Winter is a cruel mistress

Fransurrey said:
Having been smug after securing two pallets of MVF haylage the same day they put it up in price, I am now in the position of every fecking delivery happening at the same time. The haylage I was expecting last week, but everyone has started ordering online it seems, so it's coming tomorrow - the only day in probably the last 5 years that our road is closed due to a telegraph pole being replaced. I don't have a choice in delivery date, so will have to deal with probably a peed off artic driver and I don't know where exactly the closure will be. The map says metres away from our house, so we may not be able to turn the artic in the usual road as they'll need to swing out to reverse into said road. They're using some sort of automated messaging service, so I don't know if I can contact the driver and forewarn them - I am hoping I can!!!

Arrghhhh! Naturally, feed delivery (to yard, not home) is clashing but they're being fabulous and told me to just let them know once I get my 2 hour window for haylage delivery. By tomorrow evening I will have most certainly earned a glass of wine! Oh, did I mention I'm supposed to be working tomorrow, too? I will probably have to take all the feed (4 bags) across by hand due to wetness of field. That's why I'm getting haylage delivered at home - sod getting 80 bales of that across a field in February!! 🤭
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I also have to carry all my feed by hand across a 2 acre field to my stables from October-April due to ground being too wet to drive on so I feel your pain! Especially when elderly horse gets through 4 bags of Fibre Beet/Grass Nuts and a bag of conditioning feed every week 🙃 I try to split it up across the week so I only have to carry one bag a day 😅
 
PurpleSpots said:
is a real, actual, likely future event, rather than a memory which only occurred once, far away in an alternate universe...
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I was right with you on this until 20 mins ago when the black clouds rolled in and my phone pinged with another rain warning for 4.30 🙄


Fransurrey said:
Arrghhhh! Naturally, feed delivery (to yard, not home) is clashing but they're being fabulous and told me to just let them know once I get my 2 hour window for haylage delivery. By tomorrow evening I will have most certainly earned a glass of wine! Oh, did I mention I'm supposed to be working tomorrow, too? I will probably have to take all the feed (4 bags) across by hand due to wetness of field. That's why I'm getting haylage delivered at home - sod getting 80 bales of that across a field in February!! 🤭
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Good luck with it! Hopefully all parties will be understanding and you will absolutely have earned the wine.

The 80 bales across field had my jaw dropping. Absolutely retreat from that one! We can't get an empty wheelbarrow across ours right now so can't imagine that.

I've started storing hayledge bales in our undecorated living room that is waiting for a plaster touch up because I've run out of storage areas that aren't blocked off by wet fields and floods. Caused some raised eyebrows from my other half but by this point of winter he's learned not to ask questions.
 
Managed to do the animals without getting wet at both ends of the day today!!!

Heavy rain overnight has made sure the mud won't dehydrate though.

I've also managed to twang a muscle in my upper back lifting water containers last night. I've been using 25litre containers out of the horsebox instead of buckets to save trips through the mud, but with all my waterproofs on I clearly didn't bend and lift correctly last night. It's not to bad as long as I don't carry or lift anything, cough or sneeze. Guess I'll be going back to using buckets for a while.

I love my horses, I love my horses, I love my horses!!!
 
Well in todays episode of "am I losing my mind, the adventures of an exhausted horse owner". Got down to the old boys about 9pm last night after ferrying the ridden one to and from the water treadmill after work. Pouring with rain, head torch battery decides to die so I'm fumbling around in the dark, open new bale of haylage which is lovely thank god. Wrestle with new bale, drag haylage up the hill to the feeders, clear 2 barrows of old slimy haylage out the feeders as I do every 2-3 days. Clear up feed buckets and open the yard gate, give old boy a handful of fibre nuggets which he gobbles up and then rudely buggers off back up the field - ok thanks, nice to see you too, glad to be of service :rolleyes: Anyway... make feeds up for the next morning, get ready to leave and put my hand in my pocket to get my phone and check the time - no phone :oops: So now I'm considering all my above activities and where I could have dropped my phone. Dig out a crappy hand torch and start scouring the field for 25 minutes. Eventually decide my phone has fallen out my pocket and likely succumbed to the knee deep mud and will never be seen again. Have a little cry. Give up and head back to car. What is sat on my passenger seat? Oh yes - my phone! 🙃

Torn between grateful I did in fact not lose my phone in the quagmire and also just thinking WHAT IS MY LIFE.
 
