H&H wants your snow tips and pics

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EventingEditor

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Dear all,

Horse & Hound is looking for your experiences of the big freeze.

If you have a top tip for looking after horses in this weather, or have had an extreme, unusual or funny snow experience over the past few days, please add it to this thread.

Thanks very much,

Pippa Roome
H&H eventing editor (helping out on other areas of H&H in the absence of eventing...)
 


Top tip 1 - A snowy unused school makes the PERFECT surface for snow angels
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Top tip 2 - Your unused snowy fields make the perfect surface for sledging
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Top tip 3 - YO's quad towing a lid of a water tank makes for a superb sledging experience
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Top tip 4 - What better way to welcome your customers than to build a mahoosive snow lady, with mahossive boobies in the car park.


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Sled, sled, sled, why waste energy pushing a barrow with water, hay etc when you can pull a sled laden with much more weight and let the snow/ice help for once.
 
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Top tip 4 - What better way to welcome your customers than to build a mahoosive snow lady, with mahossive boobies in the car park.

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HAHA LOVES IT!!
 
My horses are kept in my own field which is in a rural location on the Hampshire/Sussex border and located about 6 miles from my house. I have really struggled to reach them during this snowy cold snap.

The snow started falling approximately 1630 on Tuesday, first of all it was ok and the roads were moving slowly. Then the snow started to fall more heavily and was covering the ground rapidly. Rather than negotiate steep hills I chose a longer but flatter route and I was able to reach the horses by 1800 that evening. The snow was falling heavier and heavier, so I decided to leave the horses out and give them plenty of hay, good decision as just then the electricity gave out. The snow plough came along the road and put a huge wall of snow right in front of my car, so I had to ask a local neighbour to help me get my car out (after I had already slipped up in the snow trying). I managed to get moving approx 1940, I drove along approx 4 miles of untreated country lanes, travelling slowly but steadily I soon reached the outskirts of Horndean in Hampshire 2 miles from my house, to be met with bedlam. The A3m had been closed in both directions and traffic on the adjoining roads (I was on one) had become gridlocked. It seemed to take forever, I switched the engine off several times as we just didn't move. Bored, I sent texts to freinds to discover that one of my freinds was stuck at her livery yard and was spending the night there with the farmer and his family. I finally got home at 2230 had some tea and got to bed about midnight, but couldn't sleep for dreading the journey back to the stables the next day.

I had to dig the car out the next day and drove slowly and carefully back along the same route, the worst part was trying to avoid all the abandonded vehicles littered about on the slippy road. I looked down over the A3m when I passed over it, to observe all the abandoned cars on the hard shoulder as far as the eye could see. It was a treacherous journey and what should take about 12 minutes took me approx 45 minutes, but I made it. Another local neighbour turned up to see how we were, he is not used to horses but kindly offered to check their water and give them hay for me in the evening, in return I was to bring him some bread and milk the next day as he was stranded, good deal I thought.

The next day the big freeze came, so phoned the neighbour to say I would be along with his bread and milk a bit later once the sun got up. Another treacherous journey, but I made it and was able to check the water and give them more hay. The power is still off and likely to be so for a couple of days, so I am taking a flask of hot chocolate with me. Tomorrow I will have to take several containers of water along as the trough is very low now. For now I am off work until Monday, usually I go morning and evening to my horses, but it will be impossible for me to get there in the mornings and get to work on time. I will have to rely on my neighbour again to feed and water in the morning and I will just get there when I can in the evening. I will just have to hope that they are ok and not colicky or cut as my neighbour is not horsy. I can't wait for this to end as I like to check my horses myself and will worry about them, but they seem ok and are getting plenty to eat.

Stay safe everybody.xxxx
 
TIP 1 - We have invented a new sport at our yard... it is called Extreme Sledging and involves attaching a sledge onto the back of the quad bike and being pulled around the fields. It's great fun!

TIP 2 - Wrap up warm and remember lots of layers is better than one big layer - it's the same for your horse too!

TIP 3 - If you are planning on riding in the snow, remember to grease the inside of your horse's feet using Vaseline to stop the snow from balling up inside the hooves.
 
Good advice Enfys I have a sledge yet am still struggling with my bloody wheel barrow. Also could be fun to sled back down to the yard :-)
 
Dont walk on the yard where you are planning to lead your horses, then it doesnt get as slippy!
Buy a skim board they are the best thing for sledging!!!!
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To stop the snow balling up in your neds hooves

1kg tesco value lard
1 litre tesco veg oil
1 slow cooker

chop up tesco lard and pour over 1 litre veg oil
set slow cooker on high
read this weeks HH whilst your mixture melts together
when blended pour into a decent size container
wash up slow cooker straight away!!!!!

Take down yard and impress all your horsey friends about your secret weapon for the snow!

Go riding and be safe at a fraction of the price!
 
Rider tip: wear ski gear! you can pick it up relatively cheap, salopettes for £15 out of TK Max!
put socks on over your boots to stop you sliding on ice.
Horse tip: layers of rugs!
 
use a temperature gun to check your gee gees are lovely and snug! better than getting your hands out of gloves
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vaseline/pig oil to stop snow sticking on feet and legs.

apples in water buckets to encourage bobbing and stop them freezing over.

lag your pipes early

...and most importantly LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR!
 
