What if it never stops raining and doesn't dry up a bit?!

peteralfred said:
not up here there wasn't and for those of you that have had the chance to complain about hard ground? not happened up here for years (2006 was the first year I had my horse-last prolonged spell of hot dry weather we've had, he threw a splint). We didn't get a summer last year apart from that week in march-it scarcely got above 15 degrees and we've had 3 crap harvests in a row.
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Ditto - we didn't experience last year's drought either. Reservoirs were brimming.
 
My OH has always wanted to emigrate to a warmer climate when he retires and I have made it very clear that I would NEVER move from Wales but you know what I am changing my mind rapidly. I am so so so fed up with rain, mud and dirty horses that the thought of a drier climate is becoming more attractive everyday. OH is delighted but wondering how easy it will be to take all the animals with us. :confused:
 
Hmmm never heard of a hay shortage in Scotland because of the drought!! Normally because the farmers cant dry it due to the rain!!!

Cant ever remember there being a hosepipe ban in Scotland :D
 
My field is just minging with mud and the other is flooded in parts :( I've got two with abscesses and I just want it to dry up a bit dammit.

My field has never been this bad for so long, and its got less ponies on it than it has had in a while too. Seriously tempted to just hardcore the lot.
 
Crugeran Celt - probably much easier than you think if it's the continent. Tried not to see things through rose tinted glasses but so close to selling up a couple of years ago. A case of 'one day' for us. But oh to be there now!
 
Kallibear said:
How will you cope?

Like many people, I suspect, Im only just managing with my field nd just about hanging on 'until it dries up a bit'

But what if it doesn't?

I have 5 acres for 2 horses. They live out 24/7 as I've no stables. Over half of it currently squelches as I walk across it and parts are big puddles of water. Only round the feeder is proper mud but much of its so soft and poached. I keep looking at it and thinking: 'it'll recover in the spring when it dries out'. But what if it doesn't dry out and we get another summer like the last? Im not sure how I'll cope.

Just a general whinge about the weather but feel free to add your own wet weather woes.
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I have already decided if we have another wet, miserable summer I will sell up and call it a day. Horses are fast becoming a chore and not a pleasure.
 
Well, this just prompted me to look at some long range weather forecasts and to be honest it is just more of the same.

So, who was building the ark? Room for a few more?
 
maisie06 said:
I have already decided if we have another wet, miserable summer I will sell up and call it a day. Horses are fast becoming a chore and not a pleasure.
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Not sure if your joking but this is 100% what im feeling. My field is destroyed and im sick of every month people saying "it was just an very wet month...next will be better" but its not and tbh I cant cope with a lot more. Horses are miserable and im miserable :(
I have got to my place several times and literally sat and cried at the state of it!
 
just grin and bear it, what else can we do!? pretty much every ones in the same boat at the min, most of my winter field is knee deep in mud and mine live out 24/7 but they dont care! they are much happier than horses on neighbouring yards who are only aloud turnout a couple days a wk and somehow all ended up with mud fever which not 1 of mine have!!
 
poiuytrewq said:
Not sure if your joking but this is 100% what im feeling. My field is destroyed and im sick of every month people saying "it was just an very wet month...next will be better" but its not and tbh I cant cope with a lot more. Horses are miserable and im miserable :(
I have got to my place several times and literally sat and cried at the state of it!
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Not joking at all! I am sick to the back teeth of mud, rain and everything being a disgusting mess and day to day struggle, with no good bits to make it worth it.:(
 
maisie06 said:
Not joking at all! I am sick to the back teeth of mud, rain and everything being a disgusting mess and day to day struggle, with no good bits to make it worth it.:(
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I feel slightly less erm "wet" for having this attitude! Honestly have felt so bad for hating it all so much. Everyone else I know seems to think im mad!
Hope things look up for you and it does dry up soon ........xxxx
 
I feel the same. The fields were so wet before all the snow and now the snow has melted they are even worse. We had a terribly wet summer & the ground has never had a chance to dry out.
Im sick of trudging through mud, sick of dark mornings & nights, sick of the p!ssing rain, sick of it all at the moment tbh. Where is the pleasure. I really hope we get a decent summer
 
We've had two days of sunshine and strong winds (in the southwest) and I've already noticed the ground starting to dry up. My daffodils are nearly out - spring is on the way :)
 
LIZ66 said:
We've had two days of sunshine and strong winds (in the southwest) and I've already noticed the ground starting to dry up. My daffodils are nearly out - spring is on the way :)
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We had strong wind too sadly accompanied by rain! I did however notice daffodils today also and really pretty snow drops, maybe there is a little hope?
 
I too have occasionally thought about packing it all in if it's as wet again this summer. I would certainly have to make some serious, expensive changes if not. Im usually fine about the winter and just acceptt that there'd going to be mud etc but it's been so extreme this year that Im not sure I could manage another.

The very wet bits if my field looks kind of ok as it's been fenced off and rested but if the very wet squelchy bits have to be pretty much permanently stay out of bounds to preserve it, I've got less than 2 acres of dryish bits. That's not enough to sustain 2 big horses :(
 
Im pretty concerned too :( I lost my field that I rent in November due to extreme flooding. Thankfully I ended up with better than I could have dreamed of and got 3 acres adjoining my house. It has however been very expensive to get it all fenced etc and there had been cows on it til the start of winter, it was wet wet wet when I got it. With the recent weather Ive had to take drastic action and have actually moved my mare to a livery yard. That was a very very hard choice for me :( What shocked me was that in ringing round, there were no spaces, anywhere! It was only by pure chance and luck I got something. Whatsmore, Ive seen local adverts for horses for sale/loan due to people losing grazing due to flooding:( I have to admit Im loving having the facilities of a big yard and a school to ride in but its short term and in the meantime I am crossing absolutely everything that my field at homes recovers.
 
