# Winter woes



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

This is so frustrating. I just need to rant. I have been re-starting my mare Kodak since last summer, but with the holidays (I host), it's been impossible to find time to work with her. And now that I have time, the weather is totally uncooperative. 

Today it is -33 Celcius with the wind. I don't have an indoor. I begged hubby to clear the snow with his tractor after the last storm which dumped about 15 inches of snow on us, and he did it even though it was miserably cold. But I can't see how on earth I will be able to go out and do anything in this weather. I was supposed to have a riding lesson tomorrow, but the forecast is the same as today, only with possible snow. That's nasty. Usually we don't get snow AND cold, but alas, this is what I'm facing. Even dressed with the warmest clothes I have, with only my eyes showing, I hate the idea of taking her out of her stall in the open paddock. She is blanketed in this severe cold, but still. They have access to their stalls and Harley just stays in while Kodak stands under the overhang in front of Harley's stall. Neither is interested in going out into the paddock today. 

Like I said... just a rant. Maybe someone has ideas of things I can do in the barn with her?


----------



## Mewlie (Apr 14, 2017)

Winter is pretty miserable without an indoor! I don't ride at all during the winter. Instead, I use the time to brush up on all groundwork. If they are pretty impeccable, I move on to teaching "useful" tricks (i.e. working with my gelding to drop on cue, holding their hooves up on their own, teaching how to 'sit', etc). I find https://www.horsetricks101.com/2015/09/31-things-to-do-with-your-horse-other-than-riding/ to be a very useful link for some ideas!


----------



## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Tricks are fun. Some horses love doing them; other horses hate tricks. You can often tell, if your horse is mouthy and curious, then they'll respond to cues. Try teaching her something easy and see if she perks up or acts disgusted. Hug, looking left or right, shaking "hands", saying "no", rolling a ball with the nose, drinking from a bottle are easy tricks most horses can learn in a day or two. You can pretty much tell if the horse thinks the whole thing is stupid or if the horse thinks, " hey, cool! I can do that!"


----------



## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Hi AA!

Yea, what Knightrider says.
Mine all seem to like playing with a "clicker"; at least they like getting treats, and will enthusiastically work for them. Use most anything for a treat; I use the small commercial apple treats, sliced carrots, or sometimes just small pinches of grain. This can easily be done in a stall or other small enclosed area, and is fun for both parties, even if you don't have any particular training goal. Here is a link to get you started:
https://clickertraining.com/node/608
And you can send some of the snow down this way. We have had some cold weather, but very little precipitation since mid-summer, and things are just _dehydrated_ :-( The up-side is that we are still riding; The Missus and I are going out with some people from the club Friday in fact. Forecast is for "Sunny, 50°F, light breeze". (Rub-it-in, rub-it-in ;-)

Stay warm . . . Steve


----------



## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I feel you! Although not as much snow here it has been miserably cold these last couple of days. I barely rush out and feed horses and cows and my toes are fingertips are frozen. We tend to brush and pick feet when it is this cold. My daughter will do carrot stretches with her mare. I too have been looking for some winter exercises to help with Tillie's topline. But I think you have me beat in the motivation department! I am waiting for it to get to at least 30F to go out and work with her!


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Thanks all for the suggestions on clicker training and ground work. It was my intention to do ground work. But I can't do that in a stall! At least not leading and lunge work, which is where I was at in my training program. Same with pushing a bottle, doing tricks. I have done clicker training with her, but am very limited with what I can do in a 10 x 12 stall! Maybe I can teach her a head down cue. 

I ride all winter. I was going to ride tomorrow, but with a windchill of -33C, I can't see that happening. Even if I could bundle myself up to stand the cold for a few minutes, I don't think it's fair to ask Kodak to do it. There is a very strong north wind right now, that will numb your fingers and toes in less than a minute - I know, I tried to do some work on the fence (my lights had disconnected in one spot), but had to give up until the weather improves. I just tucked away the loose lights so they're not hanging in the paddock. 

As I said, their stall doors are open out into the paddock, but they are not venturing out at all. Harley is bundled up in a blanket liner, winter blanket, and a neck warmer. The good news is that he hasn't coughed once this winter!!! He's such a baby. Kodak is a little more hardy, but I don't want to make it an unpleasant experience.


----------



## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Right there with you! It's about +18*F (-7*C) today, so I will get to the barn and ride, but tomorrow they're calling for highs of 10*F/-12*C, with windchills around -30*F. Totally miserable.

If I'm remembering correctly, your barn aisle is fairly wide, so I agree you can probably fit in some of the basic groundwork. Turns on the fore/hind, sidepassing, etc. 

I've been enjoying watching some of the videos from Tristan Tucker's TRT method- check out the "stretch wall" around minute 1:30- seems like you and your husband are both pretty handy, maybe you could put something like that together to play around with?





Also, how about doing some basic massage with her?


----------



## Mewlie (Apr 14, 2017)

A head down cue would be useful to have! You can also teach your horse to pick up and hand back to you fallen items (hats, gloves, etc) or learn to target touch your hand or items you point to. Best of luck and stay warm!


----------



## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

If were me, I would just go down to the barn with a space heater, a good book and a couple of treats and just hang out.

Living in Florida has it's pluses (great riding weather most of the year) but that summer heat is a killer. I used to stress about it but I now have resolved to just not riding in the summer. Too hot, too buggy and everyone involved is miserable so why?


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

george the mule said:


> Hi AA!
> 
> Yea, what Knightrider says.
> Mine all seem to like playing with a "clicker"; at least they like getting treats, and will enthusiastically work for them. Use most anything for a treat; I use the small commercial apple treats, sliced carrots, or sometimes just small pinches of grain. This can easily be done in a stall or other small enclosed area, and is fun for both parties, even if you don't have any particular training goal. Here is a link to get you started:
> ...


Yes, I'm thinking we can do some basic clicker training and maybe teach her a head down cue. I'm so jealous that you are still riding. I can deal with the snow (but would be happy to send you some since we have lots!), however, this extreme cold is a bit much.


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Join the club, far as winter woes
After that period of Chinook weather, that created ice everywhere, so too icy to ride, we are now into a deep freeze, with extreme winter temp warnings, Day time highs are around minus 25 C, so night time dips close to minus 40 C
All I do is feed my horses. They are all outside.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Smilie said:


> Join the club, far as winter woes
> After that period of Chinook weather, that created ice everywhere, so too icy to ride, we are now into a deep freeze, with extreme winter temp warnings, Day time highs are around minus 25 C, so night time dips close to minus 40 C
> All I do is feed my horses. They are all outside.


Yup, extreme temp warnings here too. If it wasn't for the wind, I'd be riding, but 50 km/hr north winds in those temps are pretty brutal. However, inside the barn it's tolerable, even with the stall doors open. My overhang and the orientation of the barn seem to keep the wind and snow out. So I'll head out in a bit and do a bit of training with Kodak. 

I've been giving them almost free choice hay because of the bitter cold. They're eating almost twice as much as normal. 

Thanks for commiserating. At least I know I'm not alone.


----------



## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

@Acadianartist, I feel your pain. I live in the same area as @Smiley - my horses are outside 24/7 so these days the only time I spend with them is when I feed them. All my lessons have been cancelled, and I have no desire to stand out there in -30 to do anything with them. 


It sucks, but I have resigned myself that it is their time off. I was a little disappointed as I have a lot of free time during the holiday season...and my little 4 yo was going along so well before this cold snap. By the time it warms up enough for lesson she will have had 3 to 4 weeks off - I'm hoping she will retain what she has learned and we aren't going backwards. But...such is life I suppose!


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

cbar said:


> @*Acadianartist* , I feel your pain. I live in the same area as @*Smiley* - my horses are outside 24/7 so these days the only time I spend with them is when I feed them. All my lessons have been cancelled, and I have no desire to stand out there in -30 to do anything with them.
> 
> 
> It sucks, but I have resigned myself that it is their time off. I was a little disappointed as I have a lot of free time during the holiday season...and my little 4 yo was going along so well before this cold snap. By the time it warms up enough for lesson she will have had 3 to 4 weeks off - I'm hoping she will retain what she has learned and we aren't going backwards. But...such is life I suppose!


Yes, I suppose this is meant to teach us patience!!!


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

I'm in the same area as smilie too. Cold. Pretty much the entirity of Canada has extreme cold warning in effect eight now. 

This is why I won't board without an indoor anymore. Even so, i don't think it's very fair to get them hot only to turn them back out. Rode yesterday, but just did an easy wtc bareback to get him moving. Just walking to the pasture had my face hurting. He's bundled up in 400g of blanket + liner and a hood. Last year when we had temps like this, he ended up dropping all his weight. Fingers crossed, but so far he looks good.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

ApuetsoT said:


> I'm in the same area as smilie too. Cold. Pretty much the entirity of Canada has extreme cold warning in effect eight now.
> 
> This is why I won't board without an indoor anymore. Even so, i don't think it's very fair to get them hot only to turn them back out. Rode yesterday, but just did an easy wtc bareback to get him moving. Just walking to the pasture had my face hurting. He's bundled up in 400g of blanket + liner and a hood. Last year when we had temps like this, he ended up dropping all his weight. Fingers crossed, but so far he looks good.


