Planning ahead re: bad weather

Chappie

Chappie

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I was also looking at Windy Wilson's FB site yesterday and as tomorrow is my first pay day after Christmas (yay!), I want to stock up on a few useful things in case of potential bad weather.

I'm hoping Aldi still have some large flexi tubs - useful if the drinkers freeze. Or need to source them from somewhere else if Aldi is out. A few would be good, to lend out, as no-one else on yard thinks to get their own!

Plan on getting a few sturdy water containers too but not sure of the best place to get these. Will look online!

Also wanted to get some Showa thin waterproof gloves - but ones that are a bit thicker than the style I normally wear. Will have to do some Googling I think!

Possibly a spare wheelbarrow tyre.
Might pick up a snow shovel and a sledge if I'm at B&Q, comes in handy for transporting things around the yard.

Hopefully yard will buy in salt but might get a couple of sacks while in B&Q as an emergency stash. Also for my own doorsteps, can be treacherous!

Need to order a few more bales of shavings and hay but its difficult with no/limited covered storage.
I wish I was allowed my own shed at the yard! :D Even an average sized garden shed would be a bonus!

What did eveyone else find useful during the Beast of the East?
(as well as brandy/prayers/sense of humor (severely tested!)?!)
 
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Can't really think of anything as my main memory of the last Beast from the East was putting down a really thick bed as it was going to be so cold, only to come down to the yard to find that the snow had blown straight into the stable - horse and bed were covered in a thick layer of snow! So, if it happens again, the horse will go into an outdoor rug for the night and I won't put any extra bedding down.
 
Water containers were my lifesaver last time. I bought around 8 from a friend at £1 each and had them filled in the feed room ready. When the taps didn’t unfreeze for a few days I was still ok. I also took one home and filled with hot water from the bath tap for feeds and defrosting.
 
asmp said:
Can't really think of anything as my main memory of the last Beast from the East was putting down a really thick bed as it was going to be so cold, only to come down to the yard to find that the snow had blown straight into the stable - horse and bed were covered in a thick layer of snow! So, if it happens again, the horse will go into an outdoor rug for the night and I won't put any extra bedding down.[/QUOTE

That happened to me too! Fortunately it was just the front of stable & Chappie had his turnout on already.
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Water containers. Our yard hose froze solid so we were using the one from inside the rest room. The containers enabled me to lug water back and forth across the yard from the rest room through the snow.

The main thing that got me through the beast from the east was a ridiculous amount of swearing...
 
Not just big water containers but a couple of 2 litre ex cola bottles. I fill these with tap hot water, they travel in the car wrapped in a towel next to dog (keeping her warm).
I use one for damping feeds, the other for sluicing over hay for the smallest pony.

Make up lots of nets, write on a board how much yours has, and when, in case you can't get there. Same with feeds.

Keep apples and carrots etc at home, take when required.

If you soak beet etc, bring it home, pop into sealed Tupperware and soak by front door.

Get bit of hose to fit kitchen tap, easy to fill water containers with. Never go home without at least 1 empty water container in car.

Lots of spare gloves in pockets.

Keep head torches charged.

Stand trugs in stables on rubber matting, bank bedding round if possible.

Lots more, but enough to start with .....
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
Not just big water containers but a couple of 2 litre ex cola bottles. I fill these with tap hot water, they travel in the car wrapped in a towel next to dog (keeping her warm).
I use one for damping feeds, the other for sluicing over hay for the smallest pony.

Make up lots of nets, write on a board how much yours has, and when, in case you can't get there. Same with feeds.

Keep apples and carrots etc at home, take when required.

If you soak beet etc, bring it home, pop into sealed Tupperware and soak by front door.

Get bit of hose to fit kitchen tap, easy to fill water containers with. Never go home without at least 1 empty water container in car.

Lots of spare gloves in pockets.

Keep head torches charged.

Stand trugs in stables on rubber matting, bank bedding round if possible.

Lots more, but enough to start with .....
Click to expand...

