This afternoon, I did a little research to see how the those that nudge closer to the arctic  handle weather. After some research, I found there are a lot of horses in the north and quite a few dressage horses too.  I found the Alaskan Dressage Horse Association www.alaskadressage.org/ and the Alaskan Horse Journal www.alaskahorsejournal.com that help to debunk some of the myths probably conjured up by those of us slightly warmer to the south. Another great site is Dressage Canada www.dressagecanada.org.

Horses can adapt to cold climates especially if they have friendly snowmen bearing edible gifts!

Alaska has more than a few horses, so how do they ride in  winter?  I also wondered how the long amounts of darkness figured into riding schedules.  That question was answered very easily… they have MANY indoor riding areas! Duh, I told myself.   Near Ancorage alone there are 8 public indoor areans.  The use of an indoor arena would help with the 24 hour of darkness problem as well.   Think of it this way,  if they have 24 hours of darkness then they have 24 hours of light in the summer. Wow… you could do a lot of riding and showing in 24 hours of light!  Maybe living in the north does have its benefits.  I know working a full time job and trying to fit in riding time, some-days more hours of light would be appealing to me.  I don’t think I could handle the darkness though.

While I was doing my research, I wondered if any breeds dominated the northern climates?  For some reason, I pictured in my head large draft horses with think rug like coats pulling a sleigh or maybe even the hardy fuzzy Icelanic horses that would be used to a cold climate.  Absolutely not!  I found just as much variety in breeds and disciplines that are in my area. Do some of those cute fuzzy Icelandic horse DO dressage? You betcha they do!  Below is a short clip of an Icelandic horse doing dressage.  He is too cute!

I found it fascinating to see just what kind of reach the horse world can have. Any readers out their living in the north, I would love to hear from you and your experience with northern equestrian activities.  Currently this site is getting its second highest number of readers from Canada next to the U.S.. How do you handle the winter?

As the temperature drops, even though our warm cozy house and a good book beckon to us, there are a few of us crazies who still have to get our riding fix. Here are some riding tips that may help you if you are in that select group. If you are a master at “training in the tundra,” I encourage you to leave a comment to help those of us still struggling.

Here is my thoughts on winter riding:

• Hands -Warm hands is the thing I struggle with the most. The rest of me will be perfectly fine, but my hands will feel like they have a chance at frostbite. I look down at my hands and think, “what is your problem?” I have hungry horses and you are just not working like you are supposed to. The best thing I have found when riding in the winter are the SSG winter gloves. They work pretty good, but sometimes I still get cold. I had a friend tell me to put a pair of surgical gloves under my regular gloves and the surgical gloves help keep the heat in. I have yet to try it…so if anyone does let me know how it goes.

• Upper Body – Layers are good in the winter time. Usually you get hot when riding and you may want to take a layer off. Keep that layer close because you will probably want to put it back on when you get off. I have also found a vest under a jacket can work pretty well. That way you don’t feel like your arms are the State Puff Marshmallow Man and they can move more freely and easily.

• Legs – I am a fan of winter breeches. The ones I wear the most have polar fleece on the inside and are smooth on the outside. I drug them out of the closet to see what brand they were…Devon Aire. I tend to buy cheap when it comes to schooling breeches because I find expensive or cheap, they all seemed to get messed up. When it comes to buying hay for my horses or breeches for me the horses ALWAYS win! I know there are a lot of other companies that make winter riding clothes. They might be more expensive, but may also last longer. One suggestion for breeches with polar fleece, get the kind where the polar fleece is on the inside and they are smooth on the outside. I have another pair that are all polar fleece, and everything, I mean everything, sticks to them. You come back in the house and you will know which horses got groomed, what they got fed, and if you pet your dog on the way back inside. I highly recommend getting full seat breeches too because polar fleece is slick!

• Feet – I’m too cheap to buy the winter riding boots. I use polar fleece socks to keep my feet warm. They are kind of strange looking socks because I think polar fleece is hard to sew. They do not work well in muck boots because the muck boots will try to pull them off and they are not very stretchy. I usually school in paddock boots and half chaps and the socks work pretty well for me with that. Some of those winter boots do look warm and cozy, if any one has any recommendations please comment.

• Head – The head isn’t too much of a problem because you are wearing a helmet… right? I’m sure many of the professionals right now are looking down. I have this to say about helmets. Us amateurs rely on YOU professional riders to give us instruction and guide us through a challenging sport. We cannot do that if your brains are splattered all over a dressage ring. So please be careful! On another note, I also like these cool ear warmer things that have just a stretching string at the top to go under your helmet and then have…yes polar fleece (can you tell I am a fan yet) to go over your ears.

• Horse warmth – it depends on your horses situation on what you need to do for their comfort. If your horse has a full body clip and wears a blanket, you may want to ride with a quarter sheet to help keep muscles warm. If you a trace clip depending on the clip you may be fine with nothing. If your horse has no clip and long hair make sure you leave plenty of time for cool down. If your horse has sweat a lot and is wet, he or she can get cold fast. I usually try to dry with a towel. If your horse is really hot and sweaty you should probably use a cooler. Wool coolers can be good to help wick away the sweat and cool them down.

• Water – After your horse is cooled down (that’s important) you may want to offer them some water. Horses drink a lot less water in the winter and they are consuming much more dry matter through hay and grain. The trough battle with freezing water also means they may not have access to water 24/7. If you ride an already slightly dehydrated horse and then make it sweat a lot, it goes with out saying that is not the best situation.

• Cold Bits- I know how cold I am in the winter. I can’t imagine also throwing an ice cold bit in my mouth. Keep your bridle in the house or warm up your bit with your hands before putting it in your horses mouth. Your horse will thank you!

I know this article is a bit untimely due to the fact that we are already knee deep into winter. Hopefully you found a few tidbits that may help you. I did go on line to try to find some of the things I mentioned in the article in case it is something you might like. Unfortunately, I did not have much luck because apparently most stores have sold their winter stock. What I will say, although it is slim pickings, their are some pretty good deals going on now. Online I glance at Dover Saddlery, Stateline Tack, and Dressage Extensions. I’m sure your local tack store would be a great place to look too. Again, I would love to hear any comments, suggestions, or winter riding recommendations. Until next time, stay warm!