Yes, if I were boarding, I'd want an indoor too! But one of the sacrifices of keeping horses at home is that you don't get the same facilities. I still prefer to have them here where I can check on them several times a day, and add/remove blankets as often as necessary. But there are days I really wish I had an indoor, even for ground work. And today I envy those with heated indoors!!! But I wonder how horses cope with living in a heated barn/indoor, and then being turned out in the cold. Even without heat, my barn stays comfortable in cold weather. 

Glad to hear your horse is doing well. Harley hates the cold so he's all bundled up. At least he's not coughing yet this year! Usually this bitter cold gets him coughing. Kodak copes better with it, but even she's blanketed today.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I just went to the barn and did brief clicker training sessions with both horses in their stalls! It was so much fun - thanks for all the great suggestions everyone!

I worked on Harley's bow, which he already knew how to do, but we incorporated a "cluck" followed by a treat so I can shape the behavior a little more precisely. I am not using a hand clicker because it's too darn cold to be holding more things in my hands and a cluck of the tongue is just as effective for us. 

Then I moved onto Kodak. I didn't bother with the halter, but she saw my treat pouch so was immediately interested. I decided I wanted my hand on her poll to mean head down. At first she shied away and didn't know what I wanted her to do, but I kept my hand on and when she finally quieted down a bit and put her head down just a little, I clucked and rewarded. I had done some clicker training with her before so she knew what was happening. Within 5 minutes, she was putting her head down to the ground every time! She's so smart, and so motivated. 

Will do some more sessions at the next feeding time, and tomorrow I'll start using a target so I can shape other behaviors. So much fun!


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Wow! I wouldn't even leave the house in such cold temps! it NEVER gets that cold here. people around here would be whining and bellyaching and making it the end of the world if it got that cold!


----------



## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Just wanted to say that I feel your pain too! The high Saturday is going to be -6! We went out for a short ride on Christmas Eve and I think that's going to be it for awhile. Thankfully my work gets really busy from here until April so I wont be as sad that I can't ride.


----------



## ChasingDreams (Nov 14, 2017)

We have highs of < 30F all week. Two days in a row I brought the kids with me to feed with the intention of some quick pony rides for them, but both times they were cold and ready to go back to the car before we were even tacked up. My husband hasn't been home much, so I haven't been able to ride myself this week either, just grooming and chores. I can't wait for spring...still have 2-3 months to go before it really starts warming up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

We're in Iowa but are having similar temps. I resign myself to not riding most of the winter. It's dark when I get home from work, I don't have an indoor (or an outdoor, actually) and if it isn't frozen and icy, the wind is blowing 50 mph and the windchill is -40. No thanks. I'll ride again when spring rolls around and we're past 'mud season.' The horses are out 24/7 with access to a shed, and aside from being fed and cared for, are pretty much left alone for the winter to 'be horses.'


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

ChasingDreams said:


> We have highs of < 30F all week. Two days in a row I brought the kids with me to feed with the intention of some quick pony rides for them, but both times they were cold and ready to go back to the car before we were even tacked up. My husband hasn't been home much, so I haven't been able to ride myself this week either, just grooming and chores. I can't wait for spring...still have 2-3 months to go before it really starts warming up.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Well it won't warm up here until April, and then it will be slush/ice/mud (our springs are like winter in menopause) for another month or so. If I didn't touch the horses until the weather was decent, I'd only ride 2-3 months a year. You get used to riding in the cold. Then one day it's like -7C (20F) and you're walking around in your shirtsleeves thinking about going to the beach! 

I don't mind Harley sitting around a lot during the winter because he is so well-trained and can go a long time without doing anything, yet never forgets his training. With Kodak, if she isn't handled frequently, she goes half-feral again. At the very least, I have to do a little ground work with her regularly, and ideally, I'd ride her at least weekly. That's usually possible, but this week is a write-off. I'm told this is going to keep up until the new year, which sucks.


----------



## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

tinyliny said:


> Wow! I wouldn't even leave the house in such cold temps! it NEVER gets that cold here. people around here would be whining and bellyaching and making it the end of the world if it got that cold!


I have left the house in that kind of weather when I lived in MN. I'm not 100% into Florida but it really beats that cold. That kind of cold hurts. I wouldn't be whining, I'd just be throwing the hay out the kitchen window yelling come and get it.


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Bitter cold here too. The days of frozen fingers, frozen horse buns and frozen water pails are upon us. My wheelbarrow is on half load limit til' spring.
Not even thinking of riding right now but if it warms up a bit I may try to get out. At least with it so cold, the snow doesn't ball up in their feet. Got to be positive eh??


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

LoriF said:


> I have left the house in that kind of weather when I lived in MN. I'm not 100% into Florida but it really beats that cold. That kind of cold hurts. I wouldn't be whining, I'd just be throwing the hay out the kitchen window yelling come and get it.


Yes, it does hurt. But it's tolerable in the barn. Heck, I even hung out for a while and had a beer with the horses. Hubby and the kids are away, so I can spend all the time I want with them and not feel guilty. No way I'm letting a little cold stop me. 

We do get used to it. But you have to be a bit of a sucker for punishment.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Final update of the day: clicker training session # 3 - she knows the head down, in fact, now offers it before I cue her. So I have added the halter. I just hold it open in front of her. First, I clucked and rewarded for her touching it. Then, I waited a bit so she touched it and stayed there a few seconds before clucking and rewarding. Finally, she put her nose in it! I clucked, praised her, and gave her extra treats. This happened in about 2-3 minutes. Remember, this horse was extremely head-shy, and difficult to halter when she came to me. She is better now, and is happy to be haltered since she knows it means we are going to do something fun, but I wanted to add it into the clicker training so she will do it with a bridle as well. I'm always struggling to get that bridle over her ears since I'm 5' and she likes to throw her head up. This will make it so much easier! 

Thanks for giving me the motivation to keep on training despite the nasty weather!


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Minus 27 C here at the moment, going down to minus 37 C, so can't send you nay sympathy!
I no longer ride below minus 10 C.


----------



## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

Acadianartist said:


> This is so frustrating. I just need to rant. I have been re-starting my mare Kodak since last summer, but with the holidays (I host), it's been impossible to find time to work with her. And now that I have time, the weather is totally uncooperative.
> 
> Today it is -33 Celcius with the wind. I don't have an indoor. I begged hubby to clear the snow with his tractor after the last storm which dumped about 15 inches of snow on us, and he did it even though it was miserably cold. But I can't see how on earth I will be able to go out and do anything in this weather. I was supposed to have a riding lesson tomorrow, but the forecast is the same as today, only with possible snow. That's nasty. Usually we don't get snow AND cold, but alas, this is what I'm facing. Even dressed with the warmest clothes I have, with only my eyes showing, I hate the idea of taking her out of her stall in the open paddock. She is blanketed in this severe cold, but still. They have access to their stalls and Harley just stays in while Kodak stands under the overhang in front of Harley's stall. Neither is interested in going out into the paddock today.
> 
> Like I said... just a rant. Maybe someone has ideas of things I can do in the barn with her?


I can only relate. Are you in the Calgary area? it was so cold that we needed to go boost a few vehicles for friends. Luckily we can ride in an indoor arena, but it still sucks when its this cold because its still prevents you from bringing in the horses to go for a ride. I have a lesson next weekend, and I haven't ridden in a week because of the weather.


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

It's me that is in the Olds area. Acadianartist is way down east


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Smilie said:


> It's me that is in the Olds area. Acadianartist is way down east


Yep. New Brunswick here. But it seems this cold weather has spread across the country! Can't wait for it to break.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Smilie said:


> Minus 27 C here at the moment, going down to minus 37 C, so can't send you nay sympathy!
> I no longer ride below minus 10 C.


Eek, is that before the windchill or with windchill? Either way, that's brutal. I didn't find the barn to be too cold, in fact, took a layer of gloves off, and pulled my hood off. I was still wearing a wool hat and neck warmer, along with a pile of other clothings. That's probably what I hate most - it takes like 5 minutes just to pile on all the clothes to go to the barn! 

The snow keeps blowing back into all the paths I dug out too. Oh the joys of winter.


----------



## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> Final update of the day: clicker training session # 3 - she knows the head down, in fact, now offers it before I cue her. So I have added the halter. I just hold it open in front of her. First, I clucked and rewarded for her touching it. Then, I waited a bit so she touched it and stayed there a few seconds before clucking and rewarding. Finally, she put her nose in it! I clucked, praised her, and gave her extra treats. This happened in about 2-3 minutes. Remember, this horse was extremely head-shy, and difficult to halter when she came to me. She is better now, and is happy to be haltered since she knows it means we are going to do something fun, but I wanted to add it into the clicker training so she will do it with a bridle as well. I'm always struggling to get that bridle over her ears since I'm 5' and she likes to throw her head up. This will make it so much easier!
> 
> Thanks for giving me the motivation to keep on training despite the nasty weather!


Hi AA!

