Cold Weather Riding

This morning, Boise woke up to a temperature of 2 degrees farenheit making it the perfect time to write about cold weather riding.

Winter is my least favorite time to ride. Not only do you have to wear extra layer of clothes, but it seems to take forever to "undress" your horse, even in a heated barn. But there are a few things that can make riding during this time of year much more pleasant! For instance, your arms get a pretty good workout pulling heavy blankets over your horse's head! Here are a couple of other tricks that I have learned that make winter riding much more enjoyable:

1. First, I have an hour long drive to my barn so it is a treat on Saturday and Sunday mornings to stop at Starbucks for a skinny latte. It is an incentive to get out of my cozy bed and head to the barn. I also leave my riding boots at the tack room and wear warm Uggs to the barn making the drive more comfortable!

2. If you are practicing huntseat, either wear a shorter coat or a coat that is specially designed to raise into two point (i.e. it has snaps on the bottom). If not, your coat catches on the back of your saddle. Dovers and Stateline Tack both have a good selection of warm weather coats specifically designed for the huntseat discipline.

3. Invest in warm socks and a nice pair of winter gloves. They might cost a little more, but you can feel your feet and "non-bulky" insulated gloves allow you to feel your horses mouth. I have found that stores like REI have a great selection of socks and hats that are accustomed for winter sports activities.

4. Finally, I have learned to wear gators with my form fitting insulated running pants when practicing huntseat. The running pants keep you really warm while the gators allow you to still wear wool socks that usually don't fit under your tall boots. The running pants look pretty much like black breeches, less the knee patch.

5. Last, but not least, don't forget your horse's comfort. Invest in nice fitting blankets and liners to ensure that they maintain the proper temperature. The last thing you want is for your horse to be to warm or to cold. My horse tends to be a little problematic in the blanket department- he rubs his mane when he wears any type of full hood and nylon sheets rub his chest. To avoid these problems, I invest in body sleezie blankets and I couple them with a special blanket from Dovers Saddlery that comes midway up his neck. I find that Dover's has a great selection of unique blankets and coolers. Speaking of which, don't forget to pack a cooler to protect your saddle at shows in case you need to walk in the rain!

I am sure everyone has there own tricks, but these are just a few to get you going!

k