does your horse wear shoes? how do you keep the snow out if so? i just need to get through december, but its already a chore!
For me, summer horse and winter horse are pretty much the same beast. Heās a little hotter in the summer, but he never gets spazzy on cold days. Heās a body clipped TB, too.
Ehh, winter horse. Mine starts spooking at stupid stuff and has a huge attitude problem on the ground. Heās great all summer and fall, but in the winterā¦so many ācome to Jesusā moments.
Iām a huge weenie in the winter!
Last year once my mare and I finish at the OLD NA inspection sheās pretty much had the entire winter off, which was a first for her and I. When I started bringing her back into work come early spring I could not believe the horse I had! Super willing, focused, and such a pleasant attitude!
She doesnāt get silly or anything with the cold, but she does get miserable once it dips under 10C (50F) and really gets crunchy. This year to try and help her out I bought her a BoT back warming to wear while Iām grooming, and a loin blanket while we ride and that really seemed to help her these last few rides. As for meā¦Iām still bitter. Thankfully though we have a pretty small, well insulated, indoor so once things get moving Iām usually riding around in a sweater.
I donāt think Iāll give the mare the whole winter off this time around, but just stick to light rides and work on sharpening our transitions and get some no stirrup work in. .
IME there are snow pads you can get your ferrier to put on, it almost looks flat except for a ābubbleā thatās supposed to knock know out when they step, I thankfully can pull my shoes once Iām done showing.
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Interesting. I lack motivation when it gets dark earlier. Thankfully I have ring lights for my ring (outdoor) and try to trailer out 1nce a week to a local indoor (that is tough too, see prior āit gets darkā statement).
However- interesting enough- my horse and daughterās pony donāt turn in to āwinter horsesā. They act generally the same, regardless. I have to ensure I am more consistent in the winter but neither are fire breathing dragons in winter (and my mare is a trak).
I have to make myself ride now it is dark so early. I am always glad I did but it feels like a chore to actually get out there.
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Mine get time off when I donāt have an indoor. They are usually quite naughty come January. But I think the break is good and frankly I find Iām mentally more excited to ride when I have the season to look forward to. In dark November and December Iām either burnt out from the season or just plain unmotivated; after work with the cold, bad footing, silly horses and darkness.
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My horse is the exact opposite, he hates summer and is an a$$hole when temps are above 85. Admittedly, Iām the same. Weāre lucky to have each other.
When winter rolls around, he can stand around for 4 or 5 days, pull him out, and heās perfect. We had our first jump school in a month yesterday, again perfection, and snoozing during the breaks.
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My mare is in full winter-horse mode - rude on the ground, flighty and spooky under saddle. Ugh. We have zero turnout around here in winter as all the fields are closed to protect them (Europeā¦le sigh) so winters off arenāt an option. Luckily sheās lazy so after 20-30 minutes of fire breathing dragon she suddenly remembers āoh yeah, iāve worked in this indoor 1000s of times in the years Iāve lived here and now I recall that those jump standards donāt bite, that corner isnāt a black hole, and the door opening and closing isnāt the jaws of h**l coming for meā. She then proceeds to work very nicely for ~30 minutes until she decides ride time is over and Iād like dinner thank-you-very-much.
At least her antics warm up my hands faster as theyāre typically ice-cubes after tacking up 
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So glad (but not really) that someone else experiences this! I am also in Europe and the fields are closed. My horse gets occasional turnout in a small paddock, but he lives out basically 24/7 during the warmer months.
My little Spanish guy has been more spooky and just has a crap work ethic right now. He always starts wanting to trot like a sewing a machine and fly around the arenaā¦then decides he is DONE. I think he also gets stiff being in the box all day. He has a minor stifle weakness on the mend, so this lack of turnout does not help!
I have a trainer riding him 1x a week to help keep us both in check in addition to a weekly lessonā¦but man can those bucks at the canter really tweak my back!
Let me make a few suggestions to turn this frozen lemon of a season into Italian ice, so to speak. To begin, who feels pretty in winter? What with the holidays forcing eggnog and clam dip to our waists, our budgets blown with car repairs, and the certainty that death is just around the corner (maybe thatās just me), there are few reasons to feel good about oneās appearance. So why not celebrate ourselves with a beauty contest? Not a gender specific competition, but welcoming to all participants in what I call The Winter Monarch Contest. Stay with meā¦
Winners are based on the amount of clothing needed to stay warm. Layers are rewarded as are mud, manure, and snot stains. Speaking of snot, the more wheezing, sniffling, and/or crusty above the lip crud are also rewarded, throw in a productive cough drawn deep from the lungs, and youāre looking at triple points. For those with hair, it should be the finest hat head hair in the county, flat, cowlicked to the side of oneās head, maybe some pointy bits for flare.
And no beauty contest can be complete without a talent competition. Donāt worry, no baton twirling required. In MY competition you have to do useful things like the Frozen Bucket Toss or the Icy Poo Fling. Fixing the manure spreader without gloves will earn bonus points, as will the most creative curses when horses escape as youāre attempting to load round bales into their pasture.
Winners receive a hearty handshake, the respect of all other manure encrusted contestants, and a shot of bourbon. Then itās right back to work. Happy Winter to all!
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from my time in SFL (where I used to be cold when I went that whole 60 miles north to WEF, the weather changes just south of wellie, I kid you not) we too had winter horses. And unlike everyone else who bought their horse to WEF, I (and my neighbors) had a horse who went to someplace reliably a few degrees cooler to show. It was solidly a first world problem, let me tell youā¦
So for over a year I have been putting off sending my horse off for driving training because a) inertia rules and b) I would miss him.
I finally got off my ass and made arrangements. He is off being educated, I am warm with only the retiree to take care of. And since I took him over the weather has sucked it mightily, starting with a ridiculous southeaster snowstorm. I feel like (for the first time in my horse owning life of 50+ years) a fāin GENIUS.
I just made the mistake of looking at the extended forecast. On Tuesday, we begin a stretch of two weeks where the warmest it will be is 15Ā° F one day. I guess the ponies will be getting an extended Christmas vacation. 
Effing winter indeed.
Do any of you all have to deal with the winter horse that thinks itās fun to buck and rear the whole time we are trying to productively get through a session of lounging?
I think I might have the only critter that I enjoy riding more in the winter than the summer? He mellows right out in the winter lol
