Feeling seriously fed up with this weathernow!

Right now its finally calm...no wind or rain...fingers crossed the whole day stays like this!

Poop barrow full of poop and rain, making climbing the muck heap *challenging*. The horses are fed up....theyre pretty good with the irish constant shit*y weather, but relentless rain day and night of over a week have them antsy.

I need to hire a digger to install a hardcore path to drier grazing areas that can be used all year round. When itll be dry enough to do that job i dont know, as i dont fancy sinking the digger in the bog!
 
Sunny here and has been for the last 2 hrs (Powys)!!!

Have given up on the winter grazing - although there is some grass left they need additional hay to be happy, and the field is on top of the hill, so just being blown away.

They are currently in a strip of lower grass that was being rested for spring - it will be churned to mush by the end of the week, but does mean they can be out, and have hay ad lib as suitable fencing to hang nets off, regardless of wind.

Prior to this, they had been stuck in since Tuesday. We did manage a hack yesterday, and although fresh and 'jolly', managed to contain themselves and had a lovely blast which makes it all more worthwhile.

I am afraid it is 'take each day as it comes' atm - we have sleet/snow forecast for tues and weds so expect they will have to come in again, but at least I have a weeks hol booked, so plenty of time to fuss over them.

Roll on Spring!!!
 
Beautiful sunny day at the moment... tried to go out and we're flooded in. The rain last night must have just been too much as roads that were passable yesterday are now closed with floods, one even had a stuck car in the flood. :(
 
Lovely sunny afternoon here too, long may it last. I have just ordered windbreak netting to put round the upper part of our barn in an attempt to keep the worst of the weather out. Will need a couple of calm days to get it up. My sheep are going through their feed blocks like the proverbial hot knife through butter. Just hope they are getting all they need. Horses are doing ok despite the conditions which is more than I can say for us.
 
I have 4 at home, on clay. I shut my fields in October so they have been on an area of hardstanding which I am incredibly thankful that I had put in during the summer, a mud matted area in front of the stable block & the stable block which is on concrete & which is open all the time. I didn't close the fields last year (first winter here) & ended up with a 4-acre knee deep swamp. I have no school - now have planning but there has been an endless series of planning conditions & now the ground is too wet to do anything. I have simply given up on riding and have 3 who ought to be in work. My main horse, QHxTB that I really want to ride as he was being incredibly naughty & I wanted to get to the bottom of it, ex-racer home from retirement livery & I want to see if he is capable of doing anything & New Forest that I backed & should be bringing on. I did try boxing all over but it is sooooooo dismal in the dark & rain & sooooooo expensive. I don't want to take a naughty, fresh horse out on the roads, the bridleways are bogs & I just can't afford enough lessons & school hire etc to keep even one horse in consistent work. QHxTB could do with hard work 6 or 7 days a week & I cannot afford that many lessons...!

I cannot remember the last time I rode & am just hanging on til spring.
 
L&M said:
Does make you wonder why we do it?!!!
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Afternoons like I had today :D I didnt do anything special. I caught up on all my jobs, inc properly scrubbing my buckets. I like clean buckets, it makes me happy. I furnminated the baby highland which was incredibly satisfying. His hair is coming out in clumps at the minute. Bobbie was death staring in jealousy so I groomed her and pulled her tail. Pratted about fitting her new bit and bridle and finally lunged her. Nothing of note, but lots of little things done and a nice time with my ponies. It was windy but sunny so no hideous weather for once which made all the difference!
 
I had a lesson in our outdoor yesterday and rode again in there today. Windy but no rain and it was actually quite enjoyable. I think he enjoyed a change of scenery as mainly been working in the indoor.
The nights are slowly drawing out so it will be nice to do some hacking after work too.

Not long to go people, keep on plodding on!
 
It’s been a horribly long wet winter. We need a long cold spell I think. Give this water a chance to disappear.

I hate having the horses in but the amount of rain and these high winds have made it necessary. No point in trashing your fields and even the hardstand has its risks with the high winds taking roofs and tiles and slats off. Good few trees Were losing branches round here and a good few down.
 
This morning was utterly grim, but this afternoon was beautiful here. I hacked two, did my field etc and it was blue skies and sunshine till dark - and most importantly a nice red sunset... I wonder if tomorrow really will be as bad as forecast! Daffodils everywhere, ponies starting to shed - it really is heading into spring :D
 
I walked across a rested field today - 6 months since it had horses in - & was sinking into it. Water has nowhere to go the ground is so saturated.

On the plus side my old boy came in plastered in mud on both sides which means his arthritis isn't getting in the way of a good roll. He's struggled at times this winter so it's nice to see him happy. Grooming will be fun tho!
 
I'm on thick clay mud I I can no longer walk into my field, haven't been in it for ages. Horses can just about get in therebut don't want to! Even my hardstanding area is now boggy ? I have managed to keep riding, despite no school but I am a nutter who hacks in any weather and I do shifts. Today I was hacking to a competition which by some miracle wasn't cancelled like everything else has been and it pissed down and the wind was blowing me and my horse sideways. Even I had a moment I thought 'why I am bothering with this?!' I have never felt like that before. This has been the most testing wet winter I've known! At least I am not alone by this thread
 
I live in the North East Scottish Highlands, and I could plant rice in my field. Luckily there is a lot of the field on a gentle slope, so the horses tend to stay up hill. It is still squelchy /frozen depending on the temperature, but at least there is minimal mud. I had to move from my last place, as it was just pure mud soup.
 
We at least managed to hack out today, although we basically paddled round the bridleways. On one the standing water had been there so long it had algae growing in it ? No school here so just riding as and when the weather lets us. It’s been a pretty rough winter, Facebook memories reminded me that this time last year we had that lovely hot week and my boy was out naked! Roll on those spring days...
 
