Kent/South East peeps how are you coping!!?

Passage...

Passage...

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14 March 2010
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Hi Guys,

As everyone is aware we had awful snow in this area at the beggining of last week and at my end it still just isnt shifting. The yard is now accesible and the roads are fine (very icey) but driveable in a non 4x4- but the school is still under about a foot of snow, feilds are still covered and it is not budging anywhere. My YO is amazing and has cleared the yard drive etc so that is as good as it could be.

My 6yo is ridden usually 5-6 times a week 2 of these are training sessions, as of today he will not have been ridden or worked etc for 10 days - I cannot hack him out/walk in hand etc as the roads are too icey - The only saving grace in this whole thing is that he is able to go out for a while per day now.

What is everyone else doing with their working/competition horses at the moment? are they being worked at all or are they on a forced break like i seem to be? This weather is really starting to grate on me.

ps anyone can answer this but as I am based in Kent the title reflects. xx
 
Our snow has gone but the school and field tracks are frozen solid and our roads are way to busy to hack on so we have given up trying to ride now as B does not really understand the whole "go slow and take it easy" way of going. Even my older super sensible boy turned into a bronco on Sunday when we did get the chance to ride! B's Alfa-A and Tiger oats have been replaced by Hi-fi lite with his balancer and he at least gets out every day, they were all in for 4 days last week so that is a big relief. I am very glad I didn't bother doing the winter BD membership this year, we did it last year and got out a whole 2 times so I decided to save the pennies this year.

After last winter I just sort of expected it tbh so I didn't give him a real holiday after the season ended figuring there would be an enforced one at some time. I just hope is doesn't go on as long as last winter, by the time we had removed the hay belly and got him fit enough our season didn't start until May/June
 
I am in the same boat, snow since last Tues, horses can go out in the field thank god but the roads are icy and the arena is covered in snow, out of desperation I tried to clear some of the arena on Monday without success :( so horses on holiday until the arena reappears :(
 
Ours aren't allowed out and obviously the arena is still out of action. My mare is only 4 and even though she did get 2-3 days a week off this is when she had been out but with no turn out I'd like her to do something everyday. I did manage to get her to a covered school last week by crossing the field but for the last 2 days I have been unable too so 3rd time lucky for me tonight. Most others are treating it as box rest.....
 
It sounds like we are all more or less in the same boat :( i know there is obviously nothing any of us can do about it - however its really irritating me at the moment, looks like more of the same for the coming week or so :rolleyes:
 
I'm also in Kent so feeling your pain! Our road is also only accessible by 4x4, roads are too icy to hack on. I haven't ridden my 7yo for a week and a half. We started turning out at the weekend so that's something I guess. So frustrating as he was going really well and I was in the midst of organising shows!
 
Im in Findon and its the same, our school has only just thawed so only just able to ride now, got someone coming to see my girl for loan tomorrow so at leat they'll get to see her freash!
 
Gah it's driving me crazy!!!

I haven't ridden for a week now, before that I managed to get some hacks in before it snowed and I rode in the school with the sleet/snow a couple of days. However the whole place is now just sheet ice, the school and fields are covered with that horrible icy, slippery snow where it has compacted and it just won't thaw!!

Roads are now fine so I can leave my 4x4 at home and use my hatchback but I can't get to ride on the main road as the lane from the yard is too icy.

Thankfully we can still turn out, I'm hardcore like that horse goes out whatever the weather. He's being very good as leading him in and out is like ice skating, Im using a bridle to lead with to make sure he is careful and listens.

I was meant to do a SJ comp on sat, one that I've been looking forward to for ages. Lorry will be fine on the roads but I can't take him if I can't ride him and prepare. Grrrr! He's only a youngster so don't want to risk taking him if I haven't ridden or jumped before hand.

I'm coming to the conclusion that he may be having some time off. He doesn't really need a holiday but it won't hurt him and thank god he can go out for 8 hrs a day, that is keeping him nice and quiet and easy to handle.

It is such a pain though! I had lots planned for a fun, horsey Christmas :(
 
Am in Essex, and it is incredibly icy at the moment - it thawed enough to get the horses out in the field for a few hours at the weekend, but now they have to stay in as the ice is just too dangerous. Mine are ridden every day as we have an indoor school and a covered outdoor as well as a covered horse walker. Water keeps freezing. I am lucky that I can keep the horses in work, but they hate being dragged across the ice to the schools, and I wish they could go out in the field but it is too far away to deal with the ice and risk of slipping... Seriously tired of it, I can deal with snow but the ice is driving me nuts!

I moan more about the weather than everyone I know - which is ironic, since I'm from Sweden...
 
My paddocks are still covered in snow as is the gravel yard. Have scraped snow off the concrete bits and put salt down, so that's OK.

Riding wise - managed to go up and down the road as far as the bridge on Sat as it was iced over. Strangely, Sunday it had cleared enough for us to follow 2 narrow tyre strips.... but has all iced back over again.

The lane was icy in the middle and at the edges in parts, so we carefully picked our way through those bits.

We managed to have a canter up the grass verge on Sunday too.... well, it was back and forth a couple of times actually! It's only a short strip but enough for Rosie to get excited!!

We are supposed to be doing Combined Training on Sat. I have rung the Show Centre and they will switch my entry to another date if I want. They are deciding tomorrow whether to run at all.
 
