Anyone else finding weather so hard they want to give up?

I had to laugh at myself the other day.

It had been another trudge through the mud (made me think of the world war one trenches), bloody wind blowing so hard I was slipping and struggling, bloody rain in my face, cold hands, moan, moan, moan. Couldn't ride for long and the neddie didn't like the wind so the riding wasn't much fun. Dog thought I was deliberately torturing him by making him go out for a walk. I was cold and wet and miserable right through to my past life.

Then I heard myself saying "Oh, I've wasted my life staying in this bloody country!". How melodramatic can you get :D :D . Especially, when there have been so many sunny days this winter. Admittedly, I didn't laugh at myself at that moment but a warm fire and a cup of coffee later...:D

...after all, us horsey people are tougher than those muggles, remember (reference to another thread on here) :D
 
You have to laugh or you'd cry! I'm sick of mud getting trailed in - with chickens, horses, two big dogs and five cats to see to, the pawprints are endless. I don't have a utility room either, so everything is straight in to the kitchen. I luckily bought some Hug Rug runners cheaply, so they are down and washed regularly, plus dirty towels after dog drying so there is an extra laundry load beore I start! Plus one of the cats is long haired and acts just like a swiffer mop, I have most of the countryside dragged in.

I don't think I could give up the horse though, she's 21 this year, and as much as it's been a chore I'd hate to have to pts because I got fed up.

I'm hoping we get a lovely spring to make up for all the wet and mud.
 
I lead mine out to the mud patch I call turnout and he keeps stopping, as he doesn't really want to go out there and eat hay, when he could eat hay in the stable. Trouble is, if I don't turn them out I have to ride more as horse gets naughty if NOT turned out. What you call at Catch 22 situation, but I am not unique I guess.

I was complaining that this is the worst winter Ihave known with looking after the horses, so wasn't surprised to find it confirmed by the weather reports that said we have had more rain than ever before in January.

I normally turn out in an orchard which is far enough away from the house and buildings that OH and family can't see how churned up it is, but dread to think what it would have looked like this year as I don't think it would have coped. It is amazing how old turf will come back though.

I just have the thought that when the rain stops, it will stop and after a month or so we will be praying for rain again!
 
I to am so sick of this weather, i havent managed to sit on my lad for 3 weeks and its so depressing, keep telling myself he is only 4 so the break will give him time to mature but he gets bored and becomes a cheeky monkey :(

My fields are so wet they cant go on them so have improvised and they are going out on the driveway which is hard standing but doesnt provide much run around space so they are all on thier toes, my 4 year 15.3 cob old was doing little bucks and rears at the fence last night cos he was desperate to get in out the rain and he is a flippin handful in that mood hence i spent ten mins getting wet through teaching him some manners on the dually going backwards and forwards so he learns to walk in nicely not charge in for his feed like his throat has been cut and he is going to drown cos its raining! my old man is a star and just pootles in nice and steady!

My yard is just puddles and one of the stables has sprung a leak, the wind has blown down some fencing and i was just despairing at the weekend!!

I keep tellin myself not long now till it gets better but it seems a long way off at 6am in the morning when its pouring with rain and blowing a hoolie :(

I must be crazy as only last week i took on another so now have 3 wet mud monsters to deal with! think i was having a mad moment! ;)

roll on summer!
 
This winter has been totally fine for me - rain I don't mind, snow and ice really messes things up!!

I'm lucky to have my horse at home so can turn him out whenever I want. Its up to me if I want to trash the fields or not because I am the one who rolls them in spring etc.

I am sure it is far easier having a horse at home so I am probably at an advantage but I love winter. Its when we have fun going hunting.

Riding in the dark before work sets me up for my day in the office. If its pissing down, I turn the horse out instead of riding. He goes out for 10 hours a day every day and we still have grass. We are on clay but its only boggy at one end of the field.

Having the horse to do means I get me time instead of just sitting in the office and then being Mum at home. He's a filthy toad who rolls excessively in the field and is snow white but it only takes 15 mins to clean him every night.

I gave up smoking so I could afford haylage and shavings instead of soaked hay and straw. Makes life far easier.

However, if I was on livery with no turnout, couldn't ride etc then I would def. give up!!!
 
julie111 said:
I too sympathise with some of you! It is an expensive chore at the moment.
I have decided that unless I really enjoy my horse this year then I will seriously consider giving up. I really hope i don't feel like this in a few months time.
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Agree with this totally at the moment really getting me down and feel like am spending far too much on bedding as beds like swamps in the morning. Lack of time to ride and at moment have no motivation to. Older boy getting stiff being in so much and new girl getting loopier which is doing nothing to my lack of confidence with her :(
 
I would never give up my horse but I am thoroughly thoroughly depressed. Work/earnings for me is really bad at the moment and I am struggling to pay for livery etc and then feel like I am not progressing with her as all we end up doing is plodding round the block as the school has been so boggy. Combined with an explosive relationship filled with arguments currently I will admit I am finding it hard to be remotely cheerful. Although there is always someone worse off eh?
 
I have moved to a livery yard (out 24x7 before) for the winter and can say that I love having a huge bed ready for my mare in this hideous weather. The mud etc. doesnt bother me too much, we still have 12 hour per day turnout and she needs it. So for me Im enjoying it but know I would be throughly depressed if I coudlnt get her out of the mud and dried off every night.
 
As wet and muddy and horrid as it's been I still far prefer this Winter to last. Remember when we had snow and ice for WEEKS?! I remember having ice in my hair and eyelashes it was that blinkin' cold! I'll take rain any day, so long as it remembers to stop in time for Spring! I honestly couldn't take a dull, wet Spring and Summer.
 
