Winter in Manitoba. Why wait till spring?

Well we have had our first snow fall of the season here in Manitoba. Unless you own one or have access to an indoor arena close by, getting any amount of riding in can be difficult in the winter. It is either too cold, too windy, or too icy or all of the above. This is only November, rather than waiting 6 months till spring, take heart, there are other ways to enjoy your horses in the winter time.

Take Clinton Anderson's advice and "train all the time". Winter can be a time when you and your horse work on skills with your collective feet on the ground. Dust off your training DVDs or better yet put one on your Christmas list. Watching horse videos can be a great way to pass the time on a cold winter evening. On nicer days try out some of the ground work tips with your horse.

Work on keeping respect by moving your horse's feet. How is your horse's back up? Maybe you both need a refresher working from the ground or mounted if its not too slippery. What about standing when mounting? Find some non-slip ground cover [machine sheds work great] and practice mounting and dismounting. Maybe introduce a mounting block, if you have never tried using one. If your like me you need a mounting block in the winter as insulated coveralls don't flex and give the same as Wrangler jeans. :)

If you have other suggestions of what you do with your horses during our long winters, drop me an email and I can share these in future blogs.