# When is it too cold to ride???



## Branson06 (Feb 23, 2015)

Personally I was cruising along great this winter with my training . I start my horse off by lunging him for about 20 minutes...on cold days I walk him for the first 15 to warm him up. I'm very particular about making sure he's only walking during the first 15 Min to make sure he warms up nice and slow. I then trot him (he loves to go fast to its a brisk trot) only for a few minutes then back to walk. I only let him canter for a few laps and then work him right back down to trot snd walk mostly. I then ride but make sure to do the same. I mostly walk and trot and barely canter. 

So this is where it changed . One day I was getting ready to ride and some god awful loud mouth woman at my barn yelled out to me ...."your not going to work that horse in this weather are you "???? I'm pretty sure my mouth was on the stall floor as I never have been so caught off guard! I finally managed to say yes I am ....and she replied oh ok well you do know he can get crystallized lungs right? First off this lady is never hardly at the barn so she has no clue how I work my horse. Second there's a way to talk to people without making them feel like a complete idiot and third it's none of her business what I do with "that" horse. Lol yes it really hurt my feelings so I'm really touchy about it.

It was about 5 degrees this day and has been for 3 wks here now. I work him in an indoor arena so it's not even outside. In fact I still take him outdoors and walk him on trials when it's oh anywhere around not bitter cold. I can't imagine it's ok to leave them in stalls during the cold just bc it's 0 degrees? my theory is its good for their ligaments and joints and circulation to be moving at a walk at least for 30 min out of the day?

so is there a cut off bc it's supposed to be neg 5 to 10 the next wk straight and I still plan on lunging him at least !


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## Branson06 (Feb 23, 2015)

And i want to add I'm very careful about cooling him down. I walk him out after by untacking him and putting his light stable blanket on and walking him around until he's competely back to normal state of warmth. In fact I find it fun to tske the time to do these things with him. Some days it takes 15 min to make sure there's no sign of him being at all sweaty under his blanket and I find its more time to bond


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## Flipper (Jul 25, 2012)

The reasons people seem to stop are:
1) ground is icy/ snowy
2) The human is too cold 
Neither of which are a problem in your case..

Horses are outdoor animals who move constantly, so as long as you warm up/ down properly (as it sounds like your doing) and they don't get overly sweaty, your helping them a lot more riding and getting some circulation going than standing in a stall! 

However, if your horse is clipped I think an exercise sheet aids the warming/cooling period as well.

In conclusion: Tell her to be quiet!


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## Katz1411 (Jul 31, 2014)

#2 above is the only thing that stops us! I'm generally good unless the wind is extreme, and it sounds like you're being very careful with the warm up, so yeah, it's none of her business


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## amberly (Dec 16, 2012)

5 to 10 is cold for riding??????
Try -20 !!!!!!
Usually when people don't ride it's either because they dont have an indoor arena or because the humans are too cold to go out!!
As for me - as long as I have an indoor arena I am going. There has only been one time I didn't ride because it was so cold - but it was -28 that day.
so, so far -28 is my limit  haha

Always just make sure to cool your horse down real well. Either just let them go free in the arena until it looks like they stop steaming or if they are just comfortable before takin them out. 
We always waited until it looked like they were "steaming properly" and then went in and made sure they were cooled before putting them outside again.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Definitely too cold if I'm going to get frostbite. And then I still ride if we're needed for calving. I don't run unnecessarily, whether it's on foot or horseback. 

I'll ride just for fun even if it's below zero if the wind isn't howling.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

And to think, I don't ride out when it's colder than about 45 F. And certainly not below freezing. You guys are a lot tougher than me! But that comes from living in Arid-zona I guess. If it gets much below freezing, everyone panics and stays indoors. :lol:

We have so much "nice" weather that you really don't have to ride when it's cold. Warmer weather is usually right around the corner. Yeah, don't hate me! :hide: 

What I really hate is riding in the wind. The horses are spookier and the wind cuts right through you. Of course, I don't have serious cold weather clothing either (living in Arizona) so maybe if I did, I would have better wind-blocking clothing. But I would say wind and slippery footing is my biggest deterrent.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

If it's so cold my lungs hurt/burns when breathing it's to cold to ride!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## skiafoxmorgan (Mar 5, 2014)

*My* cutoff was established as 20 degrees F. Hearing that some of you ride in the negatives--for fun--makes me feel like a pansy. this winter, I upped my cutoff to 25. I'm just tired of being COLD. Also, I hate riding in the indoor for very long, but there has been so much ice on the ground. bleh.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

amberly said:


> 5 to 10 is cold for riding??????
> Try -20 !!!!!!


I hear yea. We are in Alberta so just north of you and it's typical winter temperatures for us over the winter.

How cold is to cold? it depends on what I plan on working on that day. If it's going to be a hard workout which means the horses will end up in a heavy sweat, I won't ride if its below -20. We have access to a heated indoor arena, so it's not as big of a deal. What I need to worry about is how dry I can get them before going back out. Sometimes a blow dryer is a must if they are not drying fast enough.


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## mslady254 (May 21, 2013)

I googled 'crystalized lungs, horse', and didnt really come up with anything. Did she make this up?? 
Maybe you should make up some impressive sounding medical condition that can occur from NOT riding in cold weather. LOL. Then if she ever says it again, you can respond 'but arent' YOU afraid your horse will develop *congugated cold-protein defficiency syndrome* (made that up, of course) from not getting enough exercise in cold weather? !! (I'm baaadddddd)

Fay


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## Horsesaremylife150 (Feb 4, 2015)

The barn I teach at doesn't have an indoor and lessons are not cancelled until it's at least -40. Of course the little kids don't come if it's below -5. Their little hands get to cold. I also ride my two ottb's that I have at home all winter with no indoor. All the horses have never had health problems from this and I've never heard of crystallized lungs either.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BreezylBeezyl (Mar 25, 2014)

Honestly, I've always wondered this. It's usually a barn thing, and it's also usually a rule set in place due to "paperwork reasons".

The first barn I ever started riding at would not ride if it was -25 (celcius) or lower. The answer I always received to the question was "It's too cold". Living in Alberta, Canada, it wasn't uncommon for lessons to be cancelled more than half of the time.

I'm going to take a wild guess and say that this is really only because after an hour long lesson of trotting and cantering, horses can get pretty heated up. Many lesson students probably do not take the proper time to care for the horse and to cool it down before it goes back out, likely resulting in sick or frozen horses.

My horse is a major sweater; she is the master of cooling 'her-hot-blooded-Arab-self' down. She will sweat when you even mention the word 'trot'. I ride in any weather condition, inside the warmth of an indoor arena, and always cool my horse down after. After the ride is over, she has at least 45 minutes to an hour of additional cooldown as I untack, feed, and brush her. Then she goes back out to pasture.

I have never had an issue with her being sick.


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