Yea, clicker-training is great for that sort of thing. And otherwise fairly useless tricks like "touch", "fetch", "bow-down", "count", etc. Just for fun, and to "Wow" the family and friends, teach 'em to do math. First train to paw the ground on cue, then to keep pawing as long as the cue is present; a hand on the shoulder for instance, or something more subtle like a pointed finger. Once this is solid, say "Count to five." and present the cue. "Paw, paw, paw, paw, paw", and remove the cue. Then say "OK, what is two plus four.", or "seven minus five" "Paw, paw . . ." This looks absolutely mystical to the uninitiated ;-)
And besides, as you have noticed, it is great fun watching the light come on in their eyes; "What is it you want me to do to earn another insignificant tidbit?" "I'm On It!"
I feel that it is also a bonding exercise; a form of Equine - Human communication. And as they are performing at liberty, you can be at least reasonably sure that they are enjoying the game too.
And when you get cold, go back inside to the warmth of your computer and Google "Panda the Seeing-Eye Horse". Alex Kurland trained Panda to be a guide for a blind school teacher Ann Edie. It is a truly astounding story, and illustrates how much more equines are capable of doing beyond simply toting us around. Very highly recommended reading; trust yer HF buddy on this one 

https://www.theclickercenter.com/the-panda-project-1


----------



## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

All I can say is, "Brrrrr......." to darn cold for me.

I feel your pain literally in frozen fingertips and toes...
Do take care of you...
I would follow the lead of the horses who if they wanted to be outside walking/running or playing in the breezes, winds and absolute cold they would...
The horses are telling you something staying close to the barn and the protection it provides them...
Heed the warning well.

Think warm thoughts...
Bundle up well when you need to go out to feed and care for your hooved friends, then go back to the warm house and watch from the window.
Be safe..
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


----------



## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Ptsch. When it's COLD, I make sure my horses have food and water and are comfortable, and that's about it. It is way too cold to be doing any training, LOL. 

You're probably getting the same cold snap we are Acadian. I was excited this morning when the TV said it was 3*F because the air temp was above zero (nevermind the windchill was still almost -20*F). They're talking Saturday's HIGH for air temp will be around -10*F with about a -40*F windchill. *Yuck.*


----------



## Alder (Feb 15, 2017)

I feel for you Acadianartist. It was -27 this morning, I thought the tip of my nose was going to fall off. My chestnut mare (classic chestnut mare won't let me touch her) had frost on her eyelashes. A good look for her, don't you think?


----------



## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

It's 18 degrees out right now. Feels warm, and is, by far, the warmest day this week! 

Highs for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are forecast for -10 or colder. With wind on top of that so windchills of -40 or worse. I don't mind cold if the wind isn't blowing, and would take it over heat and humidity any day. I just wish it wasn't dark at 4:30 in the afternoon!


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Will have a look at that video Steve @george_the_mule !

Today was even more brutal than yesterday. 

I know that frozen eyelash look @Alder. Cute on the horses. Not so much on me. 

Tomorrow they're forecasting -13C with a windchill of -25C, but light winds in the afternoon, and sunny! I'm thinking of going riding. Not even lying. This will be as warm as it's been in a while. Soon I will be back at work and there will be no time to ride. The kids and hubby are still away, so I squeeze in every bit of horse time I can.


----------



## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Hi AA!

Scroll down: the whole story is there, in text. What brought it to mind is that Alex is _the_ horse clicker-training guru, and Pandas training was almost all clicker-based. Do take the time to read thru it; the content is about the equivalent of a short novel, but I guarantee you won't count the time wasted. An amazing story about an amazing little horse. Contemporary, and _true_, too, which makes it even more interesting.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

george the mule said:


> Hi AA!
> 
> Scroll down: the whole story is there, in text. What brought it to mind is that Alex is _the_ horse clicker-training guru, and Pandas training was almost all clicker-based. Do take the time to read thru it; the content is about the equivalent of a short novel, but I guarantee you won't count the time wasted. An amazing story about an amazing little horse. Contemporary, and _true_, too, which makes it even more interesting.


Will do Steve! I admit, this clicker-training is totally addictive. Did the 7 pm feeding and took a few minutes to continue to reinforce the head-down cue, then the nose in the halter cue. Finished by pretending to do up the halter while Kodak stood stalk still. Again, she used to be hard to halter, so this is all improvement. Then I'd noticed there were no tracks at all in the paddock, yet the winds had died down, and it was a balmy -20C (almost no sarcasm in that - after all, when you get used to -30, ten degrees warmer feels like beach weather) so I decided to take Kodak for a walk. No halter, no lead, just liberty walking. Hubby had blown open a track around the paddock so I wanted to see how she felt about the footing before I ride tomorrow. Y'all thought I was kidding didn't you. Anyway, she follows me around like a puppy now, completely at liberty. She's still nervous under saddle, but we've become pretty good buddies on the ground. She even puts her head right up against me for snuggles. Ok, it may be for treats, but potatoe, potatoe. I'll take it!


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

for those of us who think in Farenheit, -20 C is -4F. That's 4 degrees below ZERO. 
Around here, the absolute coldest (without windchill factor added in) I've ever experienced in the city is 9F. and that was insanely rare. last winter we had some 16F (-9C), and that was very, very cold!


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

News tonight said tomorrow we are looking at -37*C to -43*C with the wind. Yippee.

I hope my trainer cancels my ride tomorrow, even with the indoor!


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Well, Smilie grows a unique little beard on her lower muzzle, that, from past winter experiences, when it gets really cold, I clip.
If I don't do that< i find her some mornings with a ice ball, about the size of a base ball, hanging by some hairs. I made the mistake one year, of just trying to pull it off, not realizing how well it was attached.
She has thus learned to avoid being caught, once that ball forms, going around flipping her head , not wanting that nose touched.
Yup< i forgot again, before this cold snap, so there she was, in the morning with that frozen ice ball. Could not halter her even with beet pulp.
Had to take Carmen and Charlie into t he barn, and leave the gate open for her to follow.
Of course, she did not. However, trying to catch her, with her flipping that annoying ice ball around, it came off. She then was happy to be haltered
Thus, took her into the barn,dried her muzzle with a hair dryer and got it clipped
Decided I might as well trim her front feet at the same time, but snow and ice was packed in there so tight, that even with a hammer , it did not come out
Finally had to use the nippers. 
Come on Chinook!


----------



## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

That is crazy about the ice ball. My mare gets a little beard like that too, but it doesn't freeze here so I didn't know it could turn into a problem like that!


----------



## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

You people are all crazy! 

The only thing I would do with my horses at -30C is move to a warmer country 

Seriously, how did humans ever get to that region and think “Oh, yes, we can totally live here”?
Crazy, I say.

We had -10C last winter and a little girl who was riding a mini decided it would be less painful to throw herself off the horse rather than dismount onto her frozen toes. And she did and was perfectly happy with her decision.


----------



## Fimargue (Jun 19, 2015)

I feel you. We don't have minus degrees here, and even to one coming from Finland that -33°C is frigging intense! Here (in north Brittany) it's just humid cold, wind and rain - flipping all the time... I'm growing to really hate winter.


----------



## Fimargue (Jun 19, 2015)

ApuetsoT said:


> News tonight said tomorrow we are looking at *-37*C to -43*C with the wind*. Yippee.
> 
> I hope my trainer cancels my ride tomorrow, even with the indoor!


Jayysus! :shock:


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Horsef said:


> You people are all crazy!
> 
> The only thing I would do with my horses at -30C is move to a warmer country
> 
> ...


I won't argue with that. It's entirely possible I've lost my mind. Before I had horses, I still braved the cold regularly, snowshoeing out to paint outdoors in the middle of blizzards. Just cuz. That said, people have lived in northern climates forever. A few reasons why I live here, and want to stay here:

- no poisonous insects or snakes 
- land is plentiful and cheap (we own 13 acres and 185 acre woodlot which we got for a song)
- it never gets unbearably hot (I got a kick out of people on here worrying about me not installing fans in my barn, worried it would get overheated in the summer)
- water is plentiful, therefore we grow all our own veggies, and hay is plentiful (and cheap - I pay 2.50$ per square bale)
- riding is now is far better than riding in mud

Now if I could have all of the above without the -30 temps, I'd be happy, but alas, it seems perfection is not of this world. 

This morning, it is a balmy -17 with a -25C windchill. The trainer is coming in a couple of hours to work with me and Kodak. I'm hopeful the windchill will drop to -20C. Either way, I'm getting out there!


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

This morning Hubby checked the temp and said it's 10 above 0*F and I said oh good it's warming up, then thought "what a sad thought, 10 above 0*F is warming up"


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Fimargue said:


> I feel you. We don't have minus degrees here, and even to one coming from Finland that -33°C is frigging intense! Here (in north Brittany) it's just humid cold, wind and rain - flipping all the time... I'm growing to really hate winter.


Honestly, I think that humid cold is worse. I used to paint "en plein air" in the middle of winter as I mentioned in my previous post. The coldest I ever got was painting by the ocean in November. It was very windy, and damp, but a bit above freezing. It only took a few minutes for me to get chilled to the bone, and begin to shake. Yet I've painted in -25C and been fine (I kept it short - no more than an hour and a half, and was well-dressed).


----------



## Fimargue (Jun 19, 2015)

Acadianartist said:


> Honestly, I think that humid cold is worse. I used to paint "en plein air" in the middle of winter as I mentioned in my previous post. The coldest I ever got was painting by the ocean in November. It was very windy, and damp, but a bit above freezing. It only took a few minutes for me to get chilled to the bone, and begin to shake. Yet I've painted in -25C and been fine (I kept it short - no more than an hour and a half, and was well-dressed).


