How do you guys DO IT (up in the cold areas)?!

[shawneeAcres]

OK we are having a cold snap, I am in NC and we don't get much weather like this, but today we have temps in the 20 - 30's and WIND. Went out to feed and just do not understand how ANYONE can live up where it does this (and WORSE) all winter long! I swear I'd go nuts! And the horses are lunatics in this weather, one gelding tore down a temporary cross fence (elec) over night, he is in two fields that are in woven wire and we were GOING to put in the woven wire cross fence today, but TOO DURN COLD! Of course, then he was RIGHT NEXT TO my stallion who was in the riding areana with a three rail fence, wouldnt' ahve taken much for him to jump or push out a few rails! About had a heart attack when I went down to feed! Luckily he is a pretty good fellow, we are also SUPPOSED to have his field done now but the rain we had over the weekend put us way behind! So he has been going in the areana at night temporarily. Thank goodness we only have three days of this and then back into the 60's this weekend! I REALLY feel for you guys up there!

[Gallopin'gal]

While 20-30 with high wind is a bit nippy, it's not unbearable. You do acclimatize when you're out in it often and it doesn't feel so cold after a bit. As long as my tanks/water buckets have heaters and I don't have to break ice, it's all good. The horses are used to the cold so a colder snap doesn't make them nuts, at least, it doesn't make mine nuts once we're into the cold season a bit.

To stay warm while riding, you wear silk long underwear under your breeches, silk socks beneath your woolies and thinsulate gloves. And those ear warmer thingies under the helmet. Once you get moving, you warm up FAST.

I actually prefer to do my farmwork/fencing in the winter. It's much better than sweating my butt off in 100-degree humidity and you warm up quite quickly when you're working! As long as the ground isn't frozen solid more than 4 inches deep, you can plant posts without much problem.

[eventmom]

Your dress for it.
We are in VA. Colder than yourselves, but not the coldest for sure. But I suspect people in those areas are well prepared.
silk underware,
Warm boots and gloves.
And on the coldest of days, hand and foot warmers.
And then there is that all important hair dryer, bit warmer in the barn!
and lastly
adopt an attitude:)

[ybiaw]

The air temperature here right now is about 4. Degrees. Farenheit.

Wind chill, however, is about -1billion.

It's cold. You just get used to it, and deal with it.

...and dream of moving to Florida :)

[Roney]

It just sucks!

But I deal with it by reminding myself that this is where I have a job that makes the money that enables the riding. It helps, sometimes... :p

[goodmorning]

Did you happen to see the "Winter Slumber" thread over in H/J land? :lol: It appears us who deal with nasty weather conditions like to take some time off ;) Hey - at least it's 20-30! It was 9 out this AM!

[BuddyRoo]

Oh, it's not that bad when you're "eased" into it and also have the appropriate clothing and supplies.

In fact, it can be really fun! We spent the entire day outside yesterday skijoring and sledding behind the horses. It was pretty chilly....but we all had coveralls or ski gear on and we were nice and toasty.

:)

[jn4jenny]

That's actually WHY I bought my horse. Lived for years in Virginia and was able to resist the urge. Moved to Michigan, and was so bored and cranky all winter that I had to buy a horse to keep me happy and sane!

[Mary in Area 1]

I live in central Vermont. The other 3 seasons are so lovely, that it is well worth the few really cold days. Plus, it is SO beautiful right now with all the snow! And the horses think it's fun, and it's really good for their hock action!

How do we survive? Well, first of all, our barns, paddocks and indoor are all PLANNED for the cold weather. Tackroom, feedroom, bathroom, office etc are all heated. Barn is connected to indoor. Muck is dumped directly into truck under a covered area, so you never go outside. All waterers are Nelson and heated, so you NEVER have anything frozen. Trees and buildings are planned as wind breaks. Horses have lots of blankets.

As far as people are concerned, you have to have the right clothes. Lots of polar fleece in layers. Warm, insulated boots and gloves. Don't ever let yourself get wet, or sweaty. That's the killer. I have dry clothes in the barn and a hair dryer. I get so sweaty riding that I NEVER ride in more than a polar fleece turtleneck and a thin windfleece jacket. I have warm corduroy breeches and I don't need anything underneath (to ride). Snow or rain pants to put over for walking to paddocks helps if it's snowing or windy. If you don't have good circulation, the little packets of heated chemicals really help your feet and hands.

When it's 90's and humid, I feel like I'm going to barf. I'm sleepy and lazy. I don't want to ride. I'm much happier in the cold.

[riverbell93]

1) dress for it - winter boots are a godsend.
2) pray for still days (the wind is a huge chunk of how cold it feels, the actual temp notwithstanding
3) this will sound silly, but relax. When I first go out in the morning, tensing up and thinking "Jesusjesusjesusjesus" makes me colder, while relaxing and letting the arctic blast go through me while I focus on what I'm doing - well, it's not like a magic ticket to Maui, but it makes the cold more bearable.

[shawneeAcres]

see everything here is built for hot, humid weather! My barn is VERY open, with optimal ventilation and we haven't yet had a chance to get the drop down windows up (next project) so there isn't a lot of wind break, some but not a lot. We don't get much weather like this, we will sometimes actually get into the sigle digits but rarely, it is going to get into teens to night and tomorrow night and wind chills in single digits (it's the WIND I cannot stand, the cold is fine!).

[Auventera Two]

20-30 is miserable to you?! :lol: Yesterday we were so thrilled that it was 20 degrees, we went for a 3 hour trail ride! And that was with 20 mph winds too. LOL. It was absolutely breathtaking. The snow covered pine trees were so beautiful, and belly deep drifts are perfect for conditioning. Riding in the snow is the best riding there is!

