As the cold weather drags on, it tends to feel like the end of winter is nowhere in sight.  Groundhog Day was in fact yesterday February 2nd and whether you believe it or not, Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog indeed saw his shadow and predicts 6 more weeks of winter! Here is a list of things to do to get you through the rest of winter.

Host a Barn Movie Night

Bring together students, boarders, trainers, and everyone else in your equine community for a barn movie night. Choose a favorite horse-themed movie or clinic DVD – and make the night into a mini-party. Have attendees bring cozy blankets and pillows, as well as snacks, and settle into the heated lounge for a fun night of movie watching.

Host a Clinic

To change up the pace a little, have a clinician come to your barn for a day or weekend. Riders can participate in the clinic with their horses, or you can open the clinic to the public to bring in extra income. For an extra-fun challenge, bring in a clinician to work on a discipline or activity that your horses traditionally don’t participate in, like equine agility or Western dressage.

Audit a Clinic

If hosting a clinic at your own farm isn’t practical, you can always travel elsewhere to audit a clinic. Get your friends involved and make a day of it. Auditing a clinic is a great way to determine whether you would like to ride in a clinic with the clinician in the future, and you can learn a lot without having to pay the full clinic price.

Plan a Tack Sale

Spring will be here before you know it, and what better way is there to kick the season off than with a tack sale? Start planning a barn tack sale, and invite riders from other barns to bring their own tack and participate in the fun. Holding a tack sale gives you the perfect opportunity to clean out and organize your tack room, as well as finding other riding supplies you really need at a good price.

Volunteer at a Horse Rescue

Horse rescues are often in need of volunteers, so if you have some free time during the winter because you’re not riding as often, look into volunteering at a local horse rescue. Volunteers often help rescues in a number of ways, from caring for and grooming horses to performing more office-related tasks.

Take a Course in a New Horse-Related Skill

Winter is the perfect time to learn a new horse-related skill, such as massage or liberty training. Look for horse-related courses and get some friends to enroll with you.

These activities should help you get through the rest of winter, and don’t fear – spring will be here soon!