Winter frozeness

November this year has been the coldest ever measured in the Oslo area.

We have had steady temperatures around -20C (-4F) which is not out of the ordinary in January, but rare in November.

It is cold, but beautiful.

I just love the winter stillness, and the crisp beauty of the frozen landscape.

But riding is cold!

I put on layers of clothes and end up like a Michelin figure, with matching ability to move.
When the cold closes in in the evenings, we often get a cold fog that burns down the chest when the breathing gets deeper.
But I am not complaining - last November it rained every day.
This is much better!

Still, it brings some inconveniences.
We use wood shavings as bedding for the horses.
When the temperature goes down to what we are having now, it freezes in the container.
You have to use an axe to get it loose. And it's dark inside the container too.
It is tough work I can tell you - and I only have one or two horses to supply - poor Helene who works at the stable has 15 horses, and a string of race horses to exercise too.
The racing season is still going on for another fortnight.
Imagine those poor jockeys, in thin racing clothes and no fat on their bodies either - riding in this cold.
Frrrrrrr.

This weekend my daughter and I took a trip to Örebro in the middle of Sweden.
Last year we had a weekend there right before Christmas due to a meeting.
We enjoyed it very much, and my daughter suggested that we should take a trip this year as well.
It is a 4.5 hrs drive from Oslo.
We started out Thursday evening and spent the night with my sister who lives on the way, 3hrs drive from us .

Örebro is a cute little town.

There are several pedestrian streets in the centre, and waterways surrounding the old medival castle.

Last year we were at the castle as they arranged mystery dinners there Saturday evenings before Christmas.

The play was based in local history and some of the persons had existed in real life a century ago.

It gave quite an atmosphere to be seated in the banquet hall, and we all had to participate to guess who the murder was.

My Sleuth of a daughter managed to make a correct guess too.

(can't say the same about me) 

Örebro Castle

They even have horses here!

An old part of the town is named Wadköping, and before Christmas they arrange a Christmas market with sales stalls.

Wadköping

There is also a shop of the old fashioned type.
Not much room, but very cute!

The old shop

They even had Christmas posters of the old type, several with horses too.
We had to buy one of course!

"Tomten" tends to the creatures on the farm.

At home, even King of Hunt stays indoors.
Then it must be cold...
I give the horses more food - I want to see some extra kilos on their bodies now in the period ahead. Fat isolates nicely in low temperatures, and the horses burn more calories just to keep warm too.
We keep the fire up in the hearth, and the horses get an extra day off in between.
Our instructors won't come due to the temperatures!

Horses and riding in cold weather

Today we have -26C (-15F), and the temperature is falling.

I have been riding tonight, and it was a bit difficult to keep the fingers warm, lol!

Low temperatures is a topic which often raises some questions with horse owners, so here are some facts and tips.

When does the horse get cold?

Studies are made by the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU) on how horses handle the cold.

Food is the most important factor.

When hay is digested, the process also generates heat.
The more the horse eats, the lower temperature he handles without getting cold.

Horses can handle low temperature much better than humans.
They have seven times more body mass than us, but only 2.5 times more skin.
Extra fat is more important than the coat. The fat isolates three times more than other types of tissue. So make sure your horse is not underweight when the winter comes!

All clipped horses need a blanket.
An unclipped horse in medium work (up to intermediate level) normally does not need a blanket during winter time if the temperature is over -10C(14F).
If the temperature is around -10 or below, you might either add extra hay (1-3 kg depending on temperature) or add a blanket.

If it is raining, snowing or hard wind, a blanket is better.
Wind, rain, sleet and snow are harder to handle for the horses than the cold is.
If the wind is 10 m/s you would need to increase with an extra 15 kg of hay to compensate!
On the other hand you might remove the blanket on a sunny but cold and still winter day.

When it is cold, the horse raises the hair to get extra insulation.
If he is very cold, he shivers.
You can be quite certain that your horse is not cold as long as the hairs in the coat lie flat against the body.