Seriously, I love winter. I live in northern Wisconsin because I hate the heat and I hate the south. I have no desire to ever move back. I hate bugs, humidity, sand, palm trees, sweat, and anything above about 60 degrees! We had a cold snap last winter that dropped us around -27 below F. It's not uncommon at all to have below 0 temps in January here.

If you live here, you just have to know how to dress. That's all. I laugh at all these "cold weather" expensive clothes by Ariat and Irideon in the tack catalogs. It's like - yeah right! If you consider 40 degrees to be cold! But up here, you learn to ride in thick wool socks, pack boots, and Carharrts. To hell with cutesy silk tops and "insulated breeches." Insulated breeches are only the first layer! Followed by sweat pants and snowmobile pants. :lol:

I ride with a quarter cooler wrapped around my lap too. It funnels the horses heat up to your core.

My riding buddy and I joke that if you don't look like a 2-ton sasqwach, then you don't have enough clothes on yet and you won't last long up there.

I ride at night a lot in the winter because it is "night" by 4:00. The temp is normally in the single or low double digits. I usually wear something like this: insulated tank top, insulated long sleeve underwear top, long sleeved t-shirt, sweatshirt, down vest, outer windproof coat. I wear a windproof ski mask under my helmet, then pull the hood of the coat up over the helmet, then a wool scarf. The lower layers depend but usually there are 3 of them. I wear 2 pair of gloves. One is a silk/windproof liner, then a larger pair of outer gloves.

Last year I got frostbite on my cheeks right below my eyes because it was the only area of skin that was constantly exposed. I still haven't come up with a solution for that yet.

[Tory Relic]

20-30 is miserable to you?! :lol:

It is when it was 70 degrees three days ago.

[ybiaw]

Last year I got frostbite on my cheeks right below my eyes because it was the only area of skin that was constantly exposed. I still haven't come up with a solution for that yet.

You could always try a pair of ski goggles ;)

[shawneeAcres]

It is when it was 70 degrees three days ago.

Yep was almost 80 here last week! Man I can LIVE with that. Now I admit, when it gets into 90's and above with humidity I cannot stand it and do very little! But when its cold and WINDY I cannot deal with it. I just hate wind more than anything!

[Dirty Little Secret]

Oh Shawnee I'm with you! I'm freezing and watching it snow! Woke up this morning and it was 15 degrees and SO windy. Not the cold that's so bad but the wind and my NC barn is too built for the summer. Actually I am in the middle of the barn door project.
I have no idea how the folks in Fargo, ND are surviving. I saw on the Weather Channel this morning it was supposed to be a high of 5 today. Would certainly be able to encourage the clients to move south more easily if it was consistently 5!

Bundle up and stay warm!

[pandorasboxx]

Hands down the warmest layers I have are cashmere. No, not a diva. I use my old picked sweaters or surf the thrift shops for them. Absolutely scrumptious next to the skin and not so thick that you feel like a michelin man.

Ditto to the silk long johns.

Smartwool socks and silk liners.

Those hand and feet warmer packets.

Cannot live without my Artic Sport Muckboots. Waterproof and good to -40F (though I haven't tested it to that extreme!).

Also like the Brit Middie paddock boot for riding. Toasty!

[Ranchin Gal]

-10 this morning here. But hey it's better then - 20 or -30. If it is windy, then it is downright miserable.I take many quick breaks to my tack/feed room to warm my fingers up. I just can't work with gloves or mitts on so I am always taking them off. I love my silk long underwear that is a daily peice of clothing of mine until springtime.
Every winter I tell myself that we are moving south very soon. I think my horses would also vote for that, especially on the really cold nights with the strong winds.

[BeastieSlave]

It was 80 down here last week. It's getting up to 40 today (about 20 with wind chill). Actual temp is going down to the teens tonight. WTF!?
I really don't mind the cold, I just want it to either be cold or not. This warm one day, cold the next thing sucks :mad:

[jn4jenny]

Also want to ditto the "dress for it" thing. When I was a Virginian, I would have never dreamed of going to the barn in this getup, but now it's a daily thing:

--Good WICKING sports bra and microfiber undies--can't have sweat trapped in the base layer!
--Cuddl' Duds microfiber long underwear
--Irideon Wind Pro fleece lined breeches
--Mountain Hardwear Wind Pro fitted fleece jacket
--Dublin Empress winter overcoat (usually shed this by the time I'm riding)
--Mountain Hardwear Dome Perignon hat, traded in for a fleece ear band and fleece helmet cover at riding time
--Either Ariat Frostbiter tall boots (for snowy days) or Mountain Horse Ice Paddock boots (for cold but not snowy days)
--Manzella Gore-Tex fleece ski gloves for off the horse, regular leather gloves for on the horse
--YakTrax Pro's for walking on the snow/ice

That's in the neighborhood of $350 in winter riding clothes worn on any one given day--and that's at the sale prices I paid for the clothes, not their retail value--but it's worth every penny to be comfortable at the barn.

For the record, where I am it is 20 degrees with a wind chill of 10 degrees. Horsie and I will still ride (with a quarter sheet) if the arena is 25 degrees or above (and it will be--usually only gets below 25 if it's 15 degrees or less outside).

[MistyBlue]

I'm in southern new england...so not frigidly cold. Normal winter temps are usually teens to twenties...we can get into single digits with wind chills below zero but it's really rare for us to get below zero without the wind chill factor. So we get cold...but not arctic cold like some other areas.
I'm outside often year round...but to be honest I'd rather be outside all day in winter rather than summer. ;) I can dress for winter weather...I can only take off so many summer layers before I'm illegal. And d*mn scary. :lol:
The colder the winter climate is where you live...the more used to it you are. We have wild weather fluctuations here in CT. We're pretty used to it...it's not unusual to need your AC one day and your furnace the next. Or even wear winter coats during morning barn chores and be in a t-shirt by lunch hay time. It's also pretty normal to see people wearing shorts and a parka...or not wearing their winter coats until it's in the teens outside.
Here's some tips for cold weather temps:
Most important parts of the body to keep warm and to spend the money on *quality* cold weather wear are: Head, hands and feet. If those 3 body parts are kept truly warm...the rest of you will feel a lot better.

