12/19/2025
Reasons why having a horse in winter is better than the gym.
1. Unlimited leg day: the non negotiable task of trudging through 8 inches of mud with a wheelbarrow full of horse sh*te that youâve filled to absolute max capacity Tetris style to try to minimise the trips to the mud heap. Which is all fine till you hit a rock.
2. Personal trainer with attitude: Your horse will absolutely scream at you if youâre late. Peloton instructors donât pin their ears and threaten violence. At least, not the ones Iâve seen.
3. Surprise cardio: Nothing spikes your heart rate quite like watching your horse gallop around in ice-slick footing while you shout, âSTOP HAVING FUN, YOU COULD DIE.â
4. Resistance training: Frozen gate latches. Frozen water buckets. Frozen taps. You have two choices, attempt to smash through hulk style or sacrifice the tiny bit of warmth that remains in your hand on an attempt to defrost. Being honest, either way results in misery.
5. Sauna benefits: Yes, itâs winter, but by the time youâve put on 14 layers, dragged three hay bales, and chased your horse who âdoesnât feel like coming in,â youâre sweating like you sprinted up Everest.
6. Improved flexibility: Ever tried pulling a rug strap together, sunk up to your knees in mud while your horse decides to side-step like a drunk crab? Welcome to involuntary yoga.
7. Balance training: Ice patches/bog. Usually in the wind while carrying an armful of hay that is actively trying to disintergrate/enter your eyeballs. Enough said.
8. Natural weight loss program: Who needs a diet when your calories burn themselves the moment you step into the barn and you see 3 escaped horses and one open bag of sugar beet nuts.
9. Mental toughness: Nothing is mentally tougher than a horse owner who is calling the vet out of hours on a Sunday night.
10. Built-in accountability: Your gym doesnât care if you skip. Your horse does. Your horse really does. He will remember. Forever.
So really, youâre absolutely justified in swan-diving face-first into that tin of miniature Christmas chocolates you were âtechnically saving.â Even if itâs breakfast. Especially if itâs breakfastâŚ
Credit to the wonderful soul who wrote this, I wish I knew who you were!