The good news is, Lex seems to think the cold is just fine. She's pretty much the same, whether it's raining or windy or the Florida version of frigid. I thought she might be a dum-dum today because the temperature has dropped and she's had a couple of days off because of the winter monsoons, but she trotted quietly around on the lunge line like a school pony and then was really, really good while I was riding her. She actually had some of her best moments yet, where she was quiet in bridle and accepting the contact and moving off my leg. I just tried to sit quietly and not mess it up.
I started the ride in my new SSG 10 Below gloves, and I guess I'm just going to have to get used to riding in winter gloves again, because I felt like I couldn't feel her mouth at all. I ended up taking them off and riding bare-handed, which is weird for me because I always ride in gloves. It wasn't THAT cold, but it occurred to me that in the frozen North, I will probably not be able to ride bare-handed or with light gloves on because then I won't be able to feel my fingers, let alone her mouth. What do y'all who ride in the actual cold do?
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| Unfortunately, the chin-resting was not entirely caught on film. |
After the ride, she got her feet done. She can be kind of a brat about the farrier, so I'll let her snuggle or chew on her lead rope if it means the farrier can get her job done quickly and safely. She was into the lead rope today, but also enjoyed resting her muzzle on my shoulder and breathing hard into my ear (I think she was trying to tell me what her pasture buddy was saying to her last night).
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| My trainer would yell at me if I posted this on Facebook. |
She then demonstrated her taste for chewing on the brim of my hat. She does a lot of things that shouldn't crack me up, but they totally do.
I'm leaving in less than a week. I can't believe it, and I'm super nervous. Once I get there and get settled I'll be fine, but the combination of new territory, new job, new barn, and all alone (well, except Lexi-loo, but at this point I'm worried about how I'll take care of her adequately if there's a blizzard or something).
My biggest consolation, besides the fact that planes exist so The Girl can come visit me, is that I'll get to meet Tracy! Can't wait!
Also, check out Laura's Year in Review Blog Hop! If I could figure out how to add the widget thingy on here, I would.
Ooooo how exciting Blogger meet up, and I am so sorry that you have to deal with the cold :( can't stand it much myself!
ReplyDeleteI wear those same SSG 10 Belows. No glove liners; I have the SSG silk liners and they actually make my hands colder. These gloves are a godsend when it's 30 degrees and under. And I hate riding in gloves, fyi. Lol When it's 42+, I go bare-handed with wool arm warmers (they have a polar fleece lining; you can find similar items at REI). They have thumb holes so they keep everything except the very tips of my fingers warm. My feet have a tendency to get cold too. I'm currently wearing Kamik Acadia snow boots (rated to -40 F), with toe warmers, sock liners and Smartwool heavyweight socks. I ordered a pair of Mountain Horse Rimfrost boots; I'll be posting a review once they arrive and I've ridden in them! If you need winter riding boots, get them STAT!! I think Dover is the only one with Rimfrosts at the moment, and the MH Ice Horse boots are running out elsewhere too for the season! It's gearing up to really be the bad winter that had been predicted and people are getting spooked about it, apparently. Normal winter averages for the DC area (where I live) is the 40's. We currently have 6" of snow on the ground and we're hitting 9 degrees during the day on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteeBay is a great source for winter clothes at reasonable prices; most of my gear from our first winter in the North was scored on eBay (we hail from the Caribbean and lived in FL for 8 years after that before we moved up here.) Amazon has fleece helmet covers for $20. They are WONDERFUL. And you have short hair like me - I protect my ears from the bitter cold wind with Ear Bags: http://www.amazon.com/Ear-Bags-Black-MD-CS6/dp/B0027BFOQK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388883181&sr=8-1&keywords=ear+bags
I hope the move goes smoothly! I know exactly how you feel - we moved from South Florida to Washington, DC last year, and brought the mare along. It's a stressful thing, like moving always is, but you get this huge sense of achievement once you're all settled in. :)
This is SUPER useful! Thanks so much! I got the Mountain Horse Ice Rider boots for Christmas and I'm really psyched. I'm worried about her feeling shocked by the transition. I have a pile of blankets ready for her and my credit card can handle more if it has to.
