The Challenges of Winter Riding
Whoa! Who likes to ride when the weather tries to drive you inside? Fortunately horse lovers are resourceful and with some thoughtful planning you can guide students over the weather hurdle. And if you are a rider but not a an instructor, these tips will still be helpful. Don't let the cold weather slow your winter riding.
So What are the Biggest Challenges for Winter Riding?
1. Weather and daylight
2. Lack of motivation
3. Difficult riding spaces that freeze and/or get muddy
4. Safety - horses are either stiff, or full of energy in the cold
5. Gear- frozen tack, ice filled buckets, too many layers
6. Basically everything connected to being cold!
Plan Ahead
Keeping students warm and staying warm yourself in the winter may require a bit of an investment on everyone’s part, so think about this during the summer before you are faced with the issue of freezing cold.
Let’s talk first about where you will work horses and where your students will ride. If you are a rider without and indoor, this might be the time to consider moving to an indoor facility for a few months in the winter or looking for a place you can haul to.
Prepare Your Riding Areas
But if you don’t want to move temporarily or travel, take a hard look at your own arena. How well does it drain? This is a #1 major concern for all times of year but especially in the winter when water sitting in a low spot could mean ice. If you have a drainage problem, Talk with an expert for guidance. Is this the year you may need to invest in some help leveling your arena? Or maybe adding a French drain is your answer. Both of these things can be expensive but compared to the alternative of an injured horse or rider, or the temporary halt to your program, the investment is worthwhile.
What about your footing?
Sand is certainly more grippy than riding on grass, and it drains better. Take the time to consider if it is time to improve your arena’s footing. Again. always talk with a professional about arena and footing because doing the wrong thing or using the wrong product wastes money, time and is discouraging. And take a look at your arena maintenance. Has the time come to invest in a better arena grooming tool?
The only things you can do about daylight and riding outside, are to adjust when you ride (which isn’t always feasible) or add lights to your outdoor.
Riding Activities
You may have to adjust your horse activities in the winter. If we are discussing you and your personal horse, be aware that just spending time grooming and also doing ground work can deepen your relationship.
For instructors
Here’s where planning goes a step farther. What kind of unmounted or indoor programs can you set up for groups? If your show level is decreased perhaps you can set up more on the weekends.
How about:
- A single day program for horse management?
- A groups time of going over and reinforcing show rules and etiquette .
- A social gathering? Anything that increases barn cohesiveness will pay off during good weather.
- What about a horse games night. Be sure to include Equestrian Jeopardy
- If you have a heated area in your barn you can teach braiding.
- Not so heated ? Teach various types of wraps, how to put on and remove a blanket, conformation, types of shoes.
- Take riding footage video on good weather days and save it to review in bad weather
- Start a challenge board for who makes it to the most lessons and activities from Jan. 1-April 1
The list for topics is endless depending on if you want an indoor activity or an in barn activity. This is a great time to ground your students in the basics of horse care, theory, training, and first aid.
Safety
If your riding areas are not safe, hold an unmounted lesson.
Be sure to turn horses out during cold weather, too, or they may have too much pent up energy for lessons.
Warm your older, or cold stiff horses up slowly, give them plenty of time to get in the game.
Include a good cool down in your lessons.
If your horses are not clipped and have heavy coats do not use them hard toward the end of the day. Give those coats plenty of time to dry out. Coats that are damp toward the skin can chill horses.
If your horses are clipped be sure to blanket when they aren’t ridden.
Shoeing with bubble pads can help keep snow from balling in a horses hooves
What About Warmth?
(Please note I receive nothing for these products I highlight)
For the rider:
Heated jackets, winter breeches, insulated winter boots, and this cool helmet cover. My favorite Cuddl Duds winter underwear.
For the Instructor
It’s one thing to be the person on the horse and an entirely different thing to be the instructor on the ground. All of the warmth in clothing for riders applies to the instructor. Also look into propane heaters for instructors. Try hand warmer packets for hands
For the Horse:
A quarter sheet and a moisture wicking cooler for after the ride
For the Barn
Look into heat lamps for grooming stalls and a heater for the tack room to help keep tack supple and bits at body temperature. Use heated water buckets for horses and barn cats. And don't forget the heat tape for your drain backs and restroom pipes.
Conclusion
Winter might not be the easiest season for horseback riders, but with a solid plan and the help of a dedicated instructor, it can still be a time of growth and connection. Winter is the perfect time to teach riders how to adapt their approach based on environmental challenges, a skill that’s valuable year-round Whether it’s setting winter-specific goals, refining groundwork skills, or simply staying motivated, riders can come out of the cold months ready to achieve even more when spring arrives.
Keep teaching even when it’s cold, spring may seem like it’s forever away but it won’t be that long.
Happy New Year
Barbara Ellin Fox
The Riding Instructor