When covering the head...cover the ears too. You'll look like a moron in an ear flap hat...but you'll be a toasty moron. ;)
Hands...buy more than one pair of gloves...have 2-3 pairs. The insulated ski gloves are warmest...but next to impossible to do horsie stuff/barn chores in. But there are plenty of leather gloves with thinsulate or fleece lined that work very well. They cut wind, less bulky and are warm. Buy the gloves roomy...tight = cold. If your hands are still really cold...buy a box of the rubber surgical gloves. (cheap as heck) Wear a pair of those under your winter gloves. Keeps hands dry and holds in body warmth to your fingertips better. Extra pairs of gloves are so one pair can dry when you wear another pair.
Feet...never ever wear boots that are tight with extra socks. The tightness reduces circulation, there's nowhere for your own body heat to build up and it promotes sweating/which freezes your feet. Buy winter boots that are insulated, waterproof and at least 1/2 size bigger than you normally wear. Do not wear tight socks...wear a regular pair of socks and then add an oversized pair of good socks like Smartwool or any sock that wicks moisture away and are rated for cold temps.
If you live where you get ice...YakTrax...keeps you on your feet and off your arse. :winkgrin:

[gabz]

Last year I got frostbite on my cheeks right below my eyes because it was the only area of skin that was constantly exposed. I still haven't come up with a solution for that yet.

I had that happen when I snow mobiled .... I have a face mask that works well - it's thin enough to wear under a helmet too. By Dansk. I don't know if they are even in business anymore.
Also - a thin application of vaseline in that area can help too.

[Tory Relic]

Buy the gloves roomy...tight = cold. If your hands are still really cold...buy a box of the rubber surgical gloves. (cheap as heck) Wear a pair of those under your winter gloves. Keeps hands dry and holds in body warmth to your fingertips better. Extra pairs of gloves are so one pair can dry when you wear another pair.
Feet...never ever wear boots that are tight with extra socks. The tightness reduces circulation, there's nowhere for your own body heat to build up and it promotes sweating/which freezes your feet. Buy winter boots that are insulated, waterproof and at least 1/2 size bigger than you normally wear. Do not wear tight socks...wear a regular pair of socks and then add an oversized pair of good socks like Smartwool or any sock that wicks moisture away and are rated for cold temps.


Even down here, I agree with this. Cold is relative, i.e., what feels cold to us Suthn'rs doesn't to you Yankees. :winkgrin:

I use the surgical gloves in the same way, more to insure my hands stay dry than to keep out the cold. I have a pair of gloves that are leather with thinsulate lining that I love and use year round. I have several other types, too.

I am truly grateful that I do not have to deal with constant freezing temps that the far northern regions do. But we have hot, humid summers, and I'm with MB on that, too. I can bundle up, but egads, NO ONE would want to see me in anything skimpy!

[J Swan]

Well - I'm okay with riding in standard hunt attire until it gets into the 20's - and even then I'm pretty much ok unless it's windy.

It's the wind that gets me. I just shut down. The wind today is just too much for me -it gets in my bones. Tomorrow is going to be worse. So I'm not riding today or tomorrow.

For working outside - Carharrts and my ugly hat. I have an alpaca wool hat that Mr JSwan thinks is hideous but it's a very warm hat. I love it. Leather gloves.

Riding - britches and boots; hair over ears or one of those band things under my helmet - and gloves - and jacket - maybe with a fleece vest under it.

I don't mind if it gets cold and stays cold - seems like the body adjusts. But some posters have mentioned the wildly fluctuating temps - now that can mess a person up. It makes the cold feel colder somehow.

[akor]

I always giggle at the "it's so cold" posts when it's in the 20s.
-8F here at my farm this am, windchill at -22.

You just deal with it. Mine are 24/7 TO and it's blankets, extra hay,water/tank heaters and up to them if they use the shelter. Humans just dress well. (but, in the 1970s, we didn't even blanket and never lost a horse to exposure)

I hate the heat more, actually. The gelding is much happier this am than with it being 90+ and bugs, I actually worry a bit about him then, he gets depressed and sort of mopes about. The cold, they seem to deal. Of course, duration matters. last year we had about 10 days of below 0 and that took it's toll, I could tell they were starting to get stressed.

Also, bright sunny cold day is better than rainy and 30.

It's what you are used to though, for example, I would have a hard time adjusting to no turnout/little paddocks like are the norm in some areas, no matter the weather. But, I know it works for many people.

[CallMeGrace]

Having grown up in the frozen north, I console myself with the fact that it only gets this cold here in KY a couple to three days a year! My son has Raynauds, though, which is a real problem for him. I bought him a case of hand warmers this year, which are helping. And, I am ALWAYS going on about wearing a hat!! I bought each of them fuzzy covers for their helmets that go down over their ears, but neither wears them, so I do! Also just delivered the heavy duty extension cord for the new heated water bucket.

[equusrocks]

I've about had it. Actually, it was the primary reason I didn't take a job at a farm...I wanted to, but I really hate the cold. I have vivid memories of carrying buckets of water in weather that was -30F (including winchill of course). Really killed it for me. I ended up with mild frostbite in one hand (how does that happen??) It still bothers me when it gets cold. :sigh:

I hate it.

