5 things to do when you can’t ride.

As horse owners, we put so much time, money and effort into our horses. So it can be incredibly frustrating when they are out of action with an injury and can’t ride, which is what we would love to do with them.

This is something I have been dealing with Scottie quite a bit recently. But I have found myself doing plenty of other things to fill this time and keep me going. So for those of you who are also struggling with this, here are some of the useful things I have been doing instead of riding.

1. Tack Cleaning

As depressing as it might sound to clean tack when you aren’t able to use it, it is also a good time to give it a good clean. You’ve got extra time on your hands and you know it’s not going to get muddy and greasy again the next day when you ride.

2. Sort Out

I’m not a very tidy or organised person. So when I’m trying to fit in riding with work, I can get a bit messy! I have too big storage boxes. But the busier I am, the more stuff ends up piled on top of it rather than in it, especially when I try to fit in a ride after work. But I have made use of Scottie’s non ridden time to hopefully make some changes. I now have one box for regular use items outside the stable and the box inside the tack room is for things I don’t use as often. Fingers crossed this helps!

3. Research

When I am working towards a riding goal, it can be really hard to think of new exercises to try and you can get stuck doing the same thing over and over. So something I have been enjoying about this time away from riding is being able to research new things to try.

I have so many books about horse training I rarely pick up and there are so many videos online demonstrating great exercises, it’s been great having the time to look at some of these and make a note of my favourite ones to hopefully look back on when I’m back in the saddle.

4. General Health Check

Since I’ve had more time on my hand, I have found myself discovering more little things about Scottie which while they aren’t causing an obvious problem, could be improved on.

The first little discovery I made was when I switched to Honeychop chaff. This change made me realise how much of an impact Alfalfa has on Scottie’s digestive system. I have also removed my first ever bean after watching Scottie go for 2 wees quite close together which I didn’t think was normal! Keep your eyes peeled for a sheath cleaning post.

Finding the time for these little health checks has been fantastic and I am going to make sure I find the time to continue these little checks and questions I ask myself about what could be going on.

5. Social Time

Since I haven’t been spending so much time at the yard, I’ve had more time for a social life! I’ve able to dedicate more time to friends and family, which has been a nice change. Although I’m not sure how the other half will feel when I get back in the saddle properly!

What jobs do you try and do when you can’t ride?

Last Updated on 05/06/2022