Winter is a cruel mistress

How are we all doing? Certainly not into field recovery season yet but girls did have rugs off for full 24 hours before the rain came back today and enjoyed wallowing like hippos and rolling and changing colour with a mud dye.

I had one of those moments today where my Broom broke - lost nail somewhere on hard standing and then spent 30 minutes on hands and knees across hard standing still unable to find it. Friend came down with a metal detector but too much mixed material in the old hard standing to get a accurate reading so still couldnt find it. There is a chance it ended up in wheelbarrow where I dumped the Broom just before it broke and maybe it broke in there and I didnt realise. That's what im convincing myself anyway to alleviate the oh god there is a screw somewhere in their standing zone panic.

I digress - once the Broom broke got myself in an almighty strop because the hard standing was remaining messy and I had nothing to sweep up with and I was acting like the world had ended.

Then randomly tonight was looking through phone for a picture and came across some pictures from when I started this thread and everything was beyond a state. Realised that whilst there is still a long way to go we have achieved a lot and are in a very different position to 6 weeks ago so its okay to take a chill pill and leave a bit of wastage hay for a day or 2. The horses certainly dont care and me 6 weeks ago would have found the idea of some slightly messy hard standing an absolute dream come true!!!

Stable shelter confirmed for installation next Saturday. My excitement about this knows absolutely NO bounds. I wont know myself, but am sure to find something else to worry and stress over.

Anyone else think we horse owners are never happy unless we are worrying? Lol.
 
I’ve moved him onto weekday full livery, this is week 2 and I’m loving it, I feel guilty but haven’t missed the mud, cold mornings etc, it’s lovely to wake up later and walk to my office across the landing. Not liking the cost but I’ve compromised with other stuff like the gym membership that I hardly used but I think it’s worth it especially as I didn’t go to the yard at all yesterday and spent the evening cleaning the house, doing the washing and cooking a roast dinner so I’ve now got all weekend to play ponies 🤣
 
Sooo much better the past 2 weeks! TBH I've not been in the field since new year (thank for my lifesaver of livery services in and out even if its a hit daily ££) . Muck heap is notably easier too! Notable less mud caked on the horses (was chest down, now just splashes and first 15cm legs I'll take it). Finally getting in some more of a riding routine and realising how much fitness my mare has lost damn it... fitness camp starts here..
 
We're not quite on the home straight yet but this weeks wind has dried up a bit of the field so the knee-deep sucking mud is more paddling territory now which is a bit nicer.

We had a relatively dry weekend last week which motivated me to get on with some jobs and I started clearing everything up a bit, tidying up where the bales are stored etc. I have also but 30yo on a diet as he has come out of winter quite fat! 😳 which is a blessing but he needs to drop some weight before I contemplate moving him onto the rested grass at the end of the month 🐷

I am hopeful the bottom field is drying out enough I can plonk them on there for the day to keep them out the mud and finally get their feet done! (dinohorse broke all the bolts off my stable doors if you remember....)
 
The last couple days have been lovely. I've not got any jobs done out of the general routine, but sitting on the bench in the field with the sun on my face for a few minutes really has been good for the sole. drizzly again today :(

But the sound of the birds singing first thing and blue sky peeping through the cloud makes you feel like spring is nearly here - hopefully.

I've booked all the 'beginning of season/ before the clocks change' jobs in. Jabs, teeth and saddle fitting ready for getting started with showing, riding and general fun. Love the planning for summer part of spring!
 
It was all going so well - fields were drying and now today it’s rained most of the day and forecast to all night. The grass is growing though!! Two days ago they were out without rugs, now they are in tonight 🙈 we can’t be far off some decent weather for more than two days surely?!
 
It's getting lighter, and it's not so cold? Tuesday was lovely. Daytime today was fine. I found 10.inches of water in the wheelbarrow this morning And will probably be the same tomorrow. Mud halfway up to their knees at gateways. But the birds are tweeting and it feels like we're over the worst of it.
 
Mr.M and I finally got ourselves organised to book into a clinic this morning. First one of the year. Mr.M’s grey, actually white horse had his first makeover of the year yesterday afternoon and was reclipped, cleaned, washed, tail raked, feathers trimmed and generally tidied up. However the weather had other ideas. It rained so hard last night, the water in the fields this morning is the worst we’ve seen this winter, but worst still, the clinic was cancelled because the arena was flooded.
Looks like it could be dry for 5 days from Monday though which fills me with joy!!
 
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We had an unseasonably warm Wednesday. I had to choose between cleaning all the stuff that has been sodden or heading out for a sunny ride, a box ride away. I did the ride!

https://www.tiktok.com/video/7610844360577387799

H isn't fit, so I was out for such a short (but glorious) time that I managed to box home, wash him, his grooming kit and all tack before it got dark. I remembered why I like horses at home again!!!
 
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