DeleteAwesome on the MH boots!!
DeleteRegarding Lex: If you don't have one already, a slow feeder is a great thing to have so she can have hay in front of her all night, since eating will help keep her warm. And since her coat is so short and silky still, if you don't have one yet, she might need a neck cover in addition to her blankets when it's in the teens and below. Some horses do run warmer than others. We moved to DC in November and temps were already in the 40's during the day. Lily didn't have a winter coat yet, and didn't really start growing one in until the end of December, but she has always run hotter than the average horse, and did great temperature-wise just alternating or combining a lined sheet and a midweight blanket. (Granted the worst of last winter was nowhere near as cold as this one already is.)
The biggest thing with her will be keeping her hydrated when the temps drop. There are a million ways to get more water in her when it's freezing outside:
- add warm water to her regular grain ration to turn it into a mash.
- offer a bucket with warm water at night. Some horses look forward to plain warm water as if it were a treat. We had a couple at my old barn that would bang the stall doors at night check, asking for their warm water bucket!
- Horse Quencher. I used this with Lily when we first moved here. I swear this stuff will make horses drink: http://horsequencher.com/ It basically turns the water into a sweet tea; my mare will chug an entire 18qt bucket of water with just a cup of this stuff added to it. I keep a container of this around in the winter time. You can get a free sample from the website to see if she likes it; just enter the code FREESAMPLE in the form. They also sell single-serving baggies on the site.
- give a meal of soaked beet pulp once or twice a day if she's eaten it before. I personally prefer beet pulp to just wetting the grain because it helps them retain water in their gut longer.
- if they have water buckets with de-icers in the barn, make sure she also has one regular bucket. Yes, the water will probably freeze, but some horses will not drink from de-iced water; some of them just don't like it. And I learned this one the hard way recently: if you see horses avoiding a water trough with a de-icer in it, inform the barn manager/owner, as the de-icer might need to be replaced. They can go awry and shock the horses when they attempt to drink, creating a water trough aversion. You can stick your hand in the water and not feel anything, but your shoes ground you. If you try it barefoot, it's a whole other story. I had to have this talk with my BO. Thankfully she listened! We now have a trough with a de-icer and one without. Just something to watch out for, just in case! :)
I LOVE Horse Quencher! She always guzzles it up. I've never had buckets with de-icers but my mom has them. I'll definitely use all of these suggestions. Thanks so much for taking the time! :)
DeleteYou're welcome! :) Safe travels for you and Lex!
DeleteI agree, no human should have to endure those temperatures. Good luck!!!
ReplyDeleteI hate my 1 Below gloves, seriously. I am warmer with my regular winter gloves. What I do like about them is that they are waterproof (leatherness) and that is really helpful in Indiana in the winter
ReplyDeleteYeah, they'll do well in the winter for working, I'm sure. I'm just not convinced I can ride in them. We'll see, I guess.
DeleteHonestly, gloves for "real" work is the one area of winter-riding clothes that I don't have a good solution for. I have a great pair of Mountain Horse mittens for trail riding, but everything is either too bulky or not warm enough for dressage. The best I've found is a pair of SSG silk-lined gloves (and I just got a similar design by Tredstep, but haven't used them enough to know if they're better or worse); I like those better for the job than anything else I've found
ReplyDeleteBut mostly I just suffer for the walking warm-up (and ride with one hand getting cold on the reins and the other getting warm in a pocket, and switch off at intervals) and then keep walk breaks to a minimum until it's time to cool off (and revert to same). Trotting/cantering keeps the blood flowing enough for the fingers to be comfortable. It's the walking that does me in. So we save our intensive walk schools for warmer days, and when it's cold out, we move along!
Yeah, that'll probably be the answer for me, too. I have Reynaud's, so if my fingers get too cold I'll be in trouble, but maybe I can warm up in the SSGs and then take them off. If I try to ride with a hand in my pocket, that'll be the moment she remembers she's a hot OTTB mare and I'll have a bloody nose.
DeleteThis transition is going to be an adventure. You are getting lots of great cold weather advice. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the snuggly Lex pic. She is a doll!
Thanks! I loves her. And yes, I'm definitely taking note of all of this good information!
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