I live in Vermont. For most of the year, I love the climate. The summers are beautiful and the fall is my favorite time to ride. However, the full winter months can be… a bit rough. This morning when I woke up, it was -7 degrees F. It’s now a balmy 3 degrees F! I plan to go ride this afternoon when it warms up to about 15 degrees F.
If you’re new to winter riding – maybe you are a new rider, have moved to a new place with colder winters, usually forego riding in the winter, or just found it miserable, I thought I would share some of my tips and tricks for riding in cold weather. You should enjoy the ride and not be worrying about your toes falling off!
- Decide how cold is too cold.
Now, I am not a vet and you should speak with your vet if you’re concerned about health risks for your horse. You also have to decide for yourself how much cold you can tolerate (even with proper gear). I have a few friends with circulatory issues that cannot handle temperatures that aren’t a big deal to me.
After doing some research and learning a bit about how extreme cold can stress a horse’s airway when they are breathing heavily for a long time, I have come up with some basic guidelines that work for me and my horse. Keep in mind, we get long stretches of cold weather here in Vermont, and our horses are turned out during the day and are used to the cold. My horse seems to thrive in the cold and gets sweaty when it gets above 30 degrees in his light blanket (and he’s mostly clipped!).
- When it is between 10 and 20 degrees F, I will ride lightly, particularly if the cold weather has been going on for a while. I don’t do a lot of trotting and cantering and generally keep my rides easy with lots of warm up and cool down time.
- When it’s below about 10 degrees F, I generally won’t ride beyond a bareback walk with a little trotting if we feel motivated.
- If it’s above about 20 degrees F, I will have a normal ride including walk, trot, and canter.
2. Dress for the weather and enjoy the ride.
In cold weather, it’s incredibly important to dress for the conditions or you risk some nasty physical consequences like frostbite. I have a lot of layers that I wear to keep comfortable. Here’s a list of what I might wear on a typical cold weather ride where I plan to be out for an hour or two:
- Gloves
- I go with SSG 10 Below gloves. These gloves provide a nice compromise of keeping my hands warm while allowing enough dexterity to tack up and ride.
- Socks
- The importance of a good pair of socks can’t be understated. My sock of choice is the 30 Below Merino Wool, but there are plenty of other warm options out there. I personally like the wool ones since they stay dryer than synthetic types and keep their insulating properties even if they get a little sweaty.
- Boots
- There are lots of types of cold weather boots. My boot of choice is the Ariat Berwick GTX Insulated tall boots. Yes, these are pricey! (I found mine used thankfully.) However, there are many good and warm boots out there at a lower price point. My advice is to look at the grams of insulation provided by the boot (these have 200g). I also find that these boots leave me with enough dexterity where I feel like I can ride safely and communicate with my horse.
- Monica likes the Noble Outfitters MUDS Cold Front Boots. Check out her review here.
- Base layers
- I find that the best way to keep my body warm is to layer up. I use a long sleeve base layer shirt and long pant base layers as my first line of defense. The ones I like are Under Armour, Columbia, or 32 Degrees (they have these at our local Costco – very affordable). The layers are thin so they don’t add bulk but wick away any sweat, keeping you dryer and warmer.
- More layers
- On my upper body, I also add another long sleeve thermal shirt. There are tons of options, but I have a few that are this style.
- And more layers
- Next I usually wear a zip up fleece jacket like this.
- Warm jacket
- And finally for the top, I wear a warm ski jacket that is waterproof, breathable, and windproof. I have one that is similar to this.
- Warm Breeches / Pants
- I ride English, so I wear full seat breeches when I ride (even on long trail rides). I really like the Kerrits Sit Tight Wind Pro Full Seat Tights. Other pants that provide wind protection and insulation are also a great choice.
- Warmers
- To provide some extra warmth on very cold days, I use toe warmers and hand warmers. For the toe warmers, I put them on the top of my toes rather than the bottom because they seem to get better air flow and stay warmer. For the hand warmers, I put them on the backs of my hands in my gloves. This doesn’t impede my ability to use my reins but keeps my hands toasty warm.
- Battery powered heat
- I also have a battery powered heated vest that keeps my core very warm. I usually use this when I am hanging out at the barn doing groundwork or watching others ride, but it’s great for blustery cold rides too. There are a lot of different types. Here’s one option.
- Ear warmers
- I am miserable if my ears are cold, so I wear an ear warmer under my helmet. Mine’s purple and is thin enough that it doesn’t impact my helmet’s fit.
- Face warmer
- There are a lot of kinds of face and neck warmers that you can buy that go over your helmet that are super helpful on very cold and windy days. I found one on Etsy that I find very cozy. I still wear my ear warmer under it since some wind can slip through the gap and chill my ears.
There are, of course, lots of other options too. Monica loves riding in her insulated Arctic Horse riding skirt. Doesn’t she looks awesome? Check out her review here.
3. Keep your horse warm
This one is a little more straightforward. I use a quarter sheet and Monica uses her Arctic Horse skirt (see above). My quarter sheet has a windproof layer and a little insulation. My horse is partially clipped, so he wears this when it’s very cold. There are lots of options for quarter sheets like this fleece one.
4. Consider the footing and keep your horse safe
If you ride when there is snow and ice on the ground, obviously safety is a major concern. Here in Vermont, if the ground froze before snow fell, the footing can be fine and as long as the snow is light and fluffy, pretty safe for a slow trot or controlled canter. But if there has been wet snow, thawing and freezing, or rain on snow with a crust build-up it can be quite hazardous. Dirt roads tend to get packed with snow that turns into ice. Keep all of this in mind before heading out. If icy roads or trails limit your ability to get out, consider getting studded hoof boots. Monica loves hers, which you can read about here. Studded winter shoes are also an option, though we have not tried them.
So, that all may seem like a lot of work and planning just to go for a ride. If you’re thinking… is it worth it?
What do you use to stay warm? Share in the comments!
Happy trails!
Kerrie
I love my heated vest! Seriously a game-changer for prolonging my time outside. I have Reynauds euchre means my hands and feet basically never get warm lol. I use actual winter boots with two pairs of thick wool socks and a toe warmer between the layers on top of my toes. For safety, I invested in specialized safety western stirrups which have leather on the side instead of solid wall so my bulky boots can move freely and I won’t get stuck in the event of excitement. For fingers, I use a liner pair of gloves and special hybrid mittens combined with 2 hand warmers in each (mittens have a zipped pocket on back of hands for a warmer and I do another loose one either on my palm or back of hand). Lastly, I have a spare pair of warmers activated in my pocket to swap out since they cool off every hour in my gloves (hands don’t produce warmth and lack of oxygen reduces chemical reaction of warmer). Great article!!
Thank you for sharing! These are great ideas.
Great point about switching out the warmers too. They do tend to get cold after about an hour without exposure to air.