Little bit old-fashioned said:
I've started storing hayledge bales in our undecorated living room that is waiting for a plaster touch up because I've run out of storage areas that aren't blocked off by wet fields and floods. Caused some raised eyebrows from my other half but by this point of winter he's learned not to ask questions.
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OH has 'donated' one of the transits he's doing up to store some of it. The rest will remain in shrinkwrap until the ground dries up enough to get a tipper across the field, or my truck (10 at a time). Haylage delivery was fine in the end, bar one pallet load falling back against OH's tractor, which has pierced two bales - we have silage tape, though, so I can deal with that. It came in a 10 tonner, not an artic, so plenty of room and the guy had sense to phone from his last stop, so I was able to guide him in the correct way around the closure.

I'm still debating with myself whether to chance driving down the grass track to get the feed down there, today. It's 4 bags, so could do two trips with a wheelbarrow. At least after today i can sit back and relax for a couple of months on the feed score.

Have accidentally arranged swim training for this evening, so no wine for me. Not if I don't want to drown. 😆
 
dorsetladette said:
I love my horses, I love my horses, I love my horses!!!
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🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
KikiDee said:
"am I losing my mind, the adventures of an exhausted horse owner".
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This is a great title for a blog or podcast.

I'm just glad you found the phone. I think losing it in the mud would have been crushing to say the least.


Fransurrey said:
OH has 'donated' one of the transits he's doing up to store some of it
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What my OH would give for something like that to push my horse overflow into. Our house is a yard storage extension. Just also had to move open feedbags into front room as my car went into the garage this morning.

Dreading the diagnosis of that one!

However, despite the fact that I 1. Can't kick this bug cold and had it for 2 weeks and knackered. 2. Car probably about to be diagnosed with bad steering issue and 3. Back has gone and everything is painful and poulticing is hell on earth, the sun is shining this morning and it feels spring like.

Skipped out the hard standing in a jumper and can hear all the birds singing so all is momentarily forgiven and it feels very hopeful. First morning in what feels like forever when I actually 'enjoyed' doing the horses and could have pottered around down there all day. I was possible to imagine that it will soon feel (at least somewhat closer to being) the fun hobby it is meant to be.

Just ignoring the forecast rain this afternoon followed by freezing overnight.
 
dorsetladette said:
Managed to do the animals without getting wet at both ends of the day today!!!

Heavy rain overnight has made sure the mud won't dehydrate though.

I've also managed to twang a muscle in my upper back lifting water containers last night. I've been using 25litre containers out of the horsebox instead of buckets to save trips through the mud, but with all my waterproofs on I clearly didn't bend and lift correctly last night. It's not to bad as long as I don't carry or lift anything, cough or sneeze. Guess I'll be going back to using buckets for a while.

I love my horses, I love my horses, I love my horses!!!
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How is your back doing?

I actually had to call in help yesterday because I physically couldnt face poulticing.

Try and give yourself a rest if you can!
 
Little bit old-fashioned said:
How is your back doing?

I actually had to call in help yesterday because I physically couldnt face poulticing.

Try and give yourself a rest if you can!
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Thank you for asking. It's not to bad a long as I keep the Ibuprofen topped up. Sitting still is worse than moving about. I just need to rest it I think. And maybe stop lifting 25 litre containers above waist height 😜 . The joys of having youngsters that want to play with or in everything means the water trough is waist height and boxed in to stop feet going in it, hence the lifting.

