Just marking myself safe from Winter 2023/2024

[hock]

How is everyone? I have a 18” wide river running down my drive. The only good thing it’ll puddle at the cross roads and I can take the babies for some splashy fun!

How is everyone baring up?

 

[SEL]

There's a very real risk I'll disappear into my gateway and turn up fossilized in a million years!

 

[HopOnTrot]

Mine are coming in during the day, luckily we are the top of a hill but water is flowing down the lane past our house and the main road at the bottom has about 4 inches of water.

Two families at school have already been flooded out this year.

 

[meleeka]

I have a new river running through the middle of my field. It’s not helpful as it crosses the gateway . I also have a Shetland Grand National going on each morning, so it’s pretty ruined. I could keep them
in, but they don’t seem to mind and it’s already ruined now, it can’t get much worse.

 

[Nasicus]

Patting myself on the back for making the decision to sack off riding for the majority of the winter, and for putting the pony on part livery these last couple months.
Still, would rather have my own place again and be slogging through it.

 

[dottylottie]

the bright side to having horses on pen/restricted turnout, is that my field is still looking pretty decent! little bit churned up in spots but it’s the best draining yard on the field, so we’ve not had any puddles.

one of the other fields has had a near permanent pond on it, complete with ducks

 

[wiglet]

My yard is on sandy soil. Mud is unheard of however, this winter has been in a different league and today I have a river running down my field and making a wonderful lake feature in the dip of the land.
We are luckier than most but, I am so done with rain/wind/snow/winter in general.

 

[hock]

There's a very real risk I'll disappear into my gateway and turn up fossilized in a million years!

What a glorious way to be remembered though!

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

My yard is on sandy soil. Mud is unheard of however, this winter has been in a different league and today I have a river running down my field and making a wonderful lake feature in the dip of the land.
We are luckier than most but, I am so done with rain/wind/snow/winter in general.

Mine is similar, also on sand and on a gentle slope.
I actually have mud not lots but enough to pee me off!
It's the waterlogging that's vile.... I have ducks...
Fuzzies are both in now for the day, on foggage up the top at night, they just plod carefully there thank goodness.

 

[meleeka]

one of the other fields has had a near permanent pond on it, complete with ducks

I have a family of Egrets on mine currently.

 

[Surbie]

We have small lakes in the fields and a flock of Canada geese have just pitched up to enjoy the new resort...Fortunately the fields are big and I put my mud slabs in the gateway. The puddles on the track to/from the field are full width (12ft) and calf deep, so a real test of wellies and bringing in 3s is a surefire way to get soaked. At least the horses' feet and ponies' legs get a clean on the way in.

Btw @hock Boz looks a shade under 19hh now - she might need a bigger mounting block!

 

[tda]

What a glorious way to be remembered though!

Somebody has to find the body tho
I am seriously considering my life choices, my top paddock looks like a ploughed field I was aiming to keep them on the yard over the worst, but the youngsters said what a silly idea and trashed all the fence so I couldn't keep them in if I wanted to, I always have faith that the grass will grow ok but this year I'm not sure....
Bottom paddock looks partly ploughed.....with a stream running down it
Will someone please turn the water off!!

 

[TheChestnutThing]

I’m thinking about throwing it all in and moving to a beach hut/tent/just generally homeless on a beach in Barbados or similar.

 

[Highmileagecob]

The farm higher up than our yard block paved their yard and driveway last summer, so we now have an absolute torrent of water running down the lane. The land drains are running full bore and we have fountains in two places when the rain is belting down. If Old Dobbin wasn't so old, I would seriously consider a move across to the east of the Pennines.

 

[hock]

There's a very real risk I'll disappear into my gateway and turn up fossilized in a million years!

What a glorious way to be remembered thkjhbo

We have small lakes in the fields and a flock of Canada geese have just pitched up to enjoy the new resort...Fortunately the fields are big and I put my mud slabs in the gateway. The puddles on the track to/from the field are full width (12ft) and calf deep, so a real test of wellies and bringing in 3s is a surefire way to get soaked. At least the horses' feet and ponies' legs get a clean on the way in.

Btw @hock Boz looks a shade under 19hh now - she might need a bigger mounting block!

i can’t get my head round that, he never felt big to me! But obviously he’s gargantuan! . I have a great mounting block that I step down onto my 16.3hh pony it’s the way forward!

 

[nagblagger]

I have mud++ - going to start charging as people pay good money for mud baths alfresco.