Sources:
Jonna Lindås, Ingrid Olsson, 2004: När behöver hästen täcke? Fördjupningsarbete nr 259. Enheten för hippologisk högskoleutbildning, SLU, Uppsala
Johanna Perman, 2000: Behöver hästen täcke på vintern? Fördjupningsarbete nr 111. Enheten för hippologisk högskoleutbildning, SLU, Uppsala

Can I work my horse in cold weather?

Yes, you can.

Horses have a long way from the nostrils to the lungs, and again, their respiration system works much better in low temperatures than the human eqiuvalent does. The air is warm before it reaches the lungs, so you can work your horse as normal even if it is cold outside.

The racing season for harnessed horses goes on all through the winter in Scandinavia.
Horses competing here work at top speed, with maximum air intake.

A study has been made by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences:

Five standardbred horses were subjected to a treadmill exercise in a climate chamber, first in +17C (63F) and then in -25C (-13F).
Conclusion was that the cold exposure (-25C) did not seem to have any untoward effects on near maximal exercise tolerance.
On the contrary the cold environment seemed to be beneficial for heat dissipation during exercise. Further, no evidence of tissue damage in the respiratory tract was observed.
The horses showed no sign of discomfort during exercise in the cold.
(Source: Dahl, Gillespie, Kallings, Persson, Thornton: Effects of a Cold Environment on Exercise Tolerance in the Horse. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.)
Article can be found here.

Riding in new, deep snow is fun, but it is strenuous work for the horse, and can be tough on the tendons.
(Walk in deep snow yourself. Hard work compared to normal walking, right?)
So have fun, but keep it short!

How do I equip my horse?

When we are closing in on the winter season here in November, we shoe our horses with fixed studs and rubber inlays, Huf-grip®.
If you do, you won’t have any trouble with footing, come what may. We work them all through the winter on the snow, which is a super surface to work on. Jump them too.

Before and after work, cover your horse with an exercise rug. Take it off during work, your horse won’t need it.

If it is very cold, I personally prefer not to ride with a metal bit as I imagine it is uncomfortable to the horse. I use one in plastic, or ride bitless.
If you do ride with a metal bit, remember to warm it up before putting it into the horse's mouth.

Never, ever put a sweat horse out in the cold. He must dry up first. Cover him up and/or walk him dry.

Also remember that the horses might not want to drink enough water if the water is cold. Keep an eye on water consumption, and offer luke warm water in addition after training.

If you reduce your riding during the cold spells, reduce the hard feed but keep up/increase amount of forage to keep the horse warm.

How do I equip myself?

Riding in very cold weather can be…cold!

Use layers of clothes, and always wear wool as the first layer closest to your body. Best there is.

On top of my riding breeches, I use chaps. They are better to ride in than thermo trousers (which can be bulky), and they keep you reasonably dry also in snow, sleet and rain. Give you a good grip in the saddle too!

Invest in a good winter jacket. Mountain Horse has a good range and quality. I prefer something with down because it keeps you warm without being too heavy.

Use a bum warmer on the saddle. Either synthetic, or in sheep skin or reindeer skin (which is the best!)

Metal stirrups make your feet cold. Exchange them for wood, or use some type of isolation/cover.

Your feet and hands are most problematic.
Feet: I swear to Muck boots. Buy them large enough to get a thick pair of wool socks inside, and you’ll stay dry and warm. The riding model is also high enough to walk through the snow without getting it down into your boots. Earlier in the season you can handle the mud without problems when fetching the horses – yay!
Winter boots can be bulky. Check that the stirrups are wide enough to accomodate them so you won't get stuck if something happens.

Hands. Not easy. Thick gloves are problematic to work with. Again, Mountain Horse is my choice.

Keep your training short, but in up tempo. That is the easiest way to stay warm. If you are cold, jump off your horse and walk/run beside him, that will get your temperature up.

Ride bareback! Now is the time to train on seat and balance. It will keep you warm too!