I do sympathise with those of you who are having a bad time this winter but for us it has been a luxury. No snow and ice to have to deal with. No filling buckets of warm water, no frozen pipes, no going through hay like it is going out of fashion. Yes, it is wet but my fields are no worse than they were last winter after the horrendous summer we had in 2012. My horse lives out and has been happier that it isn't so cold. By this time last year we had used over 150 bales of hay for our sheep and horse. This year we have used about 30! There hasn't been one week all winter where the grass hasn't been growing. I haven't yet had to cancel a meeting or an appointment due to winter weather. So as far as I am concerned this has been a good winter.
 
Fed up with the wet and the mud, but am taking a holiday from riding and aim to start again in the Spring. I am single handedly caring for 8 horses at present so it's tiring enough without riding. But it could be worse. Last year I had to defrost the drinkers and taps almost constantly. Just imagine what it would be like if this rain was snow! I just hope we get away with getting into Spring without any really severe cold spell.
 
TBH the weather isnt bothering me. Its the same every year, so why is everyone so surprised its wet and muddy?

Put some wellies, jacket and hat on and get on with it.

I also still ride every weekend without fail..... even in the rain!! its just water, it isnt going to kill you.:)
 
windand rain said:
Nope not fed up I am as chuffed as monkeys that we have got this far without any really bad weather. Rain, wind and storms are all well preferable to snow and ice. I wouldnt be so happy if it had been snowing for weeks with its resulting mess and dangerous driving. The nearer the Spring we get the less likely it is to last if it does snow
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I do also agree with this BUT...

The mud, aaagghhhhhh the MUD is seriously making me suicidal!!
 
I'm finding it easier this winter with the horses as I had an arena and stables and a yard built last summer. The horses are happier this winter as they have access to their stables 24/7 so they pick and choose when they come in. It's so much easier for me having proper storage and not having to lug hay about.

The horses are pretty mud free but as we are in the middle of a major building project and are living on site the house is now surrounded by a swamp and the dog and builders are traipsing mud everywhere. It's a running joke around here that the horses are living in mud free luxury whilst we have no roof on the dining room and a rug nailed to the wall in the kitchen where the entrance to the utility room used to be. Cold, wet and muddy is def the theme for our winter but at least I can go out to the tackroom to warm up and dry off :0)
 
It is depressing, my two are in the barn fed up and planning any escape route possible…think they might have even got the yard cat in on it too! The other is at a friend’s till he comes back into work at the end of the month, exciting as he came out of racing in June 2013 and had to have an enforced holiday due to his hoof condition so fingers crossed on that!! He and his field bud are on borrowed time as the field has now started to cut up.
Two weeks ago in the pouring rain trying to turn them out at 6am went to come back in and tripped up over a bramble and I just thought that is enough….. face, arms, hands covered in mud along with my jeans (my plan of nip them out in my work clothes seemed such a grand idea!) so not only and I soaked by this point I am muddy and soaked!!!
But give it all up just because of a bit of rain and mud… No way the pony a 3year old sect A who is my retired boy’s pet just makes me smile with her mischief and as for the old man who insists he is in a Loreal ad by standing in the entrance to the barn that turns into a wind tunnel this time of year every time his rug is off and having a brush.
My point is they didn’t asked to be owned by me…yes I grumble that I have to go down to the yard up to my bum in mud and that they are turning into the spawn of satin but it is not their fault it is raining and have to be kept in I am so grateful that I am in a position that I can have horses at home!! roll on spring and I keep in my mind of last year walking to the field at 5am in shorts:cool:!!!
This is my first post and I know I will be on hear looking for advice when the boy comes in to start work and I would love to hear other peoples adventures with re schooling a race horse!!!
x
 
Nope. Weather here so far, though not exactly fun, is nothing compared to the last three winters here (so far! Feb mar and even April could still have nasty surprises in store, based on previous experience)
Also my horses are finally in a lovely situation and thus we are all having a better winter than the last three. It's even been more cost effective this year as I struck a handy barter deal for delivered big bale hay which has only just run out, so have only just started paying actual money for hay in the last three weeks.
Sympathy to anybody who is struggling though - last winter was a real low for me....tho I did know our situation was going to have to change and therefore there was light at the end of the tunnel...hope those of you on the point of giving up find solutions.
 
Just glad that it hasn't been frozen and neither of mine have had any mud fever. The dark's getting to me a bit, but it's the same every year! Will be glad when the weather's nicer, and it's more of a pleasure to ride out, but other than that everything's pretty much business as usual. Mine keep losing shoes which is a bit of a bore and events keep getting cancelled, but it's great to plan the summer events and remember the long warm evenings and light mornings. I do question my sanity sometimes at 6.15am when I get the stables in the dark and a howling gale to prod the pony to wake him up before dragging him to the school, but it's oh so satisfying to get to work/college/library having achieved rather a lot by 8.30am! Try to look at the positives. Now that Christmas is over, it does feel like Spring is soon to make an appearance :-)
 
Well we have mud and more mud and no grass and mud fever and it seems to just rain all day every day - can you tell I'm fed up? It is very depressing and the ground is so trashed I can't imagine ever having grass again. Oldie who needs to be out for his arthritis is in due to mud fever and getting stiffer. Have to box everywhere to ride - no fun at all!
 
The light at the end of the tunnel can almost be seen - we are coming out of winter now, nights are getting lighter, days getting longer :)
 
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