Rain Ranting Thread

[GrassChop]

The wind is coming up here now, with occasional showers. I’m seriously considering my old girl’s future. She hates wind and rain and if this is what our winters are going to be like, I’m not sure it’s worth it for the few months of ok weather we get

One of mine came from Shetland in the Autumn and he’s loving his new mild climate. Thank goodness for his happy face at least.

Can I ask if you are rugging and what weight she is currently in? My 19yo mare is struggling with this weather, as soon as the wind hits any sort of wet on her body, she is shivering even though she's in a 450g combi turnout (she is fully clipped as I did this thinking we were heading into better Spring weather! Not that it makes much difference as she's like it unclipped anyway when it's raining and windy). I think I need to look at rugs with really large tail flaps as it seems to be when the smallest part of her butt cheeks get wet, she feels cold!

 

[GrassChop]

The long range forecast says we are pretty much looking at rain for the entirety of April too.

 

[YourValentine]

The long range forecast says we are pretty much looking at rain for the entirety of April too.

And for once the North might be drier.
But, yes pretty depressing long term forcast.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I'm in Devon and this morning it was literally like a car-wash here.

I could've cried.

Seriously, it has gone beyond depressing now.

 

[Bobthecob15]

We’ve just driven up from Dorset to Gloucestershire and it was absolutely biblical, I don’t think horse ownership is ever going to the same in all honesty

 

[Boughtabay]

I’m touching all the wood that the rain holds off here while the electrician is working in stables. I’ve turned out freshly gelded (yesterday AM) cob in a clean paddock with his pal next door and I’m hoping it stays dry long enough so that we don’t get all mucky before I put them back in NO chance he’s going back out in the field until things are completely dried out though it’s way too muddy … that said if it was nice I’d be complaining about flies & we can’t hide from them!!

 

[meleeka]

Can I ask if you are rugging and what weight she is currently in? My 19yo mare is struggling with this weather, as soon as the wind hits any sort of wet on her body, she is shivering even though she's in a 450g combi turnout (she is fully clipped as I did this thinking we were heading into better Spring weather! Not that it makes much difference as she's like it unclipped anyway when it's raining and windy). I think I need to look at rugs with really large tail flaps as it seems to be when the smallest part of her butt cheeks get wet, she feels cold!

She’s currently in a 250g but that’s because she has her stable door open so she can go back in (we are in the South). She probably wouldn’t care what she had on if she had no shelter, she just doesn’t like it and ends up standing and getting stiff and in a foul mood. She’s Welsh too, so really should be hardier, but she’s always been a princess about the weather (and I’ve pandered to her so probably enabled it).

 

[scats]

This paddock was dry yesterday…

 

[I'm Dun]

We've got heavy rain and wind even though the online forecast is trying to tell me it's light rain and sunny intervals

Same here, it was gorgeous for an hour about 9.30, then got overcast and very cold, and now there's strong wind, very heavy rain and I'm sitting wrapped in a duvet as its freezing!

 

[hellfire]

I’ve had more than enough and never felt so close to throwing the towel in.
I’ve not ridden since Christmas now either. The limited dry days it’s either been icy, gales, or I’ve been trying to do repairs. Or I’ve looked at thought I can’t even be bothered to get them in through all the mud try and get them clean enough to tack up only to hack out in thick mud.
Had it all in the last 24hrs. 2 hours of bright sky and sun, then torrential rain, gales, sleet, hail, then thick snow. Now back to torrential rain and gale force winds.
I’m loosing the will to live

 

[hellfire]

Reality

 

[GrassChop]

I’ve had more than enough and never felt so close to throwing the towel in.
I’ve not ridden since Christmas now either. The limited dry days it’s either been icy, gales, or I’ve been trying to do repairs. Or I’ve looked at thought I can’t even be bothered to get them in through all the mud try and get them clean enough to tack up only to hack out in thick mud.
Had it all in the last 24hrs. 2 hours of bright sky and sun, then torrential rain, gales, sleet, hail, then thick snow. Now back to torrential rain and gale force winds.
I’m loosing the will to live

I've barely ridden either! I bought a new bridle several weeks a go and I haven't even been able to use it yet!

