Here comes the rain again

By now, many of us here, in many parts of Australia, could be forgiven for mentioning that we are a little bit sick of the rain. We say this gently, as just 3 years ago when we were ravaged by fires, that came following a drought, many of us made the statement ‘we would never complain about rain’ again.

So we have definitely had a lot of rain, and when it comes to our horses, for many of us it can be a challenge to continue on with a training regime. Depending on our circumstances, it can be dangerous to try to ride where we are, it can ruin the footing of the surface, and lets be honest, many of us simply dont like working in the rain.

So what can we do with our horses?
Grooming Bonding. I added the word ‘bonding’ as many people are already grooming their horses in order to manage conditions like mud fever, rainscald and hoof issues - but this is not always pleasant for your horse. Make time to spend grooming time with him that he will actually enjoy, perhaps a soft brush, or finding that ‘scratchy spot’.

Teach him a trick. This can usually be done in a small area, and at the standstill - teach your horse how to ‘smile’ or count. I don't use treats in my every day training, so using them to teach a trick makes it a really fun experience for the horse.
Massage / Body work. Most of us are able to at the very least work some massage with our horses - some may have a little more experience and be able to do some releases, perhaps you even have a red light or a massage gun to use - or, if finances permit - get a professional in!

Stretches. Following on from body work - carrot stretches are a great way to keep your horses body supple and moving, as in all this weather they can be very conservative in their movement, and they can develop soreness from shivering to stay warm.

Close range ground work - bends, yields, backups - these can all be done in a relatively small area.

Trail Walking. Head out with your horse on the ground and explore!

Hire an indoor. If you have the transport, most indoor arenas will let you hire for an our for quite a small fee - this way you are able to continue your riding.

Trail Riding / Beach Riding. Grab your Drizabone and ride anyway - as long as the footing is safe, it can actually be quite fun to ride when its raining. I dont ride in storms, but a ride in light rain can be invigorating.

Enrichment Walks - before heading out with your horse on a walk - hide some carrots or his favorite treats along the way - help him find them and watch a walk turn into an adventure for your horse.

Self improvement. We can also spend rainy day time reading, watching training videos, or improving our flexibility and strength. Its easy to take our usual ‘lesson time’ and use it for errands or work, but we can continue to grow in our horse education by thinking outside the box and keeping our usual lesson time to learn.

Keen to do a live clinic with us ? Here are our next 4 clinics - send us a message to get our yearly calendar
April 30 & May 1 - Tallebudgera, Gold Coast QLD
May 7 & 8 - Liberty Clinic - Glenreagh, NSW
May 14 & 15 - Obstacles - Glouster, NSW
May 21 & 22 - Cowboy Dressage & Ranch, Sydney NSW
May 26 - 29 - Cowboy Dressage Clinic & Show