# Sleet



## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

Today started out cool but sort of sunny. The thermometer read 37F. I dress accordingly with a light coat, light gloves and light hat and chaps.
It was 8:30 when we left the barn on our normal 10 mile loop. About 1/2 mile from the barn I ran into a serious head wind and driving ice pellets. They hurt the eyes so I pulled my hat down mostly covering them and trusted to Rio to keep us heading straight. 
It wasn't really fun but we endured. After about 2 miles we hit the bush and all wind was cut off, the sleet seemed to stop and it turned into a nice ride
I can't stay home, no matter what the weather, no matter the footing I have to ride. I might not even feel like it but my addiction kicks in and I have to go. Even in a blizzard we head out. If I am off I am riding. I have even left his heavy winter blanket on and saddled overtop it just to keep him warm but we head out, even in 3 or 4 foot drifts we head out.

I am sitting here reading the forum and only putting in time until I can go to the barn and care for my guy. Brush him, pick his feet, grain him and tuck him in for the night. Again it is an addiction.

I can hardly wait for tomorrow morning so I can do it all over again. Regardless of weather I will be out.

Anyone else have this drive, this addiction to be out , regardless of the elements, or rather in spite of the elements you have to ride???

Want to feel sorry for someone, feel sorry for Rio with a driven dad
Have a nice evening.


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

haha the firsthing that went through my mind was "OMG THE SADDLE!" tehehe i always need to protect my saddle!!! haha, im terrified of hurting my poor saddle. but other then that i like to get out for a trail ride whenever i can. I dont usually go if its bad weather out, i just ride in the arena, but i suppose i would if we had nice long trails around here.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

My saddle is the Abetta synthetic with extensive modications including a sheep skin tightly fit seat. My head stall is well oiled quality leather. I am not worried about my equipment. I even went so far once as to swim my horse across a river. I rode him into the water and then slipped back holding his tail , steering and then when he started coming back out of the water I pulled myself back forward and he rose under me. The saddle dried out fine. All leather parts are heavily oiled.
Most of the time when I ride in rain I use a well oiled aussy rain coat that domes to the saddle covering everything including the saddle bags.
No equipment is not a concern although I am very annal about what I use and it's condition.


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## IslandWave (Nov 25, 2009)

How did Rio like the ride in the sleet?
I ride in all types of weather as long as it is not dangerous. Then again, the weather here is easy breezy compared to yours in Canada. I know my girl hates working in blowing rain, but we get through it. Only a few times I have been concerned for her when there were dust windstorms because I know that if I could not see, she couldn't either. I'm sure both of our eyes were closed that time. :wink:


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## Squeak (Apr 8, 2010)

Heck that happened to me today and all i was doing was walking a horse to the paddock. It was TOO STINKIN COLD!!!!!

I'm done with snow. I hate the snow/sleet mix stuff. I don't belong here in Ohio, really.

If i could endure the cold more i would ride in anything. But i just can't. I'm a sissy.


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## Ne0n Zero (Dec 25, 2008)

Rio I do that all the time, lol. I'll be out there with Beau every day in the freezing cold weather riding or just hanging out with him and brushing him or doing groundwork in the indoor. 

It's an addiction for me too.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

Squeak said:


> If i could endure the cold more i would ride in anything. But i just can't. I'm a sissy.


They make clothes that can keep you warm well down in the minuses? MY boots say minus 40
Get some good warm clothes and then go ride. Over the years I have worked out my clothing to take in any kind of weather. I will even ride at minus 18. I use to put a took over the nose of my horse to protect him but I don't do that anymore. The vet told me you can not freeze the lungs of a horse.
Just yesterday it caught my by suprise and I was dressed light.
I will dress the same this morning and hopefully it is not as bad


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

Ne0n Zero said:


> Rio I do that all the time, lol. I'll be out there with Beau every day in the freezing cold weather riding or just hanging out with him and brushing him or doing groundwork in the indoor.
> 
> It's an addiction for me too.


