his hooves. These small acts help maintain obedience in your horse, which will make for an easy ride when you get back up. So if you’re looking for consistency with your horse, you yourself must be consistent with training!
Down seasons don’t have to be so boring, and your horse doesn’t want them to be! Trying these fun activities with your horse this winter will make wholesome memories you can cherish forever. Not to mention they’ll help prepare both of you for the upcoming riding season!