Question # 10: How about some winter training tips? How often should they be worked over the winter months, how cold is too cold to jump, do horses benefit from time off over the winter and how much? (Sarah)
Hi Sarah!
I've never found any documented information on how cold is really too cold for the horse's lungs. But my cut off point has always been 15 degrees. Of course now that I live in the south, and have offically turned into a cold weather wimp, I rarely want to ride when it's below freezing! :)
My number one consideration when deciding if horses should be worked when it gets really cold is the footing. When the ground or arena footing is frozen I either don't ride or I mostly work in walk. The concussive forces on the horses' feet and legs are just too great when the ground is that hard. Now if you have some nice soft snow to ride in that changes things! Spray the bottoms of their feet with some cooking spray and have fun! Although that unfortunately doesn't work in all situations. I find in the south, whenever we do get snow, it's wet and icy. And the cooking spray does not seem to work to prevent the snoballs in their feet.
The good news is that you can get a lot accomplished in the walk. Things I like to work on in the walk are......(Click on Question title above (in blue) to read full answer)
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