Cold weather changes more than just your riding schedule. It changes how tendons behave, how horses warm up, how they recover, and how strain accumulates over time. Yet many tendon injuries that show up in winter don’t come just from harder work, they come from not adjusting routines when temperatures drop.
Understanding what cold weather does to soft tissue is key to keeping horses sound through the winter months.
Why Cold Weather Is Harder on Tendons
Tendons rely on elasticity. In colder temperatures, soft tissue becomes stiffer and less compliant, especially early in a ride. Blood flow to the lower limb decreases, muscles take longer to loosen, and tendons resist stretch. This makes them more vulnerable to strain during the first part of work, particularly during sudden movements, transitions, or slips.
Horses don’t always show obvious discomfort in cold weather. Instead, strain builds quietly when tissues aren’t fully prepared for load.
Warm-Up Becomes Non-Negotiable
Tendons need time under low, controlled load before they can safely absorb stress. Walking longer than usual, keeping early work straight and simple, and avoiding abrupt efforts at the start of a ride gives soft tissue a chance to regain elasticity.
Rushing this phase is one of the most common contributors to winter tendon issues.
Post-Ride Care Matters More in the Cold
Cold weather can mask early signs of inflammation. Legs may look tight rather than swollen, and subtle soreness can go unnoticed. This makes post-ride care especially important. Cooling out properly, checking legs once the horse has fully dried, and reassessing later in the day or the next morning helps catch changes early.
After harder rides or compromised conditions, icing, wrapping, or poulticing can help manage inflammation before it becomes a problem, even if the legs don’t look different at first glance.
Consistency Over Intensity
Winter schedules are often less predictable. Weather changes, frozen ground, indoor arenas, and shortened riding windows all affect routine. Tendons respond best to consistency, not sporadic intensity. Long gaps between rides followed by harder work days increase risk, especially in cold conditions.
Even light, regular movement helps maintain tissue adaptability and circulation better than stop-start training patterns.
Nutrition and Internal Support Play a Bigger Role
Cold weather increases metabolic demands and slows some aspects of tissue recovery. Supporting tendon health from the inside becomes more important when environmental conditions add stress. Providing consistent nutritional support helps maintain collagen structure, tissue resilience, and recovery during a season when tendons are under more strain than they appear.
This isn’t about fixing injuries, it’s about preventing them when conditions are working against the horse.
Cold weather doesn’t cause tendon injuries, unadjusted routines do. Longer warm-ups, thoughtful post-ride care, consistent movement, and internal support all work together to protect soft tissue when temperatures drop.
Winter tendon care isn’t complicated, but it does require intention. The horses that stay sound through the cold months are the ones whose programs adapt with the season.
How Your Tendon Care Routine Should Change in Cold Weather
Cold weather changes more than just your riding schedule. It changes how tendons behave, how horses warm up, how they recover, and how strain accumulates over time. Yet many tendon injuries that show up in winter don’t come just from harder work, they come from not adjusting routines when temperatures drop.
Understanding what cold weather does to soft tissue is key to keeping horses sound through the winter months.
Why Cold Weather Is Harder on Tendons
Tendons rely on elasticity. In colder temperatures, soft tissue becomes stiffer and less compliant, especially early in a ride. Blood flow to the lower limb decreases, muscles take longer to loosen, and tendons resist stretch. This makes them more vulnerable to strain during the first part of work, particularly during sudden movements, transitions, or slips.
Horses don’t always show obvious discomfort in cold weather. Instead, strain builds quietly when tissues aren’t fully prepared for load.
Warm-Up Becomes Non-Negotiable
Tendons need time under low, controlled load before they can safely absorb stress. Walking longer than usual, keeping early work straight and simple, and avoiding abrupt efforts at the start of a ride gives soft tissue a chance to regain elasticity.
Rushing this phase is one of the most common contributors to winter tendon issues.
Post-Ride Care Matters More in the Cold
Cold weather can mask early signs of inflammation. Legs may look tight rather than swollen, and subtle soreness can go unnoticed. This makes post-ride care especially important. Cooling out properly, checking legs once the horse has fully dried, and reassessing later in the day or the next morning helps catch changes early.
After harder rides or compromised conditions, icing, wrapping, or poulticing can help manage inflammation before it becomes a problem, even if the legs don’t look different at first glance.
Consistency Over Intensity
Winter schedules are often less predictable. Weather changes, frozen ground, indoor arenas, and shortened riding windows all affect routine. Tendons respond best to consistency, not sporadic intensity. Long gaps between rides followed by harder work days increase risk, especially in cold conditions.
Even light, regular movement helps maintain tissue adaptability and circulation better than stop-start training patterns.
Nutrition and Internal Support Play a Bigger Role
Cold weather increases metabolic demands and slows some aspects of tissue recovery. Supporting tendon health from the inside becomes more important when environmental conditions add stress. Providing consistent nutritional support helps maintain collagen structure, tissue resilience, and recovery during a season when tendons are under more strain than they appear.
This isn’t about fixing injuries, it’s about preventing them when conditions are working against the horse.
Cold weather doesn’t cause tendon injuries, unadjusted routines do. Longer warm-ups, thoughtful post-ride care, consistent movement, and internal support all work together to protect soft tissue when temperatures drop.
Winter tendon care isn’t complicated, but it does require intention. The horses that stay sound through the cold months are the ones whose programs adapt with the season.