What do you do when the weather is so miserable?
I can ride when its cold. And I can ride when its wet. But cold AND wet? No thanks. I started avoiding riding on cold and rainy days when I detoured from riding horses every day to a motorcycle daily rider for a few years. Maybe I’ll write about why I took a break in a future post. I’ll take the dog days of summer over weather like this every time. Here in Georgia we have pleasant riding weather 10 months out of the year. The weather has been just horrible. The arena stays wet. The trails are wet. The barnyard is a muddy mess. It was too sloppy to ride in for multiple weeks in February. Our footing is over 20 years old, and it has held up relatively well to daily heavy use. But still, horses need exercise. Especially the ones that we are bringing along.
I find myself daydreaming about the warm springtime sunshine. We have horses we are bringing along and my mental health is taking a hit from less time in the saddle. I miss a few days in the saddle and I get crabby and struggle keeping a positive attitude. Saddle time helps me manage my stress as I get to put my problems out of my mind and just get in the zone. The few bright spots of sunshine last month were a healing salve on my heart.
So what to do? Our barn is out in the country – so we can ride on and along the roads. Shod horses can do hill work in the driveway. There are a few local covered arenas that allow haul ins, but those facility fees add up. What do you do during the miserable rainy season?
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