 

[Chianti]

The track mine is on had just started to dry out- today it's wet soup again. Pony is very grumpy - so am I. I remember, many years ago, in primary school, being taught that England had a temperate climate i.e. it didn't get extreme weather. That no longer seems to be the case. What depresses me is that in a few months it will be 80 degrees and the ground will be rock hard.

 

[Maddie Moo]

We currently have a thunder storm, it’s rained and been gales all day as well.

I’m feeling very fortunate that I don’t have a horse but it’s soul destroying seeing my friends etc with horses struggling so much this year. We’re on clay soil here and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so bad.

 

[Squeak]

Oh yay!! More rain!!

 

[AutumnDays]

Rain, hail and wind here again. The surface water is even deeper on the fields, and the mud underneath is like a glue trap. Mine have been in on their concrete moochy space for a few days. Nearly out of hay, and now if you can get it, it's very expensive. I think once I run out, I'm just going to have to zero full rug them, udder balm their legs and let them out, unless anybody wants a kidney/lung/piece of liver in exchange for hay and bedding?!

 

[oldandgold]

We've just had a thunder storm followed by a hail storm - oh joy

 

[HelenBack]

I have a question for everybody who's had enough, do you think you'd still be fed up with the non-stop bad weather if you didn't have horses or is having horses making it worse?

I'm another one who's completely fed up of it now, we've been lucky to have ongoing turnout on my livery yard but the fields are awful and I have no idea how they're going to recover. We don't have separate summer fields so I don't really know what will happen. The yard owner is keen to get the horses out at night as soon as possible, which is great but I just don't see how it can happen given the ongoing bad weather and how bad everything is.

I'm a dedicated rider and have kept going throughout but even my motivation is waning now. I'm fed up of getting soaked and cold all the time and of trying to plan my riding around the times when it's less likely to be windy and raining. We have okay hacking by us but no cantering really, I want to start doing some canter work both for my horse's and my own fitness but can't really bothered boxing out for that when the weather is so vile.

More generally though I'm just really grumpy and irritable and I've noticed that a lot of my friends are too. The weather is getting me down generally, walking the dog isn't very appealing, I'd like to do more cycling but don't want to go out on my bike in this weather. And I think the lack of sunlight is certainly affecting my mood. So I sometimes wonder whether I want to keep having horses if this is how it's going to be but now I'm starting to wonder if I want to carry on to live in this country more generally if this is how it's going to be.

I'm going to buy some vitamin D to see if that at least helps raise my spirits a bit but it was just a musing really about whether it is just to do with the horses or it's just depressing in general.

 

[tristars]

the VIT D should help

 

[TheresaW]

I have sold one of my horses, and the other is on full loan. Even though I don’t have to do them every day, it’s still getting me down. Kitchen floor is constantly filthy, walking the dogs I get soaked and muddy.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

I'm going to cut down for a few reasons. Weather and poo picking are two of them!

 

[GrassChop]

I have a question for everybody who's had enough, do you think you'd still be fed up with the non-stop bad weather if you didn't have horses or is having horses making it worse?

I think I'd still be miserable with it but possibly not as much because I know that the worst it's going to be is having to walk from my car to somewhere else inside instead of being out in it for hours, sloshing through mud, getting covered in hay sticking to wet coats, soaked through etc.

 

[Pinkvboots]

It's been vile here torrential rain abd Gail force wind

 

[GreyDot]

I have a question for everybody who's had enough, do you think you'd still be fed up with the non-stop bad weather if you didn't have horses or is having horses making it worse?

I'm another one who's completely fed up of it now, we've been lucky to have ongoing turnout on my livery yard but the fields are awful and I have no idea how they're going to recover. We don't have separate summer fields so I don't really know what will happen. The yard owner is keen to get the horses out at night as soon as possible, which is great but I just don't see how it can happen given the ongoing bad weather and how bad everything is.

