Okay, I’m trying to find some warm mittens that are durable and grippy enough for barn chores (handling pitchfork, etc.) Nothing worse than getting a fork-ful of manure and have the fork flip over in my hands and I lose the entire load. :winkgrin: I currently wear my SSG 10 Below gloves, and I like them, though even at 30 degrees my fingers get a bit cold, so I’m looking for mittens. My DH ordered some for me, men’s smalls, and they were way too big on me. I would love to know what works for you.
I wear mittens I got at TJMaxx and on Amazon, leather, with insulated liner. I wear them for everything, including barn chores. Super warm, good grip, decent dexterity.
I have a pair of mittens for skiing – there’s a leather patch on the palm and thumb area for gripping onto the ski pole handle – no slip on pitchfork too. They work great for mucking and are super warm – not dexterous for other chores though, too bulky.
1 Like
I too must have warm hands to do barn chores, but Just.Cannot.Work wearing mittens. :no:
What helps me is the ultra-thin glove liners sold at sporting goods stores - either in the section for skiers or hunters.
Currently is it a toasty 7F here with windchills taking things below zero.
I have not gone to the liners yet, wearing 2 cheapo pairs of dollar store gloves, fingerless pair over the ones with fingers.
I can muck, refill water & fiddle with the goldanged :mad: T-buckles on blankets wearing these & fingertips are staying warm.
If you’re wearing mittens, you can slip some hot packs in. I have small hands, too, and I find a child’s size large fits really well. Stay warm!
I have a pair that I got a long time ago that I really love and they are warm, but I inevitably (about half way through dumping 104 water buckets) get water on them and then my hands get really chilled. I really need to look for a waterproof pair just for the water buckets! I have started putting the hot packs in my gloves when the chill is really bad.
I LOVE the Heritage Winter Work glove. They have a pocket on the back that you can put a hand warmer in. They are almost too warm!
1 Like
Gordini mittens! A friend recommended them to me after I developed severe Raynauds and they have been a life saver (especially combined with a battery heated glove liner on the worst days). My first pair were one of the Aquabloc varieties purchased on sale at The Warming Store. After two winters of hard use, they finally lost their waterproofing and started to tear so I just replaced them with another pair I got on sale at Sierra Trading Post. I can’t remember what model they are, but they have a super soft fleece at the wrist and a zipper pocket on the back part of the hand for each mitten (to add a warming pack or store money/cards I suppose). This pair is actually so warm that I usually end up taking my heated liners off mid-mucking and chores!
I am so jealous of you guys. I get dollar store mittens or gloves (all the same color) because I lose them. All.The.Time.
When it is really cold I’ll put plastic or nitryl medical gloves on under. It’s been 0 here and I have been relatively fine- albiet- I my chores are 90% inside the barn.
I wish I was more responsible to have a nice pair of below 0 gloves to wear (says 47 year old me…)
Wear latex gloves under your SSGs and your hands will stay veryyyy toasty!
Ooooh those look wonderful. How do you feel the sizing is? I wear an 8 in my riding gloves (SSG brand)… similar type of fit?
I have a pair of mittens that are a fake suede outside and fake wool fleece inside. They are very warm and grippy. My hands usually get hot wearing them. I just with they were gloves - my hands are so tiny, I sometimes need the dexterity of having fingers available for things, so I usually have to take then on/off frequently. They are like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JP6C4KP/ref=twister_B07JNXCMF2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Meh… just keep spending the $1 it takes for as many pairs as you need to stay warm.
Once you get them on layered they can stay that way.
Bonus is I could give a care if they match or not - currently wearing royal blue (with pimplegrip palms) beneath red with black stripes.
A fashion plate I am not, but horses do not care & if I snag one c’est la vie, just cycle in one of the singletons laying around 
P.S.
I am 68 & apparently still not old enough to have Nice Things for barnwear
@OTTBay just found out that the tack store by my work carries them so next week I’m going to go try them on and get a pair!
@rockonxox YAY! These gloves revolutionized winter barn chores for me. Those plus the mountain horse winter pants and I could do chores in any weather
1 Like
No way can I do anything with mittens, grippy or not. Try the gloves mentioned above.
Wear your nice gloves inside the men’s mittens. I bet they will fit fine then, to keep your hands warm. You can slip off the mitten when you eed fingers for a job, then put mitten back on.
I love my winter leather mittens for keeping my hands warm, gloves just don’t work in really cold weather. Something about all the fingers wrapped seperate let them get cold, where in mittens fingers keep each other warm. Usually I have the tough leather outer mitten (usually unlined) for stopping wind, with fleece or knitted wool mittens inside. The farm stores have had a few pairs of mittens for sale early in the season. Hunting supply stores like Dicks and used to be Gander Mountain, maybe Bass Pro, carried both kinds. I have “sturdy hands” both thick and longer fingered. Don’t like tight fitting gloves or mittens because tight makes your hands colder.
1 Like
Thanks, all. Good tips!
I broke a finger recently and because it’s winter I’m Colorado, I bought some waxed (waterproof) leather ski mittens because my finger especially with a brace on wouldn’t fit into any gloves. Yes there was enough grip, but I had a very hard time mucking or hanging water buckets in them, and not just because of the one unusable finger. Forget changing blankets. To make do at first I wore one glove and one mitten on the bum hand. As soon as I was able to squeeze the finger back into some slightly too big winter barn gloves (Heritage rag wool), I quit trying to wear the mittens for any kind of barn work.
