The cold, wet and gray days, along with less hours of sunlight have taken their hold on me. I’m in hibernation mode where all I want to do is sleep and eat!

This happens every year, and every fall I fight it saying to myself, “I’ll do better this year. I’m going to ride all winter, go to some shows and just keep chugging right along. I am NOT going to be lazy this year.”

Well,  you know what? I have failed again this year! With a new horse in the barn, and another sale prospect on the way, the guilt of riding less and eating more gets pretty heavy sometimes. I know I should be riding, eating better, working out, writing more, etc, etc etc… But I don’t.

While I do battle those twinges of guilt, at the same time I know that my horses and myself really do need a break. It does them good to just be a horse for a while, and they usually come back fresh minded and ready to work.

It’s not uncommon for colts to get their first few rides in the fall and then get a break all winter with riding resuming in the spring. Many trainers believe that colts benefit from having that long winter break. I believe that’s true with colts and mature horses alike, especially if you’ve worked them pretty hard or hauled a good bit throughout the year.

Depending on weather and motivation, as well as the horse themselves, I’ll still do a little ground work throughout the winter. For instance, the OTTB we have gets some ground work once or twice a week, and sometimes I’ll do some ground work as I’m turning him out just to keep him tuned. He tends to get a little cranky if he’s not handled on a regular basis.

The same goes for me. By early spring, I’m ready to start riding and hauling and looking forward to the coming show season. As the say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and being away for a while from the hustle and bustle of going down the road makes me ready to haul again when the weather breaks.

As far as working out, although I do cut back quite a bit I don’t quit completely. I’ve found that the less I move, the more achy I get. So I still try to incorporate at least few weekly core exercises to keep me feeling better. At least that way I don’t turn into a total couch potato, and that’s less conditioning I have to do in the spring as well.

There have been years I’ve ridden all winter. Years where I body clipped and blanketed, rode in the dark, and lunged at 4am in the mornings just to get a horse ready for an early season show. I would most definitely do it again, if there was a show I really wanted to go to. However, that’s just not the case this year.

While I’ll still struggle some with those twinges of things I think I should be doing just because, I’m not going not focus on it too much. I figure my body is telling me I need a break physically and mentally. Besides, life is too short to beat yourself up too much. Really, it is.

So what mode are you in for winter? Are you riding or taking a break?

Barrel racing in January