I'm a dedicated rider and have kept going throughout but even my motivation is waning now. I'm fed up of getting soaked and cold all the time and of trying to plan my riding around the times when it's less likely to be windy and raining. We have okay hacking by us but no cantering really, I want to start doing some canter work both for my horse's and my own fitness but can't really bothered boxing out for that when the weather is so vile.

More generally though I'm just really grumpy and irritable and I've noticed that a lot of my friends are too. The weather is getting me down generally, walking the dog isn't very appealing, I'd like to do more cycling but don't want to go out on my bike in this weather. And I think the lack of sunlight is certainly affecting my mood. So I sometimes wonder whether I want to keep having horses if this is how it's going to be but now I'm starting to wonder if I want to carry on to live in this country more generally if this is how it's going to be.

I'm going to buy some vitamin D to see if that at least helps raise my spirits a bit but it was just a musing really about whether it is just to do with the horses or it's just depressing in general.

It's a good question - I am sure people who have office jobs and no horse or dog are probably just depressed because of the lack of sun, rubbish commute, etc. Those who HAVE to go out, whether it's farming, animal care, construction, street workers, etc. just adds an extra level of weariness at the weather.
I am obsessively looking at the forecast, desperate for a change in the season! I know we always have something to complain about, weather-wise, but the last 8 months have truly been exceptionally awful. It's just a 'take one day at a time' at the moment, but I feel like I am living on hold.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Tuesday was glorious, our field was drying up and when my friend came over with her collie despite them all haring around they came back clean. Field is now totally waterlogged and probably won't take the dogs with me tomorrow when I go to check the sheep and feed the ponies. Praying the sheep don't start lambing before next week. Very fed up at the moment.

 

[I'm Dun]

I have a question for everybody who's had enough, do you think you'd still be fed up with the non-stop bad weather if you didn't have horses or is having horses making it worse?

I dont have horses any more and I am fed up! But I do do a lot of dog walking and am trying to refurb an old boat I live on so need to be outside in the dry working. On the plus side all this rain means I can find and fix the leaks

 

[I'm Dun]

oh and for vitamin D, buy decent gel capsules of around 5000ius and take 100uis of K2, and some magneisum with it. When my vitamin D is low I get bouts of the rage for no reason, so hopefully getting your levels up helps you feel better!

 

[setterlover]

I think given the peculiar weather we have been having the last few years both summer and winter and this absolutely persistently dreadful wind and horrendous rain this winter everyone will be reviewing their horse numbers and certainly not increasing them.
I have dogs and although this weather would pull my spirits down without horses I wouldn't have all the worry about the land ,trying to preserve the condition of the fields and worrying about when or even whether we can cut hay this year. Last year we cut all haylege as there wasn't enough sun to make good hay.
Fortunately I still have a lot left certainly enough to last until the end of the summer and new stuff will hopefully be available.
Lots of people are running low on hay and haylege.
I think the fact that there seems no end to it and it's nearly April also serves to drag your spirits down already we are worrying about country and horse events going ahead in the spring as the land is so waterlogged so we don't feel able look forward to country events .We love getting out and about to country shows and horse trials with our dogs and are seriously wondering if they will go ahead
It surely must improve soon.

 

[Horseysheepy]

We started lambing the indoor flock two days ago and it's not looking like we'll be turning out any ewes and lambs until they are stronger. This wet and Northerly winds will strip them of their warmth in seconds.
Our outdoor lambing flock are looking quite jolly, but they are thrifty little souls and have plenty of shelter.
Hoping for a dryer April, but it doesn't look great! The weekend looks mainly dry and bright though so it will bring a bit of spring cheer hopefully!.
My three year old TB was supposed to have been backed over winter but I'll have to back him over summer instead. I'm not selling him, there's no rush. This winter was (well still is) about getting everyone through it and surviving.
We will get there!.

 

[Timelyattraction]

We are in the middle of a massive thunderstorm. The lightening is insane and frightening