Riding before work (with a long commute)

[SadieRidingHorses]

I am, for the foreseeable future, doing most of my weekday riding in the very early morning (6:30 am) and then commuting to my office, which is business formal. This has been going okay (despite being exhausting), but the weather is getting warmer and I am conscious of smelling like . . . livestock. Any suggestions on particularly effective body wipes, deodorant, body spray? I don’t have straightforward access to a shower, and shower time would eat into my post-ride grooming time with my mare while she eats her breakfast, which is the happiest part of my day.

Also, if anyone has managed a schedule Ike this and has general tips on how to sustain it, I am all ears. My guess is this was much more common pre-Covid.

[beowulf]

You have my sympathy, I used to do this because I knew I only had so many spoons to get through the day, and if I didn’t ride in the AM, the spoons would be gone by 4 PM.

I kept smells at bay by having a total change of clothing and keeping my hair braided up. Barn smells seep into your hair, so try to keep it braided and/or buy one of those elastic cloth headbands to keep frizzies at bay. You can also spritz down with a light perfume or scent once you change, including your hair. I had Burts Bee’s Purifying body wipes and would use one on my face and one on my chest/neck/arms. Then put on deodorant.

Your footwear is crucial - make sure you aren’t wearing the same footwear to the office, and, if possible, change in the barn before getting into the car because those smells stick to the floormat too. I had a separate grocery bag tote for my Hunters wellies, and then a small clear bin for my barn clothes.

I did not find it sustainable for long term, but I’m someone who handles long commutes poorly. I usually would only do 2-3 days during the week, and prioritize the weekend.

[HeartsDesireEventing]

Obviously make sure you have a change of clothes, including undergarments. If sweaty, a sponge or washcloth and a bucket of water to take the worst of it off - you can use your favorite body wash as part of this step, and then just use the washcloth to rinse the soap and sweat off before drying off, reapplying deodorant, etc.

Personally my challenge would be my hair - I’d probably just dry it as best I could and pull it up so it wasn’t as obvious a sweaty mess, but maybe other people have ideas? I have washed my hair in a water bucket, so as a last resort option that might work.

As far as maintaining it - consider how many days during the week you actually need to ride (vs riding on weekends when you presumably have more time?). I typically aim for 2 - 3 days during the week, plus weekend rides. Use the time after work to prep things and try to get to bed early enough to get sufficient sleep before the early alarm. And remember why we do this to ourselves - because we love horses, riding is fun, and we might be a little crazy

[2DogsFarm]

When I had the same commute I was fortunate barn had a shower. Decrepit, unused, needs wetshoes, but still a shower
But when I had surgery that prohibited showering for almost 2 weeks, I used baby wipes that did a decent job.
Can you wash your hair at a barn spigot?
Mine was short enough to do this & be dry by the time I got to work - about 1/2h drive from the barn.
That goes a long way to getting rid of the Eau d’ Horse.

[awaywego]

It helps to be strategic about your riding based on the weather and your work plans for the day. If it’s a particularly warm day where you’re likely to get extra sweaty - or if you have a big meeting at work later - I would make that day a light ride. Alternatively, when you have any light days at work where you can get away with not looking your best - those are your longer/sweatier schools.

I used to commute 45 min by bike to work in a law firm - we were on the formal end of business casual. I skipped the hot, humid days that I knew I couldn’t pull it off. One thing that really helped me was to wipe down and then basically stand in my bra & underwear for a few minutes to dry & cool down completely before putting my fresh work clothes on. This all heppened in the office bathroom Having an air conditioned space to make your Clark Kent change is key.

[endlessclimb]

Could you wear a lightweight robe for your favorite grooming session, to try and “double catch” the stank before it can get on you?

U2SKIIN Womens Robes, 100% Cotton Lightweight Robes 3/4 Sleeves Kimono Knit Soft Loungewear Short Bathrobe(Grey,M) at Amazon Women’s Clothing store

Make sure you scrub the SNOT out of your hands. I’ve noticed horse smell, even after I washed them!

[Fadleen]

I’ve been riding before work for the past 5 years, tacking up before dawn most days. And I’m no martyr.
The stinkiest factor is hair, so I keep a lavender-scented dryer sheet in my helmet at all times, especially when it’s on my head.
When it’s unfolded, you can’t tell it’s there, and it absorbs sweat.

[SadieRidingHorses]

Thank you so much for all the thoughtful responses so far, and @beowulf thank you for your sympathy. In my previous position, I had more flexibility on riding during business hours, but I traveled a ton. So at least I have the OPTION to get to the barn now.

@Fadleen, your suggestion about the dryer sheet is magical. My hair is curly, and while I wash it before I ride, I know it’s picking up all sorts of helmet smells. I do have a removable liner, so I need to jump on washing that more often.

Also, thanks to those who suggested changing ALL my clothes. I’ve been putting on a different bra for work, but I am going to need to do the same for underwear as it gets hotter - that will make me more comfortable.

@endlessclimb, the struggle with hands/fingernails is real. My best bet is to keep nails short and make a point of scrubbing my nails at some point during the morning. Maybe I can get a fun soap to keep at my desk to make that a little more pleasant.