It's a worry to me too. Even if we all had enough land and enough money to put big shelters/barns & hardstanding in, would we also end up buying imported hay & straw because it'll be too wet to make it?!!
 
Orangehorse said:
A man from the Environment Agency was on the radio say that to re-fill the reservoirs there would have to be x times the normal rainfall. Well, I don't know what raindance he did, but it worked!
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Let's all blame the man from the Environment Agency - it makes me feel a bit better!

We have got torrential rain overnight & tomorrow; then it's going to freeze with a possibility of snow on Saturday with more rain on Sunday. I've got 5 more years until I leave these shores & return to warmer climes with sandy soil :D
 
nieghham said:
We should be 3 feet under snow and -234785623487562786 right now.
Yestersay it was plus 14 and raining

Copper and the colts took up water skiing...the mares and babies were windsurfing and the rest of the wusses started building an ark for "just in case"
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Don't know about you but today we had -14C, snow and evil winds, at least it has frozen all the mud from yesterday (11C and rain) again.

Kallibear - I lived in South Wales, between two mountains for 9 years, I suffered from SAD for 9 months of the year and had awfully painful joints and finally couldn't take the rain and the greyness anymore so, we moved - 3500 miles (my SAD vanished, the joints are better too)

If I was still there I would seriously be contemplating being someplace else.:)
 
Enfys said:
Don't know about you but today we had -14C, snow and evil winds, at least it has frozen all the mud from yesterday (11C and rain) again.

Kallibear - I lived in South Wales, between two mountains for 9 years, I suffered from SAD for 9 months of the year and had awfully painful joints and finally couldn't take the rain and the greyness anymore so, we moved - 3500 miles (my SAD vanished, the joints are better too)

If I was still there I would seriously be contemplating being someplace else.:)
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Where are you now?
I would like a bit of snow in a short winter, long spring and months of warm summers. Rural and green with a strong sense of community. Found this in Argentat - Limousin France. All on hold as my son embarks on his GCSE's.
In the back of my mind all I can hear is my mum saying "The scientists predicted years ago that our climate will become much much wetter! Oh doom & gloom. Forcing a smile :)
 
Enfys I am in south west Wales at the bottom of a mountain and I swear the clouds reach the mountain and drop all their rain on us before they go over it!! I am sooooooooooooo fed up of rain, the last two days have been lovely during the day but such heavy rain over night that the fields are just mud and water. I now have a lake in one field which ducks are landing on!! I love wales and it truly is a beautiful area to live, I walked the dogs this morning up the mountain and the sun was shining and the veiws over the valley down to the sea are outstanding then I get home and see my fields. I NEED SOME WARM SUN!!!! before I go completely mad.:(
 
Cambrica, I live in Canada now, the 'warm' bit :D

We have 4 definite seasons:

Almost Winter,
Winter,
Still Winter, and
Road Maintenance :D:D:D:D

Crugeran, I adored everything about Wales, except for the blasted weather (which can't be helped if you live near mountains of course) A good day was a day from the Gods, nothing like sitting on top of a mountain in the sunshine listening to the larks and watching the hares play. A bad day - well.

I lived in a diddy little village called Cwmgors (which translates as something very apt ;)) near Ammanford.
 
I must admit that I am worried about this too. I am on a livery yard and this is the worst I can ever remember seeing the fields. One of my paddocks, which I inherited when another livery left, is literally a bog in parts. Seriously, I am sure it could be used for digging out peat!! She had hers out 24/7 all summer even though the weather was terrible and it is so badly churned up, I just can't see it ever recovering.

The farmer/YO owneer always rolls the fields when it dries up and they always seem to recover well. I'm not too worried about one of my fields as I have been really careful with it...but the other? Let's just say that I am praying for a very dry year!!
 
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Enfys said:
Cambrica, I live in Canada now, the 'warm' bit :D

We have 4 definite seasons:

Almost Winter,
Winter,
Still Winter, and
Road Maintenance :D:D:D:D

Crugeran, I adored everything about Wales, except for the blasted weather (which can't be helped if you live near mountains of course) A good day was a day from the Gods, nothing like sitting on top of a mountain in the sunshine listening to the larks and watching the hares play. A bad day - well.

I lived in a diddy little village called Cwmgors (which translates as something very apt ;)) near Ammanford.[/QUO

I am not far from where you were, just the other side of the mountain and is beautiful on a good day, even in the winter when it is dry but I am beginning to forget what a good day is like!! I think Canada is a bit far to export all my animals to and I am sure my poor cob would have a heartattack, he stuggles with a one mile horse box ride!! :D
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2011 wasn't a wet summer,it just wasn't very sunny.I work outdoors all day and all that year I lost a handful of days due to rain/bad weather.October was very hot and dry and we had no significant rain until April 2012.I remember looking at the weather forecast each night and wishing it would rain.The rain started during the Easter weekend and never really stopped after that.

I've given up believing what scientists tell us will happen to the weather.Remember when we were told to prepare for desert like conditions and to only plant drought loving plants? That wasn't too long ago? I think they just look out of the window,like the rest of us,and predict whatever is happening at that minute.
 
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