[diffuse01]

It was 80 down here last week. It's getting up to 40 today (about 20 with wind chill). Actual temp is going down to the teens tonight. WTF!?
I really don't mind the cold, I just want it to either be cold or not. This warm one day, cold the next thing sucks :mad:

:yes: THAT'S the problem! If it would just stay cold, or stay in the 60's, it wouldn't be such a big deal.. but this 30 degrees one day, 65 degrees the next is killing me! My body just can't get used to it.
Can't wait til Friday when it starts to warm up, mid 60's this weekend and looks like it's going to stay that way for awhile :D!

[ManyDogs]

We lived in Alaska for ten years. I had two horses when we lived in the interior (COLD-like the highs minus 35 F in Jan/Feb). I didn't have that far to go to feed/check on them but did no riding, to say the least.
When it's been 50 below, 20 above feels like Spring.
Yes, you dress for the weather. The only thing showing would be your eyes. Layers, layers, layers and everyone carried emergency supplies when they traveled. This was before cell phones, too.
The horses had a windbreak and were stalled during bad (ha!) weather. The worst was the wind. I fed alfalfa, sweet feed, and would carry water out every morning that I had put molasses in. Had to make sure the moose stayed out of the hay bales :eek:.
As the humidity was usually under 10% in the winter, the electric fence didn't always work. I had a little appy gelding that could jump our fence from a standstill. A couple times I was tracking horses in the snow at "rather" cold temps.
Give me warm weather any day. I loved living in Alaska; just too old to go back now and fight the elements.

[sublimequine]

The air temperature here right now is about 4. Degrees. Farenheit.

Wind chill, however, is about -1billion.

It's cold. You just get used to it, and deal with it.

...and dream of moving to Florida :)

Yep, I can vouch for that. Chicago suburbanite here. :lol:

[Daydream Believer]

Living three years in Northern New York just across the river from Canada really gives you a perspective on what COLD and WINTER really are! I count my blessings now that I live in Virginia and don't have to shovel out my driveway daily anymore, spend hours getting my trailer dug out if I wanted to haul, have frozen water buckets 7 months out of year, or have to take my life into my hands driving into work everyday in horrible road conditions. My last winter up there we got 12 feet of snow and one month we didn't break 10F.

It is funny also but you do get used to it also. After a while 25F doesn't feel cold at all!

[Bluey]

We were 9F this morning, TV said -10F chill factor. You could see the horse's breath.
We can be -10F without wind and it is NICE out there, but at 32F with wind is COLD out there.
Today we will get to 40F and in two more days to 60F, right down short sleeve weather for us.
Then next week cold and snow again.:(

If it is dry and no wind, cold is relative, you may even get too hot and start shedding layers of clothing, if you do any work at all.
When the cold wind blows, then is when you may get hot inside and still chilled.

We learn to dress for the weather and try to stay out of the wind.

The horses don't seem to mind, either way.

[classicsporthorses]

Well in upstate NY it gives us something else to complain about besides our taxes! Even within NY it's "relative". We have friends who moved down from Saranac Lake. NY (they are way up in the North country) to near us a few years ago b/c they wanted a "warmer Climate".

The husband was a school teacher and he said in his tenure they only closed school once, it was MINUS 56 with the windchill and the only reason they did that is the grease for the wheels of the buses froze. They keep the buses running 24/7 or they would not get them started.

It's the wind that goes through me. I dress in layers, multiple ones, both top and bottom. I love my neck/head gaitor and my duluth trader waterproof gauntlet gloves.

Right now it's a whopping 11 degrees with a good clipping wind so I am sure it's about zero. The funny thing is the horses are not even bothered by it. I would take 90 with 90 percent humidity any day over this.

[Auventera Two]

We had a freezing fog the other day and the horses manes and tails were covered in a million tiny little iscicles. It was the neatest thing!

Another trick I learned for staying really warm in sub-zero temps is to get in the shower first and get yourself really really warm. I put my hair in a shower cap so it doesn't get wet. I stay in for about 10 minutes in as hot as I can stand it. I dry off, and dress in all the layers right away to seal the heat in.

I found out that if I go outside feeling a little bit cold to start off with, all the layers just don't help so much. You have to be thoroughly warm before you go out in it.

[teacher]

Wow! You Northerners make me feel foolish for even thinking about pulling out the winter blankets this afternoon as we are expecting freezing temperatures tonight. However, it is a big change in temps for us and the horses. Just yesterday morning we were broiling it was so warm. Last night a cold front headed our way and it is a bit nippy (okay, I know 50 would feel like the tropics for you) and due to get colder.Very windy too.
Laughably, my 16 year old son who has never seen snow (a native south Floridian) and wants to see it , always claims it is "freezing" whenever the temp goes below 75!He finds it hard to believe my stories of how after weeks of below 0 wind chill we would be taking off the down coats when the temps hit 35-40in Feb/Mar(Pgh,PA).:yes:

[onthebit]

A lot of you are just made of tougher stuff than me! :yes: I spent two winters in Vermont (south of Middlebury) and I just. couldn't. take. it. I loved the area, it was so beautiful and the people warm and welcoming, but the bottom line was I was ready to kill myself at the thought of another winter like that. And the two winters I was there were really pretty mild for Vermont!! I told my husband I must be the world's biggest wimp or something. Since he is from Canada he didn't find the winters there too tough. He calls me his hothouse flower, and I guess he is right.

I must admit that the weather this morning was awful here though. Low 20's and windy. I had on long underwear, jeans, two pairs of socks with my insulated muck boots, turtleneck, sweatshirt, heavy coat, gloves, ear band PLUS hat. And I was STILL cold!!!! I just kept telling myself get through Friday and then all will be well again - rest of the 10 day forecast is 50's and 60's after these three days of misery.

