The ground is frozen, and makes for bad footing, and should they get sweaty and wet, you can increase their chances of getting too cold. In addition, if you go out and ride in these conditions you have a chance for a case of frost bite. I love my horse and all, but I prefer to keep all my fingers and toes.
So, what does one do when it's too cold to ride? Here are my suggestions.
1. Clean Tack
You are bored, take your tack inside and clean the stuff. And as long as it is as cold as it is for as long as it is, clean ALL of your tack. Yes, all those extra pieces of tack that you don't even use, those need to be oiled too! I like Neatsfoot oil. If you need to buy some, try here: http://www.horse.com/item/lexol-nf-neatsfoot-leather-dressing/BPL07/. But what's great about Neatsfoot oil, is that it hydrates the leather and prolongs the life of the leather. You just poor some on a cloth and rub in. If you have stiff leather, use this oil, and work the leather (as much as you can handle) and it will loosen up. If it's really bad, feel free to soak your leather in oil overnight, that will also help. If you don't like the oil, Lexol makes all kinds of great products to clean and protect your saddle, bridle, and various other pieces of tack.
2. Do some research
We all like to ride and we can all benefit from learning more about riding. No one knows everything about horses, and there isn't one magical solution for creating the perfect horse. One of my favorite publications is Equus (http://www.equisearch.com/magazines/equus/). They have good all around information about horse health and riding tips. I also like Horse & Rider which is a little more Western geared (http://www.equisearch.com/magazines/horse-and-rider/). Check out this website for all kinds of great information on horses: http://www.discoverhorses.com/.
4. Go to a clinic
Since you can't ride, go watch someone else do the riding and training. One of my favorite trainers is Clinton Anderson. He is very pragmatic and easy to follow (http://www.downunderhorsemanship.com/). If he is coming to your area soon, you can even submit your horse to be a demo horse. Great way to get a day or two of training!
There are also often smaller named trainers all over the country, seek them out and see what winter clinics they may be offering and go watch. It is always great to see another perspective on problem areas that we all experience. Chase Dodd used to be in my area, but there are others out there like him. If you happen to be in TN/GA/AL, check him out: http://www.chasedodd.com/
3. Plan a horsey trip
I often get the winter time blues, so I have found that if I have something to look forward to, my current condition doesn't seem so bad. Since Chief and I mostly do trail riding, check out http://www.equitrekkingtravel.com/deals. They have all kinds of suggestions of where you can take your own horse, or travel to other places and ride their horses.
So, best of luck to you in the frigid temperatures. Take care of yourself and your horse and make the best out of this cold season. Remember there are just 49 days until spring!
Chief and I snuck a little trail ride in the other day... the ground was a mess... but this was one of the better spots!