Marvellous, thank you very much for all the tips! We did quite a few of these too but there's some more we'd not thought of.

I live a couple of minutes walk from my yard which is obviously a massive bonus as can always get down not only to look after my own but to help with the others.

Defo need to get myself some decent water containers!
 
I usually plan to leave mine out-in case I can't get to the farm, if they are out they can dig for food and have a spring for water. I don't need rugs for them so I tend to not worry about them at all. All the time I can get up there they have nice sloppy feeds of agrobs cobs and I'll stick some hay out for them, fill up rubber trugs of water. I keep 25l water container full in their barn for back up. must get my winter tyres on. I always have a spare set of gear in the car anyway (torches, clothes, waterproofs, boots) and will get freezer stocked up. There'll be less pressure for me to get to work this year as don't have a trial on atm so can work from home-walking back in blizzards three separate times last year and kipping on friend's couches was not always fun.
Already have sleds for towing stuff on and decent snow shovels etc
 
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Chappie said:
Marvellous, thank you very much for all the tips! We did quite a few of these too but there's some more we'd not thought of.

I live a couple of minutes walk from my yard which is obviously a massive bonus as can always get down not only to look after my own but to help with the others.

Defo need to get myself some decent water containers!
Click to expand...
Have a look for used Aqua rolls if you are that close as they can be easily pulled to where you need them without having to lift them.
 
We keep ours at home and have an x-hose for when the main hose freezes, much easier than carrying buckets when there is a mound of snow to equal the Matterhorn in the yard!! We also have "snow blinds" to cover the "windows" in the building. We also have a system of putting cotton covers over the top of one of the doors, this allows exchange of air, but stops the snow getting in. We also keep bags from the shavings to stuff in the eaves if the wind comes from the east, again stops snow rom coming in.
 
if you use a car to get to the yard makesure the types have plenty of tread that you have de-icer too . Also have a wooly hat gloves extra socks,blanket, coat and shovel inside incase you get stuck its cold and you need to dig out. a flask of something hot to drink and a packet of biscuits.
 
We keep water containers full when freezing weather is predicted and make sure we have enough feed to keep us going over january/Feb. Snow shovels are great, we use ours all year round for mucking out too. Check tyres and water etc on car and keep a yellow vest and blanket in the boot.
 
We fill any spare water buckets and leave them in the tack room overnight. It stops them freezing and means that in the morning you can at least get some water out to the horses (either in stables or fields) quickly.
 
tda said:
Have I missed something? All I heard on the weather this morning is it will be colder by the end of the week 😎😁
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Something to do with the stratosphere (I think) which is going to affect the jet stream. Meteorologists are predicting a real cold snap towards the end of the month (probably).
 
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there's been a sudden stratospheric warming event that has weakened the jet stream, pushing it south-this high pressure blocks the generally mild air from the Atlantic. this allows cold air from the east. we don't always get very bad weather from a SSW but people have been following this one for a few weeks now and all the signs are there. the Met (who the Beeb base their weather on) are generally reluctant to forecast really bad weather too far in advance for obvious reasons.
 
Bubble wrap around the outside tap with a block of polystyrene packaging over the top stops it freezing done to about -4. 2 litre plastic bottles filled with hot water to defrost field water buckets.
 
I bought a couple of cheap kettles. Last year it was so cold that the lids froze on to the water containers so I used water from the kettle to get them open. Also I used the hot water to thaw and warm up my mare's feed that I leave to soak overnight.

I sincerely hope we don't have anything like last year. :(
 
I keep a 25 L container full of water at the yard in my feed room. If it's due to go below zero, I put it inside old paper feedbags and use old bedding/straw/sweepings as cladding. For me it's thick gloves with large nitrile gloves over the top, as even my Sealskinz don't help me below zero. I feed mostly haylage these days, but when I'm on hay, I also buy in some Easypack hay and oat straw, so I don't have to worry about soaking. Ponies already have a bed in their shelters and I take a flask of boiled water to pour a hole in the ice on the trough.
 
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