I always remove my rings before riding. Previously to doing this I’ve lost stones in my engagement ring (despite always wearing gloves for riding), I’ve had a ring squashed between a horses head and a door post and I’ve broken a finger, luckily not a ring finger. The rings go in a small ring box I keep for the purpose.
My horse IS my diamond ring 
When my then boyfriend mentioned an engagement ring, I told him not to bother, since I would likely just sell it to buy a horse instead…so he didn’t give me an engagement ring ( a first for his very traditional, upper class family) but I got a horse
As for other jewelry, except for my very thin wedding band, I don’t wear any or take everything off when going to the barn.
All the ladies I know keep a spare ring box in their tack trunk or locker and take their ring(s) off while at the barn.
The last time I wore a ring to the barn, I picked up the foot of a horse whose shoe had started to work loose and my ring caught on one of the loose nails. Luckily, the horse was quiet and I was able to disengage my finger and set his hoof down carefully. We had a farm full of mares, foals and yearlings at the time and I left my ring at the house from that day forward.
My wedding band has channel set diamonds so I can keep it on in the barn without worrying. My engagement ring is actually a little loose, so not only do I worry about it while in the barn, it tends to slide to the side and then rubs on my pinky if I wear gloves. So it stays in my house unless I am going somewhere non-horsey.
My flat wedding band has diamond embedded within it, and it is always on. My engagement ring has a large center stone and side stones, and it never goes to the barn. I do wear gloves every day for barn work, and always when I ride. I keep my engagement ring out of the equation because I’d worry I’d lose the diamonds.
I wear a plain white gold band and I don’t take it off unless I’m bathing a horse or working with bread dough / raw hamburger. My engagement ring comes out only for special occasions.
My my husband no longer wears a ring as his ring finger is permanently bent with a big knuckle - thanks to his platinum wedding ring and a spooking horse (reins caught the ring and blew out the ligaments).
I wear my wedding ring all the time. My engagement ring does not go to the barn, ever. It’s a family heirloom, 1920s art deco style, and I like it too much to risk losing it at the barn.
For barn work, etc during the winter when I definitely have gloves on, then yes, I don’t worry about taking it off. I don’t like to wear it when riding because I can feel it. During the summer when I don’t have gloves on (I hate wearing gloves for anything unless it’s too cold for me to stand it) then I don’t wear it at all for anything around the horses.
My engagement ring is not very high. I used to take it off when I first got it, but forgot one day and it didn’t bother me at all so now it never comes off. I always wear gloves to ride and and conscious of it when hosing and bathing but have not had an issue.
I got my ring insured the week that we got engaged. Don’t forget to do that if you haven’t. It’s very affordable.
I only wear my Trinity band at the barn. I found that pave diamonds can come loose and fall out. Also, take into account if you were to break your finger, the ring would probably have to be cut off.
First, congrats!
Yes and no…to each of your questions. I have worn my rings to the barn, but I definitely prefer not to. I’ll feed, water, etc with them on. I hate to ride with them on, and will only do so if for some reason I’m in a situation that has left me with nowhere to stow them safely (including no one that I feel comfortable handing them to to hold).
For anything more than tossing some hay, feeding, watering, I put gloves on - rings or no rings. I really hate to ride without gloves and again, if I’m somewhere without my own gloves handy I’ll try to find some to borrow!
Problems - I haven’t been injured because of wearing rings in the barn, and I haven’t damaged my rings, but yes they’ve gotten in the way before and yes, they’ve caught on things. Fortunately nothing that’s hurt me or damaged them. I’ve scratched my saddle with my diamond…and I was PISSED. See #2 - I really, really like to wear gloves, so I was doubly pissed.
My diamond is a 3.2 carat round brilliant cut, so it sticks up plenty. There’s another full carat of round brilliant cut channel set diamonds on the wedding band and engagement band combined. I do not have the two soldered together, so theoretically I could wear just the wedding band in the barn. But I’m afraid of something happening to my finger and/or the ring(s), and that’s not worth it. I was actually washing a horse’s tail last fall, wearing my rings, and my engagement ring slid right off with the help of the conditioner and the water. Thank GOD we were in a concrete wash stall and I heard the “clank” of metal hit concrete…before that diamond washed down the drain. It was an excellent reminder of the potential financial and sentimental loss.
If you need a visual of potential physical loss, you can Google “degloving”. That does it for me 
[QUOTE=Equitational;8000657]
Yes I’ve had this problem, but not a huge deal for me. I just adjust them under my glove when the slip to the side. And I do work with young, unbroke horses doing lots of lunging (right now I lunge 2-3 young horses and ride 1 or 2 a day). But I always wear gloves even when tacking and grooming.
I’m not a big jewelry person but love my rings (I get a lot of compliments from the horse show ring even from non-horsey people).
