Winter at the Barn

It has definitely taken me a little while to adjust to riding in the winter here. I got very used to my long, leisurely trips out the barn, taking my time with grooming, groundwork, riding and then lounging outside in the green and the sun while Steen grazed. Lately, the temperatures have not been at all conducive to lounging, and after a few times getting seriously chilled while riding, I remembered what I already knew – winter and saddles just don’t go together.

So, this week I developed a system. I arrive at the barn, go to my locker, grab my bridle, helmet and bucket of grooming supplies. I then take the bridle to the office and put it on the heater to warm the bit up for Steen’s mouth, and then take the bucket to Steen’s stall. I let my fuzzy horse out into the aisle, brush him down, pick his hooves and comb his mane and tail. Then I go back for the bit, which is nicely toasty by then, return to my horse, put his bridle on, and lead him through the door to the arena. There I mount, and ride for about 45 minutes. I don’t ride hard enough to make him sweaty, and cool him down sufficiently at the end so all I have to do upon dismounting is let him roll, flick the sand out of his coat and put him back in his stall with a little bonus hay. The entire process, including going to and from the barn, takes about two hours. Riding bareback keeps me warm (both thanks to Steen’s body heat and the extra demand on my muslces to stay put), and I have finally devised a clothing system that seems to keep me from getting cold while grooming. I have decided I prefer to ride in the mornings – for the solitude and also so I don’t have time to rethink the wisdom of spending so much time in an unheated building when it is around 9 degrees outside.

As far as Steen’s progress goes, after a couple of rides during which I had to exercise a lot of patience, he seems to be settling back into his training to more or less pick up where we left off before the whole upheaval of his weight-loss. On Wednesday, when I asked for a trot he complied by going rough and fast for 25 solid minutes before finally settling into a comfortable jog. That was (and will be for serveral more days) quite painful. But today he was relaxed and smooth the whole time – which was good because my legs were more or less shot from the day before. He has also greatly improved in his ability and willingness to flex and bend, and since I put the slobber straps on his bit I can really tell an increase in his sensitivity. Since he can feel the slobber strap move before the rein actually pulls the bit, he can respond to my signals without any pressure on the mouth at all. Of course, he doesn’t always choose to do this, but he can, and sometimes does, and on some level I think he knows he has the option. I have also noticed he’s becoming increasingly sensitive to my balance and body language. Today, while we were “cruising” at the trot, I played a little bit to see how much I could get him to turn in circles just with the orientation of my shoulders. The answer, more than I expected.

So, I am looking forward to the rest of the winter – the great core fitness that comes with consistent bareback riding. Now that Steen is a more balanced and consistent horse, I don’t feel the worries I did before about what too much riding bareback would do to his training. Of course, come summer, I’m probably going to have to retrain myself out of the forward tilt I always seem to pick up after going without a saddle for a while, but I can work on that when the long summer afternoon rides roll around again. In the meantime, there is a certain simple charm to a short ride on a cold morning.