This weather is horrendous

setterlover

setterlover

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After a beautiful almost spring like day the weather today has been dreadful .It has chucked it down all day together with such strong winds that is difficult to walk down the field.
I've rarely seen so much water running off everywhere. We are lucky not to have much mud but it's so wearing battling the weather
We have finally all but finished all the fence damage repair and managed to get replacement panels up in the garden ( storm Darragh ) but really struggling with this weather.
Praying we get some decent warm weather soon.The spring like weather we had for 1 day this week was so lovely it almost makes this awful weather worse.
Keeping horses seems such hard work with the odd weather we are getting.
Maybe it's rose coloured spectacles but I never remember it being this hard years ago .
How's everyone coping,?
 
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setterlover said:
After a beautiful almost spring like day the weather today has been dreadful .It has chucked it down all day together with such strong winds that is difficult to walk down the field.
I've rarely seen so much water running off everywhere. We are lucky not to have much mud but it's so wearing battling the weather
We have finally all but finished all the fence damage repair and managed to get replacement panels up in the garden but really struggling with this weather.
Praying we get some decent warm weather soon.The spring like weather we had for 1 day this week so do lovely it almost makes this awful weather worse.
Keeping horses seems such hard work with the odd weather we are getting.
Maybe it's rose coloured spectacles but I never remember it being this hard years ago .
How's everyone coping,?
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Isn’t it hideous. I’m fine with home horses. I feel incredible guilt at my two that are out. They are ok really I know but both looked so miserable tonight when I went to feed and hay them :( hating it!
 
I brought mine in to their small, sheltered paddock for tonight because it's miserably wet and windy in their main paddock which is far more exposed. The downside is the smaller paddock is muddier.
The second hard winter in a row I'd say. The ground is saturated, even have standing water on the hilly bits!
Stay strong... spring is round the corner. Daisies, daffodils and midges all making an appearance now.
 
I think it’s been worse than it used to be for sure, we don’t seem to get anything other than grey skies, wind and rain bar the odd day…where have those crisp winter days gone?! Can count on one hand this past winter.

Summer not much better either! Argh!!!
 
It just the uncertainty of it. Earlier in the week the fields were drying nicely. A few hours of rain on Wednesday and the farrier had trouble getting out and the gateway was churned up. We had a hay delivery yesterday and the tractor struggled a little in the hill field.

The wind and the rain combined just makes it miserable. Although it was worse a few years ago when the mud was horrendous. Last year my waterproof trousers and wellies became one, a bit like waders.
 
After a horrendous night tonight our forecast (Midlands) in sunshine and cloud for the rest of the week. Unfortunately I know better than to put too much trust in the forecast.

A bit of sun and warmth in the air was a real pick me up yesterday. It’s the first bright day I think we’ve had in a long time.
 
94lunagem said:
After a horrendous night tonight our forecast (Midlands) in sunshine and cloud for the rest of the week. Unfortunately I know better than to put too much trust in the forecast.

A bit of sun and warmth in the air was a real pick me up yesterday. It’s the first bright day I think we’ve had in a long time.
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It was, so needed too.

That’s our horses in for another day tomorrow as the fields are flooded 🤦🏻‍♀️ so over this now!!!
 
We’ve had 80kmph winds for the past week, interspersed with sideways rain hammerings. Its just pitiful as jobs outside simply cant get done except the very bare essentials.
I liken these kinds of conditions to being out at sea on a boat in a raging storm. Im covered head to toe in what is essentially plastic coated clothing, sweating underneath, and have my head down with gritted teeth just to get the bare essentials done.
I’ve written-off winter as being a useful season for getting anything done outside with farming or horses. Conditions are just not ‘humane’ enough, except some rare days.

I am always so glad and relieved, every. single. winter….that we turned what was going to be a workshop into a large shelter for the horses. It’s saved them in so many ways from being exposed to truly awful weather sweeps. Natural shelter and rugs protect from most, but the very severe bouts require full-on protection IN a place dry and wind-proof. But we are in a fairly extreme climate here, on an exposed hill, with natural sheltering everywhere.

