A Conversation Starter:
For those of us with winters how do you adjust your training in the coldest months? Anyone just give their dressage horses off? Do you modify training?
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We will probably have to take some days off, but Iāve learned through the crazy weather this past month that my horse just doesnāt care if itās blowing 30, so thatās good.
But I do hate cold ā¦ so I went on Etsy and bought a riding skirt! Itās wind/waterproof, and has a nice soft liner. I hope I donāt need it, but kind of canāt wait to try it.
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Iām in WI in an unheated barn and indoor with a few minute walk across the farm from the barn to the indoor.
When my older horse was in his prime training years, Iād ride into the single digits with a long warm up and keeping the trot and canter sets short with lots of breaks. Iād watch his whiskers and try to keep the work light enough that he didnāt get frosty whiskers from breathing hard. Now that heās older and stiffer, I find heās not as comfortable below 20F, so we may do a light hack in temps in the teens but no more working when itās any colder than that.
Iāve also got a now 4 year old and since he was just started under saddle last year, we followed the same temperature limits. I expect to do the same thing this winter - light work in the teens but any colder and he can have time off.
If we get more than 5 days of extreme cold, I will usually tack up the older horse and pony the young guy for a 30 minute walk a few times a week. Thereās a good chance the pasture is icy when itās that cold and I donāt think they move around much outside when itās that cold.
I wear athletic clothes/layers, Mountain Horse winter boots, regular breeches with long underwear, riding mittens with heat packs, and a Horseware long riding jacket. Last year I had a gaiter/mask for Covid that I wore in the tack room and found it nice to pull up over my nose riding until I warmed up a bit. It was light enough that it didnāt get frosty and frozen like a fleece gaiter will after breathing through it for a while.
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When it drops into the 30ās, we swap our outdoor hack day for an indoor lunging fun day. Otherwise things go on as normal (with a quarter sheet) unless we have a super cold day (under 15 or so), in which case we walk for an hour instead of working.
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I have a 6 year old and previous winters Iāve given her 6-8 weeks off between Dec - Feb as a ābaby breakā. However this winter weāll work throughout as she started to have soreness / lameness from not moving correctly when out of work and we have in such a good spot right now that I donāt want to lose that muscling.
But I see these winter months as āmaintenanceā rather than āpushing up the levelsā focused. We have an indoor but we both get ring sour and bored so weāll hack when the footing allows, do pole work and low-jump gymnastics, probably do some trailer training (she gets anxious) - I see winter as survival-mode as my motivation level plummets in the cold to have any higher ambitions!
ETA: we work as normal down to 20F real feel - with quarter sheet as needed (sometimes warm up with it, sometimes work in full with it), limit to walking (bundled in quarter sheet and my riding skirt (10 - 20 real feel), and we both huddle under blankets cursing the winter weather gods when itās below 10 
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Which one did you get? I have been eyeballing these since last winter, but there are more to choose from now.
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Thereās already another thread on this that I chimed into, but to answer your question specifically, yes, I give my horses the winter off. They will get December-February off, barring an occasional weekend hack if the weather is nice. Essentially 5-8 weeks depending on weather.
I live where you really canāt work on anything more than a walk outside once winter sets in. Not because of the snow, but because of the ice and rutted ground under the snowpack that you canāt see until your horse falls in it. The ground is either concrete or itās mud. A lot of places arenāt like that, so it depends on your region.
Dressing for the part will make your time in the cold so much better. Find a good, long winter jacket. It doesnāt need to go to your knees, but it helps if it goes a little past your thighs. Keep a pair of winter boots that you can slip into before your ride. SGG Ranch gloves that are waterproof as well as flexible and easy to get in and out of. Quarter sheets that can be worn by you (if you trust your horse) or riding skirts, as well as a warm pair of winter riding pants. I love my Smartpak fleece lined riding pants.
My #1 Winter Tip for Winter Riders: Swap out your metal stirrup irons for composite/plastic irons for the winter. Trust me, it makes a huge difference vis a vis cold feet.
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Before I had an arena I would give Jan/Feb/March off, or maybe Dec/Jan/Feb. Sometimes I would ship out once or twice a week.
Now with an arena and my horse getting ready for a bit higher level, we did a 4 week holiday this month and then back to work. She doesnāt get ridden every day though, usually 4/5 days of work a week. Sheās a TB though so stays super fit super easy. More worried about continuing to build muscle mass over this winter!
My eventers will be on the same schedule, but a break in Jan or Feb when weather is the worst.
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My fluffy pony thrives in this weather and we rarely take time off. However, my barn does have an indoor and we donāt canter much.
Iām usually dressed and warm enough except for my toes. I found these Hot Sockee toe warmers that Iāll try out under my Noble Outfitter rubber boots while in the barn and old Dafna riding boots while riding.
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Neoprene toe warmers are awesome!
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I try to keep them somewhat in work depending on the specific weather each day. My hard temperature cutoff is 22ĀŗF. Anything below and Iāll just hand-walk with their blanket still on. 22-30ĀŗF I will do a casual lunge or a simple ride, not asking for anything difficult or new, just easy routine stuff to get the back swinging. Anything above is just a normal ride like warmer weather except longer warmups & warm-down/cooldowns. For reference, Iām in MA and with an insulated barn/indoor. My very first dressage trainer went by these temperatures so Iāve just always gone by them. I also am a wimp and hate the cold so thereās that.
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When I lived in Pgh and had an indoor, Iād make the cut at 20 degrees for our lungs.
Now, I have an outdoor arena only, I make the cut at freezing or higher with significant wind.
