Vile vile weather

Soooo sick of this weather. Haven't ridden for 4 weeks now. 3 weeks recovering from either flu or covid, then Christmas stuff, now storms. I have not seen the fields this wet ever. Even my lovely gridded, gravel hardstanding is a muddy mess as they've been dragging it in from the field. Luckily we are on a hillside so they can still have 24/7 turnout but they're spending a lot of time in the shelter. Every time I step out the back door I hear a desperate neigh for MORE HAY. The pregnant goats have been in for 48 hours now, it's just so vile.

I really hope it's a freak El Nino influenced winter and not what we are in for from now on. What between summer droughts and winter flooding it's getting ridiculous.
 
Well that's me really annoyed. Just did the rounds after mucking out and found garden furniture literally all over the garden. Trampoline was upside down on top of the greenhouse - by a miracle no glass is damaged but the trampoline won't be used again. I won't mention the numerous discussions I had with OH about taking it down for the winter...

Worst of all our lovely big bramley, which must be decades old and super productive, has been uprooted. I'm wondering if some kind of tornado went through as the stables side, which is more exposed, is fine - my big hay feeder etc all untouched. Gutted for my tree.
 
Over the last couple of weeks the wind has blown down two wooden fence posts. They have insulators on them and hold two rows of very wide electric fence tape. Now two posts have gone there was no support for the tape and the wind has broken it. So now I have to spend today fencing instead of sitting about in my nice warm house.
 
It's torrential hail here at the moment :-( Was sunny but windy this morning so I took the opportunity to ride - went to the outdoor and was just about to go in when there was an ominous crack from one of the trees and horse froze, with every muscle tensed, so I decided to listen to him and turned around and went to back up the lane. Too many half-dead trees around and the gusts are still so strong. This has been going on for weeks.
I also hope this is a side effect of El Nino. I am so done with winter and we've got months to go.
 
Managed to lunge cob today and do some in-hand work with the pony.
Poor cob is getting fed up I'm sure as all I've managed to do is a quick lunge here and there. The weather is just too awful to contemplate riding , let alone hacking out.
I feel really guilty.
(He needs to be exercised because he's got hock arthritis,.turn out alone I find isn't quite enough )
 
I think this has to be the most miserable weather ever to have around the Christmas break.

I'm in Devon and we are fairly high up here so when the wind blows, it blows hard.

All we seem to have had for the past fortnight basically is wind, rain, more wind & more rain. Oh and about 10mins of sunshine on one evening about 10 mins before sunset. If you're lucky it does drop a bit at night-time; only then you wake up in the early hours because you can hear wind & rain outside. I can't sleep with it coz worry about what's happening outside.

It is tiring being constantly buffeted by these gales. That said, we have managed to get out most days; either leading out in hand or trying to find a quiet lane away from high points where the wind isn't quite so bad.
 
HorseMaid said:
I think that this year gets the trophy for Worst Weather Ever. I feel like it hasn't stopped raining for the entire year (we've had a muddy gateway all year) and this winter so far has just been dreadful. I've had a fitful sleep worrying about the wind taking our stables to pieces - so far they've stood up well but it makes me feel sick! The horses don't seem to care that much but I've barely been riding because of it
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How I feel. Spring was awfully wet, summer; I cant recall any prolonged dry spell, and now more rain. Floods everywhere and blowing a gale. So much so the wind is breaking the electric fencing fencing in places.
We have had mud all year round too.
 
My daughter attempted it today between rain showers but then the heavens opened and pony very firmly said no thanks so back to the barn we went 😩 very frustrating when they are on school holidays and unable to ride after school due to dark nights… she’s losing the will a bit!

Yard are being absolutely ridiculous and keeping horses out all day in it 9-4.30 the fields are a disgrace and they are all miserable. We are looking at other yards but nowhere has space at the moment. They haven’t a clue about land management so just waiting for the next round of mud fever and lost shoes (7 shoes in a week the other week!)
 
It’s probably dependant where you are but we’ve had wind and rain but have managed to hack out. Not sure I would have done if had a less experienced horse though. Field wet but not too bad and is out daytimes but generally keen to come in. I find this weather easier than icy weather. Runs and hides under nearest umbrella.
 
My fields are normally quite fast draining but at the moment just so wet. I’ve put my oldie out on last years grass so there’s quite a good covering in most parts but any divets he’s made are just full of water. I can’t keep him in as he needs to move for his arthritis but he likes coming in on a night. He had the farrier yesterday and I think was quite glad of a shorter time outside in the storm. He looks quite happy on my field camera just grazing, if I see he’s stood miserable at the gate I’ll zoom over and get him a bit sooner but prefer to leave him out as long as I can 🤞🏻 he’s not had a duvet day this year (except when he spent 4 nights in the vets)
 
On the top of the southern Pennines here, we had thunder and lightning here yesterday evening. About 7.00pm, we were just feeding the horses in the shelter when a loud, low rumbling started and a searchlight appeared to flash. We looked for aircraft but couldn't see any. We did say "it sounds as if the invasion has started", the rumbling went on for a good 30 mins, with the occasional flash of light. Eventually, various other people in the neighbourhood were posting on FB about thunder and lightning, so I assume that's what it was and they were better placed to know what was happening. It wasn't raining here and the wind had died down considerably.
 
Pearlsacarolsinger said:
On the top of the southern Pennines here, we had thunder and lightning here yesterday evening. About 7.00pm, we were just feeding the horses in the shelter when a loud, low rumbling started and a searchlight appeared to flash. We looked for aircraft but couldn't see any. We did say "it sounds as if the invasion has started", the rumbling went on for a good 30 mins, with the occasional flash of light. Eventually, various other people in the neighbourhood were posting on FB about thunder and lightning, so I assume that's what it was and they were better placed to know what was happening. It wasn't raining here and the wind had died down considerably.
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We had this too in Lancs. The weirdest sounding thunder sounding like an Earthquake
 
We're off tomorrow for a week's holiday on the Llyn peninsula, packing plenty of waterproofs, and maybe some lead boots !!
Plans to do the 3 peaks of Yr Eifl may be swapped for some low level walking , we're also doing a sea swim at neyfn new years day , but that is organised by the RNLI so should be OK

The forecast here was correct yesterday so I held on and managed a hack out at 2pm after spending the morning in the wind and rain getting the field / feed / hay ready for our hols
 
Pearlsacarolsinger said:
On the top of the southern Pennines here, we had thunder and lightning here yesterday evening. About 7.00pm, we were just feeding the horses in the shelter when a loud, low rumbling started and a searchlight appeared to flash. We looked for aircraft but couldn't see any. We did say "it sounds as if the invasion has started", the rumbling went on for a good 30 mins, with the occasional flash of light. Eventually, various other people in the neighbourhood were posting on FB about thunder and lightning, so I assume that's what it was and they were better placed to know what was happening. It wasn't raining here and the wind had died down considerably.
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That's interesting, I heard the noise but it didn't sound like a clap of thunder so I assumed it was a tractor and trailer passing by 🙄
Then I saw the flashes , but didn't get hailstones as other locally reported
 
So this afternoon I did my chores before tacking up. Like Vermeer 5 mins in it peed it down, pony and I were less than impressed. Yep and on return the sun came out.

Mickey was drinking water from a puddle in the field whilst I was poo picking, I half chuckled.
 
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