To Ride or Not to Ride Your Horse in Extreme Cold Weather?

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Updated:

January 9, 2026

By Will Clinging

In my younger, tougher years, I was content to ride through almost any weather conditions. Riding was not just something I enjoyed; it was how I earned my living, and that sense of responsibility often outweighed comfort. Looking back, obligation frequently replaced enjoyment. As the years have passed, however, I have become much more of a fair-weather rider — or, at the very least, someone who no longer seeks out extreme conditions.

At one time, I had a personal limit of minus 25 degrees Celsius. On particularly cold days, I would warm the bit with a hair drier before placing it in the horse’s mouth. I rode dressed in insulated coveralls, felt pack boots, deerskin mittens, a sheepskin hat and ski goggles. I must have been quite a sight.

Those bitterly cold rides were not especially enjoyable, as simply staying warm demanded all of my focus and energy. When I worked as a cowboy, the situation was different, as livestock relied on me regardless of the weather. Not long ago, I spoke with a young cowboy employed by one of the area’s large ranches, who shared that every member of their crew has suffered frostbite this winter while tracking stray cattle or treating calves in the feedlot. Winter riding is simply part of a cowboy’s life, and while it is accepted as necessary, it is not always something that brings enjoyment.

However, most of us have the choice to not ride when the weather turns bad. It can be a lot of fun to ride on a sunny day when there is snow outside, but when the wind is blowing, the snow is piling up, or the temperature drops far below zero there is no fun in riding.

In fact, at some point it becomes dangerous. The risk of frostbite is real and it can be hard on your horse’s lungs when extremely cold outside. If the horse starts to sweat and he can’t get dry, his sweat will freeze and give him a chill. Footing can be treacherous so the potential for your horse to slip or twist a leg increases.

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Most horses will not mind a forced vacation if the weather is too cold to ride. Photo: ©Canstockphoto/Kyslynskyy

For the rider, the amount of clothing needed to stay warm decreases the ability to comfortably move and will decrease reaction time. Even things like mounting or dismounting can be very difficult in bulky clothing. Wearing winter boots requires larger stirrups and it’s important to be aware that oversize boots can easily get wedged into a normal size stirrup. Unless you are wearing mittens or ski gloves your hands get too cold to be useful, and if you do wear mitts or ski gloves your hands aren’t very useful anyway.

Each of us has a limit when it comes to riding in extreme weather. My limits have certainly changed over the years and I am not prepared to put myself or my horse at risk just to say I rode when the weather was nasty.

I hear from many clients that they feel bad about not doing any work with their horses when they are snowed under or have frozen rings. I look outside at my own horses in the snow and they don’t look too upset about not being worked. Horses won’t forget what they have been taught and, although it is frustrating not to be able to do much with them because of the weather, we may all appreciate working with them that much more when things warm up.

A forced holiday is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I have written about giving a horse time off after a busy summer and fall. The weather will improve eventually and then we can get back to work. Those horses that were in the middle of a training program will pick up where they left off. It may take a lesson or two to remind them of what you were working on but the only thing that will be lost is some fitness and that will come back.

Part of the reason I’m writing this is so that people don’t feel guilty for not working their horses because of seasonal, extreme, and prolonged weather. When the weather throws snow at us, we should just go skiing.

More by Will Clinging

Main photo: It can be exhiliarating to ride outdoors on a sunny winter’s day, but riders should be aware of the hazards of winter riding, and should not feel guilty about giving their horses time off when the weather is extreme.