Thank you again for the suggestions, and keep them coming!

[BrownDerby]

@endlessclimb

Make sure you scrub the SNOT out of your hands. I’ve noticed horse smell, even after I washed them!

Echo this. My hands and wrists were scrubbed but I still had eau de barn whiffs at my desk. It was my watch, which I had removed for washing but did not wipe off.

[tabula_rashah]

I do gym, barn, work. Gym has no shower or locker room so I get changed twice before work at 8. Even though my work is usually outside and with plenty of dirt itself lol. I used to use my horse trailer dressing room to change and now I have an LQ trailer so it’s perfect for that. I do unscented baby wipes and Native Whole body spray deodorant.

[SadieRidingHorses]

I did not know whole body deodorant was a thing, but wow! Looking at their scents now.

[AllTheCarrots]

You have my sympathy. Inflexible RTO has delivered a big ball of suck to people in the DC area (and other places with godawful traffic and ridiculous commutes). So much productive time is lost sitting on the roads/dealing with Metro.

On days when I have to look like a grownup after my ride, I do a lot of what others have suggested. I start with clean hands — cleaning tack with a sponge, hot water and glycerine soap helps there! Even gets the crud out from under my nails. Then I wipe arms, neck and face with a wet bandanna or towel to get the first layer of dirt and hair off exposed skin. Shuck off barn clothes (including skivvies) and use baby wipes (cheap unscented store brand) for a showerless shower. Reapply deodorant, get dressed, apply makeup. I bring a go bag with me, but if this was a regular thing I’d just keep duplicate grooming items at the barn.

I am not a hair person, so I just brush and smooth into a low pony or bun, or rinse under hose and finger comb when I’m in my bob era. But I imagine dry shampoo might help if you want to have some semblance of style without grease.

Finally, I blast the a/c for the first five minutes in the car. This helps reset my body, with its temperamental middle-aged thermostat, from “outdoor heathen mode” to “indoor propriety mode” and helps keep me from sweating away all my hard work.

If I vacuumed my car more often, I wouldn’t have to worry about my clean clothes picking up random grey hairs. (His, not mine. Well, OK, mine too. Sigh.)

[trubandloki]

@beowulf

Your footwear is crucial - make sure you aren’t wearing the same footwear to the office, and, if possible, change in the barn before getting into the car because those smells stick to the floormat too.

Be very careful changing your footwear inside the barn.

I feel like just thinking about going near the barn in a pair of not barn shoes manages to get them smelling like barn.

So, unless the path from wherever you change at the barn to your car is totally horse smell free, I would suggest making the shoe change somewhere else.

[endlessclimb]

Agree! Especially in the winter with the heat on, WOW is that smell pervasive!

[outside_leg]

My sympathies! I used to live this reality too, and it’s exhausting but doable.

Mostly echoing what others said, although I’ll caution you on the dryer sheet in the helmet thing, since chemicals in many dryer sheets are carcinogens. I opted for dry shampoo and a pleasant smelling oil or hair spray to run through my hair after a ride.

Whole change of clothes, socks, underwear, and shoes is also a necessity. After baby wipes, I used a nice lotion with a mild scent—benefits of both hydrating my skin after the wipes, and helped mask any lingering barn scent.

For nail grime, my one indulgence is a biweekly gel manicure with a darker polish. The gel helps me from breaking my nails quite as often at the barn, and the dark color masks any barn dirt I can’t quite get out from under my nails.

[beowulf]

That’s fair and probably depends on your barn’s set up. In my case, the barn had a locker room / social room with concrete flooring. I always changed in the bathroom there, then walked out to my car.

In my current situation there is no barn ( ) so all I do is kick off my Wellies in the tack shed, and put on my Sperrys and off I go.

[ClassyJumper]

Is there a cheap gym (planet fitness, etc.) somewhere between the barn & work? Not sure what the climate is where you are but sitting in professional clothes all day after sweating sounds terrible. If that’s not an option I would towel off and bring a loose tee & shorts to change into at the barn so you have a chance to cool down on the drive before putting on the stuffy clothes.

[endlessclimb]

That’s actually a good idea. I did this on overnight shows - I’d head out to the Anytime Fitness for a shower after the day was done.

[SadieRidingHorses]

I am sure there is, but adding any extra stop in rush hour traffic is really not feasible, particularly since I rely on the express lane to get to my desk by 9ish. (Schedule is: 4 am wake up, leave house before 5, at barn/walking to field before 6, on by 6:30, done at 7:15, short hack until 7:25, groom/put stuff away, change in barn bathroom and on the road to office by 8 to get to desk by 9). There’s not really any leeway for an extra stop unless I get up earlier, which I don’t want to do.

But I like the tshirt/shorts idea. I’d just have to figure out how to look professional enough by the time I hit the parking garage (where I inevitably see people).

[SadieRidingHorses]

Shoes are also not something I’ve thought about. I currently walk in my work flats about 30 feet from the barn bathroom, across a gravel road (that horses cross) to get in my car. I change from those flats to heels before meetings, but the flats do sit under my desk. Maybe I should put on flip flops for my 30 foot walk and keep any barn smell from the work flats.