Yay there are riders who ski here!

[Aerlind]

Hi! I'm new to the forum and a rider! While I learned to ski first (circa age 2), I found horses at age 11 and promptly threw myself into them. I took about 15 years off of skiing because I couldn't afford both....then I moved from Colorado to Montana, where the skiing is much cheaper (as long as you avoid peak season at Big Sky) and I can have my horses at home. Aside from missing out on a lot of the "après" fun because I have to drive home and feed horses, it's a nice balance and gives me something to look forward to in winter when it's too miserable out to ride. And yes, I DO ride in winter, I try to get out once a week if it's not too cold.

I'm a trail/endurance rider! I use my horse to explore the backcountry....and no, I haven't trained her to pack skis, because I'm NOT opening that can of worms with my boyfriend. He can hike like everyone else if he wants to ski, I'm not carrying them for him...but I digress.

I have two Arabians, a 16YO and a 3YO. My summer project is training the 3YO....which I'm not particularly looking forward to, I like my trained 16YO (but keep telling myself she only got that way because I took the time to train her...). We do 25, 30, 50, or 55 miles in a day in competition, but my non-competitive rides are usually much shorter.

I've yet to try skijoring....I want to find a "switcheroo" class where the rider and the skier switch between the rounds, because I want to both ride AND ski! But my 16YO is too flighty for it. I'll see what I can do with the 3YO....but I have a few other friends who have good skijor horses, so hopefully next winter I can give it a go.

 

[Christy]

@Aerlind I think we need photos of your horses. And I'd love to hear more about your endurance races as you do them--I know very little about this!

 

[Aerlind]

The first one’s Opal, my 3YO. I don’t have a lot of good photos of her because she’s currently growing up in Kansas, I’ll get her in Montana in a few weeks!

The second is Dhara, my 16YO. And yes, I dyed her tail purple!

Endurance races basically involve getting up early, saddling your horse in the near darkness, then getting on and riding for hours. There’s a break in the middle, a mandatory “vet hold” where your horse is checked to ensure they are fit and healthy and then sent off to eat and drink and recover. Vets will pull you from the ride if your horse is lame, obtains a significant injury on the trail (like a cut), becomes sore from the saddle, or does not recover to A normal heart rate within a set time (indicating an early metabolic problem). It’s not unlike managing yourself as an ultramarathoner, at least based on my friends who are crazy enough to do that!

 

[Christy]

Here's my gal Bea (my regular ride in my weekly lesson). She's a former eventing horse. She's quite sensitive and electric and rather prone to spooking. I do love her though.

 

[ski now work later]

Thanks @Christy for alerting me to this part of the forum! I rode quite a bit during summers in the early '70s when I was a kid. Then again for about a year in 2005, but took up skiing that winter and couldn't manage/afford the time or $ to both. Resumed for about 6 months in 2020, then again from late 2022 through 2023. And resumed more recently in November 2024. This time I've found a great barn. Have been riding a quarter pony while I get myself back in the saddle at walk/trot/canter and am interested in dressage and pleasure/trail riding. This is Moon who I've been riding.

 

[VickiK]

You lucky ladies! Such lovely steeds.

Watched The Silver Brumby on Amazon Prime a few days ago. Beautiful horses, and an equally beautiful young Russell Crowe. I didn't remember the story outside of the basic premise of brumby vs man, it was too many years ago, but it was an enjoyable movie. Did anyone else love the story of Thowra, the silver brumby, as a girl?

 

[Christy]

Boy, I thought I read all the horse books, but I don't know that one.