Riding Horses on the Beach

Imagine the picture: you and your horse galloping along the water’s edge at sunset, waves breaking behind you and spray thrown up behind the flying hooves. Sounds great, right?

To avoid having the key concepts become “breaking” and “thrown,” riders who are heading to the beach for the first time with their horses should be aware that this will not be just another quiet trail ride around the pasture. Your horse will experience a whole raft of new sounds, sights, and smells. He may be nervous about the footing, and while he’s figuring out the sand under his hooves, a medium-sized wave can hit him broadside, knocking him off balance. As with any other riding venue, the beach presents challenges that can be met with some thought and preparation.

For the first introductory ride at the beach, choose a time when the water is fairly calm such as low tide on a day without too much wind. Don’t try to force an anxious horse into the water immediately. As the water recedes before low tide, there should be a wide strip of firm sand where you can walk the horse parallel to the water. Having another experienced horse or two along for the ride will help your horse gain confidence. Be ready to get off and lead your horse if he gets too nervous to ride. If the experience isn’t going well, move further from the water or find an inland place to ride and try the beach again the next day.

Some horses are bolder than others, eagerly approaching the waves and offering to walk right in. Most, however, will take a while to become calm with the strange sound and motion. Let your horse take his time and wait for him to settle before you ask for anything faster than a walk. Also, before charging into that splashy gallop, think about the sand again. Footing that feels firm at a walk will suddenly be much deeper when the horse trots or canters. There may be softer spots, rocks, drop-offs, or submerged objects that you can’t see until you are literally on top of them. Moving in sand requires much more effort from your horse than traveling on the firmer ground he’s used to encountering, and there’s a far greater chance of soft-tissue injuries as he tries to push off the yielding surface. Don’t overdo the exercise period; take lots of walk and rest breaks, and stop before the horse seems tired.

Along with the sand and water, the beach offers plenty of other challenges to be aware of. Kites, Frisbees, parasails, surfboards or boogie boards, boats, beach umbrellas, volleyball games, running children, barking dogs, lurking chunks of driftwood…these may be more your horse is able to quietly accept. Add a strong breeze that can pick up beach balls, hats, or loose clothing and send them flying toward your steed, and you can begin to understand why a day at the beach may seem more like a visit to the spook house in your horse’s eyes. Think about putting a halter on, either over or under the bridle, and tying the lead shank around the horse’s neck so that you will have a secure way to lead him. A loose horse at home is usually fairly easy to catch, but a loose horse at the beach is a danger to himself and to other people, and there are no barriers to stop him if he takes off at a gallop.

Those other beach-goers have every right to be where they are and do what they’re doing, so riders need to be courteous and thoughtful. Stay off crowded beaches with your horse; if he spooks or becomes hard to control, someone is almost guaranteed to get hurt. At beaches that aren’t quite so busy, be sure other people know that you are coming close to them. You can politely ask them to stop their activity long enough for you to pass, but you can’t expect them to know how easily a horse can get excited by strange things, so it’s your responsibility to stay a safe distance away and avoid trouble.

Riders need to be conscious of the damage their horses’ hooves can do to the fragile beach environment. Stay away from wildlife sanctuaries, turtle nesting sites, and dune restoration areas that may contain endangered foliage.

After your ride, rinse your horse all over with clean water. Check his hooves carefully; sand can wear away a significant amount of hoof tissue on unshod horses. Wash boots and leg wraps to remove sand. Clean any cuts or scrapes on your horse’s legs, as sea water contains microbes that can cause infection. If leather tack has gotten wet, clean it and apply a leather conditioner.

Your horse may have worked harder than he usually works, even if your beach ride has not been very long. After he’s cooled out, turn him out if possible, or offer him hay in his stall. Break grain feedings into several small meals rather than one large amount. Consider an electrolyte supplement if he has worked hard enough to sweat. Be sure clean water is always available. Finally, allow your horse to rest at least several hours, preferable overnight, before loading up for the ride home.