Avoiding the post ride chill

[Ridinwyoming]

Need some COTH advise on how to avoid a chill after riding - human version.

I wear a performance top (patagonia or smart wool) and sometimes when it’s really cold I add a fleece vest and top it off with an insulated windproof jacket. I also wear gloves and a headband under my helmet. While riding I end up sweating so I open up my jacket to cool off. I finish my ride and before I realize it I’m chilled and have a hard time warming back up especially over my back and shoulders.

Would appreciate any suggestions.

[Highflyer]

Pretty much the same as cooling off a horse by throwing a cooler on to walk out-- put your jacket back on for the last few minutes (cool down portion of the ride.) I don’t think there is much else you can do. I don’t have an issue riding so much but definitely after running this time of year.

[mkevent]

UnderArmour heat gear compression turtlenecks. Not only are they warm, but the compression helps support the muscles, so they seem to get chilled less easily. I don’t know if that is the real reason why they work, but I have noticed that I have stayed warmer and much less achey when I wear them.

I’m wondering if the jacket is what is holding the moisture in when you are riding? If you are outside and need the wind/moisture resistance, can you find a jacket that is also wicking so the moisture doesn’t build up between the layers? I would think a performance fleece type jacket might work well in this situation.

I usually remove my jacket just before riding and then put it back on after I’m done to avoid overheating during the ride or to avoid the post ride chill. This depends on whether you are outside in the elements or in an enclosed arena and for how long you ride. If you are riding for an extended period of time, that makes what to wear a lot trickier.

[rustbreeches]

I find it most helpful if I can remember to remove a layer before the ride, then add a layer as soon as you are done

[NurseHorsey]

My experience with fleece is that the fabric does not tend to wick well and the fleece vest could be contributing to your difficulty in keeping warm. Also, wearing an insulated jacket over a wicking/performance-type top can prevent the top from actually doing its function and therefore keeps the moisture in, resulting in a chill when you stop moving.

I’ve been experimenting with layers because the indoor at my barn is half-open - three full walls and one half wall, so it gets pretty chilly in winter. I seemed to find the sweet spot last night and wore a t-shirt (just a regular cotton one), a 3/4 zip-up fleece, a Tuff Rider vest, and then my Landsend Squall jacket. I kept the jacket on for grooming, tack-up, and untacking and took it off for my ride. The fleece kept my arms warm during my ride and the vest kept my core warm even after I was done schooling. Then I popped my jacket back on once I dismounted and was nice and toasty

[gypsymare]

Take the jacket off before you get warm enough to sweat and put it back on before getting chilled.

I always accumulate some sweat around my sports bra and nothing short of a hot shower and dry clothes warms me up.

[quietann]

I tend to get a chill hours after riding in cold weather. Luckily I am usually home when it comes, so I burrow under the blankets with a heating pad for a while.

I like the idea of removing layers as you warm up riding, and then putting them all back on. I do this, pretty much, and will definitely suffer a chill if I don’t put everything back on as soon as I am done riding. Having a horse who will stand still while I wrest myself out of various layers helps a lot with the taking-off part.

[wateryglen]

The chill you describe is from moisture cooling so staying dry by experimenting with different fabrics next to your skin would help. Try wool. Polypropelene. Silk. Cotton. Try them all. And remember moisture does not pass thru (evaporate) thru many synthetics and especially nylon. Goretex for the outer layer as it breathes.
Try this too = go to a Snow Ski shop and look/buy their clothing. BEST layering ever!
Now the chill that happens hours later? That’s usually a dehydration related shift from a central to a peripheral circulation. (Nurse talk here, sorry!) When your shut down extremities warm up; the cooler blood starts circulating and causes your core temp to change. When we’re cold; our bodies naturally cut down circulation in our periphery/extremities. That’s why our hands/feet get cold first. The chills are your muscles helping you warm up. Drink warm liquids , bundle up, move around to warm up. But most of all: DRINK FLUIDS all day in the winter. It’s easier to get dehydrated in dry air than humid. You are losing fluids deep breathing out in the cold. Drink before and after riding. Non caffeinated best. Drink, drink, drink and you’ll find your hands & feet don’t get as cold as quick. I’m serious!!
And best wishes to all of us who do a lot of winter riding/exertion! Dress right and drink your fluids!!

[GotGait]

Hot shower, fire, warm drink. I keep a knit hat on for awhile afterward too - even inside.

[MunchingonHay]

How about a Back on Track shirt over your woolie?

I also agree that the fleece is not helping and you need to take your jacket off after your warm up.

[sophie]

I typically only wear 2 layers + a jacket. Some kind of thin base layer, usually cotton or silk, and a 1/4 zip fleece or wool sweater. The jacket gets hanged on a standard or the arena half wall as soon as we do more than a walk and if needed, I the zip goes down. When we’re done, jacket goes back on. It’s worked well for me, in near-freezing temps, like today (32 degrees). When it gets colder I might wear a long sleeve base layer, and a down vest over the sweater.

However, in the winter I don’t work my horse as hard / long as when temps are milder. For a Tb she has a decent winter coat, and I don’t want to spend a long time cooling her down. Therefore I don’t get that sweaty myself, and by the time we’re done cooling down at the walk, we’re both dry.

[pony_baloney]

When it’s really cold, usually I’ll wear a silk layer, then a cotton turtleneck, then a sweater. My top layer is a down vest while riding, and a squall-type jacket to put on over it to prevent a chill afterwards. Also, a fleece neck warmer seems to keep me warmer when wearing the vest (my chin always gets too cold).

The post-ride chill is the worst. My lower back would get achy from all the shivering. So far I’ve been overdressing because I don’t like being cold. Silk is a really nice, thin warm layer to start with.

[Hawks_Nest]

My best advice, to layer properly and remember to take off layers during the ride! When I get on, I have my jacket on, but I also have an extra cooler over my horse to walk with. When I am ready to start working, I take off his cooler and my jacket (he usually has a quarter sheet under the cooler). Then I warm up some, and if it is warm enough, I take his quarter sheet and also shed another layer.

The other key is my layers. I always always have a wicking base layer on the bottom (underarmour but also have some others that work, even use cotton turtlenecks sometimes), then a vest (synthetic but wears a lot like a down vest), and then my jacket(s). If it is extra cold, I wear a sweatshirt between the base layer and the vest. Usually the top jacket comes off before I get on, then the second one (or the vest) comes off mid ride. Then while I’m cooling out, first layers go back on (same with the pony’s layers) and when I get back to his stall the top layers get back on.

Another thing, the headband might not be helping while you ride, I find that until it is solidly in the low 20’s and below (in the ring), I can’t put my earmuffs on, it is amazing how much warmer it makes you (I also can’t wear a scarf riding until it is super cold). Take them off, put your helmet on, take the helmet off, put it (or a hat) back on

[atr]

It’s the wet sports bra that does me in. I rode in a clinic this morning and was still damp and cold by the time I got home this evening, having sat around watching everyone else’s rides. I think tomorrow I will just peel and change everything after my ride…

[billiebob]

I always make sure I’m just a little bit cold at the start of the ride so that I don’t sweat as much. I also put a jacket as soon as I get off, even if I’m not cold. The right baselayer makes a HUGE difference–I prefer compression tops over Smartwool.

Then, when you get home, HOT shower and good blanket!

ETA I second ditching the headband. I normally do hunter hair over my ears and only stick a headband on if it’s in the low 20s (sometimes not even then, if it’s not windy). When I had access to an indoor I didn’t use a headband at all, even at 10-15F.

[Chief2]

Irish coffee in a thermos waiting for you after your ride. Excellent start to the warm-up afterwards!