AT these temps, I wear fleece winter breeches and insulated boots, use very good gloves and ear warmers. Wool socks, esp wool ski socks, plus nylons underneath if really cold out. I dress for the weather, using a cami plus turtleneck plus sweater plus jacket. When really cold, I use a silk undershirt and wool turtleneck layers, both of which are specifically for exercise in cold weather. I am NOT cold.
At this location, I tack up out at the arena. My horse was a huge hothead and we made the arena the place where he could relax. I make sure Iām good with the elements.
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Tip for getting your breeches up over thermal underlayer without dragging the thermal up:
First put on thermal underwear, then put on a thin sock, then get breeches on. The sock keep the underlayer from getting dragged up.
Then put on your thicker socks and voila! No weird yanking and bunching of thermals. This tip came from someone on the UDBB years ago - I have appreciated it hundreds of times since.
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Southern PA mountains here. Horse lives outdoors with a run-in. In winter heās in natural coat (I bib clip him in early March if it warms up early). We work in a mostly-level hayfield without lights. In winter, Iām limited by weather/footing, fur of horse (no sweating except maybe light girth dampness), lack of daylight, and of course occasional āwind up the buttā frisky issues.
To maximize our winter rides, I do a marching walk 15 minute warmup and then focus on lateral work. I find it useful for getting my horseās brain online, maintaining his ab muscles through the worst of the winter, and being a āmuscleā workout without too much aerobics or percussive hammering on frozen ground. If the field is iced up but the roads are OK, we do road work (on the cinder shoulder of a very quiet country road) at the walk and jog for general fitness purposes. (I scout road in car first to make sure itās melted out because there are some troublesome shady sections.) I only do roadwork at midday for the best visibility, lowest traffic, safest conditions possible.
Our winter arrangement is not perfect, but I figure itās better than nothing. Also, when the snow melts and the raw March days arrive, I get a lot less āyee-hawā and a lot more āho-hum, time to make the doughnutsā because weāve been making the doughnuts all winter long in assorted weather conditions. My rule of thumb is that if he can stand quietly at the round bale and eat, then he can work sensibly and calmly under the same weather conditions. If it is not too windy to eat, then it is not too windy to ride, that style of thing.
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We usually keep our horses in training, but are blessed with an isolated indoor arena. The horses are mostly fine, Iām struggling with the cold more than they doā¦ My main tip is to invest in warm feet! Iāve ordered outdoor boots, BEST decision ever. Going around the stables isnāt fun in the cold, but with warm feet, itās bearable. Ariat offers some extremely warm ones https://www.myridingboots.com/outdoor-boots/.
My horses are out on pastures 24/7 so i donāt have to worry about giving them exercise. When i train is totally up to my coach. I think, if i remember correctly, that 30 is her cut-off. Indoor but i have to haul an hour and a half to get there. Since my lessons are now in the afternoon iāll have to find out at what time it must reach 30 (ie before she leaves her house, and/or her first lesson? or at each lessonās timeframe??). I work outside every day all day, have a multitude of layers and some really good insulating apparel and anything over 20 i consider āwarmā. As for riding at home, wellā¦i have a small indoor barn i can do some training in, and also have sheep and cattle to check on and ride out for that. Only at a walk when the ground is rockhard. Climate change has made things so unpredictable. Last winter was very warm for the most partā¦muddy ground warm. Except for those negative and single digit stretch that was numbing. And during that time i had to use a horse to drag alfalfa bales out to my ram herd because not one of the vehicles could remain alive.
iām a big fan of Muck boots (Hosier is my preferred style because iām short and so are they). I keep forgetting to buy wide stirrupsā¦will do a search now!
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Iām in Virginia, and I ride pretty much all winter in my outdoor arena. If the wind is really howling and the wind chills are in the 20s, Iāll bail on riding. Otherwise, Iāve ridden in weather as cold as 25*. The only real difference between winter and other seasons for me is just that I may only ride each horse 3-4 days a week instead of 4-5 days a week. But Iāve found that letting them down for too long really is a way to lose a lot of muscle and topline, so we just soldier on. And really, getting outside to ride is harder for me. They donāt seem to really care until itās really cold (in the 20s).
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My cutoff temperature varies. I dress warmly from head to toe, but sometimes thatās just not enough, especially if the wind is blowing and the humidity is high. The rule of thumb I use is one my former instructor told me: āYou can ride today if you want to, but if you canāt feel your body, youāre not going to be able to make it do what you tell it to do.ā (Too cold = bad ride.) So if I canāt feel my arms/legs/toes/fingers, etcā¦ I pack it in and wait for another day.
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hi, fellow dressage rider here and Finnish person. in Finland it is on average about -20F (give or take) on a regular basis all winter long so i feel qualified enough to comment. firstly rider attire, get some good winter breeches (they even come in snow pant style that you see used in skiing) and good gloves, one tip is also to use leggings under your breecehs for added warmth. many helmets also sell add ons so you can keep your ears warm. second is boots. if you feel like using your normal tall boots i recomend firstly putting on a riding sock which after a ankle sock, trust me it works. then you can even take one step further and invest in some winter riding boots.
then for the horse, if you have a indoor areena the surfacing wont be a big problem as it wont freeze. then rug accordingly if the horse has a thick coat then even in the coldest temperatures they wont need one and if they need then use.
when riding just make sure to wear something like a quarter blanket/woll blanket if you feel like the horse is going to get cold. the temperature itself wont hinder you from training just make sure to warm upp enough before strenuos excercise.
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