Snow

DH got sent home early from work as heavy snow falling (edited to add, N Hants). He got 4 miles down the road and it turned to rain and stayed same for the rest of his commute, of total 26 miles.
Lightly raining at home too, though due to stop in a couple of hours and then deep freeze, oh joy.....
 
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Frozen here for the last 2 days. My lakes are now ice skating ponds.
I’ve put the girls in the front field of the yard today as it’s drier than my usual 2. Thank god we have paddocks to move to if need be.

YO husband is draining my fields off with his machines (he owns a drainage company- he’s literally my hero right now) and is putting new drainage in for us over the next few weeks to try and stop this happening again. We’ve never seen flooding this bad on the yard ever.
Yard taps have frozen solid so I’m lugging water from home today.
My car is in the garage having failed its MOT so I’m without a vehicle, which I hate.

January can bore off now!
 
I’m so fed up, our fields have been frozen all week so no turnout at all, horses are coping just about as we have a horse walker and they can go loose in the arena for a leg stretch and roll…arena is also frozen so can’t really ride them either to exercise them, argh I hate winter!!!!

Seriously regretting life choices at the moment…I hate the yard we are at in winter as such limited turnout in winter (clay fields which are either under water or really boggy so unsafe) there are no other options within 30 mins or so with the facilities we need (full livery as I work full time and need lights so my daughter can ride after school) I absolutely hate this time of year it’s so depressing for us and our horses….feel very stuck having to put up with the situation as lack of an alternative. Just cannot wait for spring and better weather! Rant over 😢
 
We’ve got iced snow as it hasnt warmed above 2 in the day to get time to melt before cold sub zero nights. It was -8 last night and -5 tonight, tomorrow is due snow to turn to rain as it gets milder.
🤞 the warm southern air arrives soon 🥶
 
Whilst its 💩 at the moment, remember folks the days are starting to get longer! Almost on the home stretch now!

Our taps are completely frozen and so were the poor neddies' water buckets this morning 🥺 they've had no turnout since the weekend as path is completely iced over and fields are rock solid/covered in ice anyway, and arena is frozen too. BUT manifesting for a gorgeous spring where we all get to pretend we aren't all absolute nutters for having horses!
 
maya2008 said:
Is it just me that turns out on frozen ground? Mine lived out until this year - I’m just chucking them out in frozen (currently snowy) fields with hay, they pick their way across and mooch around.
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Our previous yard did with hay but a couple of others including my current one don’t, it’s annoying but hopefully not for long 🤞
 
maya2008 said:
Is it just me that turns out on frozen ground? Mine lived out until this year - I’m just chucking them out in frozen (currently snowy) fields with hay, they pick their way across and mooch around.
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I spent ages yesterday trundling across the field with 2 big slices of hay in a wheelbarrow and spreading it into various piles. The girls promptly went out, ignored the hay and wandered to a far corner to lick the frozen snow 😅 If that doesn’t sum up horses, I don’t know what does!
 
maya2008 said:
Is it just me that turns out on frozen ground? Mine lived out until this year - I’m just chucking them out in frozen (currently snowy) fields with hay, they pick their way across and mooch around.
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Mine pretty much did this even clipped out. I find if out all the time they just adapt and act accordingly to the conditions. I am on clay too. 16.3 hh fully clipped hunters out 24/7!! I appreciate it's my own land though so answerable to no one!
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Ours are living out, unclipped, with rugs currently, fed hay in the field shelter. They seem to be coping very well with the gradient of the field, even.
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my foals/youngsters are the same. Very happy boys, coping well. They have field shelter, hard standing and adlib haylage. Although since the ground has frozen i havent seen them in the fields. Just seem to be happy cuddling up together. Ive been taking warm water out to them to make sure they are drinking, which they seem to love. Like me with my cup of tea in the morning.
The grown ups have been in the stables for a couple of days now, id turn them out but the yard is too icy, and cant get any grit for love nor money. Theyve been for a wander around the arena, but soon get bored and want back in.
Not long now though, and all will be restored in a few days
 
maya2008 said:
Is it just me that turns out on frozen ground? Mine lived out until this year - I’m just chucking them out in frozen (currently snowy) fields with hay, they pick their way across and mooch around
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Ours have free access but actually apart from the first day, the youngsters haven't left the yard, the oldies however have made their way out across the frozen mud every day.
 