 

[Boughtabay]

I’ve turned mine out naked in warm dry temperatures a few hours ago with forecasts of light rainshowers. The sky is now black and it’s been pelting down for a good 30 mins … two very angry very itchy boys will be expecting me at the gate this evening I expect.

 

[Annagain]

On the plus side, the river running through our field has washed all the mud away from the gateway, right down to the bedrock. On the minus side, it's washed it all onto the path to the field.
Moving yards this winter has also had plusses and minuses. We have much less grass than at the old place, which is good for Wiggy but not so great for Archie but the biggest plus is the indoor school!

 

[MuddyMonster]

I'm really hoping that as we had a drier winter last year and an awful wet Spring/Summer, this wet winter might be good omen for a dry summer?

Or I'm just clutching at straws.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

So very glad that we are understocked this winter. Big field (14 acres) has 31 sheep and the three ponies on it and still looking good although very wet. marshy in places. Only serious mud is where we feed the ponies and round the sheep feed blocks. Just praying it dries up before we start lambing end Mar/beginning Apr. We are on heavy clay and I think this is about the wettest ever. Very glad we are on a hill.

 

[Sealine]

Despite all the rain I bet we still have a hose pipe ban in the summer

 

[ponyparty]

I could have cried this morning. Got up early to go and do something with Beryl before work. About to leave the house and the torrential rain starts. Fileds completely waterlogged, a stream gushing down the track, half the yard under water, summer field I use for schooling too wet to go on. Spoiler: I didn't do anything with Beryl apart from let her into her stable for a break from the rain and some hay. All the roads around the village were flooded by the time I left the yard, took me 15 mins to do a usually 3 min journey due to impassable roads, detours and queuing traffic. So sick of this!! I know plenty have got it worse but it's just so frustrating!

 

[Belmont]

It's been my first winter leaving the horses out so perhaps I jinxed it We've survived though. Thankfully the paddocks drain well and I've got corrals to shut them in, but gosh we've had a lot of rain. I've lost all motivation though, a mix of weather and circumstances has caused huge financial stress. It's nearly march and the horses are unfit and totally unprepared for the competition season. Dry weather and sun shine will help immensely!

 

[hock]

I have help with my lot although usually guilt drives me to crack on along side/chat .

This morning as I heard the typhoon outside and felt the warmth of my 3 cats and 3 dogs clutched to my side under under the covers, I decided not today Satan, today I am stoping here to fulfill my duty to the animals.

Obviously she couldn’t get here as everywhere’s so flooded!

The dogs had to stay in bed as I have poodles and they take on water like a super sized tampon!

 

[hock]

It's been my first winter leaving the horses out so perhaps I jinxed it We've survived though. Thankfully the paddocks drain well and I've got corrals to shut them in, but gosh we've had a lot of rain. I've lost all motivation though, a mix of weather and circumstances has caused huge financial stress. It's nearly march and the horses are unfit and totally unprepared for the competition season. Dry weather and sun shine will help immensely!

Yep sorry straight to the bonfire with you

 

[Fransurrey]

I’ve turned mine out naked in warm dry temperatures a few hours ago with forecasts of light rainshowers. The sky is now black and it’s been pelting down for a good 30 mins … two very angry very itchy boys will be expecting me at the gate this evening I expect.

I left mine yesterday afternoon naked as my boy's clip has pretty much grown out, now, not fully appreciating how shite today would be from the early hours. Oops. They do have shelter, but the other liveries must be wondering what drugs I'm on. We've just reached a point where there's no point rugging them, now. It's not actually cold, just very mucky.

It floods right in front of my shelter, so I have 'stepping stone' mud mats to get between the two (storage is in the middle). Normally I would have to turn them every week or so, but after 2 days I'm struggling to even locate them in the slop. This is partly thanks to the ridiculous positioning of the shelters (bottom of a gradual dip), partly thanks to the soakaway built across the top of the field by the YO. I went swimming in a lake on Tuesday. Could have saved the effort and just worn the cossie to do the horses.

I do love February.

 

[MuddyMonster]

Thinking about it, next winter, I'm buying an Equidry. That will surely guarantee a dry winter?

 

[Annagain]

The dogs had to stay in bed as I have poodles and they take on water like a super sized tampon!

This made me laugh so much. I have a cockerpoo and whereas most dogs shrink when they get wet he frizzes up to twice his normal size. Tampon is a perfect description.

 

[hock]

This made me laugh so much. I have a cockerpoo and whereas most dogs shrink when they get wet he frizzes up to twice his normal size. Tampon is a perfect description.

I laughed at the thought as well but my husband just rolls his eyes

 

[AmyMay]

It’s just bloomin grim!