Argggg! Winter is killing me!!!

Fair enough, have a vent, this winter is awful, but don't attack the YO and say they are only doing it to make money! They're probably getting an awful lot of hassle and resentment from all their liveries - a big price to pay to sell an extra bale of hay or two!

I have my own place and my own land, and even though its nowhere near flooding areas its wet as heck everywhere. As we get near to Spring landowners do have to start thinking about grass and recovery - perhaps more so this year as so much of the country has been underwater for so long that a lot of grass areas in the uk will have dead grass with rotted roots. There may end up a hay shortage next year as a result of this winter in general..

Its February, its never ending rain, everyones fed up. Rant but rant nicely!
 
nikicb said:
I am sorry, but I think you need to get real. People are losing everything they have, and you are worried about not being able to turn your horse out. You must be able to work around this somehow, even if it means taking him out for walks a couple of times a day. As I see it you have three choices:

1 - move to another livery yard.
2 - buy your own place and then you can manage them how you like (although admittedly this is not a short term fix).
3 - make the best of what you have.
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This, and its all good practise for that 'IF' one day he has to be put on box rest
 
I cant repeat what everyone else has said whilst i agree and i sympathise with OP i also havent had turnout at all since dec but can turn out in the school whilst mucking out, apart from the missing of the grass which good forage will replace, they wont die, you could lunge at least that would loosen the joints and give him a change from his stable.

Yes i was also annoyed at YO as she doesnt turn out in winter anyway?? But as i have managed so far i can survive until spring. It has cost me a fortune mind in hay and bedding i have 3, so guess what i have given up smoking, yup, and i dont even feel like one when i remind myself what i am saving, so something good has come from it.

Hugs to you and prayers to all others
 
This weather is grinding everyone down and I think this is the worst time of year anyway because spring seems so close yet so far away. Mine have been in yesterday and today, I am lucky that my fields are not too bad mud wise, although very wet. The reason they have stayed in is the wind. If I put my mare out, she will just charge around stressing to come in, then she will be a nightmare to bring in. They are all happy munching hay in their stables, the shetland has a mooch around the yard and the mares have both been walked in hand around the yard (very boring, and they want to go back to eating in their stables!). Looks like tomorrow will be a better day before the next storm hits. I'm just taking one day at a time, riding when I can (not in the wind!) and all my ponies are stress free and happy with their regime. There isn't a lot anyone can do about the weather unfortunately.
 
Landcruiser said:
You know, sometimes all someone wants to do is be listened to. they don't want solutions. They don't want someone saying "Try this or that." They are just having a ****ty time (and YES, they know there are people worse off than themselves, but does that make any of us feel better when we are going through bad times?). Sometimes all we want is a hug (or a virtual hug) and someone to say "I know, it's ****, but it will pass." Just to listen, just to HEAR, just to validate.

So, OP, and everyone else who is struggling (no turnout for weeks on my yard, so I count myself too) - Yes. It's bloody awful. It's unremittingly revoltingly vile, and regardless of the difficulties of anyone else it's still vile for lots of us horse owners and our horses with no turnout. Some time it will get better, so lets hang on in there and support each other and listen to each other. Solutions when they are asked for, but sometimes just a big virtual sympathetic hug. xx
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Spot on.

It's been a rubbish winter and even though our fields are open for turnout, for the first time ever, mine are staying in, because in the fields, the mud drips off them and they hate it.

Roll on Spring.
 
I'm with you regarding this crappy weather. I really hate my horses at the moment! I have got turn out but to be honest this weekend it's been a case of turn outl, muck out, bring in, fill hay racks up, fill water up, skip out, fill hay racks up, fill water up, skip out.....yep really hate horses at the moment.

And if one more person says it'll soon be summer I'm going to strangle them with my hosepipe!

I think it's been a hard one for everyone this year.
 
I promised my liveries all year turn out and, despite waterlogged conditions, I have kept to my word. Some bring their horses in early and even my daughter is restricting her horses' turn out, but what really annoys me is that my liveries moan about the mud as if it was MY fault! I even had one livery ask me if OH could build a bridge over her muddy gateway!!! This is an exceptional year for rain but still my lot moan about the mud as if every other local yard has pristine fields and the mud is something I should sort out for them! Argh!
 
It's fair enough to want a moan, think we all feel that way!

I'd love to say spring is on it's way but being right in the middle of the thames floods it sure doesn't feel that way at the moment.

Who knows when we're going to get to turn out again as at the moment we've got both the river flooding and the ground water bursting up turning everywhere into paddy fields .... But one day it will be over ... Then we can start to worry about the hay, straw & straights crops that we'll be missing this year:tongue3:
 
It's a pain in the derrière isn't it? Mine are coming in at 12.30 pm and going out at 7.30 am at the moment as the fields are liks rice pudding. Oh and btw, £16 a week on bedding? You need to change to wood pellets ... Sharpish :)
 
This winter is bad for everyone, but you have to feel for those down south, I'm listening to the gales rocking our house and have been out checking my horses who are out 24/7 for the first time, their field isn't too bad, just mud round the round feeder, but if I had stables they would be in, we still had 6 inches of snow and sheet ice outside the barn last year (recently moved) so yet again it's grit your teeth time and get through it
 
This winter is a nightmare, i have my own land and made the decision in december to bring them off the fields, i dont have time to ride in the week due to work and no arena so have been turning mine out onto my driveway which is now looking a bit worse for wear at the edges.

I have not been able to ride for 4 weeks due to weather and again work and hate to think mine are stuck in or only out on the drive but is something i have just had to accept and learn to live with and work around.
The only one who is not liking it is my youngster but i am looking at ways to keep him amused.

I look at what is happening to some people and thank my lucky stars that at least my stables are dry, still standing and my horses are safe which is more than some other poor people have :(

Hugs op and keep telling yopurself its not long till summer (honest!!!) lol xxxxxx
 
I have my 3 at home and whilst i longed for flat paddocks last summer (i have very slopey fields) its a godsend now as at least is drains (as much as clay can). My 3 are currently on the spring field and the winter bog still looks like a winter bog - im bringing in at night and keeping in when very bad. Im trying to deal with each day as it comes but if, by the end of the month, there is no respite i will have to keep them in every other day or most days to give the fields some chance of recovery. I work very long hours and the extra work nightly stabling adds is hard, but i am very lucky as they are right by the house and they seem to be in a nice routine of coming in and out now. My OH, who's stressing about the fields is now directed to pictures of Somerset.

You can never plan for this and we wouldnt be human if it didnt get us down every now and agin (or a lot!).
 
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