| Helpful Hints for Cold Weather Riding and Training  Written by: Katherine Hupy, Equestrian Collections Director, Web Production
Five years ago, after a lifetime of horse keeping on both coasts, I moved to the Eastern Slope of the Colorado Rockies. It's been an education in cold weather riding! Here are some tips from my own experience as an equestrian in a cold climate:
Get Appropriate Clothing! The single biggest factor in enjoying your horse during the winter months is having the right clothing. Invest in two good pair of winter boots, one for riding, and one for working. Experience has taught me that if boots are streamline enough to ride in, they are probably not adequate for barn work in blizzard conditions. The same is true for gloves. It's a bit of extra money, but your fingertips and toes will thank you! For riding, I like:
There are great winter tall boots out there, but I find the combination of winter paddock boots and full chaps keeps me warmer.
Do SOMETHING With Your Horse Every Day! When the weather starts getting nasty, it's easy to stay home by the fire. Don't. Without fail, on the first nice day every spring, someone will decide it’s a great day for an epic trail ride on the horse they haven't taken out all winter. It never ends well; and frequently ends with the rider being medevac'd off the side of a mountain. Don't be that rider. In extreme cold you can't train like you would in summer. You can, however, do something almost every day! While the ground is likely too hard to jump; and the trails may be an icy, dangerous mess; winter is a great time to spruce up your flatwork in the ring. Even on horrible sub-zero days you can lead your horse up and down the barn aisle. Anything at all that gets your horse moving about and paying attention to you will make him a better partner come spring time.
Fresh Snow isn't Awful to Ride On... While I'd never jump fences on it, I've found that fresh snow (at least the light fluffy Colorado powder) is not too bad to ride on. Have your farrier put on snow pads to help prevent balling up; put a hoof pick in your pocket just in case you do get ice balls;
Safety First! While safety is always a concern around horses, winter is a time for a bit of extra caution. If your horse is too fresh to ride, put him in the round pen, or get out the lunge line. Of course, you should always wear a helmet, but in the cold and possibly hidden ice, a back protector might not be a bad idea. Keep a cell phone on you. People tend to be scarce in winter, and with freezing temperatures, a minor accident can turn into a serious situation very quickly.
Respect the weather, and you can |
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Burr... How Cold is too Cold to Ride? Advice from a Vet! Written by: Sallie S. Hyman, VMD, DACVIM, CVA Winter is upon us and most of us still want to ride. For those of us not lucky enough to be able to spend the cold season in warmer parts of the country, here is some information on effects that cold weather riding has on your horse, and how to keep him healthy and safe despite the cold temperatures.
Entire Article
What Temperature is Really
Considered Cold?
Cold is relative to where you live. Riders in Florida may shiver at 50°F, whereas riders in Minnesota might not think twice about tacking up when the thermometer reads 0°. Meteorologically speaking, cold weather is generally defined as an air temperature of 40°F or below. Wind, snow, ice or rain will increase the effect of the cold.
| | What Does Exercising in Cold
Weather Do?
Exercising in cold weather affects your horse's body in many ways. Bodily systems react in different ways. Most research on exercising in cold weather has been done on human subjects, but that there has been studies on the effects of cold air on equine pulmonary function. Horses are actually used as an animal model for pulmonary research in humans, since the equine pulmonary function is similar to humans. A series of experiments were performed at Oklahoma State University investigating the deleterious effects of strenuous cold weather exercise on airway function in horses. These studies were designed to mimic the conditions that cold weather human athletes, such as skiers, experience. Many skiers develop cold induced asthma, often called skier's asthma. This occurs due to acute airway obstruction when cold air gets down into the lungs and damages tissues.
Inspired air is conditioned (warmed and humidified) by the upper airways to prevent cooling and desiccation of the lung parenchyma. Although this process is usually successful, under severe conditions such as strenuous exercise in frigid environments unconditioned (cold and dry) air penetrates into the peripheral airways.
In the OSU equine study, horses were exercised on a treadmill while breathing in chilled (4°C) air. After exercising, a bronchoalveolar lavage was performed to test for inflammation, cytokines (chemicals that can damage the lungs) and chemicals that can suppress the immune function in the lungs and lead to infection. Horses that exercise in cold weather experienced peripheral airway mucosal injury due to the penetration of unconditioned air. Furthermore, these results suggest that airway cooling and desiccation may be a factor in airway inflammation commonly found in equine athletes. Results of this study support the hypothesis that exercising while breathing cold dry air alters the airway cytokine profile. The study did not find an increase in inflammatory cells, but as the cellular response takes longer to occur, this study many not have been long enough for it to occur. These results support the contention that exercise while breathing cold air can actually contribute to the development o asthma. The data further raises the possibility of local suppression of cell mediated immunity thought the increased expression of interleukin-
What this Means for the Typical Owner & Rider and The Effects of Cold Weather Riding on Your Horse
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More Articles: Ask the Vet:
Sallie S. Hyman VMD, DACVIM, CVA
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Equine First Aid. What do I Need?
Equine Vital Signs. What's Normal?
Thrush. What is it? How do I treat it? | |
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