Indeed, it goes straight to the bones. I could manage dry cold - you get used to it and it's all about warm clothing, but this wind (just freezing cold) and wetness is what gets me. We live quite close to the sea and I hate it. I love forests and miss having trees everywhere.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Fimargue said:


> Indeed, it goes straight to the bones. I could manage dry cold - you get used to it and it's all about warm clothing, but this wind (just freezing cold) and wetness is what gets me. We live quite close to the sea and I hate it. I love forests and miss having trees everywhere.


It's funny because I grew up by the ocean and most people think it's awesome. Well, maybe in California it is. Or along the Mediterranean. But here, it's miserable for about 8 months a year. One year, my husband and I rented a house while he was articling in a law firm and I was a student. It was gorgeous in August, with a view of the ocean and sand dunes. Then came winter. The house was poorly insulated, in fact, there was almost always a thin line of snow that came in from the crack in the back door. I hammered out my MA dissertation wearing gloves, with my feet shoved under my black lab all winter! 

I've always been more of a forest person than an ocean person. It's great in July and August, and I enjoy visiting my parents by the ocean during those months. The rest of the year I'd rather be inland.


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Fimargue said:


> Indeed, it goes straight to the bones. I could manage dry cold - you get used to it and it's all about warm clothing, but this wind (just freezing cold) and wetness is what gets me. We live quite close to the sea and I hate it. I love forests and miss having trees everywhere.


That damp and bone-chilling cold is why I left western Pennsylvania for southern Middle Tennessee. I would have put up with that damp cold IF we still would get enough snow to snowmobile but I was having to load my sled and head for the Alleghenys or New York ---- no thank yew, lol

That said, now that I am retired, I am now only an hour from Huntsville, AL inside TN. We are seeing long term below freezing temps ---- so long term (2-3 weeks) that I hope underground pipes don't freeze because our frost line is only about 18":|:|

As @Fimarque; commented, there's a huge difference in be,ow freezing damp air and below freezing dry air. Right now the air is so dry in my area of Middle Tennessee, that we don't stand a snowball's chance of seeing any ----- snow

The last few days, we have not had enough wind to create a windchill so getting chores done and then doing some 4-wheeling around the property has been pleasant and fun.

I know there are folks dealing with frozen pipes and having to carry water from the house to the barn ---- I have done that years ago---- I tip my hat to you and hope you get pipes thawed before they burst. We used to use propane torches ---- is that still in vogue or is there some new wazoo thing that works without worry about catching the barn on fire


----------



## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I remember those days @walkinthewalk which is why I think tank heaters are the best invention ever. LOL I had PVC plumbing in my little house with no insulation so I had to use a blow dryer to thaw them out. Outside spigot stayed frozen so I filled a cooler with water, which remained in the utility room, and then several times a day I'd drag it to the back door, lead my mare up and let her drink. I do not miss those days.


----------



## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

ApuetsoT said:


> News tonight said tomorrow we are looking at -37*C to -43*C with the wind. Yippee.
> 
> I hope my trainer cancels my ride tomorrow, even with the indoor!


Ouchie. Kinda hard to "like" that ApuestoT  That there is "Polar" weather.

Aah; just FYI Statesiders, -40°C = -40°F. At those temperatures, exposed skin freezes in about 5 minutes, in _still_ air; wind makes it far, far worse. "Shiver."

An easy to remember metric for conversion:

°C +40 X9/5 -40 = °F
°F +40 X5/9 -40 = °C

In English: "Degrees", add 40, multiply by 9, divide by 5 (if converting C to F; remember, Fahrenheit numbers are larger than Centigrade numbers), or X5 /9 (if F to C; C numbers are smaller), then subtract 40:

-40°C, +40 = 0, X9/5 =0, -40 = -40°F . . . 32°F, +40 = 72, X5/9 = 40, -40 = 0°C 

In any case, wind is the enemy, and anything you can do to block it offers a huge reward in overall comfort.

For barn chores / working with the horses, I like a wool, or down sweater for insulation, under an oilskin shell to block the wind and precipitation, and for durability against the rigors of the "barn" environment. I have yet to find anything truly effective for my hands; mittens are too awkward, and gloves too cold. If it's real cold, I will wear wool gloves under a military-surplus mitten shell, but this is bothersome if you need to use your hands frequently. Most of the time, I use a fleece-lined leather work glove, and just "deal with" the cold fingers.

On that subject, here is another little mentioned benefit of horse blankets: When your fingers start to get numb, pull off your gloves, and stuff your hands up under your horses blanket, either along his withers, or above his butt. Mmmmm; instant hand-warmer  If he ain't warm under his blankie, _you_ need to go shopping . . .

Steve


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

george the mule said:


> Ouchie. Kinda hard to "like" that ApuestoT  That there is "Polar" weather.
> 
> Aah; just FYI Statesiders, -40°C = -40°F. At those temperatures, exposed skin freezes in about 5 minutes, in _still_ air; wind makes it far, far worse. "Shiver."
> 
> ...


Or, you know, you guys can get with the times and start using celcius. ╮(╯▽╰)╭



This is our trade off for not having hurricanes, earthquake, poisonous creatures, and a stable government. 

Temp is -33*c without wind currently. Aaaand my trainer has not cancelled my ride. Here I go in all my layersssss.


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Agree on the celcius.\
When I first started to work as a lab tech, of course everything was metric, while Canada was still officially using feet, inches and degrees F.
Glad Canada finally got with it, and went metric, although construction at times still works with the old Empirical system, which makes estimates at times, interesting for hubby, esp when there is a mix of the two, far as supplies like windows, ect


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

george the mule said:


> For barn chores / working with the horses, I like a wool, or down sweater for insulation, under an oilskin shell to block the wind and precipitation, and for durability against the rigors of the "barn" environment. I have yet to find anything truly effective for my hands; mittens are too awkward, and gloves too cold. If it's real cold, I will wear wool gloves under a military-surplus mitten shell, but this is bothersome if you need to use your hands frequently. Most of the time, I use a fleece-lined leather work glove, and just "deal with" the cold fingers.
> 
> On that subject, here is another little mentioned benefit of horse blankets: When your fingers start to get numb, pull off your gloves, and stuff your hands up under your horses blanket, either along his withers, or above his butt. Mmmmm; instant hand-warmer  If he ain't warm under his blankie, _you_ need to go shopping . . .
> 
> Steve


I still have my deer skin mittens that I used to snowmobile with ---- they are great if it's cold and I have to be on the tractor

So far, I have not found anything in this life that gets an "A" for both warmth and dexterity. What comes the closest are these "SSG 10 Below" gloves. I give them a "C" for dexterity and that's saying something, I generally keep one hand in the SSG glove and the other hand in a "dotted" glove with a hand warmer in it. 

DH says the SSG gloves are "ok" and they seem to work better for him than other gloves, plus they are waterproof.

SSG Gloves





JCnGrace said:


> I remember those days @walkinthewalk which is why I think tank heaters are the best invention ever. LOL I had PVC plumbing in my little house with no insulation so I had to use a blow dryer to thaw them out. Outside spigot stayed frozen so I filled a cooler with water, which remained in the utility room, and then several times a day I'd drag it to the back door, lead my mare up and let her drink. I do not miss those days.


Oh my:|:|. Hugs to you on that one ------ I agree that carrying water and busting ice are a part of the "good old days" that I don't miss either


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Fimargue said:


> Indeed, it goes straight to the bones. I could manage dry cold - you get used to it and it's all about warm clothing, but this wind (just freezing cold) and wetness is what gets me. We live quite close to the sea and I hate it. I love forests and miss having trees everywhere.


Yes, agree on the wet cold, making it harder to bare, versus lower temps with dry cold. Ditto for heat and humidity
I grew up in southern Ontario, around the Great lakes and did my practical at the Greater Niagara Falls General hospital, so was very familiar with that wet cold coming off of the great Lakes, and the stiffling humidity in summer
When I first met my husband, and took him back east to meet my parents one summer, the humidity almost killed him! You come out of air conditioned stores and feel like you literally hit a brick wall.
I re call walking along the Falls in winter, with a chilling ice fog that went right to the bones
Alberta gets lower temps, but it is a dry cold.


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

ApuetsoT said:


> Or, you know, you guys can get with the times and start using celcius. ╮(╯▽╰)╭
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It seems to me an effort was made, when I was in high school maybe? To change to the metric system but it never happened. Someone my age with a better memory might like to expand on that thought, please, lol

And we want to know how your ride went. Being bundled up to resemble the Michelin Man can't do much for your riding position:|:|


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

walkinthewalk said:


> It seems to me an effort was made, when I was in high school maybe? To change to the metric system but it never happened. Someone my age with a better memory might like to expand on that thought, please, lol
> 
> And we want to know how your ride went. Being bundled up to resemble the Michelin Man can't do much for your riding position:|:|


It's just the walk to the pasture and tacking up thats cold. Indoor is heated. I feel bad getting them hot and putting then back out, even if he doesn't get sweaty.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I had my lesson! It wasn't bad at all. -13C with a -18C windchill (as everyone points out, it's the wind that kills you). 