Protect your face. Use a cold protecting cream, and cover up if it is really cold.

AK is desperately trying to get her feet thawed in warm water after a -26C riding experience.
Hjalmar is pretending she is a horse, and she gets a snack for good behaviour (while the rest of us are just cracking up with laughter!)

A Magical Moonlight Ride

I got a very special Christmas gift this year; lots of snow, clear weather and a full moon.

I wish I could teleport all my blog friends, to accompany me on a Magical Moonlight Ride.

It is my favourite riding experience, and I am so happy if I get such a ride during the winter.
It is not easy to get it all at the same time - it has to be new snow, so the trees are heavy, a full moon and clear weather so you can see the moon.

Yesterday it was.

Come with me!

Even if it to my eyes is almost as light as in the day, it is too dark to take pictures, so you have to imagine it all...

First, it is evening.

It is very cold outside, -20C/-4F.
We have put on wool underwear, nice warm boots, chaps and our best winter jackets.
We can feel the cold in our faces, it is biting in our noses and chins, but we are comfortable in our warm clothes. For now.
We bring out the horses.
Today we ride bareback, with bitless bridles. It is better in the cold.

It is completely still outside.
No sounds can be heard.
The moon is shining bright, and it is a clear, starry sky.

Beautiful.
The breath from us and the horses are clearly visible in the moonlight as we sit up.
In the air you can see tiny, tiny chrystals that shimmer. The air is letting go of surplus moisture in a wonderful way. Even the air is glittering.

The horses are eager to go, and we cross the road and ride into the small path on the other side.
As we have had much snow the last days, the path is narrow and with much snow, but the horses are walking energetically down the slope.
My horse suddenly jumps as one of the trees beside the path click in the cold. Another tree further down clicks higher, it sounds almost like a gun shot.

As the trees closes in, the lights from the stable gradually fades away, and we are left with the moonlight.
It shines brightly, so brightly that it makes the shadows from the trees turns black and crisp against the snow, and the snow on the heavy laden spruce branches glitters like diamonds.
We can see the path clearly as it winds between the trees.
The only sounds we hear are from the soft footfall from our horses, and the sounds from our coats where the outer layers feels brittle like paper in the low temperature.
As we approach the field in front of us, we can see the cold mist closing in on us. Suddenly the cold can be felt even more, it bites in our brows, noses and chins.

We gather the reins, we have to get a bit warmer by trotting.
Our horses are lifting the legs high in the snow, and I can feel Fame increasing the stride length, eager to go.
Suddenly she stops.
In front of us two moose are crossing the path, majestically moving over to the open field.
After a while they stop and turn their heads to look at us.
Their shapes are almost black against the glittering snow.
We watch them slowly continuing their way over the field, and the horses relax and we resume the trot.

I can feel Fame wanting to go, and I ease up a bit on the reins and let her turn into canter.
I grab hold of her mane as her whole back is moving under me through her forceful strides in the snow.

We slow down as some smaller trees and branches in front of us are almost blocking the path as they are low, burdened with snow.
I can feel my fingers slowly getting colder.
My eyelashes and eyebrows are full of frost, and Fame has got small icecles around her nose.
We decide to turn around, and head for home again.

Aahhh.

Summer is nice, but winter too.

In spite of the cold.

Midvinternattens köld är hård,

stjärnorna gnistra och glimma.

Alla sova i enslig gård

djupt under midnattstimma.

Månen vandrar sin tysta ban,

snön lyser vit på fur och gran,

snön lyser vit på taken.

Endast tomten är vaken.

(Hard is the cold of the midwinter night

the stars glitter and shine

Everyone sleeps on the lonely farm

deep into the midnight hour

The moon silently follows his path

The snow shines white on pine and spruce

The snow shines white on the roofs

Only the "tomten" is awake)

Viktor Rydberg:Tomten, illustrations by Jenny Nyström

(Click the link in the poem to see what Tomten is.)

Astrid Lindgren made a children's book out of the poem, "The tomten" a beautiful book.