We’re into the tenth year of having a hard standing turnout for winter and I thank my lucky stars for it every year. It has had a few good puddles on it in the last few weeks, but they’re still out from 8.30am - 6pm every day, with a couple of days a week in the field. We’re currently extending it so it’s a oval track with a grassy patch that they can roll in. We’ve got a few more horses coming on, so wanted more room for them to move about.
We’re forecast snow this week. Hopefully the ground is too wet and not cold enough for serious snow (she says hopefully!)
 
Errin Paddywack said:
Pissing down again here and looking like a lot more to come, where did yesterday's sunshine go:confused:
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Lucky you. It feels like weeks since I last saw the sun. Blowing a gale here and drizzly again :(

I have two arthritic ponies that could really do with moving a lot more than they are. Even if I open the field they are just standing still and eating hay all day. To compound my misery, I also have one field out of bounds as the neighbours fence fell down in the last storm. They’ve advised they should have it done by Easter. I know logically it will do the field good to be rested and I’ll at least have grass then, but I’ve had to use my other field which means both of them are are now a muddy mess :(
 
And we are back to howling wind and torrential rain.

The ponies have been turned out but are refusing to come out of the field shelter.

Might have to bring them in if it doesn't improve.
 
I am thanking goodness for our hard standing open yard, barn and stables combo too. It is our fourth year with it and usually we are able to open all that onto a small paddock. That gets trashed but then rested and we only use it for the muck heap, winter turnout, quarantine and some very basic schooling when it is usable. This year the horses have barely been able to use it as it has been so deep and vile but they can still all mooch, play, eat, rest etc in the rest of the yard arrangement. I have just about kept our 2 hunters in enough work though it has been grim and exercise has been done with gritted teeth frankly. My youngster has just been turned away but up till Christmas I was doing little bits with her too. :)

The thing I am really, really struggling with is the constant work trying to keep the barn and yard clean/hygienic enough as well as do the ordinary work AND do a vile and lately often difficult and sometimes impossible commute to work. That is a 20 mile journey each way and many, many days it has taken over an hour each way due to road/water/flooding/landslides. It just feels relentless, mind-numbingly repetitive, thankless and quite depressing. Every day brings tedious weather related uncertainty which is making me feel very low; I hate not knowing how/if/when I will get to work and home again nor whether I will be able to find time or energy to ride or should just give up till it gets better. :(

Obviously it is not really my employer's problem so I try not to grumble but I do feel utterly exhausted and miserable trying to keep everything going at home and continue to be positive and productive at work. I am hanging on by my fingernails (which are bitten right down) waiting for sunshine, dry fields and turnout out horses. Thank goodness I found time and energy to spend with my youngster this weekend; we went for a walk in hand (VERY exciting!!) and I gave her a fab all-body pampering groom and massage. She just loved that and it did perk me up!! Our 2 geldings just look miserable in the weather but are cheery enough when ridden. Even my dogs are finding the endless rain hard work though.
 
It is absolutely peeing down again. Yesterday I rode in sleet and sideways rain getting soaked in the process but the horses went out all night so they are still having exercise and turnout but it’s so depressing. They aren’t that keen on leaving their stables and quite honestly I don’t blame them.
 
Yep more wind and rain here again and it's been set in since last night :( *wail*

Fortunately only one horse needs riding today as the other did plenty yesterday. Forecast looks... not TOO bad tomorrow, dry even - dare I hope...?
 
I'm feeling pretty broken too. Was vaguely training at medium and kept it all going till Christmas, but since Christmas we're pretty much back at intro. Pony lost the plot and my confidence now at rock bottom. I cant ever imagine being able to canter 1 circuit of the arena, let alone compete. Feel like I've totally wasted 4 years! Just when I think it can't get worse, it rains and blows some more. Now I'm reduced to a 10 min leg stretch in the arena. If I can manage that sensibly then we quit whilst we're ahead. A canter is a rarity for fear of explosions. Dressage? What's that? I see other people out training and competing, with regionals soon, and I think these people must be super human. How are they managing to keep going???
I went on holiday in September and that's when the rain started, and its not stopped since. Enough now.
 
Another day, another storm.... Managed to get them out for an hour and now they are in, wet, grumpy and stiff. Again. Just to make matters even better, my connie is unsound behind. Noticed the issue on Thursday-disuniting in canter, looking short and stiff. 3 days of rest in a small paddock and danilon and it's still there, so calling the vet out to have a look at his hocks.

I really can't win. Either they are out, sliding around in the mud which has probably caused his hocks to flare up, or they are in, making his COPD much worse.

I've had enough!!
 
I think it's fairly county wide.I do feel lucky to have fab hard standing enormous pole barn and turnout on long grass with no mud but because of the all the grass all be it old grass only letting them have 4/5 hours a day .
could live without soaking hay ! Using as much bedding as mid winter so need to order another pallet of wood pellets which is always stressful sorting out delivery!!!! but the horses look well they have plenty to eat and a warm dry place with good bed to shelter in.
did lunge today but like everyone else lost the will to do much more and it's pouring down again though forecast to stop this afternoon.
need to get on with work on the land harrowing rolling but that looks like weeks away.
come on spring we all have had enough now.
 
That's really rubbish for you NP :(

Tomorrow looks great! I may have to see if I can pop down and borrow my mate's arena (and ride her pony in exchange) as I had to cancel on Saturday as I won't tow in high winds. It's getting boring having to have 25 minutes up the road to get a single straight line canter on my mare, just to hack back. Still, all mine are pretty cool about it at least. They don't get a choice in the matter!

Even today's not as bad as forecast. I'll take both my ponies out and put some decent work on them from under my waterproofs... It's not nice out there, but it's still not as bad as forecast - look on the bright side and all that :D
 
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