My layers: thin nylon stockings, T-Max (Mark's Work warehouse - don't know if they have those in the US) thick socks, long merino wool underwear, winter riding breeches, a merino wool sweater, a down-filled long coat that opens on the sides for riding, turtle fur neck warmer, a helmet cover, sunglasses for the glare of the snow and to keep the wind out of my eyes. Oh, and I rode with stretchy gloves inside riding mittens, the ones with the pinky separate. I wore winter riding boots, but they're not the best, and my toes were cold by the end of it even though I wore those chemical warmer packs. Hands and rest of body were fine. After our ride, I came in, changed into my Arctic muck boots, and went back out to do some chores. You get used to wearing all the layers, but @walk , you're right, when you're dressed like the Michelin Man, it's hard to be elegant!!! Luckily, I'm not aiming for elegant. Just control. 

As for the ride itself, well, I think we're on the right path to improving Kodak under saddle. We did lots of walk/trot, the coach/trainer got on her too, and made a few observations. We're going to work with her for the next few weeks/months to continue Kodak's journey to being a more confident horse. I'm really glad I got out now! It was a lovely ride in the snow. 

Oh, and my head down cue came in handy! I always struggle to get her ears in the bridle wearing those stupid mittens. So as I was struggling, I cued her for head down, and she lowered her head so I could get her ears in perfectly. I gave her a treat and we were both happy!


----------



## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

@Acadianartist, as I was struggling with bridling today due to bulky hands because of too many layers, I was thinking of your head-down cue! I need to go back and re-read the steps you took.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

egrogan said:


> @Acadianartist, as I was struggling with bridling today due to bulky hands because of too many layers, I was thinking of your head-down cue! I need to go back and re-read the steps you took.


I don't think I said much about the steps I took, but there are a few videos online you can google. There's really not much to it though. The first few times, it happens kind of randomly. I put my hand high up on her neck, very near her poll. If you have to, you can apply slight pressure, but I really didn't. Then you wait. The horse may try to move away, so you should be prepared to try to stay with them, just keeping your hand there. If it puts its head up high, you can allow your hand to slide down the neck a little, but keep it as high up as possible. Until at some point, the horse accidentally puts its head down, so you remove your hand, cluck (or use a clicker, but really, who can carry all these things in their hands), then treat. Timing is pretty important, you should have a treat in the other hand ready to go right after the cluck. The first couple of times I clucked, Kodak kind of started out of surprise because it was a new noise. Not like clucking to trot, obviously, a different cluck. Some people whistle, but I'm not that good a whistler, lol. My cluck for trot is out of the side of my mouth, but this cluck is more like the tongue going from the roof of my mouth to my lower jaw if that makes sense. 

After 3-5 times, she started to experiment and started putting her head in different positions and waiting to see what would happen. At first, you reward for the slightest movement downward. Then you wait for the movement to be where you want. Then you hold for a second, 3 seconds, 5 seconds. And reward. After just two 5 minute sessions, I introduced the halter and asked her to touch it first, then put her nose in it. Worked like a charm. 

I had done some clicker training with Kodak last summer, so she was familiar with the concept. If your horse hasn't done any clicker training before, you might want to start by just associating the sound with the treat.


----------



## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Hi AA, All!

Winter "Wows" ;-)
60°F weather on the Colorado Front Range, December 29th, 2017:
More fotos over in Krones & Kodgers, if you wanna stop by for a peek. Steve


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

​


egrogan said:


> @Acadianartist, as I was struggling with bridling today due to bulky hands because of too many layers, I was thinking of your head-down cue! I need to go back and re-read the steps you took.


That head down cue is something all my horses learned, when they were just started under saddle. I did not use treats, but then, they never had bad habits to un learn first


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Smilie said:


> That head down cue is something all my horses learned, when they were just started under saddle. I did not use treats, but then, they never had bad habits to un learn first


If all horses were started by someone like you @Smilie, we wouldn't have all these horses with so many issues to fix down the road! Too many people taking shortcuts in the horse world. Kodak would be a different horse if she had been trained properly because she is clearly willing, and has no dirt in her at all. Harley is a great example of that: good base training, never a bad owner in his life, each adding something new to his repertoire, from Western pleasure to dressage to hunter/jumper. The result is a reliable, confident horse with all the buttons. Not always easy to ride, but at least he's not messed up.


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

You are doing a good job, working with a horse that has issues, not an easy task!

Far as snow, yup, we got it now! Another big dump over night, with temps still very cold. We are expecting a Chinook by next Tues= with temps expected to reach plus 4C by Wednesday. Hard to believe, as it is sitting around minute 30C at the moment.


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

How are you managing AA? I see on the news/weather that it is pretty bad on the east coast. Hope you are weathering this storm ok.
We have had a nasty day here, I think the wind has dropped a bit now. I also think that the folks west of us have lost their hydro, we are on a different line and the last property on our line. Usually it's us that looses their hydro but so far so good, and I hope it stays on as it will be a rough trip out to the drive shed to get the generator going and with this cold we will have to use it or the pipes will freeze.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Woodhaven said:


> How are you managing AA? I see on the news/weather that it is pretty bad on the east coast. Hope you are weathering this storm ok.
> We have had a nasty day here, I think the wind has dropped a bit now. I also think that the folks west of us have lost their hydro, we are on a different line and the last property on our line. Usually it's us that looses their hydro but so far so good, and I hope it stays on as it will be a rough trip out to the drive shed to get the generator going and with this cold we will have to use it or the pipes will freeze.


Oh, we're alright here! The winds are howling, there is already more snow so far than they had forecast for the whole storm (it's not going to end until tomorrow), and I fully expect to lose power tonight as the storm intensifies, but we're used to it. On the plus side, it's not -36 anymore!  I actually got out for a ride yesterday too. Calm before the storm kinda thing. 

Our wood stove is stoked, we have a propane fireplace, a generator, and we've stored enough water for ourselves and the horses for a few days. Trips to the barn are pretty miserable right now, that's for sure, but horses are tucked in safe and warm. Nova Scotia and southern NB are mostly getting a rain event, but here, it's nothing but snow. Probably better that way, since we are heading back into the deep freeze tomorrow night so I don't want water everywhere. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that hubby's tractor holds up enough to plow the paddock out again!


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

It's been above 0 for the last 3 days here. D:` Horses have gone from wearing 2 heavy blankets to nekkid in like 4 days.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

ApuetsoT said:


> It's been above 0 for the last 3 days here. D:` Horses have gone from wearing 2 heavy blankets to nekkid in like 4 days.


Haha.. yes, mine are naked too! They'll need their blankies again tomorrow night though.


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> Haha.. yes, mine are naked too! They'll need their blankies again tomorrow night though.


Well, mine isn't naked. He doesn't grow a coat, but he has gone from 450g + neck to a 100g. But pretty much any other horse at the barn is naked. If I was there during the day, I would have taken his blanket off though. Too cold at night.

Crazy swing in temperatures though. I'm too far north to get Chinook winds, at least normally. Idk if that's what this is or what.


----------



## Phantomrose (Jul 25, 2016)

I am already over this weather and miss Spring. I can still hear the wind roaring outside. It was so brutal today, that my boss told both my brother and I to not bother coming in, as it was slow, and the weather was too horrible to risk going there today. I am hoping tomorrow will be a bit better, but, looking at the weather app, it's suppose to be -5 to -10F with the windchill. Not liking the sound of that.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Phantomrose said:


> I am already over this weather and miss Spring. I can still hear the wind roaring outside. It was so brutal today, that my boss told both my brother and I to not bother coming in, as it was slow, and the weather was too horrible to risk going there today. I am hoping tomorrow will be a bit better, but, looking at the weather app, it's suppose to be -5 to -10F with the windchill. Not liking the sound of that.


I don't "like" this, but I commiserate. I just miss being able to walk on over to the barn without having to put 50 layers on and wade through waist deep snow. Ok, that MIGHT be a slight exaggeration  

I definitely miss having the horses on full pasture. They're so happy then, and everything is so much easier.


----------



## PunchnMe (Jan 1, 2018)

UGGGHHH..... @Acadianartist 
I get what you mean... I only got a 20 minute work out on my horse, but because the day is so short I STILL didn't get to ride.. :sadface:


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Well I am procrastinating but must get bundled up to get out there and feed the cats, in this weather I always take them a bottle of hot water and do they ever like it on these cold days, they go for it even before the feed.
I have the snowshoes in the garage and can use them if I need but will put on my high winter riding boots and snow pants first and see if that is enough to wade through the snow.

We didn't lose the hydro last night for which I am truly thankful.

Looks like we are going to have a Real Canadian Winter this year.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Me doing the last trip to the barn last night. The snow had actually slowed down quite a bit, but as you can see, the wind was howling. I can't believe we didn't lose power. I did flicker a few times, but never went out completely.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

And this morning, after my dear husband cleared the entire paddock of snow!


----------



## ChasingDreams (Nov 14, 2017)

Acadianartist said:


> And this morning, after my dear husband cleared the entire paddock of snow!
> 
> https://youtu.be/0KAhHdiwIW4




That's like the cutest thing ever, I love when animals play in the snow ❄

I'm down in the states, not near as cold as you and much less snow (been hanging around 10-15F) but, the wind has been horrible! The last two days have been around 20-30 mph winds. With some gusts up to 40mph. I almost got stuck driving down to the barn because the 12-24" snowdrifts that were blown over the freshly-plowed drive. We only had like 2-3 inches of snow to begin with, but boy did that wind pile it up lol

Luckily, I think by Sunday it's supposed to start warming up a bit, and next week even get above freezing! 

