A Wyoming Cowgirl's Guide to Staying Warm for Winter Weather Riding

I could be wrong, but I have yet to meet many cowboys and cowgirls who LOVE winter. Across the country, we all like to give each other a hard time about where it gets the coldest. I do not know who definitively wins that competition, but I do know that it can get dang cold pretty much everywhere in the United States... Except maybe Hawaii, if that counts.

Fortunately, technological advancements have brought us some winter gear to make the season a little more bearable for those who spend it outside. While I still do not have all the answers to making winter enjoyable, here are a few of my favorites that keep me going despite single digits or below zero temperatures. I have heard rave reviews about heated socks and gloves, but have not yet ventured there.

Footwear

I am going to start with my picks for footwear, because I know for me personally, if my feet are cold, the rest of me is not going to have an enjoyable outdoor experience. Good footwear trumps a lot of things for me in the priority list.

Boots

I bought a pair of these Ariat boots two years ago. They are waterproof, insulated, and shearling lined. I add a heating pack on really cold days. These are a couple of my favorites - one is full length and one just covers your toes. I choose depending on how cold it is and how long I will be outside. Both have adhesive and stick right onto your sock. PRO TIP: leave these on when you come back inside and when you go to bed at night, your toes are still warm.

For a chore boot, I love Kamik. Although they are particularly lacking in eye appeal, these are my favorites. You can remove the liner and dry it by the stove. Old school.

Socks

Of course, no boots can help you without good socks. I was a little slow coming onto the wool sock train. I am relatively picky, because I hate my sock sliding down in my boot. Smart Wool has the widest variety of wool socks for every preference. Since I remove the insoles when I can, I prefer the highest cushion sock. Wool socks really do make all the difference, especially if your feet sweat (even when cold, however that works - eye roll) like mine do.

Hands

This is probably the most difficult part as a horse girl... If I wear mittens or too thick of a glove, I am constantly removing it to do things. That kind of defeats the purpose. I also hate riding in a thick glove. I tend to opt again, for heat packs, and a thinner glove. If it's really miserable out, I just go for the mittens and a thin glove underneath so that when I have to take them off, my hand is not completely exposed.

Gloves

I wear these same unlined SSG gloves in a lot of weather, thanks to heat packs. I prefer these for riding. While I do not have a set of these lined ones, they are on my list, because SSG always serves me well. These Classic Equine lined barn gloves are a step up from your regular knit glove. While they may not block the wind as well and are not waterproof, I do love these. They are warm, but thin enough to handle small objects.

Keep an eye out for the next installation in this series with pants and coats to help you stay warm all winter long.