Winter Motivation Tips

For those of us who are not lucky enough to head south for the winter, we are struggling through the daily battles of freezing temperatures, snow, ice, frozen water, the lack of daylight, and just plain lack of motivation. Some of us are taking care of our own horses and by the time we get done cracking and removing ice from troughs, mucking frozen stalls, picking out giant ice balls from hooves, and changing blankets, all in the dark, there is not much motivation left to get on our horses. Others board their horses and it is all too easy to not ride when it is bitter cold and you know your horse is thankfully taken care of by a barn owner/manager.

So how do we stay motivated to ride during this bleak weather?

Samantha looking creepy in freezing temperatures!

Something what helps me is setting goals at the end of the previous season. For example, if you are showing second level successfully for 2016, maybe you think about moving up to third for 2017. This will give you a lot to work on to meet that goal effectively! If this is going to be your first time out at a particular level, watching videos on YouTube can be helpful as long as you are particular about the videos you watch. I prefer to stick to ones by reputable sources such as USDF, DressageHub, or DressageTrainingOnline. I will also watch videos put up by other users that have the score posted especially if there are judge’s comments as well. These help keep me mentally focused on achieving my goal(s) and make me more eager to get to the barn to work.  As soon as possible, I make my show calendar for 2017 – this helps in that it sets a deadline. If you know you are planning on going to a particular show in May, then you know you need to get out to the barn and do your homework so you can make every effort to be ready for the show.

Along the same line as goal setting would be to see if there are any winter show series in your area. Some of the places with milder climates offer dressage shows or combined training shows that are a good place to practice, have fun, and get judge feedback. Signing up for a winter show helps keep you motivated because you want to have a successful show and to do that you have to be prepared.

Working with a trainer or going to clinics is also a good way to stay motivated.  Having a knowledgeable professional to set you on the right path can be very motivational.  This is particularly helpful if you aren’t working with someone on a weekly or daily basis.  Learning new exercises and adding more training tools to your tool box is always beneficial.  Working with someone new, they may also see something your regular trainer isn’t seeing or maybe say something in a way that’s just different enough that you finally “get it”!

Amy and Bo in the snow!

Being stuck in an indoor can be tough mentally and can affect your horse’s fitness. Cross training using cavelettis, jumps, and in-hand work can help break up the monotony of ring work. There are some excellent caveletti videos online that can help you with the placement of the poles. When possible, have someone there to help you with the caveletti and jump work to ensure the poles are placed correctly. Many times indoor rings are too small for a jump course, but gridwork is exceptionally beneficial for dressage horses and it is a good way for the rider to be able to work on their position without having to do much more than keep your leg on and guide the horse to be in a straight line through the center of the grid. You can also try some in-hand training with your horse. You can teach them leg extensions (beginning of Spanish walk), how to bow, how to kneel, etc. There are tons of things that you can do to give your horse (and yourself!) a mental break via ground work.

Another aspect of riding that I think tends to be overlooked is rider fitness – both mental and physical. When it is cold and dark it is all too easy to stay at home under a blanket and eat cookies but it is important to maintain similar exercise habits that you have the rest of the year.   Keeping your mental and physical health consistent throughout the year will make winter easier to bear.  Keep yourself exercising as you normally would during the rest of the year and resist the urge to hibernate!

Maybe next year we will win the lottery and be able to spend the winter in Florida so blogs like this one will be unnecessary but until that happens, put on your winter gloves, hats, jackets and get out there and ride!