# Night Riding



## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

I do, love it. I usually wear a headlamp. It sure is a different feel. Ya' have to watch out for lower limbs…hahaha. I find my horses are actually more calm at night, aside from the occasional deer herd running across the trail in front of you. I took my three year old out a few weeks back and that was the only thing that made him nervous, he was shaking a tad but otherwise was fine.


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## Iseul (Mar 8, 2010)

I don't wear a headlamp for the reason that I think it makes it harder for the horse to see. I kept my hand up the majority of the time. One time I didn't was when I got a tree to the face, lol.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

The lamp has a red, blue and white light setting, rarely use the white one because it is more bright. Sometimes we leave them off and we use glow sticks around our necks. The headlamp comes in handy if a horse does stumble etc. They do see at night better than we do. They just don't have a height perception…hahaha.


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## iRide Ponies (Aug 10, 2012)

I went night riding last night. I've never used a light for night riding, but nor have I ever been hit by a tree - I tend to stick to the trails I know well after dark, and don't go when there is no moon.
Its awful fun I find.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

<sigh> I'd love to ride at night. It's so peaceful, but no I never do if I have a choice. The wildlife here is too sketchy starting around dusk.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I never do in the summer months. Then hunting season rolls around in the fall and I find myself riding in the dark a lot.

Get up early and ride 30-60 minutes to be in place to see Deer/Elk at sunrise, Hunt all day and stay late to see animals moving at dusk and then ride back to camp in the dark. Of course there are the years when we shot something at sunset and then clean and load and ride back really late.

Couple this with snow and bad weather and I can be pretty frozen when I get back to the tent for the night.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

When on the prairies, the days were far to hot to ride so we'd wait until dark, about 11pm. It was so beautiful then and even when we went for a gallop the horses never took a misstep. Sometimes we couldn't see a hand in front of our face if a cloud blocked the moonlight. We knew if we lost our bearings that the horses would take us home.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I ride in the dark all the time, especially in the summer when the evenings and nights are nice and mild. I really enjoy heading out in the late afternoon and watching the sun set and the stars/moon come out. Where I am, it's really easy to get completely away from the lights of town so the _only _light is what the stars and moon provide. I have frequently gone out when I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, but the horses seemed to see fine.

No photoshop, it was just really dark









I also tend to do things that most sane people would call "stupid". This guy's first ride at night, on a road he'd never been down, and approaching a railroad crossing with a train going by. BUT, he took it all like an old pro. Thing that bothered him the most is the second of blindness from the flash every time I'd take a picture.









Sorry for all the floaters in the pic, it was a still night and a dirt road. You can still just barely see the reflectors from the train though.


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## bkylem (Sep 21, 2013)

Okay a real novice here, but isn't a horse more likely to stumble or be spooked at night ? Logic says yes, but I totally trust your insight.

Thanks !


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## tman33 (Jul 4, 2011)

We ride a lot at night. A few years ago we made around 30 night rides. We stick to county roads, logging roads and dirt roads. During the week after 10:00pm there are usually very few cars on the roads in our area. Weekends are bad about traffic. We take headlamps and only turn them on when we hear a vehicle coming and get off the road. We also have reflective wraps for our bridles and legs. We sometimes put reflective vest on the person in the front and rear of the pack. People are crazy and are not use to seeing horse riders at night, be careful!


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