Does anyone else out there go horseback riding at night?  My wife (cyclone) and I have come to really enjoy the experience.  Even though the moon might be out, in the canopy of trees, it can get very difficult for us to see, but the horses see much better in the dark than we do.

I also like going for solo rides in the dark to improve my trust relationship with my horse.  It is a completely different riding experience...have to trust the horse completely, especially in pitch black.

I've been caught out in thunderstorms in the dark riding out of the bottoms, and it is good to know that I can rely on my mount to bring us out safely.

Any others out there as crazy as we seem to be?

I don't do it so much in the summer. Other than being late getting back to the trailer after sunset.

But I do it a lot during the fall hunting season. We are always leaving camp before sun up so we can be at our hunting spots at daylight. same thing about staying late to watch for game moving at sunset.  And I've been known to be late getting out of town on occassions and have had to ride into camp way after dark, usually with couple pack horses in tow.

A lot of the trails we ride hunting are thick and overgrown. It's a full time challenge to keep from getting brushed off the saddle by low hanging branches. I love watching the sparks come off the horses shoes when they strike the rocks just right. I usually carry a light ( usually one of those headlamps) that I can turn on to show the horse what the big black furry thing in the trail is. Usually a angus cow thats wandering in for their nightly water.

Oh,man,did that ever bring back some wonderful memories!

When I got back "into" horses in 1997,my first big ride was on a night ride.Mr.George Taylor at Dalton,MO held it,and there were SO many people on it! My then-future husband unbeknownest to me,was with a group in the back,and they got lost and didn't rejoin the ride.

Went on several more,and it was so much fun.Do I ever miss those times! No one does it anymore,and,Mr.Taylor passed away only about a week after we all went on his last "night ride."I'd go again in a minute on another one.Anyone in Southern MO for it?

LOL....my nickname on the trails is "Spiderman"...I'm usually in front clearing the spiderwebs (I'm tallest, and on the tallest horse when I ride my 16h TWH).  Still no fun, and at night, you never see them coming.  I've swatted my own glasses off my face trying to clear a spider off.

I do carry a hat-brim low-level red LED lamp, but I make it a game to try and never turn it on.  The red lamp won't blind you or the horse when it comes on.

When me and my buddies got caught in the Thunderstorms at night, we ended up using the boy's cellphone as a light to find our way out of the mess.  Couldn't see your hand in front of your face.  Very exciting riding, though.

I think the ultimate in trust-building is a solo ride at night.  I like to train up horses, and when I can ride them solo at night, I know we're just about where we need to be.  Spooks are spookier, but when we get it all together and get over it, we ride more as one unit, slack rein, letting the horse pick her way through.

My favorite riding is under a half-moon with a canopy of trees blocking out quite a bit of the light...down to the creek and back...about a 3 hour ride. 

I think my concentration is heightened as well, and I am more in tune with my pre-cues and cues, I feel each muscle and footfall, hear every sound, am more attentive to my own breathing and level of relaxation to communicate "no fear" to the horse.  Awesome riding.

When I was doing endurance I'd train a lot in the dark- usually before the sun came up early morning.  I had to be at work by 8 so would get at least an hr or so of riding in 2-3 mornings/week.  I'd wear reflective vest, reflective stripes on my helmet and my horse would wear leg bands.  we'd usually stay on the side of the road and some known trails thru the woods. 

Whenever we'd do 100's we'd be out well after dark- it was a blast!  my normally spooky little A-rab would always be much calmer in the dark (or maybe it was that 50,60,70 miles he'd run earlier in the day??)  I'd ride w/ glow sticks on the saddle just to see the trail- found riding w/ a headlamp or flashlite was too distracting. I'd carry a flashlite but only use it if we were at an intersection or something.