Ours are out full time as we don't have stables. My mare is rugged but the two ponies aren't. 14 acres of of old rough grass, no hay and just a tiny feed twice a day. Both ponies are putting on weight, mine just holding hers. They have hedges but no field shelters. The field is shared with 30 sheep.
 
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It's too slippery now from the yard to the fields, so ponies are in the school.

At the top of the land, where the temperature drops the lowest, the snow has frozen solid, so you can stand on top of a 3ft drift and not sink in to it.

No water on the yard, so I'm having to fill buckets and kettles in the house and carry them to the yard.

I am not having fun.
 
southerncomfort said:
It's too slippery now from the yard to the fields, so ponies are in the school.

At the top of the land, where the temperature drops the lowest, the snow has frozen solid, so you can stand on top of a 3ft drift and not sink in to it.

No water on the yard, so I'm having to fill buckets and kettles in the house and carry them to the yard.

I am not having fun.
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I remember bring so greatful for the river at the yard when everything froze solid for a week a few years ago.
We were filling a wheelbarrow with buckets and using that to fill troughs, do stables and water the cattle. It certainly kept you warm and was SO much easier/faster than trying to do it with buckets off an inside tap.
 
tda said:
Our lane similar
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And ours! Fortunately we haven't had much drifting this time. Hay delivery got in this morning but we still can't get out. New Year's Resolution is to get snow tyres fitted!

We have mud control mats and have tried insulating the big water trugs with raw wool. Not sure how successful that was tbh but we are managing to keep them drinking.
 
Thermometer said -10 first thing this morning 🥶. My lungs can't cope and close up. Fortunately I don't need to be outside in it much. The sooner it warms up the better even if it means rain. Just finished a week's steroids, don't want to need another lot.
Poor pony will have forgotten me, with the iced up roads and my bad breathing. So much for January plans. Makes paying for livery worth it though.
 
southerncomfort said:
It's too slippery now from the yard to the fields, so ponies are in the school.

At the top of the land, where the temperature drops the lowest, the snow has frozen solid, so you can stand on top of a 3ft drift and not sink in to it.

No water on the yard, so I'm having to fill buckets and kettles in the house and carry them to the yard.

I am not having fun.
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Yikes! As pretty as it is, what a pita for you.
I’m now going to stop whining about the 3 hours it took today to remove the sheet ice following snow thaw/feeeze on my hardstanding. At least it’s now cleared and gritted for the horses.
 
My husband tried to drop off bedding at my friend’s yard today. He got half way up the drive and slid back down, repeatedly. Had to give up and walk. Safe to say we won’t be taking the ponies back over until the world has completely thawed!

In the meantime they have got used to the ‘new’ routine sharing stables at home (half in at night, half during the day). They wait at the gate at the correct times to come in for their shift!
 
Asha said:
my foals/youngsters are the same. Very happy boys, coping well. They have field shelter, hard standing and adlib haylage. Although since the ground has frozen i havent seen them in the fields. Just seem to be happy cuddling up together. Ive been taking warm water out to them to make sure they are drinking, which they seem to love. Like me with my cup of tea in the morning.
The grown ups have been in the stables for a couple of days now, id turn them out but the yard is too icy, and cant get any grit for love nor money. Theyve been for a wander around the arena, but soon get bored and want back in.
Not long now though, and all will be restored in a few days
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Mine have been out as well but I've brought them in tonight it's-5 and it's so rutted and frozen solid, although they tend to stand on the hardstanding they we're looking a bit fed up, they were quite eager to come in and have a hot short feed mine love buckets of warm water as well.
 
Balancing the needs of my two Cushing’s oldies 😬.

They are both still mostly out with access to their field shelters. I’ve been able to clear a small track from the field to the stables which is just about safe so they can come in for a feed, their meds and a net of steamed hay. The steamer is still working, thankfully.

I’ve elected to keep moving their strip grazing into the frozen foggage to keep their fluid intake up, though that carries a laminitis risk. On balance I think they are in more danger of impaction colic than laminitis, but it’s a gamble. They are getting double the usual amount of steamed hay as I am putting some into one of the field shelters at night.

They are getting boiling kettles of water to top up their water buckets.

The walk from the house to the yard is the most tricky bit, I am being very careful trying not to slip on the ice 🤞.
 
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Bo gave me a heart attack this evening!

Thought I'd give him a nice groom before stabling him for the night. Unfortunately, he thought we were going for a hack. He got away from me on the way to the stable, and galloped all the way to the gate out to the lane on frozen snow and ice! 😬

He's just so bored and fed up bless him.
 
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