Put travel boots on your outdoor hairy legged horses to stop ice baubles forming. Change the boots every 12hrs as they tend to get wet and then freeze solid if left on too long.

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Leave shovels and other mucking out equipment outside in case you can't open the shed because the catch is frozen shut!

Fill every container with water and then bury in the muckheap. The heat from it composting stops the water freezing.
 
1) A Blowtorch is a very good way of defrosting pipes and taps (metal ones, that is!)
2) A Pickaxe will break the ice on ANY trough!
3) I agree re the ski gear. Makes ALL the difference....
 
I have bought an aquaruim heater from Pets at Home for our small trough outside the stables - and have put it in a length of plastic drain pipe with holes dug in it.

Keeps the trough ice free
 
Top tip for really toasty feet in this weather, instead of layers of socks - invest in a pair of insoles for your boots. Works wonders for any type of boot, particularly with wellies or anything with a rubber sole. Cork or leather insoles are the best as they form an insulation barrier under your feet which is usually the coldest place.
Also, use outdoor turnout rugs as stable rugs. They are waterproof yet breathable and are great at keeping stable stains a bay.
 
If the horse is shod, consider snow grip/snow rim pads (these are made of rubber and attach under the shoe, to prevent the snow from sticking.)

Take a hoof pick when out hacking, and ideally a buddy so you can tell each other when excessive lumps of ice build up under the horses' feet.

Barefoot horses do in my experience slip less than shod horses with no studs. Snow is not that slippery, as long as it is not on top of ice.

If your clipped horse gets really cold, consider putting an old duvet on under your turnout rug - I have seen this used in -25.

Use strips of insulation mats and duct tape around water pipes. Hoses left outside will freeze and may break, so may be good to take those inside. A steady trickle of water helps prevent pipes freezing.

Relax - remember people keep horses in far colder conditions than this, and they are fine. As long as they stay dry and are fed lots, unclipped horses are unlikely to freeze. I would not worry about some frost or ice baubles on the horse, it has several layers of insulating hair and the frost on top does not go all the way down to the skin.

As for horses that live out - there are people who keep horses outside all year in very cold countries, and it works fine. The ones I know ensure access to cover from wind and rain, and most likely ad lib haylage or hay.

The saying goes that excessive grooming is not recommended, because the natural grease helps insulate the horse. For the same reason, would not wash the horse.

If you want to go for a ride in the snow, and feel cold yourself, consider using a fleece or even normal blanket that reaches about 2ft ahead of the saddle, then when you have mounted, fold it back over your own legs. This works for hacking out your horse in -25.

If it gets really really really cold, it is a lot warmer to ride bareback, but those skiing clothes or other winter clothes can often be very slippery! If you come off, aim for a pile of snow :-)
 
Frozen buckets - I've taken brought mine home to give them a hot bath to defrost them and get all the ice out.

Also taking down to the farm from home a water container filled with hot water at home to offer the geegees a warm drink - they seem to be really struggling to drink the water due to it being so cold.
 
We've bought our horse and donkeys a bale of Readi-grass each week as a treat and change from hay..hay and more hay.. they get a bucket every morning to snuffle through.
Also I've been using my equilibrium massage pad every couple of days on my mare, she has a bit of turn out every day, but its a nice treat for her and keeps circulation moving...
Wish I could stop buckets freezing....
 
The best advice I can give is find yourself a fabulous livery yard, I have recently moved with my grass livery pony and the grooms have been fabulous, texting all the owners telling us not to come up. They have put extra rugs on, found extra room and given them all the haylage they could possibly want. It has definately eased my worry over how my pony is coping with this weather.
Another is to try and offer turned out horses another type of forage, like mollichop or alfa A just to give them more variety and minerals whilst they're out in the field.
Finally layers are not only useful for us, layer up thick rugs on top of thinner ones to ensure that as little heat escapes as possibly, keeping horses positively toastie!
 
My old horse has a nice stable in the field he shares with his friend. Both their stables are lined, have rubber matting and shavings on top of that and are kept open for them to come and go as they please. Why, then, does the silly old sod sleep flat out in the snow? It's not that he doesn't like the stable, he sleeps in there in the summer to get away from the midges. Just shows that what we think is best for horses is not necessarily what they would choose for themselves.
 
Tip:

If your hose is frozen (and let's face it,most are) and your tap is up on a wall, use a length of polypipe to direct the water from tap to bucket instead of holding it up and inadvertently covering yourself in freezing water. A kind of solid hose and we would be lost without it.

Have a sieve at the yard! Sieve out the ice formations from your buckets at regular intervals, especially during evening yard, then it will take longer for the buckets to freeze at night. Wrap buckets in a coccoon of old straw to help insulate. In a morning you can sieve out the ice and fill instead of having to manoever the whole bucket to the drain to discard and waste water.

Keep a hoofpick in your pocket at all times, pick out in field before bringing in as it will make life easier, believe me!

Remember not to put too many rugs on your horse - this will only lead to flattening the coat and horses actually are made with a very effective heating system....the best of which is EATING - lots of hay/straw will ensure you have a warm horse.

Do NOT wear wellington boots if you want warm feet - they are the worst things if you want warm toes. Double layer socks and stick to robust leather boots.
 
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