Riding during the winter

When you're riding during the winter there are a few thing you should keep in mind. First of all, when it's cold out horses usually tend to be more energetic and hyper. Therefore if you're used to using a crop or spurs they may not be needed on cold winter days. Also when it's cold and snowing out you should always be wide awake while ridding. There could be patches or ice on the roof that could fall off randomly and spook your horse, therefore, you always have to ready for anything. Secondly, during the winter you have to be sure to warm up your horse well, he/she will be cold and stiff. Therefore, it's very important that you take at least 30 minutes to loosen up his/her muscles and get his/her blood flowing before you start jumping or doing other difficult exercises. Thirdly, after you've ridden your horse he/she is going to be hot from being worked, therefore, once you've taken his saddle off it's very important that you put on his/her winter blanket as soon as possible. Otherwise your horse could get catch pneumonia or become very sick. Also during the winter you shouldn't leave your horse outside for very long. If you put your horse out check on him/her every so often since there are most likely going to be ice patches on the ground and if your horse if running he/she could slip on them and injure themselves.