Riding in the rain

We live in the state of Washington and typically it rains a lot this time of year. Not convenient when you only have an outdoor arena. Unfortunately, this doesn't deter my daughter one bit and she has no issues putting a cover on her saddle and riding in the rain. She never puts a saddle on if her horse is wet, only if she's had her sheet on or if she's been in her stall nice and dry. Is this a bad idea or just a miserable one (not only for the horse but also for the Mom out there in the arena watching!)? Does anyone else work their horses in the rain?

Wet horses smell like wet dogs! My one horse pouts, like he's sugar & he is going to melt in the rain. The other horse, his sire, doesn't care. I am not a fan of riding in the rain. If I get caught in it, oh well, if it's pouring, I go in.

Oh heck. Mac is out 24/7. Sometimes his back is wet when I go to get him. I dry him as much as I can with a towel, put on a wool saddle pad and ride him. The saddle gets rained on . I get rained on. Mac gets rained on. We get back, I towel dry the saddle, put it in my car (it will mold if I leave it in the barn), towel Mac , feed him some hay and put him back to be rained on somemore.

Some of the horses get rain rot if left unblanketed. So, they are dry when it comes time to tack up, which is a great convenience. When done, however, I have to be sure they are mostly dry before reblanketing (rain sheet is what it is, really).

Do you ride a lot in the rain tiny?

I ride in the rain all the time...i no I no "but its new mexico, isnt that like desert?"
Yes. Yes it is. But somehow it rains everytime we go for a trail ride, and my boy loves standing in the rain n getting soaked right before I come out to ride.....gotta love it.

Rode today in the rain.
But, a lot? I try to pick and chose the days that aren't rainy, but if I go to all the bother of getting tacked up and it starts to rain a bit, I am not quitting. But not like serious RAIN. I talk a lot, but am really pretty much a wimp.

I remember when Oilskins were becoming very popular & I got one. I waited for a rainstorm & off I went. Young & foolish. *Sigh....kinda miss those days....

Good for your daughter for still following her passion. Can you watch her from the car mom?

There are a few options out there for her, to make it a bit more pleasant.

Army Issue Horse Guards Waterproof Riding Cape
(it's a UK site, but I didn't look to see if they ship abroad).

Barbour also sells long wax jackets that have an attachment to go over your legs and the horses rump, but they are expensive. I mention it, as you sometimes see them cheaper on ebay.

I have a Campbell Cooper, which has leg straps on the inside and the attachment for the horses rear end.

Home - Wax Jackets by Campbell Cooper

Sorry all the links are British - I am, and so more familiar with where to get the products there, I am sure that someone else will be able to help you find them here, if you are interested.

I ride allllllll the time in the rain. It's not a big deal. It's a little miserable, but I have waterproof boots+coat and synthetic tack so it's not too bad. I also try to wear as much wool as possible for rainy rides (wool sweater under my coat, wool socks, etc) because wool is warm even when it's wet, so if my boots or coat end up soaking through, I still have "back up warmth".
The worst for me is getting big droplets of cold water from bushes and such on my jeans, the little drops from the sky don't bother me but the big ones seem REALLY cold! Haha

On rainy days, I try to stick with riding for an hour or less because I've found that I start getting really cold after about an hour in the rain.

I do hate putting a saddle on a wet horse just because I feel like I can't clean the horse well beforehand. I've solved that by blanketing my horse (which she benefits from in more ways than just that) so she's dry whenever I want to ride. I've never had an issue blanketing her when she's a little/rather wet after a ride but I've heard of that being an area of concern for some horses/horse owners.

My horse hates the rain but I figure that it's a good training experience for her to do what I tell her to even when she doesn't want to. The more I ride her in the rain, the less she seems to mind it. Of course, she's not thrilled but she doesn't get as mad about it like she used to.

It rains a lot in spring and autumn where I live, so I often have to deal with me and my horse being rained on. I cancel the ride if it's puring, but otherwise it's no big deal. I always have spare, dry clothes with me in the barn anyway. As for the horse - he doesn't mind light rain.