What It’s (Really) Like to Be an Equestrian…in the Winter

I’ve always enjoyed being an equestrian. You get to spend your days around horses, your weekends at shows, and your nights stressing about how you’re going to pay for it all. Then there are the barn chores to fit in between rides (the cleaning and feeding), the daily horse care, and then comes the fun part, the training and riding. I’ve always maintained that being an equestrian is not just a hobby, but rather a lifestyle. You are responsible for the care of another being, which impacts what you do or don’t do with your own life. For avid equestrians, this is a tradeoff that makes sense to us. So much of my life revolved around riding in my younger years, but now, as an adult returning to the sport, I have to say, I don’t know how I did it all—rode multiple horses and went to horse shows—especially during the cold winter months.

When I returned to riding last year, I figured I would take the winter months off. My hardcore equestrian days spent having frozen toes and battling for space in an indoor arena are over, or so I thought. I imagined that I would be content riding all spring, summer, and fall, and by the winter, I would be happy to have a break. But, it appears that old habits die hard, and once I built my stamina up and had the opportunity to ride regularly, I was hooked.

While we’ve had a relatively mild winter on the east coast so far (read: no snow!), I can’t say that I am getting used to being out at the barn for extended hours like I once seemed able to do. For the past couple of weekends, it’s been in the 30s, and I’ve had multiple horses to ride. The horses have been loving the frigid temps (if you’re an equestrian, read between the lines here), but for this girl in her mid-30s, I am an icicle and can usually be found cozying up to my space heater by the end of my barn days.

Since I’m not ready to accept that I can’t handle the cold temps anymore, some new winter apparel from Freeride Equestrian and this super warm jumpsuit from Redingote Equestrian will have to help keep me warm. So, the next time you think being an equestrian looks glamorous, remember that we are out there in all kinds of weather and that nothing keeps us from going to the barn…because it’s in our blood (see this Reel for proof)!