Draft in help where ever you can!! Sometimes needs must! Hopefully you won't need to poultice for to much longer.

I have the farrier this afternoon and after a relatively dry morning it's just started raining!!
 
It’s trying to snow here today, wet sleety stuff.

This is our entrance hall, which is unfinished. I brought our elderly bunny inside in October because her companion died and she looked frail and lonely. Then I got lent another elderly bunny as a companion, and finally managed to catch the third, which I think had been dumped and had been hanging around my outdoor cafe all summer. So suddenly the house is full of rabbits! And I’m having to cribbox the stairs as they’d started chewing them! Fortunately they need changing anyway.
 

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For those who are moaning, be pleased that you do not keep sheep and are going through lambing time as well. I do not do well on 2 hours of sleep a night. Fortunately all bar one done and she is not due until the 23rd.

There are sacks of lamb milk in the kitchen and bottles, jugs and whisks, taking over the work surfaces, along with a goodly bedding of hay and straw on the floor. Not sure which will blow a fuse first, me, the cleaner or the vacuum cleaner.
 
Well (for those that had some sunshine) wasn't yesterday a nice day? Reggie had his rug off for the day.
I attempted a bib clip on demon pony but the battery didn't last long. 🤦‍♀️ I then took him out to show the neighbours his dodgy hair cut. He's now plotting my demise (again). Hoping he's spent the morning in the shelter out of the rain so I can complete my artwork 🤣
 
How are we all doing?

It was dry on Saturday and dry again yesterday and today (rain forecast overnight and tomorrow) but it has felt different. Cold but still like spring is in the air.

Wandered out into the field yesterday to see if I could see any new shoots of grass. Couldn't up close but feels like I can when I look up the slope as a whole.

Actually had to trudge up the field to catch one for a rug change this morning as no inclination to head straight down for hay. That has to be a sign!

Also saw both the girls lying side by side at the top of the field (where it is dryest) yesterday enjoying some afternoon sunshine and a snooze before getting up to gallop down the field for their tea. The view made me feel very happy inside. I also haven't seen them move faster than walk for weeks so they must be feeling brighter for the slight change in weather.
 
My grass is definitely growing, which isn't ideal as it's far too wet to put my track up yet. We've not had rain for two days now and I have a new spring in my step 😀

I've had such a nightmare with hay this year and thought I'd sorted it when I managed to get two second cut haylage bales, that look lovely. The ponies turned their noses up at those too :( They seem to be eating more now though, so hopefully that's the end of that saga. Obviously I would normally introduce gradually, but I don't have anything else they will eat and that doesn't make the cob cough, so they've had to just adapt.
 
My grass must be growing as they are out grazing and the bale in the feeder looks like it might last an extra few days this time.

We had a frost this morning, which I felt a tiny bit guilt about as robin is now rocking his now complete bib clip. Needs must as he is to porky according to the farrier.
 
dorsetladette said:
My grass must be growing as they are out grazing and the bale in the feeder looks like it might last an extra few days this time.

We had a frost this morning, which I felt a tiny bit guilt about as robin is now rocking his now complete bib clip. Needs must as he is to porky according to the farrier.
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Snowed last night, frosty and sunny now (so mostly melting and grass below does look green), with snow/strong east wind/wind chill forecast for next 2 days….
Don’t think it’s finished quite yet.
 
Yesterday was grim. Spent 45 minutes moving fencing, during which time I endured rain, sleet, hail and snow, all accompanied by a bracing wind.

Today was beautiful, The sun shone and the sky was full of lapwings. It was brutally cold though, and the river that's been flowing through my summer paddock was thick with ice.

Tomorrow looks dry but windy. Hopefully, the wind will dry things up a bit.
 
