Fall / Winter Riding and Program Considerations (Part 1 of 4 - Clothing)

Fall is officially here, and in the Pacific Northwest that means the start of the rainy season (and lots of mud!). While running Little Bird Farm I found several ways to manage both of these elements. I’m hopeful some of them help you (and your students/clients) be best prepared, too. In this 4-part series I’ll be covering clothing, tack, facilities setup, and policies.

I know clothing is a bit of a funny topic to start with and cover here at Equestripreneur. Here's the thing, the more comfortable you are day-to-day the more you are able to put your best foot forward with customers. The more knowledgeable you are, the better equipped you are to help your customers procure the best supplies to ensure they have the most comfortable riding experiences possible. Sprinkled in, you'll find a few tips on ways to elevate your customer service and brand goodwill, too. So, let's get on with it, shall we?

Generally I tend to layer a lot through fall and winter. This enables me to handle the cold mornings and stay out through whatever type of weather the day throws at me. At Little Bird Farm we ride in rain / sunshine / snow (I draw the line at heavy wind, ice, and thunder storms).

In the bookend seasons, when rain is a bit lighter but it’s still cold out, I'm a huge fan of my sherpa lined Carhartt jacket (womens / mens). It’s warm, fits over layers well, manages light rain (use Otter Wax to truly waterproof it), and it's easy to wash. If you do water proof it you will need to re-do the waterproofing every so often.  

Harkening back to my full English riding days, when the rainy season really kicks in my Carhartt usually isn't quite waterproof enough for a full day's work outside. This is when I wear my waterproof duster by Asmar Equestrian. They can be hard to find these days and only come in womens' options, though, so if anyone has a better tried-and-true waterproof duster option, I want to hear about it. I'm short (5'4") so this duster hits just above my knees. It has double zippers in the front and one in the back with extra fabric so it can be opened up and worn in the saddle, covering you and your saddle and protecting you both from the weather. It has a hood big enough to be worn with a helmet on (sorry, my Western friends, I don’t think a cowboy hat will fit under the hood, but a baseball cap would), and it has stretchy wrist bands with thumb holes to keep water from getting in the sleeve. Water simply beads and pills off of it.

When I ride English I wear Ariat insulated waterproof paddock boots with half chaps and when I ride Western I use the Ariat Terrains, also waterproof. I have linked the womens' versions here but both pairs come in mens versions, too. Both of these boots are comfortable to teach in or be on your feet all day, too. Doing farm chores, I stick with Hunter rain boots. I like that hay doesn't stick to the insides of them if you get any in there. This happens to me often from having my pants tucked in to keep the hems from getting wet. That being said, in my opinion they don’t last long enough. I know I'm rough on them, but I typically only get about 2 years of wear out of a pair when using them only seasonally. If you have a solid muck/rain boot that doesn't get hay stuck in it but lasts a lot longer, I want to hear about it below.

When I ride Western I wear jeans and I occasionally put these (mens / womens) waterproof pants over them; especially while I'm teaching, as I teach in the rain and I don’t love being soaked and cold all day. They're a bit slick for riding in, but that's where the duster comes in handy. Last year I tried Sync riding breeches for English riding and they are serious when they say they’re waterproof. They have some breeches and tights that are insulated and I absolutely love them during the cold season.

I wear wool socks, DarnToughs being my favorite - they even make some over the calf socks that are in line with tall socks for my English pros. Just be mindful of thickness, as they have snowboarding type socks that are too thick to wear without upsizing your boots. I've worn these down to weather in the teens (Fahrenheit) without getting cold.

Finally, on really cold and wet days I wear SSG waterproof gloves and I keep fleece gloves in stock for my students. The SSG gloves are thick, but they keep my hands from getting wet and freezing, so it's a tradeoff. I have some SSG Ranchers, too, but I find while they're warm they're not as waterproof. I teach mostly beginners, so my students don’t typically have all the gear themselves. One year I gifted a pair the fleece gloves linked above to all of my students for the holidays; they were a huge hit. If you do buy them for your program, I recommend buying a different color for each size to make it easy for students to remember which gloves they borrowed (or need when they forget theirs, if you gift them).

What cold weather clothing have you found to be invaluable while working with horses during this time of year? Share in the comments below.

Hugs and Happy Riding!

Kristin

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