This winter I have a goal of not letting cold snowy weather keep me from riding. A very long time ago (1985? 1986?) when I boarded at a place without an indoor arena I rode all winter long (well, on the days that my Mom was willing to drive me then wait around in the cold for me to ride). It didn't hurt me then, so why can't I gut it up and do it now (other than the fact that I'm in my 50s and cold is colder than it was in my teens!)
So this past week, I was determined that as long at the footing wasn't treacherous, I would try riding the Poetess even though the temps were only in the upper teens and low 20s. (LBM's owner decided to take her out of training for the winter, so she's just hanging out and getting jealous that the Poetess got all my attention and treats).
I made sure to layer up, putting a base layer under my thicker breeches, wearing crew socks instead of my thin boot socks, pulling my insulated winter paddock boots out of storage, choosing heavier weight riding gloves and adding a fleece helmet cover to my riding helmet.
Let me tell you, that winter helmet cover is a game changer! My head--and throat--stays nice and toasty. Five stars for a not super expensive 'luxury' item I bought myself late last winter and then didn't use until now.
Happy me with a warm head.
Every day that I rode, I longed the Poetess for a few minutes first, as that is our normal routine and I didn't want to change up anything since working in snow was all ready a big change from our regular MO.
That first day, she was such a great girl, taking everything in stride as if we always worked in the cold and the 4-inch-deep snow. We had a nice low-key ride, doing mostly walk work, and she was so calm that I felt okay taking my phone out of my pocket to grab a between the ears photo.
The second day it was a bit colder so I added a fleece quarter sheet to the ensemble to help keep her back and hindquarters warm. (And my legs.)
longeing in the quarter sheet
While she didn't mind the quarter sheet while longeing, or while doing walk work, she got goosey when I did rising trot, so we didn't trot much more than a half lap in each direction. I suspect she didn't like the way the quarter sheet pulled on her with my posting, or maybe she was getting all sorts of static electric shocks with my movement (there was a ton of static cling with the quarter sheet when I went to untack her).
The third ride was a breezier day, and I wanted to again use the quarter sheet but didn't want static, so I tried spraying the underside of it with Show Sheen (as an online search suggested). I'm not sure if that actually keeps away the static electricity though because while trotting on the longe line the breeze flipped the quarter sheet up over her back and then it was hanging down her right side. Which she definitely didn't like.
After fixing it back into the proper position and having it get flipped again in the wind twice, I decided to take it off before mounting her. I hung it over the fence on the part of the arena closest to the barn. Which didn't bother her until the other horses, in adjoining pastures, noticed it and decided to snort and freak out about it, spooking and running. Of course that made the Poetess convinced there was something scary bad in the arena with her that she couldn't see, and our ride just kind of went downhill. So much for relaxation.
I had hoped she would settle down after a few more rounds, but after a spook to cantering--which I didn't want to canter on the snow because I didn't want to risk her slipping and falling with me--I had to halt, dismount, grab that quarter sheet and toss it into the barn out of sight from the other idiot horses who had continued to stand at the fence line snorting and staring into the arena. Getting back in the saddle, the rest of the ride focused on returning the Poestess to a relaxed and listening frame of mind, then a short wander around the field on a loose rein to cool down.
Yay, outdoor winter rides, LOL. Two steps forward, one step back. But, if we keep it up, we'll get there. Hopefully wearing a quarter sheet so temperatures aren't so impeding of rides. My plan for her training this winter isn't so much progressing up a level but to build more trust in each other and mostly just go walking around (and maybe some trotting) and explore the property at this little place here with her, and also not lose too much muscle tone on either of us. Super cold air isn't the time for strenuous riding, it's the time for bonding as it were.
Snowy polo wraps at the end of the ride.
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