I can't imagine being as cold as you are up north...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> And this morning, after my dear husband cleared the entire paddock of snow!


Happy, Happy; Joy, Joy! :-D


----------



## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

The horses whinnying when you came in always makes me smile. That is one of my favorite parts of the day is "chore" time my horses whinny or nicker and the cows moo. It makes braving the cold worth it.


----------



## PunchnMe (Jan 1, 2018)

It's been so cold that my horse is laying down most the time :/ for the life of me, he won't get up into the cold wind. Lol. I read the comments and @Smilie should of been the one to train my horse too.
But I'm sure it's just operator error...


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

PunchnMe said:


> It's been so cold that my horse is laying down most the time :/ for the life of me, he won't get up into the cold wind. Lol. I read the comments and @*Smilie* should of been the one to train my horse too.
> But I'm sure it's just operator error...


Hahaha... good that you're giving your horse the benefit of the doubt! lol

My horses don't lay down much when it's this cold. Even though they have a well bedded stall on top of rubber mats. Well, that's not quite true, Kodak (the bay) laid down and got herself all filthy because she wasn't wearing a blanket. Harley wears a blanket until it gets warmer than -10C and he doesn't lay down much lately. He just stands in his stall. He's so cranky in the winter. If I don't have food, he just turns his head away from me and sulks. He should have been bought by someone living in a sunny part of the world. Kodak, on the other hand, is fine with all of it.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

carshon said:


> The horses whinnying when you came in always makes me smile. That is one of my favorite parts of the day is "chore" time my horses whinny or nicker and the cows moo. It makes braving the cold worth it.


It definitely warms the heart @carshon. Even though I strongly suspect they just view me as a walking hay dispenser.


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Acadian that's some terrific husband you have, really makes things a lot easier both for the horses and for you.

I would love to have a space cleared out like that so I could ride a bit before heading out. We have a big snow blower but it's not near where the horses are so not going to happen for us.

Our nasty lake effect snow streamer has finally passed to the west of us so now it's just the cold and the strong wind to contend with. This morning I got bundled up and headed out to feed the cats. I had to shovel my way out the door, lucky it opens in. then when I went out I dragged the shovel along with me in case I got bogged down but I was able to get to the barn fairly easily. The strong wind packed the snow drifts so I could just walk over many of them. People must have wondered about me wandering about the place dragging a shovel behind me but I wanted to check out the drive shed and the pole barn while I was out there to see if everything was ok.

Spring is just around the corner, right???


----------



## Captain Evil (Apr 18, 2012)

Winter is frustrating. From May to September riding is out for me, and between paperwork and dive jobs, it is hard to get any riding in. And then comes the snow and bitter cold. 

Yesterday Grayson dumped 16 inches on us - not as many poor souls had - but at one point it turned to sleet so we have 3 inches of ice on top of the snow. And now, back to negative numbers!

We shoveled and snow-blowed (is that a word?) my parents out, and then did ourselves, and it took all day! 

Well, when I say "We", I really mean only some of us. Some of us shoveled, some of us slept on the couch. Guess who did what!









And a close-up, just for ID purposes:


----------



## PunchnMe (Jan 1, 2018)

Ugh. Now I found out winter is ruining ALL WAYS OF RIDING......?!?!?!?!? 
My riding partner can't come out because she got a cold... 
My horse's hooves are dry and now cracking -making it look like he went lame/like his injury is acting up- and so I can't ride till the farrier is out...
SPRING WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!?! ugh. :sadface:


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Captain Evil said:


> Winter is frustrating. From May to September riding is out for me, and between paperwork and dive jobs, it is hard to get any riding in. And then comes the snow and bitter cold.
> 
> Yesterday Grayson dumped 16 inches on us - not as many poor souls had - but at one point it turned to sleet so we have 3 inches of ice on top of the snow. And now, back to negative numbers!
> 
> ...


Love those pictures! I have two mini dachshunds who have just decided to pee and poop in the house for now. Seriously, I shoveled a little spot for them outside the front door, push them out, and they just stand there whimpering. I keep pee pads in the basement for emergencies and they've been soiled more often than usual lately.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Woodhaven said:


> Acadian that's some terrific husband you have, really makes things a lot easier both for the horses and for you.
> 
> I would love to have a space cleared out like that so I could ride a bit before heading out. We have a big snow blower but it's not near where the horses are so not going to happen for us.
> 
> ...


LOL, I can just picture it. You're lucky the snow is packed enough to walk on! I realized this morning I wasn't going to be able to dig out the path to my manure pile from the back of the barn (the door opens out). So I had to walk around the whole barn, through undisturbed snow. When I got up to my crotch (I'm short, to be fair), I just gave up and sort of waded on my hands and knees to the back of the barn, where I proceeded to dig directly down until I hit ground. Then I was able to get my feet under me, and start digging a path to the manure pile, which by now, is just a white mound. Gotta love having to dig down to find manure. NOT.


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

I just got back in from feeding the cats, as usual they were glad to see me. It's still bitter cold and strong winds.
The four lane Hyw. 402 has been closed for a couple of days and stranded people are being taken to the Sports Center in Strathroy.. Not the nicest winter days. 

And since we are stuck here for another day with lots of time I thought I would tell a Winter Woe story that happened to me 47 years ago. I lived near Toronto at the time and weather much like this. My daughter was born Mar 23 and this was about a week before that. I looked out the window and saw that the yearling had got caught up in the fence so I pulled on boots, no socks, a coat and gloves then hurried out to help. On the far side of the drive was a steep drop of about 10 feet, usually I would go down the ddrive and come back on the low side of this drop but in the need for speed I decided to just slide down the drop in the snow.
I didn't realize that the snow was somewhat soft and punky and there was an overhang or snowy lip and when I walked out I just dropped straight down in the snow, stopping only when my big stomach reached the snow. Since it was soft I was just packed in there tight. I couldn't pull myself out, I looked around to see that the colt was out and had wandered off. I was sitting there hoping no one could see me but that changed after a while to "gee I hope someone sees me and comes to help"

I could bend a little sideways so slowly dug out one leg and pulled it out, the boot stayed in the snow so there I am one barefoot in the snow, then I dug out the other one and managed to get it out. I walked to the house in bare feet through the deep snow to get on another pair of boots, get a shovel and go back to rescue my boots.


Neither the colt nor I suffered any bad effects from our day 

That;s one of my winter woe stories.


----------



## ChasingDreams (Nov 14, 2017)

Thought some of you might appreciate this[emoji23][emoji23] Someone shared it in one of my local Facebook groups.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Woodhaven said:


> I just got back in from feeding the cats, as usual they were glad to see me. It's still bitter cold and strong winds.
> The four lane Hyw. 402 has been closed for a couple of days and stranded people are being taken to the Sports Center in Strathroy.. Not the nicest winter days.
> 
> And since we are stuck here for another day with lots of time I thought I would tell a Winter Woe story that happened to me 47 years ago. I lived near Toronto at the time and weather much like this. My daughter was born Mar 23 and this was about a week before that. I looked out the window and saw that the yearling had got caught up in the fence so I pulled on boots, no socks, a coat and gloves then hurried out to help. On the far side of the drive was a steep drop of about 10 feet, usually I would go down the ddrive and come back on the low side of this drop but in the need for speed I decided to just slide down the drop in the snow.
> ...


Yikes! I am always mindful of what could happen when I'm alone at home and doing barn chores. The path that leads to my manure pile is downhill (I just put the muck bucket on a saucer sled and woooshhh! let gravity do the work for me!) and is extremely icy. I always worry about falling and throwing my back out, then laying there for hours freezing to death while my horses laugh at me. 

Highways here are terrible too. I never thought to check road conditions before I left this morning to meet my dad about an hour from here. My kids had spend a few days with my parents and I was bringing them back home. The main highway (4 lane divided highway) was completely ice covered the whole way. The most I could drive was 60 km/hr, and that was nerve-wracking. In an hour, I drove by 4 accidents, one which was clearly very bad (3 fire trucks, two cop cars, and an ambulance). It's -20 again today with a windchill in the -30s again so I guess the roads froze over hard and now that ice isn't going anywhere. When I got to my destination, I got out my phone and checked road conditions. Sure enough, they had issued a no travel advisory for that highway. So I took a back road home. That was another adventure - snow drifts up to my bumper. But still better than a skating rink so we managed ok. 

Winter driving is one of the worst things about our climate. Next week looks like a real mixed bag of snow/rain/cold/warm weather.


----------



## Phantomrose (Jul 25, 2016)

I am looking forward to the cold breaking this week. I'm probably a wimp when it comes to the cold. I usually go Wednesdays and Sundays to the barn to spend time with Jet, but I am holding off on going tomorrow because of the cold. I am looking forward to Wednesday, where the temp will actually be around 30F! At least I am content knowing that Jet is safe, sound, and getting the horsey socialization he needs when he gets turned out with his herd mates (my barn does its best to keep the horses out as much as possible. They only come in for am and pm feed time, or they stay in some nights if the weather is really bad.)