I found the indoor arena seems to magnify the cold and it actually feels colder some times in the arena.
If you have access to a bush it cuts down the wind, the driving snow. In the really cold weather I slip down into the swamp. It is very low and the storm seems to blow over you. It can be raging outside and down in the swamp nothing stirs, not a breeze,
This is the type of thing the wild horses know about, the hidden coves, shelters, places the sun seems to penetrate and offer them protection.They don't stand out in the open fields, bum to the winter and endure. They go to shelter.
I am realllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly sorry for your addiction:lol::lol:


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

IslandWave said:


> How did Rio like the ride in the sleet?
> . :wink:


He doesn't seem to mind it. He doesn't try drifting away from the head wind. He just keeps his head down and plods on or jogs on in this case. We once went out in a major thunder storm and it hit us less then 1/2 mile from the barn. I just picked a big tree about 50 feet in from the edge of the forest and backed him against this big tree. I was wearing my oil skin that doms to the saddle and we just stood. I considered getting off and hobbling him but he stands, back humped, head down and just waits patiently for the storm to pass. 5 or 10 minutes later the storm passed, the sun came out and it was beautiful
He does not mind the heavy lightening, the crashing thunder. He just endures without complaint. I never once had to correct him, no once.


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## Elky (Apr 17, 2010)

It is nice going out when it is about 70 degrees and sunny, get to the top ogf the mountain and a storm blew in, temperature dropped very quickly, sky turned from blue to black, wind got worse, then snowed like the dickens. Once on top there is no escaping it when you are on the ridge line with no shelter at all and in white out conditions. Headed out and as I was heading down it seemed like it was going to pass over me, NOT!!!!!! Sky got black again, winds came in again and got hit this time with a hail storm. Could not hold your head up to see, neither could my horse. He just stopped mid trail and faced his butt to the storm. I hate those mountain storms when they come in like that, they are fierce and very dangerous.


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## Skipsfirstspike (Mar 22, 2010)

Riosdad you are lucky to have a nice area to ride. I have read posts of yours in which you have taken Rio into town, but I'm sure for the most part you ride the bush and trails. The riding is very poor in my area, scenery (or lack of) is very flat, and there are just the dirt roads that are all in a grid pattern. I do have a small area of woods that I ride in, which takes only 10 minutes to walk through, lol! We just have to keep circling around and going back through! And I am thankful for it, believe me.
That being said, I am still absolutely addicted in my own capacity. I am not able to see Spike every day, but I pine for him if I can't get there 3 X a week. Before my kids I would ride a minimum of 5 days a week, and now, well I just get out there when I can. Sometimes I have the whole day, but more often than not I have to make due with an hour or so. The point is, when I am riding Spike (or just being with him), I am happy, at peace. I have a lot going on in my life right now(recently separated, ugh), but when I am riding all of that disappears. So although my 'addiction' doesn't take up near the amount of time that it does for you, I think it is fair to say that it fills my mind and heart just as much!


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

RiosDad said:


> My saddle is the Abetta synthetic with extensive modications including a sheep skin tightly fit seat. My head stall is well oiled quality leather. I am not worried about my equipment. I even went so far once as to swim my horse across a river. I rode him into the water and then slipped back holding his tail , steering and then when he started coming back out of the water I pulled myself back forward and he rose under me. The saddle dried out fine. All leather parts are heavily oiled.
> Most of the time when I ride in rain I use a well oiled aussy rain coat that domes to the saddle covering everything including the saddle bags.
> No equipment is not a concern although I am very annal about what I use and it's condition.


 haha ya, mines a dressage saddle soooo... haha it doesnt handle weather like yours does, lol and anal about my tack too, haha. but i do have a rain slicker... haha i have a leather aussie one, and i bright hot pink one. they were both my moms when she was my age, lol.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

Skipsfirstspike said:


> Riosdad you are lucky to have a nice area to ride. I have read posts of yours in which you have taken Rio into town, but I'm sure for the most part you ride the bush and trails. The riding is very poor in my area, scenery (or lack of) is very flat, and there are just the dirt roads that are all in a grid pattern. I do have a small area of woods that I ride in, which takes only 10 minutes to walk through, lol! !


I have about 15 miles of honest bush trails. I add alot more distance by running long the edge of fields to other bushes. Some very high hills, a deep swamp with nice sandy trails running through it. A lake I can ride around.
I also have unlimited roads I can run.
About 5 miles away is the city and I trailer to the large maul and unload in a quiet corner and then again unlimited mileage over grass. Walking trials, grass boulevards, parks, hydro right of ways, university, you name it you can access it all over grass. 
I also love construction areas. Hundreds of acres of cleared land with nothing growing, lots of wash outs to manuver, steep piles of dirt to crawl over, streams to drink from. Etc etc

Then come winter the snowmobile trails run about 1/2 mile from the barn so I jump on one of them and can go forever.

