Winter Trails

Do many of you ride trails in the winter?

I love trail riding in the winter. You wouldn't believe how peaceful it is to be out there with a blanket of snow covering everything. It's so much more quiet too. A nice 25-30 degree day with no wind is the best riding if you want to relax. Just remember to bundle up.

I so wish I had weather like you guys do in the winter! Here today, it's already only 3 degrees celcius, which is 37 degrees farenheit. In the winter the average temperature is probably around -25 celcius, not sure what that is in farenheit, and it's gets down to -40 with windchill which makes it feel MUCH colder. And most of the time it is windy because all the land is flat. We have to plug in our vehicles, and hope they start in the morning, so riding most of the time is out of the question. Oh, and our winters last about half the year, so riding basically only happens 6 months of the year, unless you're lucky enough to have an indoor riding arena.

Oh, it gets cold here. It has to be a good day for me to venture out in the cold, but when those days happen, they are heaven.

We're having a great weather day today. 70 Farenheit and sunny. This is so unusual for November, but I'll take it.

Yeah 70 degrees in November! LOVES IT!!!! This entire weekend is supposed to be in the upper 60s!

I dunno how you stand such cold weather tobiano!!! Thats crazy how cold it gets up there! Do you have to blanket your horses?

Yah, I don't know how I stand it either. I really don't like winter here. So depressing. Nope, my horses are out 24/7 with a run in shelter. Horses are pretty tough animals.

I love to ride in the winter but boy you have to be careful in the snow...last year i was riding around the farm and there was an area where the water had pooled and it turned into a giant sheet of ice....well my horse ended up going down on it I was freaking out i though he had broken his leg it was awful...up until the point he got up and shook himself off. But shoot I hope the weather stays like today all winter its 67 degrees here...loving it, I just got back from a trail ride...couldn't pass up a day like today :)

it really depends on the weather and how cold it is... like one day i didnt check the news and i was stuck in the woods while a short blizzard swept in, i could barley see two feet infront of me!!! and i live in ohio!

Where are those pics!!! :)

I used to winter trail ride but I realized how unpredictable stuff was under snow. Like I was riding Frosty (God rest him) last year and we were out on a trail we were familiar with. As we were riding down the two track, the snow started to get deeper and deeper and deeper. I figured it was just a snow drift cause everything looked normal but then BOOM! Straight down up to his chest in deep mud and snow. Poor guy took all of what he had to get out of that mud. I had to shimmy off his butt and just let go of him cause I realized how big the mud "puddle" was and there was no way I was going to be any help. So I just let him go. Luckily, he got himself out and I just followed him back to the barn. He was spooked good and he trotted right into his stall and stood there shiverin. So I just work arena in the winter now or stay on the back roads where there is not traffic.

omg. i absolutely love riding in winter. i mean just the scenery and the emptiness of the trails is kind of cool because there is usually some novices out there that can't handle their horses and mine gets spooked by it. anyway BUNDLE up because if you don't oh you will be in sure pain by the end of the ride. then again you guys wouldn't go riding at the temps. i do. like maybe 25 degrees and dropping. ugh i can't resist.

I Love Winter rides!! I just take it slow b/c it is a lil hard on there lungs i will ride in most weather on trail but i am blessed to have my horse across from 50 miles of trails:)

:D Muhaha.. theres no snow or freezing temps here :)

The coldest we get is 5 degrees celcious over night.

I loooveee riding in winter. It doesnt really rain much in winter either, so i can ride outside most of the time.

The only bad thing is that the sun comes up later, and goes down earlier, so most of the time in the morning, im riding in the early light, and at night im mostly riding as the sunsets.

I do!! Except you have to always go on them otherwise it gets full of snow and really deep.. :P But I still can manage going on one trail we have in the woods, otherwise, no! But I do ride on the roads etc.

I just love riding in the winter(as long as it is at least 30 degrees) otherwise i will freeze my @<hidden>$$ off! but riding in the snow is the greatest. it is so quiet and peaceful. but, i would trade for great weather all year round. hey, anybody from kentucky? how is your weather? i have been looking into moving there. I am sooo..... tired of New York. I am originally from California, but i have fallen in love with kentucky. we went there last spring and it was just so beautiful! And of course it is horse country!!!!!!:D

I've been really crying about our weather but after reading your spots I guess I should be a little more forgiving. If the temp gets up past 50 we'll load up the trailer and take out riding. I think this was the first year we were out camping on New Years. Believe it our not when we pulled into one of our favorite camp sites we weren't the only ones. Riding in the winter isn't really a normal thing for this Missouri trail rider, but when the temp gets up there I can't resist.

i winter trail ride* but in the winter my horse doesn't have his shoes on* i'm not trying to end up like the girl in the horse whisper*

Hells no. We have rock slides on our trails during the winter so they're nasty, slippery and flat out dangerous. The only time I'd go on the trail in the winter is if we had a week of sun so I know it's somewhat safe to ride on.

I love riding during winter! Course, our winters drop the temps to like, 65-75 degrees so it's almost normal, we don't freeze or get any snow, and of course it never rains. Now summer, thats a tough time to ride for us! Nothing is quite as hard as gathering cattle all day, or branding in 115 degree temps.

I love trail riding in the winter with Dolphin or any of the school horses our any of our retired permanents here at the farm. I just always take it slow and careful and try and take the trails I know are safest with not many hills or anything. It is peaceful though especially with Dolphin is is the perfect trail horse cause he has seen it all lol pretty much nothing spooks the old boy anymore.