Last weekend marked my first day cleaning stalls in sub-30
degree temperatures, so I was nervous going into it. I felt as though I was preparing for battle
as I sleepily put together my outfit for the next day at 3:00am after I had justgotten home from that work emergency. I
steeled myself for frozen fingers and cold toes as I got out of the car the
next morning and began doing chores…
…and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually
began sweating a few minutes into chores.
Success!
Yes, at least at reasonably sub-freezing temperatures (none
of that “highs in the single digits” business that I’m sure will come around in
January and February) I appear to have cracked the code for surviving my weekly
4-5 hours of chores at the barn. My
outfit included the following:
- Very tight long-underwear style fashion shirt (hey, whatever works)
- T-shirt
- Rider’s International polar fleece quarter-zip shirt (literally the warmest and lightest thing I’ve ever worn, they sadly do not make it anymore)
- Ariat quarter zip sweatshirt
- Super ugly yet super warm polar fleece breeches bought usedfrom The Chubby Pony for $9
- Irideon tights
- Smartwool socks
- Insulated Mountain Horse paddock boots (still kicking even after a foster dog chewed the top of one)
- Insulated Carhartt-style overalls (actually made by Berne, I prefer them since they have both snaps and a zipper up the front)
- Wool-lined canvas vest, also made by Berne
- SMWC Equestrian Team jacket – the warmest coat in the world
- Horseware Ireland headband, won at my first IHSA alumni show
- Fleece lined SSG gloves (also sadly not madeanymore)
I know that outfit won’t always cut it in an Indiana winter,
especially not the gloves by themselves, but it felt good to know that I don’t
have to be afraid of each Sunday when I do stalls. Someone was quoted on NPR last week to say, “There’s
no bad weather, only bad clothing,” and I agree with that. I’ll continue to tweak all winter long until
I hit the right combination of clothing, footwear, headwear and gloves.
But, as I wear my 30 pounds of clothing each week that takes
ten minutes to get into, I will also be dreaming of spring and doing stalls in
a t-shirt…
wow - that is alot of layers! lol I actually read the list twice, because I lost track of all of the clothes you were wearning! hahaha. I'm glad it kept you warm though - that is they key.
ReplyDeleteOh, I swear by my SSG winter windproof gloves. They have SAVED me!
ReplyDelete