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I have been following the e-mails from
this newsgroup for some time but have never responded to one, so here
goes!
Una Smith had queried (on April 3, 2003)
about riding in the snow and I found that I just had to respond...
albeit a little after the eight ball.
Horses instinctively already know how to
travel in the snow. The basic rule of thumb for a rider is to not
interfere with the horses' head and maintain a center of balance
while staying totally relaxed. As soon as the rider tenses, the
horse may tense and possibly slip, if the horse is on ice. I find
riding with a loose rein allows the horse to use his head and neck to
the best possible potential.
Our team rides in snow up above the
horses' bellies with no problem. The harder or crustier snow poses
more problems than soft, powdery snow because it is harder for the horse
to break a trail. We tend to change lead horses a lot in harder
conditions so each horse may have a break. Ice is the most
difficult for a horse to navigate but barium on the bottoms of the shoes
helps with the traction. If you can keep your horse barefoot, that
is always the best bet.
The only training you would have to give
a horse is to introduce him/her to snow. It doesn't matter whether
the snow is a couple of inches deep or 4 feet deep; the horse will
respond basically the same. Spend some time just pleasure riding
in it... make it fun for both horse and rider and remember to stay calm
and relaxed at all times.
In early spring or late fall, when the
foals on the ranch see their first snowfall, they tend to romp and play
in it.
I usually ride an ex-racehorse who had
never seen mountain trails previous to my owning him. He
periodically forgets he has 4 legs and being a flat-tracker, he
doesn't jump yet, but he always makes it through whatever terrain I
ask of him. It is true that a horse will naturally squat on their
rump when navigating steep hills... even ex-racehorses. I started
mine off with small hills and gradually increased the length and grade
until I was safely able to work him in the mountains.
I hope this has answered your questions
Una.
Good luck and happy trails
Susan
BC MSAR
A good 6 inches of snow fell here yesterday, which reminds me
to
ask you all about training horses and riders to travel in
snow.
My own experience riding in snow is limited (although I do
ride
all winter, regardless of condition, unlike most people I
know).
We can expect to be called out to search in snow up to 12
inches.
In fact, we have been called out in this situation once
already
this year, but by the time we got on site the snow had melted
to
just a few inches. Up to that depth, horses should travel a
lot
faster than people on foot and probably faster than people
on
snowshoes. But what is the maximum depth of snow that an
MSAR
team can reasonably hope to deal with effectively? How much
does
this depend on the condition of the snow? For instance,
powder
is the rule in New Mexico, but in the northeast US the rule is
a
hard crust of ice.
What particular training issues does
snow present for you? Some
members of my unit say certain of their
(ranch-bred) horses are
safe to ride down steep slopes in snow. If
the horse starts to
slide, it calmly spraddles and squats on its rump
until the slide
ends. My mare probably has no clue how to travel in
deep snow,
and I doubt she is alone. So we should do some training to
teach
our horses about snow, and to learn for ourselves what to
expect
from our horses.
Oh, by the way, it is common for us to
ride where there are no
roads or trails, perhaps even no animal
paths. So being able to
see the trail under the snow is a non-issue
for us.
Una Smith
Santa Fe County Sheriff's Posse, in northern
New
Mexico
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