In the colder months, horses, in general, are not being worked as much as they were during the warmer months of summer. This could be due to less competitions to attend, holidays that disrupt our normal horse schedule, less area to ride due to snow drifts or ice, etc. I typically enjoy riding in the Fall because it is a nice change from the hot summer. However, once we get around 10-20 degrees (F), I turn into a wimp. Add in holidays and traveling and my horses typically are out of shape before I know it.
When I do decide to ride in the winter, I usually keep it to about 20-30 minutes. This is for several reasons. First, I usually get cold quickly (I know, I'm a wimp). We now have an indoor arena that has deeper footing than the one we were previously in, but when it's 10 degrees (F), I'm just not convinced that my horses joints, tendons, ligaments, etc. are warm enough to take the pounding of a canter or the stress of turning a barrel. That being said, with plenty of warm up (I'm thinking at least 20-30 minutes here), all of the previously stated activities could (and should) be just fine. Again, my problem is that I'm frozen after about 15 minutes of warming up.
Second, regardless of how warmed up my horse is, I'm still concerned about the cold air coming into their lungs. When I was in college, I ran every day, regardless of the weather; therefore I maintained a certain fitness level year round. I decided to run a 5k in the winter, when it was 18 degrees (F) out. I ran my fastest race yet, and I had no discomfort. That being said, if I was not already at a certain level of fitness and used to the elements, my lungs would have been burning, my muscles would have cramped, etc. With Lex, if I ride when it is below 20 degrees (F), I can hear him breathing loud and laboring. He sounds uncomfortable, so I don't push him. With Comet, he's ready to RUN. He doesn't care if it's cold or not, so I let him work a bit harder.
Third, for horses who are shown and travel extensively in the summer, the winter months bring a nice break for them. I think it's important to still ride, but maybe not train and push them quite as hard all winter long. I usually start bringing my horses back into shape around March so we can be ready for show season. Horses sometimes need a mental and physical break in order to keep their minds fresh!
Overall, I think it's most important to listen to your horse. Obviously Lex and Comet are very different in their personalities and comfort levels, so I adjust riding and training schedules based on that. I'm not going to push Lex if he's uncomfortable and I'm not going to hold Comet back if he's telling me he's ready to go. It's important to know your horse and be able to make decisions based on what they are telling you.
Now, for some advice from a professional that I follow closely, Stacy Westfall. In her short blog post, she shares the advice of her professors and other research, which all concludes that it's never really to cold for a horse to be working. You can read her exact thoughts here. I agree with everything she says, and I also agree that I'm really too much of a wimp to ride when it's freezing cold!
I would love to hear from you regarding your thoughts on riding when it's cold! I'll be sure to catch up on all responses from my warm house!
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