New Forests Rock said:
Thank heavens we are moving fields on Saturday, leaving behind the knee deep lagoon and thigh wrenching mud - OK still some mud but lovely green haze of new grass 🙏 🎉
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Ooohhh you are already moving fields? I keep looking over at our spring grass but thinking to hold off for a couple more weeks. Got 2 on 4 acres of winter grazing at present so feel like they should have plenty to pick through as it starts to grow.

Lovely and mild here today. Warm but with showers but hopefully they won't be too heavy and ground might get a bit of a chance to start drying out.

Really tempting to take off rugs but they will be so plastered in wet muddy by end of the day i wouldnt be able to get rugs back on so they will have to make do in light weights for the time being.

Next thing to stress over - when to harrow and finding someone to come do it for us 😂 would like the field to be flat enough to ride in over summer so was thinking of rolling but don't want to chance compacting soil and making the draining situation worse so have to hope a deep harrow will do the job without too much churn up of the ground.

Make have to start another post asking for advice on when/how/what to do when harrowing 🤣🤣
 
I deployed my emergency field on Monday .
It’s a two acre paddock and it’s not been used for a year .
They were so happy they grazed they rolled they skipped like foals .
Things are improving here and hopefully I am not long off them being able to be left out over night in the spring field .
I feel so much happier this week I knew of course it was a difficult slog since Christmas
But I was really surprised at the change in my mood this week .
I am another who has had to buy the late cut rye haylage from MVF something I have never had to do.
It’s a good product the horses have had no issues on it they had a very long time on a mixture of their usual Timothy and cocksfoots mix and the MVF haylage .
 
KikiDee said:
Still raining here every day and same as long as the forecast goes out for. I've genuinely lost the will to live.
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Yeah I got a bit overexcited this AM I think.

Now windy and raining with strong winds and stormy forecast for this afternoon.

Also got to field to find the main hay feeder broken - welding gone - so 4 sharp ends standing up out of it just for fun with one horse using it as a face scratching post scarily close to her eye 🫣 Nowhere to move it so wrapped a ton of vet wrap around each end so they hopefully don't impale themselves today - if they manage to get that level of vet wrap off they must be hiding thumbs from me - and other half coming to the rescue to mend it tomorrow. Along with the 100 other jobs I've earmarked for him the lucky bu**er.

There is always something isn't there...
 
KikiDee said:
Still raining here every day and same as long as the forecast goes out for. I've genuinely lost the will to live.
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Losing the will to live here too. Was optimistic for about 5 minutes this morning then the rain came back 😂

Trouble is is you don't want to/can't do anything enjoyable with them when it is like this so end up just doing what you need to keep everything going and given up with everything else.

I'd love to wash legs and tails and bath and good groom and tidy up manes but I just think honestly what is the point in trying. We'll all be miserable in the process and even wetter and colder than we are already so bog ponies it is until the sun decides to make an appearance.

I've honestly forgotten what the sun looks like.
 
Yesterday evening was beautiful here as was this am….then very suddenly the wind picked up and it bucked down. Back to a sort of grey but bright situation. Finally feels like there is hope!
 
Little bit old-fashioned said:
Losing the will to live here too. Was optimistic for about 5 minutes this morning then the rain came back 😂

Trouble is is you don't want to/can't do anything enjoyable with them when it is like this so end up just doing what you need to keep everything going and given up with everything else.

I'd love to wash legs and tails and bath and good groom and tidy up manes but I just think honestly what is the point in trying. We'll all be miserable in the process and even wetter and colder than we are already so bog ponies it is until the sun decides to make an appearance.

I've honestly forgotten what the sun looks like.
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Yep I've given up. All I do is slog through mud, get knocked over by miserable bolshy horses, haul hay around, sift through bales pulling the sh*t bits off, treck to the feed store to get more feed and change rugs constantly (because now the weather keeps erratically going between -3'c and raining to 12'c and raining).

I am sat here looking at the rain battering the window just feeling like all my will has left. Though it will be pitch black by the time I get down there after work anyway, so at least I can't SEE the mud so much.
 
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