Riding in Winter - Safety Tips

So, the British winter has arrived with a bang! The freezing cold weather may be a little late this year, but we've had dark nights for what seems like an eternity!

How many people actually ride in this weather?

Well, unless you count those lucky few people who can spend the whole day with their beloved animals, there's a ton of us out there who have no choice but to don the reflectives, cover ourselves and our mounts in flashing lights and head out there into the dark unknown.

Because it is such a regular occurance, hopefully that means that most of us are in the habit of keeping ourselves safe and seen. However, I have seen a few strange sights recently, such as someone riding down a road with no helmet. I also saw a young child being led on a pony by an adult, on the road, and neither pony nor child had any reflective gear on at all.

This inspired me to write a little piece on safety when riding on the roads or in the dark, or both. So here are my top 10 tips for staying safe on those cold winter rides.

1. Always have the correct tack. You must make sure you have a saddle and bridle that are well-fitted for both you and the horse. Loose girths, ill-fitting bits and snapped chin straps are all accidents waiting to happen. The last place you want tack issues is a mile from home, in the dark with no one around to help.
2. Be seen! Whenever you are going out for a ride in winter, always make sure you wear reflective clothing. You might be only going out in the middle of the afternoon for an hour, but whilst the days are short, darkness can really creep up on you and you don't want to be caught out on a ride in the dark with no reflectives.
3. Light up your horse like a Christmas Tree. You can't have too many lights on both you and your horse. Anything that you can do to make yourself more visible is great. You can buy flashing lights that strap to your legs and arms, you can buy flashing bibs to wear and flashing strips to fasten to your horse's bridle or exercise sheet. The more you have, the easier it will be for motorists to see you when riding on roads in the dark.
4. ALWAYS wear a riding helmet. There is absolutely no reason or excuse good enough for not wearing a helmet whilst riding. Every rider knows the risks of not wearing a helmet, so just don't bother running the risk!
5. Try to go out with other people, especially when riding at night. If you can go out in a group of 3 or 4 horses, you can not only make your ride more enjoyable, but also stay safer. Horses are herd animals. As long as you have one or two laid-back horses in the group, it is a lot easier to keep your horse calm and steady when it has another horse to take the lead from.
6. Take your mobile phone with you. You never know when you  might need to make contact with somebody whilst out on your ride. It could be anything from letting someone on the yard know that you might be late back, to needing emergency help because your horse has gone lame. Whatever happens, it is always handy to have a phone with you.
7. Be smart. If it has been snowing all night and is freezing cold, be sensible. Take a look at the conditions in which you will be riding. If the ground is frozen and slippery, or covered in snow, do you really need to go out today? No matter how much you might want to exercise your horse, there is no point putting yourself or your animal at risk by going out in dangerous conditions.
8. Check out your horse. Before you go out riding you must check your horse over to make sure all is well with them. Pick out their feet and give them a good brush. This gives you the chance to check them from head to tail to make sure they have no cuts, bumps or lumps that may cause any issues whilst you are riding. A stone stuck in their hoof could cause bruising and lameness if you leave it there and then ride them on a hard surface.
9. Know your highway code. Make sure you know the rules of the road if you are going to be riding on one. You need to have an idea of where the traffic may come from and how motorists should be acting in certain places. Take a t-junction for example. You need to know where and when a car is likely to pull out in order to make sure that you are making safe decisions. If you do not have much road experience, it is advisable for you to perhaps ride out with someone who drives, or has been riding on the roads for a long time. Make sure you are fully aware of any traffic around you. You will need to make hand signals if you want to turn, for example, as drivers will need to know when and where they are able to pass you safely.
10. Lastly, make sure someone on your yard knows you are going out and approximately how long you should be out for. This is especially important if you are going out alone. If you were to be unfortunate enough to have an accident and not return to the yard when expected, that person could arrange for people to begin looking for you sooner than if you had not given an estimated time for your return. An hour could make a lot of difference if you are stuck somewhere, especially in bad weather conditions.

Looking at the above, a lot of people who read this will probably think I am trying to teach them how to suck eggs. But really, I don't think there's anything wrong with going over safety rules. In fact, I recommend you read all 10 points 3 times, to make sure they stick in your head. You can never be too safe when it comes to riding out, whatever season it is.

There are other points to consider, such as planning your route and knowing your surroundings. If you are going on a ride you have never been on before, try your best to remember which turnings you have taken in case you need to re-trace your steps.

Have some common sense. If you have never ridden a certain track before, and there's a log that's perfect for jumping, don't just canter straight up and hop over it. Check out the ground before and after. The last thing you want is to jump what you think is a small log only to find a three foot ditch on the other side of it.

I hope this has helped anyone who is a novice when it comes to riding out.

If you have any experiences to share, or tips on how to stay safe, please feel free to post your comments below.

Thank you for reading and STAY SAFE!!

Sarah