I will start that I have lived in MN and in New England. I am not in International Falls/ Arctic circle, but it’s cold enough in both places.
I have Sit Tight Wind Pro tights from Kerrits. I wear them if I am going to be outside in the extreme cold for even non-horsey things. If its wicked, silk or wool long johns under those.
Neck gaiter is better than a scarf when at the barn - it stays in place and doesn’t get caught on anything. Otherwise I need a turtleneck. I know some ppl hate those. In any case, your neck needs to be covered or it is all an exercise in futility.
Mittens instead of gloves if possible, but sometimes you need to use your fingers. I haven’t found any pair of gloves, ever, that really keep me warm as they need to. Best mittens I’ve ever had are the ones with wool mitten inside leather mitten. It can be the coldest, crappiest weather and those keep me warm. I do have riding mittens, but I don’t feel like I really have full ability to use my hands as I would like. They are good for trails when my horse is sleepy.
Dafna boots - these are made in Israel, marketed by Ovation and others in various forms. I think they are called Blizzard Boots. Muck Brand are also good. I do not believe that winter riding boots can look nice & still be warm. I have Ariat Bromonts, for example. They look great. They don’t do crap to keep feet warm.
I do have a thing to cover my face/ears warm in a helmet. Use wool or a synthetic that will keep you warm when wet, as your breath will make it damp. Of course, it does make glasses fog.
A giant cape /rug that looks like a tree skirt will keep you warm when riding. It traps your horses heat and yours. Someone on here, years ago, linked to heavy wool hooded cloak for riding - I think it would be fun to look like Nazgul on my dark horse, but I think it would actually be too hot for me.
I don’t have coat recs b/c the one I currently use is, I think, discontinued. I did opt for the giant coat that is too big instead of the closer fitting one. The trapped slug/immobility isn’t as bad if feel I can move around inside the coat. I am not sure if that makes sense, but for me it works. It’s also easier to take on and off quickly if need to move better. Get one with two way zipper AND outside snaps. Velcro won’t cut it you just want to close it up quickly without the zipper.
My barn coat has to have lots of pockets bc I will store hat, mittens, gaiter, helmet liner in them so I don’t lose or forget them out the door. Each more or less has to be in its own pocket or things get flung and lost. They also need to be separate from the pockets I will put my hands in. Lip balm gets it’s own, too, typically on the sleeve.
