Conference noted::equitation

    Hello Mario on horseback!!  Sounds like you had fun Saturday!  
    A few cautionary notes though.....I wouldn't ride across 50 feet of ice.
    Borium shoes or not.....There could always be the chance that the ice
    is so hard that even the studs slip.   I actually (or my spastic
    thoroughbred) did a "bambi" on some ice saturday.  Not meaning too..
    but he decided to shy at some pile of old wood...and off went,
    across a fairly large area of HARD ice.   (luckily he is ok)
    
    Also..frozen grass can be really slippery as well...there could be
    black ice under it.  And then there are the frost heaves.  The
    ground looks like its just frozen (maybe a small hump of earth)
    but actually underneath is....nothing....as deep as a foot.
    And, I wouldn't want to gallop into that!
    
    Also, because of the really bad cold weather we've been having on top
    of rain, the ground is very lumpy.....and that puts strain on tendons.
                                          
    Yes, winter riding is lots of fun !!!  (more so in the snow) but,
    you really have to be extra carefull!    (I wrap my horse as well for
    support)
    
    have fun!
    Caroline & Whim                                             
      

    You also need to watch for ice under leaves and pine needles.  Luckily
    my daughter broke her ankle and not the horses.  She's repairable!!!
    
    Have fun.

	Hi 

	I am an avid winter rider and I live on an apple farm in Berlin, so I
	have a lot of experience with riding in orchards and fields.

	Apple orchards are very popular with ground-hogs , especially in this 
	area (New England). Finding the holes is hard enough in warm weather,
	but I find in the winter it is even more difficult because the holes
	are covered with frozen grass. Ground hogs hibernate, and therefore,
	the traffic pattern around their holes changes. It's a broken leg
	looking for a place to happen (I lost one horse this summer to 
	a ground-hog hole, he did it when no-one was home, in his pasture :-(

	Also, I have found that with this thaw-freeze-thaw-freeze that we have
	been having, that the orchard grass is covering little frozen streams
	caused by the run-off rolling down the hills. My horses slide, even
	with borium spikes.

	Don't be fooled by that wide open, groomed look of the orchard, it is
	deceiving.

	Walk around the perimeter once or twice and really check the footing
	carefully. Pick yourself some spots and really inspect them. The same
	goes for fields. Holes can show up during the week, so I make a habit
	of walking the perimeter of *any area* before I even trot or canter,
	even if I have ridden there before. 

	As far as your horse getting cold, it depends on the kind of coat he 
	has. If he is pretty fuzzy, you may not need anything. If he is heavily
	blanketed in the winter, maybe shorten your ride and/or use a quarter
	sheet.

	The most *important* part is to be sure he is warmed down, walked out,
	and DRY before you put him away (blanket or no blanket)!!! Not doing
	so could result in disaster (I am sure there's no need to elaborate
	here)


	Good Luck and Have Fun!

    So how's the winter going this year for you?
    
    This year, as my critter's improved his balance and self-confidence
    under saddle, he's decided to turn bronco.  Tried out a new combination
    the other day, starting when we got a hair too close to the arena wall. 
    Stumbled, bowed, jumped 2-3' sideways, spun 90 degrees, sprang up from
    his bow, bounced, bucked and then kicked out.  All in under 3 seconds! 
    Then of course, he stopped dead and slyly looked around to see if I was
    still there!!!!  Little $%#&^!!!! :-)  :-)

    This winter, I fell into it and came out smelling like a rose...
    Courtney has a boy. Yes, I'm half-leasing her (Courtney, my
    hunter) to a 12-year-old boy who's been riding and showing for a
    number of years, and is a better rider than I am. He rides after
    school, so our times never conflict; they're a delightful family,
    who also board other horses at the barn; they pay half her expenses.

    So she's getting plenty of exercise - plenty of GOOD riding and
    schooling, and my expenses are cut in half! So this winter is
    going pretty well.

    And during show season, my classes are early in the day, and his
    are late in the day. We started doing this late this fall, and we
    helped each other out during the shows. So I'm really liking this
    situation!

    -julie