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

I think we had record breaking cold here last night, but at least the wind has dropped.
We haven't stirred off the property for three days. Friends called and said stay off the roads as the big four lane was closed for 2 days which meant a lot of big trucks on the secondary roads. Lots of cars in the ditch or stranded'

I will try to get out today if possible and see what the roads are like. Hubby has surgery booked for tomorrow so we do have to be mobile by then.
Glad you got home ok winter driving sucks but I imagine you folks out east have lots of experience with it.

Oh the Joys of winter.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Woodhaven said:


> I think we had record breaking cold here last night, but at least the wind has dropped.
> We haven't stirred off the property for three days. Friends called and said stay off the roads as the big four lane was closed for 2 days which meant a lot of big trucks on the secondary roads. Lots of cars in the ditch or stranded'
> 
> I will try to get out today if possible and see what the roads are like. Hubby has surgery booked for tomorrow so we do have to be mobile by then.
> ...


Be careful out there! Extreme cold warning again here this morning. My outdoor thermometer broke. It's just saying 0 (still measuring indoor temp so it's not totally broken, just not registering anymore). It's like -32C. 

Yes, we have lots of experience driving in winter weather, and I have an all-wheel drive with four studded snow tires, but there are always idiots out there who drive like it's summer, passing people, etc. Makes me so nervous. 

More snow coming tomorrow, but amounts are minimal. Then above freezing later in the week, with rain coming. I hate that. Would rather have snow. 

Best of luck to your husband on his surgery!


----------



## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

We too are *supposed to* have some moderation starting tomorrow. The 10 day forecast shows temps steadily in the 30s and even 40s (though there is rain/freezing rain/ice in the forecast too, that's a bummer. We'll see if it shows up).

It was actual temp of -15*F/-26C this morning when I let the chickens out of the coop, but they came bounding out happily as usual and got right to work finding stuff to eat. Like others have said, the wind seems to have finally died down some and that really does help. It may get up to +13*F/-10C and I am contemplating riding but I just don't know if I can drag myself out there. The constant extreme temps have gotten physically draining-does anyone else just feel like their energy is sapped and they are exhausted?


----------



## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

ChasingDreams said:


> Thought some of you might appreciate this[emoji23][emoji23] Someone shared it in one of my local Facebook groups.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That was too funny!


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

egrogan said:


> We too are *supposed to* have some moderation starting tomorrow. The 10 day forecast shows temps steadily in the 30s and even 40s (though there is rain/freezing rain/ice in the forecast too, that's a bummer. We'll see if it shows up).
> 
> It was actual temp of -15*F/-26C this morning when I let the chickens out of the coop, but they came bounding out happily as usual and got right to work finding stuff to eat. Like others have said, the wind seems to have finally died down some and that really does help. It may get up to +13*F/-10C and I am contemplating riding but I just don't know if I can drag myself out there. The constant extreme temps have gotten physically draining-does anyone else just feel like their energy is sapped and they are exhausted?


Oh yes, it's definitely taking a toll. Just the idea of having to put on all those layers and making yet another trip out to the barn is just discouraging. My back and shoulders still hurt from shoveling after the last storm. 

I don't usually mind, but it's been like this too long. I need to feel like there's hope on the horizon. The sun is going down a little later each day! Only 72 days until spring (around here, that's just a date on the calendar since we still have snow until May usually, but still, it gives one hope!). 

The time between the holidays and March break always feels like forever...


----------



## ChasingDreams (Nov 14, 2017)

JCnGrace said:


> That was too funny!




I thought so lol Even my non-horsey husband got a kick out of that one [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Given this bitter cold, I broke down yesterday and bought Kodak a new winter turnout blanket. The one I had been using was just slightly too snug on her. I'd been looking for a used one, but no luck. 180$ later, I think she looks pretty nice! Hope she likes this one better than her old one (it was giving her rubs and she hated wearing it). It's warming up slightly now. I may even take the blanket off her for the night! Heck, I might even be able to ride again soon!


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

ChasingDreams said:


> Thought some of you might appreciate this[emoji23][emoji23] Someone shared it in one of my local Facebook groups.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


THAT is hysterical! Lollol

I am impressed bith horses acted in unison --- someone needs to convince me they can't silently communicate, lollol


----------



## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> Given this bitter cold, I broke down yesterday and bought Kodak a new winter turnout blanket. The one I had been using was just slightly too snug on her. I'd been looking for a used one, but no luck. 180$ later, I think she looks pretty nice!


Well there ya go: you broke the winter-weather cycle. Good Job. It will be sunny and warm for the rest of the season now 



Acadianartist said:


> but there are always idiots out there who drive like it's summer, passing people, etc.


Ooh; me, Me, ME! ;-)

I have studded tires on my old Subaru; it's _huge_ fun on icy roads. (Of which we haven't had any, so far this season.) I used to be a regular Autocross competitor, but I will still turn out for the clubs Winter/Ice events (technically, a "rallycross" event), if I don't have to drive all day to get to 'em. Drive that '97 Outback, too; Oh Yes, and the studded tires are new this season . . . AWD, fresh studs, smooth ice; almost more fun than a body can stand :-D

Strange things amuse strange minds . . . ByeBye! Steve


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

george the mule said:


> Well there ya go: you broke the winter-weather cycle. Good Job. It will be sunny and warm for the rest of the season now
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have new studded snow tires on my Volvo Xcountry with all-wheel drive, but you can only go so fast safely when there's a couple of inches of dense ice all across the road. Didn't stop some people from going fast, but their tires didn't stop them from going off the road either. There was at least one really bad accident, and some likely whiplash for at least three others. No thanks! 

I have a colleague who races... loves it! I'll stick to the horses myself


----------



## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> but you can only go so fast safely


¿¿Safety?? We don' _need_ no stinkin' "Safety". Where's the fun in that? ;-)

However, I am very careful of others on the road. It's one thing to land yourself in the ditch, quite another to involve someone else in your shenanigans.

But well-iced rural roads are about the only time you can play "Rally-Driver" on the street w/o risking landing in the slammer, as it is totally possible to execute perfect 
"pitch-and-flick" turns at modest speeds on ice with a properly equipped vehicle  Studs give just enough "grip" to maintain the necessary modicum of control.

How do you like your Volvo XC? I had an old 240DL years ago; despite being RWD, it was an absolute _tank_ in the snow; it was roomy and comfortable, and a frequent choice for winter trips into the mountains. When The Missus was looking for a new car, we checked out a used XC70, but she was put off by the price, and relatively poor fuel economy. I rather liked it myself, but it wasn't my money on the table. She ended up with a 2016 Forester, one with the CVT. It is a nice enough vehicle, and gets superb gas mileage, but the CVT makes me nervous, as I'm the resident mechanic. I guess time will tell on that one.

Steve


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

george the mule said:


> ¿¿Safety?? We don' _need_ no stinkin' "Safety". Where's the fun in that? ;-)
> 
> However, I am very careful of others on the road. It's one thing to land yourself in the ditch, quite another to involve someone else in your shenanigans.
> 
> ...


I have friends with a Forester and have driven it a few times. It's nice, but I do prefer my Volvo. Feels heavier, more secure, is slightly more responsive. This is my second XC70, both bought used. The fact that I bought another one will tell you all you need to know. New, they do cost a small fortune, but wait a few years, and they can be bought at a fair price (not cheap, but fair). I bought both of mine at about 15K with reasonable mileage on them (given that they're Volvos). New, they retailed around 50K. True, fuel economy isn't the best. But with two kids, two dogs, and two horses (not that the horses ride in it, but I've carried many a saddle and tack box in them), a smaller vehicle just doesn't make sense. They are better in snow than my husband's Nissan Frontier with 4 wheel drive. They hold the road well on ice too, even if I choose not to push my luck  . Reliability is amazing, even though parts are usually pretty expensive (but they often outlast the vehicle with regular maintenance). I think this one is even better made than my last one. Even my mother thinks it's a nice car, and she drives a Lexus. 

I sold my last one when it had 320 000 km on it, and only because the body was shot. The previous owners had driven it through the brush many times to get to their camp, and it was scratched up like a cat lady's sofa. Wasn't worth repainting it. Promptly got my current vehicle which is now 10 yrs old and going strong at 280 000 km despite our harsh climate and abundance of road salt. Cannot bring myself to buy another make, but given the recent buyout of the company, I may have to contemplate an alternative next time. We'll see how the newer ones do on the reviews, but I'm worried they're going to be made cheaply. I don't plan on selling mine until it dies, which hopefully won't be for another 200 000 km. That may not sound like a big deal to people living in warmer climates, but it's practically unheard-of in these parts for a car to reach 500 000 km.


----------



## EventingAero (Jan 3, 2018)

I am in Maine and we've had temperature far in the negatives, blizzards, and heaps of snow! It's nearly impossible to be outside for too long, but I'm lucky because I have an indoor! It's heated and nice


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

EventingAero said:


> I am in Maine and we've had temperature far in the negatives, blizzards, and heaps of snow! It's nearly impossible to be outside for too long, but I'm lucky because I have an indoor! It's heated and nice



you mean an indoor arena? it must take a ton of energy to heat such a huge space. is it electricity or gas or ?


----------



## Janet Cherry (Jul 13, 2009)

I emphathise from the other side of the world....it's very hot here! We went out the other evening at 6 pm and it was still hot in the sun.....came back in the dark at 9 pm. Yesterday we rode in the mid-morning, over 30 degrees C. A breeze saved us but today there is a howling wind....just relax until weather improves!