I'm in Kent too and am mega fed up. I've got a 4 year old and have only had him for 2 1/2 weeks. For 1 1/2 weeks we've had this horrible weather. Most of the time haven't been able to get to the yard as haven't got a 4x4 and lanes are horrendous. Managed to ride on Sunday for the first time in a week - some walk work only in the school on the snow. (Can I just pause here for a minute to say how massively chuffed I am with him for being so good - what a lovely baby, I'm so pleased with him). Now has frozen solid so school unrideable again. At least I got to see him tonight. Hopefully supposed to be milder on Friday so I'm hoping all the horrible ice will go for the weekend. Fingers crossed.
 
I feel for all of you - I thought it was just me but seems like it isnt :( really just want it to go now as some others have said i think the ice we now have is even more difficult...

Dressager - I was also planning on a few shows this month, even some of the indoor affiliated BD has been cancelled :(
 
Just seen a report of more heavy snow forecast for middle of next week for the south east, I really hope that doesn't happen. Hubby stuck in Frankfurt for 2 days now beacuse of the white stuff!!!
 
Am totally fed up too, poor P has been in since last week as he is laminitic and I just can't risk turning him out on frozen grass. I managed to ride for 15 mins in the school last night....... at walk on a totally frozen surface as I was getting desperate cos he hadn't left his stable at all. To be honest I shouldn't have bothered as I was paranoid the whole way round about the frozen rutty surface and it was freeeeeezing! The roads are ok round here now except for a few places but I work fulltime so only get to the yard in the dark at the moment so thats no good either.:(
 
We are slightly further north in bucks- no snow left really but arena and fields frozen solid. Managing to hack (one of the very few times that being on a fairly busy road is an advantage) but it's walk work and very careful. Thankfully they are still being turned out, albeit for shorter periods as our field hay didn't make it down from Yorkshire in time so they are grumpy and hungry with nothing to eat!
The 4 year old has been ridden maybe 4 times in 10 day, slightly less than usual but can't get in the school at all, and he has barely been out of walk. Older boy has done maybe 5 times and had a couple of trots/canters as he is much more footsure and also steerable so we managed a sneaky canter in the woods last weekend ;)
it's so depressing tho I had one more sj and dressage planned for the youngster then he's having 6 weeks off anyway, but at this rate it will be an extended holiday! If I can't get back in the school this weekend I won't bother with the comps and just pick him up again in late feb!
 
I'm in Surrey near Junction 6 of the M25 and it's awful here still :-( I have a 6yo who was beginning to really improve in her schooling and now I haven't been ab;e to sit on her for the last 2 1/2 weeks. Luckily she's been going out everyday even if it's just for 6 hours. Roads are now better but school is solid as are the tracks around here. Might be able to go for a short hack on Saturday if we can make it to a more used road but not looking forward to sitting on her as she was quite fresh before the snow started!!!
 
It's a complete nightmare (Sussex area), horses been in completely now for the 10th day, dug small track round yard, it's only tiny though so they only do a few strides each way then have to go back in their boxes! gritted yard and treacherous areas, field all covered in deep icy snow-anyone would think it's just snowed!- arena covered in deep frozen snow- a week ago it was more than half way up the fence. Starting to dig a track round the arena just so I can walk them around, but its back breaking heavy work digging it up and lifting it off. Drive, and lanes covered in ice too! when is it going to end?!....can't risk turning them out, unless we want injuries/colic!

Horses are being very happy and good, considering how long they've had to stay in.
 
bugsylugs said:
I'm in Surrey near Junction 6 of the M25 and it's awful here still :-( I have a 6yo who was beginning to really improve in her schooling and now I haven't been ab;e to sit on her for the last 2 1/2 weeks. Luckily she's been going out everyday even if it's just for 6 hours. Roads are now better but school is solid as are the tracks around here. Might be able to go for a short hack on Saturday if we can make it to a more used road but not looking forward to sitting on her as she was quite fresh before the snow started!!!
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Ditto! Ours didnt start going out until Saturday but that has really helped x
 
Im in south east kent.

All roads accesable but yard car park and drive is like an ice rink!!!

Im now on day 13 of no riding!!!! and have a new year show next week!!! Oh dear!!!haha

Fingers crossed it starts to melt sooner rather than later - we have just taken it as a winter break before the big competitions come up, thankfully my mare is a woos and much prefers to stay in!!!
:-)
 
In Surrey, one yard I work out is managing to turn out and other is turning out in school as fieldsn not safe, but neither able to find. School still under snow and despite digging a track its too hard to ride on, and would be lethal to hack out!
 
hmm - we have pretty much had the horses off for nearly a month - there was a false hope last week that we could start but the snow came back and 1 weekend when we all started up again. However, according to the met office it could be as high as 7 degrees mid week so gray fluff ball is going to get clipped...
 
Luci07 said:
hmm - we have pretty much had the horses off for nearly a month - there was a false hope last week that we could start but the snow came back and 1 weekend when we all started up again. However, according to the met office it could be as high as 7 degrees mid week so gray fluff ball is going to get clipped...
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7 degrees next week? that is like tropical weather to me!lol - I just hope its true; I have managed 4 rides in 5 weeks - really starting to annoy me now :mad:
 
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