[BeastieSlave]

Here's a tale for you folks in the frozen north:

Many years ago, when #1 daughter was about 3 or 4, we went 'up north' to visit my folks in Atlanta (it's only a couple hours away). I think this was around Thanksgiving.
In the morning my daughter came running up to me soooo excited. "It snowed!" she exclaimed. I had to explain that the heavy frost she saw on the ground was not snow.... The poor thing was crushed :lol:

[Appassionato]

Here's a tale for you folks in the frozen north:

Many years ago, when #1 daughter was about 3 or 4, we went 'up north' to visit my folks in Atlanta (it's only a couple hours away). I think this was around Thanksgiving.
In the morning my daughter came running up to me soooo excited. "It snowed!" she exclaimed. I had to explain that the heavy frost she saw on the ground was not snow.... The poor thing was crushed :lol:

:lol::lol::lol:

And yep, it was almost 80 here too a few days ago. I was getting a little sweaty with jeans and a T-shirt on when I scrubbed out the water tank, took hay out to the barn, grain, picked out Bo's hooves and thrush-bustered the rear hooves...it was right pleasant! This morning as I busted the ice out of Bo's trough and tossed it out, I had to take my wimp self back to my truck, crank it up and turn the heat on because I was freezing to death. I truly do not see how people deal with colder temps than this.

[Sonic Boom]

I am originally from CT, and now live in MD. My first few winters here, though I thought it was damp and yucky, I also thought it wasn't bad at all with the temps!

Now...I am FREEZING in the same 20s-30s with the nasty wind. I hate it. No matter how many layers I wear, I just plain hate it. I've been down here 9 years, and when I went home to CT for Christmas, I was thankful that it was mild!

I know people in extreme temps frequently laugh at those who complain about 20s and 30s (I see a lot of posts like that in the "how do I keep warm?!" type threads). But really...it's all very, very relative. I thought nothing of 20s and 30s in New England. Now I figure low 20s and I won't even ride. Plus in the Mid-A and some of the South, the fluctuating temps are killer...hard for your body to adjust, you know? If it just STAYED in the 20s and 30s, people wouldn't be so bothered here.

So before you make fun, remember that if you lived for years and years in a place where the winters are not the arctic tundra, you too would be cold in the current temps around here. :)

All of that aside, I second, third, and fourth all of the suggestions here. Surgical gloves for sure! Silk underwear is great, and my biggest mistake was always not having enough gloves and socks, and maybe even an extra bra. When all of that gets sweaty and you're taking care of your horse after a ride, WHOA that's when it gets very cold! :eek:

[CookiePony]

Tee hee-- if I were still living up in MA, I would ride today without hesitation. But put me in TN and a windy high of 27 is too cold!! Don't ask me to explain. But I'll ride tomorrow, which is forecast to be 10 degrees warmer, thank you.

[equusrocks]

Well in upstate NY it gives us something else to complain about besides our taxes! Even within NY it's "relative". We have friends who moved down from Saranac Lake. NY (they are way up in the North country) to near us a few years ago b/c they wanted a "warmer Climate".


I'm up that way...not far from SL. I will say, the cost of living here isn't too bad, but 6 months out of the year its cold/wet/snowy/muddy.

[riverbell93]

Plus in the Mid-A and some of the South, the fluctuating temps are killer...hard for your body to adjust, you know? If it just STAYED in the 20s and 30s, people wouldn't be so bothered here.

There is something maddening about extreme temperature jumps. Like arctic blasts one week, and then riding in t-shirts the next. Or those weird January nights when you get a freaking THUNDERSTORM because it's so muggy and humid. Although I would not like living in New England type weather, where it snows early and pretty much stays like that until spring. I need those Midatlantic thaws, I couldn't live with months of unchanging snow/ice/freeze. We had one winter like that a few years ago, and I still vividly remember the day it finally, finally thawed. I was nearly crying with joy, watching that hideous, filthy ice finally melt. I couldn't take that every year.

[millerra]

Carharts (?sp?), choppers, and sorrells (again, sp?) are my friends. An' every spring I instantaneously drop 10 lbs and 10" off the waist and behind (all clothing of course).

And I will take the cold any time over some of those absolutely grotescue and hideous BUG and SPIDER stories you "southerners" talk about... ACK!!!!

[JohnDeere]

These people have it right. Dress to suit the weather.

LL Bean should be honored. Theres any number of different types of long undies that work. These peole know cold! Or use underarmour if you are south of the M/D line. I cant wear UA in the house for more than 5 min, so dress and boogie!

Start with a good base and youll be warm. Don't fool with cotton as the first layer or you will never be warm. Sorry but times have changed--use the stuff for cold weather.
Go from there. Turtlenecks, insulated shirts, whatever. But start with a good layer.

You can alway s add clothes but you cant take off your skin and lie around in your bones. Unfortunately.

[H/J Anonymous]

I think we deal with it because we are close to crazy! Anyway, it is only a high of about 10 degrees today here....

However, some of horses live outside and some come in at night. The barn is heated to about 55 degrees and that is plenty warm to ride in. There are even some horses that have no blankets that live outside full-time too. We all make due.

I have to say I get quite cold just going to get my horse in this weather! Lucky for us it will be in the 30's by the end of the week! Heat Wave:)

[Sleepy]

The difficulty, as several have already pointed out, is the extreme fluctuation. As for dressing for the weather... forget it. No matter what you put on, it is going to be wrong. 60 degrees when you leave home, so you wear a polo. By that evening it will be 40 and you're freezing. Start out in a turtleneck and sweater and it will be 75 at lunchtime and you're sweating. These days you just can't win. Although today, the t-neck and heavy wool sweater seemed appropriate.

Cheer up Shawnee, it going to be 60 again this weekend. Unfortunately for the horses, this is good colic weather.

[BeastieSlave]

And I will take the cold any time over some of those absolutely grotescue and hideous BUG and SPIDER stories you "southerners" talk about... ACK!!!!

