What are your winter must haves?

Boulty

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Waterproof jods, decent wellies, a warm, waterproof coat, some decent gloves (quite partial to mountain horse ones), a woolly hat (or 4)& a kettle. Oh & the light on my phone in case of freak partial roof collapses buggering the electrics! (true story! I spent the winter of the beast from the east with my only stabling option being essentially a field shelter with gates on the front & no lights as barn roof was in process of being replaced due to storm damage... never cursed having a horse so much!) Reflective strips on rugs can be a godsend when locating horses in the dark although not so much the fog! (yep I absolutely have spent around an hour looking for horses I could nearly have reached out & touched in thick fog!)

This winter I shall be receiving lessons in how to have an unrugged horse living out whilst staying sane/ not caring how much mud it becomes covered in. He’s not in work though so at least there’s no real need for him to stay clean if he doesn’t want to.
 
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Sussexbythesea

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Waterproof clothes although it’s really hard to find ones that are actually waterproof. So far the North face one I bought at an outlet store is doing well this autumn.

I’ve got some old shell suit type material jogging bottoms which are great this time of year when it’s still warm and waterproof leggings get really sweaty. They get wet but dry quickly and nothing sticks to them.

Warm wellies - I bought some Aigle Parcours in the summer and hope they’ll not leak and keep my feet warm. I’ve bought them large enough to put additional supportive insoles in for my achy feet.

I have 20 plastic buckets with lids that I do all my work weeks feeds in and 14 large haynets plus a couple extras for the full week. I do them at weekends. It really does make a difference to the daily chores when it’s cold, dark and wet.

10 X 10 LITRE PLASTIC BUCKETS WITH LIDS, HARD WEARING BUCKET - NEXT WORKING DAY DELIVERY! https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F2I1MUM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_AYaPDbS0JE3XE

Headtorch. A can of WD40 handy for stiff or frozen locks.
My reusable coffee mug / insulated mug.
Slow cooker for hot meals when you get home.
Soup maker - quick fresh soup in about 20 minutes.
 

BOWS28

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Spare gloves, waterproofs, a cap with an ear warmer over the top! Warm wellies and fluffy socks (primark bulk buy!) and i make up a weeks supply of haynets and all feeds in xl freezer bags which saves alot of time! 3 pairs of turnout boots so i can circulate clean ones... stable wraps and a treat ball!
 

scats

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Warm and dry wellies.
Neck warmer.
Fleece lined Waterproof chaps. I instantly warm up when my legs are warm.

And my favourite- One of those waterproof neck and hood things (no idea what they are called) but they are like a neck warmer with with a big waterproof hood attached. I swear by them. They only cost about £5. I find that normal hoods on coats are a pain, they squish your hair, they move about and slip when you move about as they are obviously attached to your coat. Go and buy yourselves one of these hood things. You’ll thank me!
 

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AUB

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- Base layers for skiing, preferably merino.
- The farrier on speed dial + lots of hot coffee and a cookie for him when he comes out on short notice again...
 

milliepops

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In the real world, the best thing we did was get lots of good lights (LED striplights and spotlights) put up in the stables and yard. The first 2 winters here were with head torches. Absolute luxury now to just flick a switch.

yeah was going to say lighting is one of the top things for me.
I hate being on yards where you're tripping over everything in the dark.
And lots of hardstanding and concrete makes it all pretty painless. Keeps your feet dry and your boots last longer :D No mud in the car either!

other than that, good boots, good coat, lots of hats. Can't do a lot for the field horses but they are happy anyway :)
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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Good wellies (found non horsey ones last longer ;))
Good yard boots (best ones have been hiking boots for me)
Good gloves (wish has been handy ;))
Good warm hat
Good Jacket

everything else doesn’t really matter lol!
Oh and organisation lol ;)
 

turkana

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Warm and dry wellies.
Neck warmer.
Fleece lined Waterproof chaps. I instantly warm up when my legs are warm.

And my favourite- One of those waterproof neck and hood things (no idea what they are called) but they are like a neck warmer with with a big waterproof hood attached. I swear by them. They only cost about £5. I find that normal hoods on coats are a pain, they squish your hair, they move about and slip when you move about as they are obviously attached to your coat. Go and buy yourselves one of these hood things. You’ll thank me!
Where do you get them from, they look brilliant!
 

FFAQ

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As an equine podiatrist my 2 must-haves are a mud-free(ish) area for trimming and mud-free(ish) horses from the fetlock down. With my own horses, a reliable head torch and a horsey cuddle are the 2 essentials!
 

southerncomfort

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I have a warm zip up fleece from Decathlon that has a split in the hood, meaning you can pull it over your head and either wear it like a balaclava or a neck warmer.

Very clever design and keeps me toasty!
 
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