No I live in a very high densly populated area but the riding is unlimited.
Just use you imagination.
I have had new riding partners not sleep at night knowing I am going to be asking something from them that scares the crap out of them but before long nothing bothers them and they go anywhere I ask.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

ridergirl23 said:


> haha ya, mines a dressage saddle soooo... haha it doesnt handle weather like yours does, lol and anal about my tack too, haha. but i do have a rain slicker... haha i have a leather aussie one, and i bright hot pink one. they were both my moms when she was my age, lol.


I bought a english saddle for $3000 and was so afraid to get it dirty I kept it on a rack in my basement for 10 years and sold it last year of $1000 because I didn't want to mess it up???
Where's the logic in that???

Well oiled a saddle can take a good soaking with no problems.
When I ran a complete leather saddle I oiled and cleaned it once a week.
I would turn the saddle upside down and paint with a paint brush harness oil all over the inside. I just soaked it and saddle soaped the top side.


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## PechosGoldenChance (Aug 23, 2009)

Sqeak: Same here. I hate this Ohio weather. 

I like to go out all the time, it's an addiction for me to just be out in the barn period, let alone riding. I can't get enough just like you riosdad.


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

RiosDad said:


> I bought a english saddle for $3000 and was so afraid to get it dirty I kept it on a rack in my basement for 10 years and sold it last year of $1000 because I didn't want to mess it up???
> Where's the logic in that???
> 
> Well oiled a saddle can take a good soaking with no problems.
> ...


 haha i know  but im still terrified of hurting my baby saddle, haha, dressage princess much? :lol: I borrow my aunts old western work saddle when i am going for a real trail ride.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I think you are extremely lucky that you can get out of house, tack your horse, and ride off the property! I wish I could do it! 

But I have to haul mine to the parks around (and by the time you get there, tack it next to the trailer with all this inconvenience of dragging a heavy saddle from the back seat of my truck, check all your keys etc. and departure you are not in hot mood anymore  ). And even there you can't really do a good canter as you can run into some people or bikers or other horses blocking whole trail right around the road band plus the surface for the most part is not the best for cantering.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

kitten_Val said:


> I think you are extremely lucky that you can get out of house, tack your horse, and ride off the property! I wish I could do it!
> 
> But I have to haul mine to the parks around (and by the time you get there, tack it next to the trailer with all this inconvenience of dragging a heavy saddle from the back seat of my truck, check all your keys etc. and departure you are not in hot mood anymore  ). And even there you can't really do a good canter as you can run into some people or bikers or other horses blocking whole trail right around the road band plus the surface for the most part is not the best for cantering.


Why can't you just saddle up and head out on the roads?? There are roads all over the country so just start using them. On my old guy I ran a 10 mile block nearly every night. Properly shod they have no problems on the shoulder of the roads.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

RiosDad said:


> Why can't you just saddle up and head out on the roads?? There are roads all over the country so just start using them. On my old guy I ran a 10 mile block nearly every night. Properly shod they have no problems on the shoulder of the roads.


We have no shoulders around here unfortunately. :wink: My horses are not shod (I don't see a need for it yet). And it's VERY unsafe as the traffic is really dense and some people have NO respect for other cars, horses, pedestrians, dogs, wild life, etc.  Its very unfortunate, but even in one park (don't go there anymore) you can be run over by the car making 40+ miles/hour on 5 miles/hour park road. I almost had this experience once. That was very scary! I bet they were drugged or something.


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## Squeak (Apr 8, 2010)

RiosDad said:


> They make clothes that can keep you warm well down in the minuses? MY boots say minus 40
> Get some good warm clothes and then go ride. Over the years I have worked out my clothing to take in any kind of weather. I will even ride at minus 18. I use to put a took over the nose of my horse to protect him but I don't do that anymore. The vet told me you can not freeze the lungs of a horse.
> Just yesterday it caught my by suprise and I was dressed light.
> I will dress the same this morning and hopefully it is not as bad


I'm fine with the cold, but when you add cold and wet... i hate the fact that i go from freezing to sweating, and then back to cold when i bundle up. 

My biggest issue with riding in the winters in Ohio is my face/throat. My throat and lungs protest, and it's hard to find good protection for my face.

Of course we're talking Ohio blizzards with wind, which have been a HUGE problem for us over the last few years. It's not bad at all when it's not windy and not precipitating.

I'll just pass on the really bad/wet/cold days :lol:


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