I need to add that down here we do welcome the freezing temps because it kills the bugs - for a little while anyway! :lol: (I just wish we could get to freezing a little more gradually)
In my neck of the woods summer is just gross. I enjoy/embrace the concept of layers and would really prefer to be farther north (I lived in yankeeland some growing up). I mean, when you're cold, you can add more layers. What do you do when it's 98 degrees with 95% humidity - regularly? There are only so many clothes you can take off, and honestly, being nekkid doesn't help :rolleyes: We need indoors with air conditioning in the summer just like you guys need them with heat in the winter.

[onthebit]

And I will take the cold any time over some of those absolutely grotescue and hideous BUG and SPIDER stories you "southerners" talk about... ACK!!!!

I joke that is the other thing that ran me out of Vermont, I had never dealt with bugs like that! Tons of mosquitoes (I live in a landlocked area so don't see too many of them), the black flies, swarms of green heads . . . when that and "mud season" was what greeted me after the killer winter I just officially decided I am 100% wimp.

[FlashGordon]

That's actually WHY I bought my horse. Lived for years in Virginia and was able to resist the urge. Moved to Michigan, and was so bored and cranky all winter that I had to buy a horse to keep me happy and sane!

Having this trouble right now! :) Winter makes me incredibly restless and bored. I work from home and we have a young daughter... when its this cold, we don't get out much during the week, and I'm going crazy over here!

Right now it is 14 degrees. There is nothing that will get me out in this weather-- except a furry horse needing a grooming and blanket change, a quick hack, or just a few treats! This is the first winter I am not a horse owner/leasor in..... many, many years! It is strange! I still get out to ride friends' horses a few times a week but I miss the daily treks out to the barn to check on my own.

The trick to thsi weather is knowing how to dress. Silk long johns, glove and boot liners, a good winter coat, boots and overpants. Winter wear is one thing I will splurge on because its so necessary if you are going to be out for any length of time!

I definitely feel for all those up here who have their horses at home... doing stalls, keeping buckets ice free, doing turnouts, etc. gets tricky!

[2DogsFarm]

And I know as I am Queen of the Wimps :yes:
I pretty much stopped riding when temps dipped below 40
And I have no excuse
I have an indoor
Connected to the barn :o

But when I get home from work at 5P and it is already pitchblack my incentive level goes right to the sub-basement and stays there until Spring!

However I still have to feed and do chores, so as OP have said layers, Polarfleece and Thinsulate are your friends.

I have a pair of glove liners I got in the ski section of a sporting goods store. They are some kind of cotton-feeling material and they are so warm that I was wearing them in place of gloves until this weekend when we got the subzero Arctic blast. And I can work with them on, unlike my bulkier Thinsulate-lined leather ones.

Got a pair of Hot Chillys leggings at the same store (Sports Authority?) - same type of material and they are worn under breeches for riding and beneath polarfleece sweatpants for working in the barn.

I love my Polarfleece socks (from the hunting dept) but got a pair of furry/shiny socks as a gift and Dang! they are warm! I've seen these at Walmart, Target, etc & they are cheaper than the polarfleece ones.

On my head for riding I use a polarfleece band - covers my ears and fits under a helmet. for chores I have a thinsulate-lined stocking cap from TSC & a polarfleece-lined earflap dork hat.

Feet are in Tuffrider insulated pacboots for chores. They are wonderful warm but the velcro closers are starting to die in their 3rd year - too much barn dirt.
I just ordered a pair of pullon boots from shoebuy.com to solve that problem.
I have yet to find a really good way to have warm feet when wearing paddock or tall boots :no:

[flyingchange]

Cold-weather coveralls, good gloves (don't have to be expensive to be good - cheap "ski"gloves work). and thinsulate lined/waterproof boots.

water tank heaters.

and yes, remember to drain your hoses. You can just disconnect them from the water faucet and then pull them out into a straight line so that water can drain out of them. I learned this lesson the hard way ....

you can never have too much winter-wear. it makes all the difference.

[CookiePony]

...the black flies...

Oh, the black flies!!! Horrible little demons. :dead:

[Leena]

Very cold here ! Around minus 5F right now without chill factor. We are getting dressed and horses are out with plenty of hay, tempered water. They sleep in the snow and seem to enjoy.

I believe this is adaptation.

Hubby and I were talking about this; looking at our 2 Canadian horses, their coat is just like a fur, compared to our TB and warmblood. More thicker coat, just for those Canadian winters !

[Mia412]

As everyone else said, layers, layers. layers!

Everyone in the spring looks like they've lost at least 10 pounds when we all go back to normal clothes!

[caballus]

Born and raised in New England and used to love it; moved and lived in SW FL for 2 years and fell in love with it. Moved back here to New England back in 1994 and have hated every second of it since. HATE THE COLD! It just plain sucks. Haven't even gone swimming in the Atlantic since before we moved to FL. Too cold. Go in our pool MAYBE 3X a summer if that. Tomorrow's high is supposed to be what ... 12*F? Yipee hurray and I'll be out in it trimming hooves all day. One of my busier days. At least, though, I'll get warmed up and begin to sweat and wearing layers allows me to strip one off and get cooled down. It still sucks, tho .. big time. Wanna move back to FL. Told Hubby tonight, even, that if he had not come back from his heart attack, the house would have been on the market and I would have been GONE 3 weeks ago! Lock, stock and barrel. *sigh* ... well, positive side of things - the days are now getting longer. This month I'm booking for Feb. and then Feb I'll be booking for Mar which is SPRING! So, not too much longer, right? It'll go by before we know it ... (at least that's what happens when one grows "older" ... the days go by faster!) *GRIN*

[crackerjack]

Really it's not so bad. I had a lesson tonight and it's currently -26C... That being said I couldn't ride in the winter if I had no indoor especially this winter with the mountains of snow we've had. The horses are fine. They do better in cooler weather anyway and many many horses stay out 24/7 with no blankets even when it gets down into the -30Cs and colder. They don't want to come in. They definitely prefer it to the bugs! Riding gets cold when you warm up - sometimes your toes and fingers burn with cold but by the end of the ride you are boiling hot. When the sun is shining but the temp is waaay down the arena isn't that bad because the sun warms it up - our arena is insulated not heated. Our barn isn't heated but I wouldn't want a heated barn...tackroom yes but barn no. Apparently, it can potentially be unhealthy for the horses breathing. The worst part about the winter is when the snow comes off the arena roof because it sounds like the arena roof is ripping apart and also the fact that we are stuck in the arena for 5 months of the year. Good for gymnastics work...lol...

