Right. Let’s get real. I’m in Ireland. And in the winter it is freezing! There is snow on the ground, there temperature hasn’t been much above freezing in over two weeks and I have to break the ice on the water troughs each morning. 

Ugh. I’m not really a winter girl! 

The question is  – what on earth do you do with your horse in bad weather?

Aside from keeping them happy, fed & watered, I actually like to use the cold weather to my advantage.

In the summer, I tend to focus more on riding. Trail rides, wandering around with my horse in the sunshine, doing lateral maneuvers in the big field beside the pond… it’s all lovely. 

But in the winter, I’m wrapped up in gloves, a scarf & 2 coats, with the dark evenings & cold weather – it’s unlikely I’m going to ride each day (yup, not a hope!) I even got one of those fancy electric jackets a few years ago.

But I still want to keep that connection between my horses & I, during the winter.  So what I do is I focus on simple liberty sessions that can be done in under 15 minutes, once or twice a week. 

This way I can keep working with my horses, even during January in Ireland! And I don’t feel bad we’ve done nothing in months due to hard ground or snow – because we are still able to spend a little time together each week. 

What is liberty work with horses?

“Liberty work involves spending time with your horse when you are not riding your horse. There is no halter or any equipment on your horse. Your horse is free to move in any direction any time he or she chooses.”

And liberty exercises & liberty work with horses are so much fun. And they are a quick & easy way to connect with your horse – in any weather!

Then once the spring arrives, I can get back to a lot more riding & fun activities in the fine weather. 

When you have bad weather,  but you are looking to keep that connection & have fun with your horse during the winter months when there is snow & ice on the ground, I think liberty exercises are a great option. 

And here’s one weird belief that is 100% not true.

When the weather is awful, I’m not going to sit there and feel guilty about not riding my horses enough. 

I think it’s important to give the horses a bit of a break. And to me a bit of a break from riding a few times each week. So I don’t feel guilty about it. And if you are in a similar position, you shouldn’t either. In the winter, I love to spice things up and focus on ‘bad weather’ friendly exercises like groundwork, liberty work, polework, and walking on foot with my horses.

Get started with our liberty work with horses videos today in our fun online class!