Sometimes it can be discouraging to wake up and discover that the sunny day you had yesterday has changed. Now there are grey clouds, rain or snow and that dry ground you rode on yesterday is now sopping wet.
Don't be discouraged. Declare independence from the weather and continue moving forward in your horse goals. Here are some basic tips to get you started:
Before you ride. Make sure that its not so cold that it hurts your lungs to breath outside. I know that whenever it gets down into the negative degree's it is getting where I don't feel comforable breathing and neither will my horse. Also check their feet and make sure they are clean.
Warm up your horse. It's important to give your horse time to get their body tempature up and get warm. Allow atleast 15 minutes where you just walk and get your horse moving and bending. Once you feel your horse softening, you know they are warm enough to begin.
Working out in bad weather: If your horse isn't used to working out, it's advisable to not start working him out in bad weather. If you want to do a strenuous workout it's probably better to use an indoor facility and have lots of time afterwards cool down your horse. If you are outside and the footing is very wet or icy, work on simple exercises such as bending or counter flexing your horse, stopping, backing up, walking or jogging straight lines off the rail. If you have access to hills, you can walk up them to get your horse in shape. You could work on collection in a slow collected canter. If you are training to work a cow, practice on the simple things that will make a difference such as your horses stop and turn. On days like today, work on those simple yet hard to master things that will help the overall objective of what you and your horse are trying to learn.
Cool down. After working out, you need to cool down your horse. If you don't, your horse could end up with stiffness or soreness or the chills. If you normally leave your horse outside unblanketed and you are just returning the horse outside unblanketed, make sure you walk them to get the heat out of the muscle and the sweat wicked away. Using a cooler helps cut down on the drying time. After removing the cooler, you give a quick grooming to fluff up wet hairs and then turn them out. The first thing the horse may do is roll in the snow and then shake off the snow. The thick hair serves as an insulator to keep their skin dry.
If you blanket your horse, also use a cooler before putting the blanket back on. It's important to make sure the skin is dry or any trapped moisture will give them the chills overnight. You can make sure your horse is dry by feeling the front legs in the chest area and behind the elbows and by seeing that the flank and abdomen are dry. Make sure you are putting a dry blanket back on.
