Training in the dark

I’m pretty lucky that my livery has a floodlit arena. So when those winter nights draw in and it’s dark by the time I finish work at least I have that option. But I don’t really want to spend three nights a week going around in circles so when daylight means my training routine has to change I like to switch between four different training sessions I can do when it’s dark.

Now if I lived somewhere without so much traffic or with more off road riding I would still hack in the dark with lights but the training around our livery just isn’t safe for night riding. So instead I have two types of schooling sessions I do in the school. I either school in the normal sense of the word, set a goal for our session and work on a specific area or I do laps. I usually do 5 laps each way of walk then 10 each way of trot then 10 each way of canter and repeat, I work on keeping a good rhythm, getting my horse to maintain the same pace and carry themselves without too much input from me. I actually find it makes a great substitute for hacking in terms of cardio fitness.

The the other two sessions I can do is either lunge which I’ll do a maximum of once a week or hill walks. There’s a hill just outside our livery about 300m long and I cover myself and the horse in hi-viz and lights and just walk or trot up and down the hill a few times, the uphill is great for their glutes and down works the thoracic sling.

Then on the weekend I’ll go for a hack in the day. I go much easier on myself in winter too, so if we miss a session it really doesn’t matter, my goal isn’t fitness it’s more education, improving the relationship with my horse, strength, balance and proprioception. It’s much more laid back and I really enjoy spending a bit more ‘ground time’ with the horses too, just grooming or sitting with them. What does everyone else do during winter? Do you keep the same routine or mix it up?