Does anyone else insure their rings or jewelry?[/QUOTE]
Mine is insured as is my husband’s watch (Rolex) and my diamond earrings. I’m always amazed at people that DON’T insure their jewelry. My engagement ring and 2 eternity bands are appraised at $23K, the watch is $10K and my earrings are $5K - that costs about $300 per year with no deductible. Why NOT insure them? That way, if you lose them or they are stolen you are covered.
As for wearing my jewelry at the barn - I only take my rings off to sleep, otherwise they are always on. Never had an issue except for them getting dirty.
[QUOTE=Sabino;8001535]
Mine is insured as is my husband’s watch (Rolex) and my diamond earrings. I’m always amazed at people that DON’T insure their jewelry. My engagement ring and 2 eternity bands are appraised at $23K, the watch is $10K and my earrings are $5K - that costs about $300 per year with no deductible. Why NOT insure them? That way, if you lose them or they are stolen you are covered.
As for wearing my jewelry at the barn - I only take my rings off to sleep, otherwise they are always on. Never had an issue except for them getting dirty.[/QUOTE]
I go the other way- my DH’s wedding band is a simple band that cost around $100 bucks and my ring was around the same. If we lose or break something, I’d rather just be able to easily replace it as opposed to dealing with insurance hassle.
My bigger jewelry is all insured. If I’m going out anywhere I usually wear diamond earrings, wedding rings, and a right hand ring. However - I really don’t like to wear my jewelry to the barn. I’ve done it before, but only when I’ve been out somewhere and stop by the barn on my way back. My engagement ring is an antique - it’s an old European cut diamond, so it would not be easily replaced. I was married for a lot of years before I got this ring, I would be sick if I lost it.
There is so much potential to damage either my jewelry or my fingers that i just don’t feel comfortable wearing rings around the horses. I also don’t like the feel of holding reins when i have rings on - even with gloves. Consequently, I often go days without wearing any jewelry at all.
[QUOTE=Equitational;8000506]
For those of you with engagement and wedding rings. Do you wear your rings to the barn? Do you wear gloves over your rings? Have you had any problems with wearing your ring to the barn and/or riding?
A post from the recently engaged. I have two diamond rings my fiance has bought me (one is a horse shoe diamond ring he purchased a couple years ago as a ‘promise ring’). I insured my engagement ring through my homeowners policy. Since I’ve had the promise ring, I’ve alway worn gloves handling, grooming and tacking up the horses (I’ve always worn gloves while lunging and riding). I don’t want to take off either ring so I just make a point of putting on gloves when I get to the barn (it also helps protect my gel manicure I’m now a fan of). I know the safety concerns with rings getting caught and the dangers of taking a finger off… But do other horse people leave their rings on while at the barn or riding?[/QUOTE]
I’m late to this thread but I will just say no.
My ring is an heirloom. My husband’s grandmother was married in a Japanese-American internment camp with this ring. It’s a two piece ring, it’s big and beautiful and art deco and if anything ever happened to it, I would feel so horrible.
I used to ride with it on, but it was getting so grimy and then I heard about how someone lost their ring once in an arena. They took their gloves off and the ring snagged and came off with it and I’m not sure if that lady’s ring was ever found.
I NEVER wear my rings at the barn - NEVER.
I will always remember when I was a teenager, I was working with a horse and was wearing a plain silver ring (band). Something happened and the horse spooked / flung his head at mine. I grabbed his halter - and in the chaos, my ring came in contact with the side ring of his halter - and someone how broke, and snagged on the halter - ripping the ring off my finger.
Miraculously my finger was okay - that was the last time I wore any jewelry around horses.
[QUOTE=canadianbacon;8000635]
If you make it a routine then you will actually less of a chance of it getting lost and much less of a chance of injury. [/QUOTE]
YES! A routine is very important. After scaring my self several times about “losing my rings!” in the early years, I have VERY established routines.
I have a wallet with a zipper pouch - I pull up to the barn, take my rings off, and place them in my wallet where I know they are safe. When I get back in the car, I put them back on. But if I forget, no problem, I know that they are in my wallet.
For safety alone I take off any rings while at the barn. But I’m also sort of OCD about my rings and keeping them clean. I have a dark teal sapphire and if it gets even a little dirty it doesn’t sparkle well (it’s also hard to clean because it sits so tightly against the setting). So I take it off all the time (to bathe my toddler, to do gardening, to be anywhere near horses, cooking if I’m going to be handling raw meat or spices, etc).
Then again, I freqently forget to put them back on, LOL
I thought this was a timely piece on COTH:
A Valentine’s Day Diamond Disaster
“I started pulling back, and he started pulling back too. He was in the stall, and I was on the other side of the door, and for a second there I thought he was going to rip my finger apart. But then the diamond came off the casing, so he had it in his mouth!”
I lost my (original) diamond out of my engagement ring - now I take off ALL my rings before riding/doing a lot around the barn.