Im trying to see this storm week as a bit of a last mood swing of winter, before spring glory bounces forth!
 
equinerebel said:
It’s definitely worse than it used to be and will likely continue with more of the same going forward. The UK weather has changed and we need to adapt to it.

I’m just not sure I want to as a horse owner. I’m almost glad mine is 19.
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I know, I won’t be getting another for myself and hoping my daughter gives up as she enters the teenage years! 🤦🏻‍♀️
 
equinerebel said:
I’m just not sure I want to as a horse owner. I’m almost glad mine is 19.
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I agree we have kept horses at home for over 40 years and I can honestly say that the remaining 2 both now retired (aged 20 and 25) will be the last.When down to 1 we are considering retirement grass livery for him.
We are selling up and down sizing this year and have our eye on a small cottage with 4 acres just waiting for the spring to arrive to get our small holding on the market.
It will be odd after so many years not having a small holding but I won't miss the winters
 
I do try not to complain too much about the weather because there is nothing I can do about it, but my goodness today has been foul. I dont remember so many days with such high winds? But maybe I've just blocked it out! We're on clay and everything is just sodden, mud everywhere, and when its so windy that even opening a stable door is an effort it makes for a very tiring day.
 
setterlover said:
I agree we have kept horses at home for over 40 years and I can honestly say that the remaining 2 both now retired (aged 20 and 25) will be the last.When down to 1 we are considering retirement grass livery for him.
We are selling up and down sizing this year and have our eye on a small cottage with 4 acres just waiting for the spring to arrive to get our small holding on the market.
It will be odd after so many years not having a small holding but I won't miss the winters
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That sounds lovely and well deserved! I hope it all goes well for you!
 
I put 0g rugs on my three last night ready for this horrible weather coming in, to give them a bit more protection... They have a shelter (which they won't use!) and high, thick hedgelines, but this weather seems to be coming from all angles. Even the Shetland Sheep look fed up with it! I haven't put hay down or given feeds today as it would just blow away, and nobody wants to manoeuvre from their sheltered spots (they have been allowed into the foggage though, so not starved!) We are on clay, so it is sodden and boot grabbing in places, it was drying very nicely, now back to square one. I'd love some proper sheds to bring everyone in to for a break, but we are not allowed to build any where we are. Cheers National Parks 🙄
 
We even had bad weather yesterday - it started chucking it down just as we arrived at the yard. When we’d finished the sun was shining again. Today has been horrible. I don’t even check the weather forecast these days, I’m so used to it being bad.
 
I agree with all this (Yorkshire). It's vile. I was trying to fill builders' bags with hay and straw earlier and after having said f**k and dived after the bag as it leapt joyfully around the farm yard about three dozen times, I eventually resorted to tying the bag to the bale until it was full enough not to fly away. Also the barn roof is leaking but we can't get up there to patch the lead because it's always raining and / or windy. Yuck.

But at least my legwear and footwear have not yet become one through mud @Peregrine Falcon . That sounds like a special kind of horrible. I hope someone hosed you down before you peeled it all off :eek:
 
I'm seriously considering giving up! I defo won't be buying any more horses when these 3 are no longer with us! owning horses when I was younger was not like this, I've always had horses that live out and up until 15 years ago, I never felt guilty that they didn't have a shelter! thankfully for 15 years I've had a free choice barn for them and ever year the winters seem to be getting wetter and wetter! fields flood now, that didn't flood 5-10 years ago! its crazy
 
I honestly felt quite full of despair on my hours commute into work this morning - with every minute it was hammering it down I was just thinking about how much longer it meant most of our hacking is entirely unusable
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
I honestly felt quite full of despair on my hours commute into work this morning - with every minute it was hammering it down I was just thinking about how much longer it meant most of our hacking is entirely unusable
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Same here, can’t really use any of our hacking routes as they are all so boggy and shoe pulling!
 
It brightened up here after 9am - I had one entirely dry hack. Says dry tonight and tomorrow too, so have left the twitchy human hating herd out overnight and will swap in the morning. Tempted to just shift them to a field further from humans and let them sunbathe tomorrow if it is warm. This afternoon I left the stable doors open and rugs off while skipping out during one of the rain showers - not a pony showed any interest in leaving 🤣!
 
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