That all being said I really hate winter and am thinking how the heck can I get to Florida this winter!!

[Arado*TB]

My biggest gripe is the ever changing temps .UGHHHHH. That said My dear brother gave me coveralls for Christmas.I put them on @ 5:15 this a.m and called him at 7 a.m. thanking him profusly. I was toasty.It was 22 w/ a wind chill in the low teens.Tonight is to be 6 [wind chill] I already have them laying on the back of the chair ready to jump into in the a.m.
oh, my other fav accessory is a pair of sherpa lined leather gloves.

W/o hijacking this thread.Do you do anything different w/ the horses? Feeding ,blanketing ect. I read where some that are out 24/7 do or do not need blanketing.
I give extra hay whenit gets cold and I always wet their feed.
I was just curious as w/ these fluxing temps I have one that can get a little colicky if I am not on my toes.

[Mendin Fences]

You get used to it... you don't really have a choice. The horses adjust too. Today I went and rode (indoors of course but not heated) and when I got home I found out that it was 2 degrees.
I did appreciate that my horse did not sweat today because it was cold enough to keep her from getting hot. She sweats heavily with a good workout when it gets above 30 and it's a pain to get her dried and cooled out.
When it's really cold I throw my layers of barn clothes in the dryer for a few minutes before I put them on and I stay fairly warm. I think the layers keep the heat trapped for a while.

[Jazzy Lady]

Ride with 2 pairs of gloves. Ride with one pair under your sweater and the other on your hands. When your fingers get cold, switch to a brand new pair of gloves!

[rothmpp]

[QUOTE=crackerjack;2908717]The worst part about the winter is when the snow comes off the arena roof because it sounds like the arena roof is ripping apart QUOTE]

OMG - Reading thru this thread I was just remembering seeing my life flash before my eyes the first time that happened this winter to my 4yo who has never heard that before. It's been happening for a month now, and the funny thing this is the first barn that I have been at in the winter that has this problem. At least the sun was out today to melt the new 12" of snow off the roof. I'm hoping that it is all off the roof before tomorrow so we get a good day in.

[Brio]

I have no idea how the folks in Fargo, ND are surviving. I saw on the Weather Channel this morning it was supposed to be a high of 5 today. Would certainly be able to encourage the clients to move south more easily if it was consistently 5!

Bundle up and stay warm!


And here I was thinking it was warm out today! Yesterday it didn't get above 0 so +5 was nice. :D The windchil right now is about -4 so nothing too major for this time of year in this neck of the woods. Once its cold, it doesnt' change its just cold.

I'm home over the holiday break in Fargo, land of the bomber hats. Wouldn't be home if it was warm!

The worst day I saw recently was the night we were driving back from the barn and I looked over at the truck's temperature gauge. -25. We got a little further and it dropped -29. That didn't factor in the windchill either. That was a cold night.

[BeastieSlave]

Thanks to this thread it actually occured to me to put on my ski pants over my jeans to go do chores this morning. I was very cozy even though it was 21 degrees out. Yes, I had my cashmere sweater on over my long sleeved T. I had a scarf 'round my neck and my faithful LL Bean barn coat with primaloft liner (love that coat!). My Thorlo ski socks kept my piggies toasty. The only weak part of my outfit was my choice of gloves. My barn work gloves died and it seems that my favorite suede gloves with cashmere lining are not up to life at the farm. I should have used my ski gloves :yes:

On that topic, what are your favorite waterproof, cold weather, work around the barn gloves? I was looking at some before the frigid temps came to the balmy south. Now I realize that I might as well get some imput from folks who deal with the cold regularly....

[millerra]

gloves for working - my favs are leather gloves with polar fleece liners - I buy both at farm an fleet as "stand alone" gloves and just put the polar fleece on first (2 gloves on one hand). Sort of like a chopper mitten but as gloves. I think the wool/fleece lined gloves would be similar but for some reason the two separate layers seem warmer. The leather is a good wind retardant and you can stick your hand briefly in water (eg. fishing out ice chunks) and won't soak through. The polar fleece lets the water vapor out from your hand so your hand stays warmer/dryer.

Another thing I can't do w/out is a neck warmer (not a scarf) - I can NOT stand having my neck/chin exposed when its cold...

[Trot Left]

-3 here today... freezing outside but the barn is around 20 inside so that's not bad at all. I just always wear gloves and a hat, one pair of socks and a few body layers.

