Winter riding

[dustys_girlly]

well today was really warm, it was in the low 50s. i spent a while Monday cleaning both horses but because of the fog i have not been able to ride. i could but riding a skiddish horse in the fog can lead to bad things, the fog here puts visibility at about 10 to 15 feet. but i got to today. i did not bring the camera because todays ride was all about schooling. dusty has been really lazy lately so we went out, i put draw rains on her( she gets really high headed and starts tossing her head when we start working) and we went out in the hills, she got nice and round and was barley pushing on the draw rains, just holding the snaffle rains. by the time we got home she was soaked! and the best thing was it was a nice even sweat over her hole body! hips and all!! but with the weather i had to hose her, got all the sweat off her then went over her with a ligament oil and warm water. then she was locked in her stall with a cooler.

i was wondering everyone else did on cold days when your horse is dripping? normally i try to keep from getting them that sweaty but sometime you cant.

[farmers_wife]

Well it has been raining then snowing and they raining ice. So no riding for me. Just trying to stand up and not fall down myself. I hate riding in the winter. Too cold in MN. or maybe I am a big whimp.

[HeartofSteel]

I clip my horse, keeps them from getting sweaty. Niko hasn't gotten dripping sweat yet (he's getting clipped saturday) but he does get pretty sticky in places and I usually just use a damp towel and rub the spots and put his blanket on.

[Cat]

I ride bareback and completely at leisure. Neither me or my horses like to do anything too difficult in the cold winter. LOL.

[AUEquine]

well today was really warm, it was in the low 50s.

my version of this statement: "well today was butt freezing cold, it was in the low 50s!"

I've been having the problem recently of fast temp changes. I ride usually around 2 or 3 o'clock and around the time I'm done the sun is setting and it gets cool very fast. I just try to make sure I build in enough time for a good slow cool down from our workout. You know keep them walking quietly while they dry out. Then a good brushing and maybe a light sponging if necessary, then into the stall for dinner with a cooler!

[Flair]

well today was really warm, it was in the low 50s.

I kinda giggle at that. Since we're both in California, and down here there's supposed to be a bit of a heat wave this weekend with temps in the low 80s. ;)

[Gypsy Rose]

I don't get too much riding time in the winter- like farmers_wife, I live in Mn, though farther north. Haven't gotten the freezing rain at least- yet! Hopefully not! When the footing's good, though, like today, I never go very far- pretty much stick around the yard, and mostly walk- once in a while, a very short trot sesion- not enough room to go for long anyway. The upside of my limited riding is that Gypsy never breaks a sweat, and very seldom gets even overly warm.

[mare]

When I showed, I clipped. Now that I don't show and the horses are out 24/7 (with a shelter they snub), when they get hot I towel dry them.

[Miracle Whip]

I rode today in the indoor arena, I trailered Ginger there. She seemed to get pretty steamy pretty fast. But with that thick winter coat of hers... I cannot clip her because she is an outdoor horse. So just have to cool down really slow - lots of walking.

[EnglishGuy]

Oh yeah the cold weather is moving in. We've been bouncing around since last weekend, 40's-60's with wind and sometimes rain or snow called for (although none has fallen yet).

If its cold I'll ride in the indoor arena. It is much warmer in there because of the shelter from the heat, and they put in some heaters to keep it decently warm. We spend 10-15 minutes warming up at a brisk walk or slow trot. Then we do our routine. Afterwards we cool down from 10-20 minutes depending on how hot Tobey is and how cold outside it is. Just a nice easy walk with long reins to let him stretch and take it easy.

When I dismount I immediatley loose the girth a bunch so it breaths and dries out the sweat. Depending on how cold it is I may or may not hang out in the indoor arena (Tobey loves to just stand and watch other horses work in the spectator area, so I'll sit in a chair and he'll stand right next to me) while he dries up a bit.

When we get back to the barn, I untack him and brush him down. Its important to get brush the hair under the saddle pad and girth to get it to stand back up and keep them warm, otherwise if its just pressed down/matted it won't. I towel him off if he is really sweating badly but like you I try not to get to that point on cold days. Afterwards I put a light sheet on him or leave him uncovered while he gets back to normal and then I'll blanket him completely when hes nice and cool.

Tobey is important to get very cool because his grain is in his stall by the time we get back. The barn hands put it in the stall at like 4:30, just a few minutes after we get tacked up and head out, so he needs to be all cool before I let him at it.

[AUEquine]

Tobey is important to get very cool because his grain is in his stall by the time we get back. The barn hands put it in the stall at like 4:30, just a few minutes after we get tacked up and head out, so he needs to be all cool before I let him at it.

I used to be at a barn that did that... it really annoyed me! Finally after enough complaining and sign posting they started leaving my horses feed in a bucket in front of the stall. It was very annoying, I didn't want to keep my horse in the stocks/washrack and take up space others needed, but I had things I needed to do (putting tack away, cleaning up, etc.), but instead I was stuck holding my horse until it was cool enough to eat.