Keeping yourself warm

We often tend to humanize our horses, but horses tolerate cold much better than we do. The first tip is therefore: make sure you stay warm and dry while training. As they say in Norway: “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.” With modern riding gear that is both wind- and waterproof, there’s no reason to skip training because of the weather. As long as it’s not pouring rain or very windy, your horse usually won’t mind moderate weather conditions.

Warming up properly

Horses that take longer to loosen up or are stiffer – for example older horses or those with mild arthritis – benefit from a longer warm-up at the walk. In freezing weather, clipped horses especially appreciate being walked under a (fleece) rug. Keep in mind that in cold conditions it takes longer for muscles to warm up and for joint fluid (the “lubricant” of the joints) to work properly. This means you should allow more time for loosening up before starting more demanding exercises or jumping. Horses that don’t move much in paddock or pasture during winter can also benefit from sessions in the horse walker, either as extra training or as a warm-up. Groundwork or light lunging are also excellent ways to maintain mobility and fitness in winter.

Using exercise rugs

Many riders use exercise rugs in winter. Research shows that this can be beneficial during warm-up, particularly for clipped horses. Clipped horses did not overheat even when worked under a rug in sub-zero temperatures. For unclipped horses, however, the opposite is true: they overheated even in cold weather when kept under a rug. Therefore, for unclipped horses, don’t use an exercise rug once the warm-up is over. On hacks, the choice depends on the intensity of work: if mostly walking, a rug is probably fine, but if you’ll be trotting and cantering a lot, it’s likely too warm.

Cooling down after training

Finally: don’t immediately put a rug back on after training! Muscles generate a lot of heat during exercise, and your horse needs to release this heat. If you rug up too soon, the excess heat stays trapped, slowing recovery and causing stiffness. Because winter air is more humid, horses also sweat more, since moisture evaporates less easily. To avoid problems, allow your horse to dry and cool down before putting on a sweat rug (to absorb remaining moisture) and later a stable or turnout rug. Always let your horse cool down first – even if it hasn’t sweated much.