[Auventera Two]

It was -10 this morning. It's warmed up to about 11 so far. Even fat little Libbey Lou got a blanket on today. Didn't want to freeze her little pony bunns off. My poor naked Weimaraner set the world record time for peeing in a snowbank. And she was wearing a sweatshirt, and a Weatherbeeta doggie coat! What's she gonna do when it gets really cold???? :lol:

[caballus]

Well, I cancelled my trims today since two of them are outdoors. This morning it was 3* F with a wind chill of -12 or something like that. Even in my thermal gloves my fingers were painfully frozen in a matter of minutes while feeding my own gang this morning. No way I was going to trim hooves outdoors and worse, expect the horse's owners to stand holding the horses for any length of time in this weather. Nasty, nasty, nasty! With 4 layers of clothes on myself, I also double blanketed my woosie TB last night (he already had one blanket on), and blanketed 3 more horses plus the ole Donkey. The youngsters (Mustang and PMU both long 4 year olds) were running around like nuts this morning; the ponies instigating the race and the others were standing in their blankets watching the naked ones hauling their derrieres through the ice and snow (probably thinking to themselve, my word .. they're crazy!) All will keep their blankets on for today; the TB will have his second blankie removed tomorrow when the air has warmed and the rest will be naked once again.
As for me ... I just keep on layering until the spring arrives when its really neat to hear, "OMG! You've lost sooooooo much weight! How did you DO it!?!?!?" as I strip off layer by layer. teehee ... my little secret, eh?

[Trixie]

I'm in Virginia and I'm of the ilk that really, really hates the cold. I couldn't bear what is cold to some of you (-20?!) but what we get is bad enough.

I decided last year I needed to be proactive. I recieved a pair of fleecy breeches for XMAS and purchased a pair of giant full seat snowpants as overpants. Mountain horse long johns, fleecy breeches, snow pants.

I then purchased a down coat from LL Bean - super poofy, rated for -30 or something like that. Silk undershirt or two, turtleneck, sweater or fleece, coat.

Mr. Trixie bought me a pair of winter riding boots for my birthday this year. Best present I could've gotten. I only feel moderately bad that I keep slogging through the mud in them and they immediately looked like hell. But, I love them.

Will be stocking up on hand/foot warmers next.

[LookinSouth]

All I have to say is I am up skiing in VT right now. It was 4 degrees at the base and -15 at the summit with a crazy wind chill. To top that off they just got 2 feet of snow.

CT is seeming very, very warm right now:D ( and it ain't much warmer, but no snow)

Like others have said LAYERS. I haven't had to ride in my coat once this winter yet. I have a waffle knit cami, a long sleeve t-shirt or thin wool turtleneck layered under a merino wool sweater, throw a fleece or down vest over that for most days and I am fine; even in the woods. Wool socks and EQ fleece lined breeches w/ my Ariat tall winters are super warm though most days I just wear jeans. If it's really cold (below 25 and windy) I ride with my Ariat fleece jacket that my husband says looks like a carpet. That thing is WARM and less bulky than a coat. I can't stand bulk when I am riding. Usually I have to peel if off by the time I am done grooming because I am too hot.
Silk lined SSG gloves and microfleece ear band and I'm all set to go.

[Huntertwo]

Yeah we were a bit warmer in CT today not much. But thanks to Pre-Menopause, I was sweating while doing stalls...:yes:

[shawneeAcres]

well tonight is supposed tog et the coldest here, lower teens, ugh! At elast the wind has died down today, but still too durn cold for me! Can't wait til Sunday when it is supposed to be 65 degrees! I layer up and all that stuff and just end up cold and sweating at the same time, yuck! But everything is getting done although nothing "Extra" right now!

[RiverBendPol]

It is -10 right now and the house is creaking in the wind. Every now and then a great poooooof of smoke comes out of the woodstove into the kitchen. Jeekers, it is so cold! It was warmer in the woods of Northern Wisconsin this past week!
I wear my Carhart one-piece jumpsuit over my PJs to do chores. Tomorrow I will add a thin polar fleece vest but will have to take it off by the time I get to the 3rd stall. A wool hat, polar fleece neck warmer, polar fleece-lined leather gloves or on days like today, sheepskin lined leather mittens. No matter what I have on my hands my cut-off-thumb throbs. LLBean had some fabulous boots in the outlet store this fall. I usually only wear 1 pair of Smart Wool sox but occasionally add a silk liner.
To ride, I put on my corduroy breeches, paddock boots, 1/2 chaps, silk undershirt, cotton turtleneck, wool sweater, polarfleece or down vest, long down parka, neck warmer, helmet with ear muffs, lined leather gloves. I am only walking at the moment, walking outside, hence all the clothes. Once the boy starts trotting, I'll shed alot of layers and when he actually is in work, I'll do that work in the turtleneck and undershirt.
Horses remain unclipped, unblanketed and warm as toast. When the little one starts trotting, he'll get clipped and bundled up in blankets. They all get hot water 4 times a day.

[chism]

I moved up to Mass from Fla in 1985 and I'm STILL not used to it. I hate living here from Nov-March, but love it the rest of the year. I don't see myself moving back to Fla, but Virginia's looking awful good. ;) Winter came on so quickly this year, we've already had record snow fall in December, and there's three months to go. :( I mind the snow much more than the cold though I do detest that as well....it just makes all the horse care that much more difficult and time consuming, it certainly doesn't help that I keep my horses at home AND work at a barn.
Today it was about 4 degrees when I left my house, not any warmer at the barn either, actually we've got our own little climate there...it's guaranteed to be at least 10 degrees colder and windier than my house about 5 miles away. I wore my fleece lined riding tights under my jeans, my muck boots, 4 layers on top, hat and gloves on at all times.
My own horses get hot mashes with their am/pm grain as well as a tbs of salt in their am grain to encourage drinking. I had one horse colic pretty badly two years ago (impaction), so I'm hyper vigilant about his hydration and overall comfort. He's blanketed and has a heated stock tank in his paddock. He and his 3 paddock friends drink well. The other 4 get hot water carried down to them 4 times a day until the $$!@!!$##%**&%%^^%% stock tank I ordered in November finally comes in. Only two of my 8 are blanketed, the other one for weight retention reasons only. Everyone seems to deal with it far better than I do.