Riding in the dark

kschmittendorf · Well Schooled

Riding in the dark

Jackie Cochran · Advanced

I would not hesitate myself, horses have MUCH better night vision that we do.
I would go on loose reins most of the time.

One time some drunk Italian cavalry riders decided to ride home cross-country in the dark, at a gallop jumping fences. None of their horses put a foot wrong. The person who wrote about it did not recommend it (they were VERY drunk).

One of my neighbors used to go trail riding in the dark on familiar trails. He said he loved it and it really helped him to get in synch with his horse.

KatyM · Well Schooled

Yes - I've read that most critters have better night vision than we humans do. We seem to have the trade-off in more binocular vision which gives us a wider field of depth perception.

That said, I'm the nervous type and would be incredibly paranoid that my horse would step in a gopher hole or something (which is really silly I know, since that can happen at high noon on a hot summer day with no clouds in the sky!)

Hoti47 · Well Schooled

I ride all winter long in the dark. I ride on groomed sleigh trails that are for horses our horses only, so I am not concerned with footing- unless there has been freezing rain. I strap an LED lamp to my helmet to help me see, but I know my guys can see well and there are no threats on our trails. I would be leary if I wasn't so confident in the footing.