----------



## EventingAero (Jan 3, 2018)

tinyliny said:


> you mean an indoor arena? it must take a ton of energy to heat such a huge space. is it electricity or gas or ?


Yeah, it's an indoor arena. I think it's electric, it's at the barn where I board my horse so i'm not sure. It's not super warm, but enough to keep from freezing.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Janet Cherry said:


> I emphathise from the other side of the world....it's very hot here! We went out the other evening at 6 pm and it was still hot in the sun.....came back in the dark at 9 pm. Yesterday we rode in the mid-morning, over 30 degrees C. A breeze saved us but today there is a howling wind....just relax until weather improves!


Yes, it's hard to get that perfect weather isn't it? I don't care for summer heat, and my mare hates flies. Right now the weather is pretty good, but it's snowing hard again. Looks like I might be able to ride Wednesday. -5C and sunny!


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

EventingAero said:


> Yeah, it's an indoor arena. I think it's electric, it's at the barn where I board my horse so i'm not sure. It's not super warm, but enough to keep from freezing.


A heated indoor is like a unicorn around here. My equine massage therapist, who travels the province (New Brunswick) and goes to the nicest barns, says there was one around Sussex, but they stopped using it. I can understand the desire for riders to be free of snow, and even to be somewhat comfortable, but don't the horses get hot? I realize many clip them... but then don't they get cold when they go outside and it's -36? Not like I'm ever going to have a heated indoor, but I wonder how horses do in turnout if they live in a heated barn and are ridden in a heated indoor. Not knocking it, it sounds amazing, just can't wrap my head around it.

Incidentally, my neighbor has an indoor (not heated, lol), which we are welcome to use, but rarely do since we'd still have to ride there. The only time we go is in the spring, when my daughter has to get her jumper in shape for show season and there's still too much mud to do anything outside.


----------



## EventingAero (Jan 3, 2018)

Acadianartist said:


> A heated indoor is like a unicorn around here. My equine massage therapist, who travels the province (New Brunswick) and goes to the nicest barns, says there was one around Sussex, but they stopped using it. I can understand the desire for riders to be free of snow, and even to be somewhat comfortable, but don't the horses get hot? I realize many clip them... but then don't they get cold when they go outside and it's -36? Not like I'm ever going to have a heated indoor, but I wonder how horses do in turnout if they live in a heated barn and are ridden in a heated indoor. Not knocking it, it sounds amazing, just can't wrap my head around it.
> 
> Incidentally, my neighbor has an indoor (not heated, lol), which we are welcome to use, but rarely do since we'd still have to ride there. The only time we go is in the spring, when my daughter has to get her jumper in shape for show season and there's still too much mud to do anything outside.


Some of the horses are clipped, to prevent them from getting hot, but really the arena is only 10 of so degrees higher than outside. And for going outside clipped, we just have heavy blankets. It really is what the horse is accustomed too. My horse is in a heated barn, with a stable sheet and for turnout he has a heavyweight and it doesn't affect him


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Anon heated indoor, like I used to haul to in the winter, is often colder then outside.
Since I just dabble in showing now, have no young horses to bring along for the spring shows, I hardly ever bother to haul to an indoor arena any more.
We had some nice days, after the deep freeze, so got two rides in, just
across snowy fields. Even then,there is ice under the snow, so need to trust your horse not to do something stupid
Back into the deep freeze, with day time highs tomorrow around minus 20C


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> A heated indoor is like a unicorn around here. My equine massage therapist, who travels the province (New Brunswick) and goes to the nicest barns, says there was one around Sussex, but they stopped using it. I can understand the desire for riders to be free of snow, and even to be somewhat comfortable, but don't the horses get hot? I realize many clip them... but then don't they get cold when they go outside and it's -36? Not like I'm ever going to have a heated indoor, but I wonder how horses do in turnout if they live in a heated barn and are ridden in a heated indoor. Not knocking it, it sounds amazing, just can't wrap my head around it.
> 
> Incidentally, my neighbor has an indoor (not heated, lol), which we are welcome to use, but rarely do since we'd still have to ride there. The only time we go is in the spring, when my daughter has to get her jumper in shape for show season and there's still too much mud to do anything outside.


They can get hot if they are extra fuzzy. My arena is only kept around 5-10°c. Only one horse is clipped, the rest are just cooled out well and rubbed down if sweaty. We let them roll in the arena to dry off too. Keep them fit enough year round and they don't get too sweaty anyway. Our barn is kept cooler, closer to zero so is more of a gradual change. 

Another barn I was at kept their barn and arena much warmer. They had a blow dryer to dry them off quickly and most of the horses ended up staying in for the night after their ride anyway. 

Either way, I haven't found it to be negative to turn them back out after being worked since they are cooled out.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

ApuetsoT said:


> They can get hot if they are extra fuzzy. My arena is only kept around 5-10°c. Only one horse is clipped, the rest are just cooled out well and rubbed down if sweaty. We let them roll in the arena to dry off too. Keep them fit enough year round and they don't get too sweaty anyway. Our barn is kept cooler, closer to zero so is more of a gradual change.
> 
> Another barn I was at kept their barn and arena much warmer. They had a blow dryer to dry them off quickly and most of the horses ended up staying in for the night after their ride anyway.
> 
> Either way, I haven't found it to be negative to turn them back out after being worked since they are cooled out.


Makes sense. As long as you have a heated barn. Which would be prohibitively costly here, and boarders just wouldn't want to pay the extra cost. One thing that I sure would like is a heated wash stall though. With Harley's loose stool, it's very frustrating not to be able to wash him properly. We are getting some heavy rain for the next couple of days, and a high of 12C on Friday (I told my trimmer last night and she said "You mean PLUS 12???"). Quite a yo-yo. So I will be bathing Harley's back end, hocks and tail again! 

Some people do have heated wash stalls, but they are rare. All you really need is a really well-sealed room with water that you can heat independently from the rest of the barn. But it is nonetheless a luxury. You'd also need hot water, which means keeping a hot water heater in the barn, which means insulating it and making sure it doesn't freeze.


----------



## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Friends of mine have a small corner of their main barn sealed up and heated. The heated area includes the tack room, a walk-in "supply" room (these only heated to just above freezing), _and_ a full-service restroom with hot water.

This is all electric; I would hate to see their utility bill. However this is a _very_ popular feature with their boarders, especially the ladies 

I keep a small electric heater in my feed/supply room, but it only gets used during periods of bitter cold to take the edge off of getting breakfast ready, and to keep the contents of the fridge from freezing. I also keep a propane "camp-stove", and a large pot for those times when hot water is called for. A steaming-warm mash made with sweet-feed, oats, and alfalfa is a popular breakfast treat on sub-zero mornings.


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> Makes sense. As long as you have a heated barn. Which would be prohibitively costly here, and boarders just wouldn't want to pay the extra cost. One thing that I sure would like is a heated wash stall though. With Harley's loose stool, it's very frustrating not to be able to wash him properly. We are getting some heavy rain for the next couple of days, and a high of 12C on Friday (I told my trimmer last night and she said "You mean PLUS 12???"). Quite a yo-yo. So I will be bathing Harley's back end, hocks and tail again!
> 
> Some people do have heated wash stalls, but they are rare. All you really need is a really well-sealed room with water that you can heat independently from the rest of the barn. But it is nonetheless a luxury. You'd also need hot water, which means keeping a hot water heater in the barn, which means insulating it and making sure it doesn't freeze.


Both barns are heat with coal fired furnaces. Current barn only heats the office area, but it's open to the rest of the barn so the rest is lightly heated by default. On the cold days you still wear a jacket and gloves to tack. Keeps medication from freezing, but there's still a chance the water buckets might freeze in the stalls. 

Current barn doesn't have a wash rack. We have hot water(only in the bathroom), but we have to drag a hose out in the yard and hold them while we hose. Kind of a pain. 

Our weather is yo-yoing too. -37 one day, then +3,last night was back to -33.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

ApuetsoT said:


> Both barns are heat with coal fired furnaces. Current barn only heats the office area, but it's open to the rest of the barn so the rest is lightly heated by default. On the cold days you still wear a jacket and gloves to tack. Keeps medication from freezing, but there's still a chance the water buckets might freeze in the stalls.
> 
> Current barn doesn't have a wash rack. We have hot water(only in the bathroom), but we have to drag a hose out in the yard and hold them while we hose. Kind of a pain.
> 
> Our weather is yo-yoing too. -37 one day, then +3,last night was back to -33.


DD and I got out and rode this afternoon. Lovely -5C and sunny! I wish I had taken pictures. She and Harley are looking so awesome together. 

But yes, the weather is nuts. Tomorrow, +6, Friday, +12. Rain coming our way. I'm worried sick about what our paddock will look like when it's over. I didn't clear the snow from the last snowfall (about 10 cm) because I'm hoping it will absorb some of the rain, then I can run my pasture drag through it and break it all up. But if it turns into one big slushy mess, and then freezes solid on Saturday (of course the temps are going back down to -19C on Sat. night), I don't know how we will ride. 

I'm assuming when you say the barns are heated with furnaces that the furnaces aren't actually inside the barns? I've seen those outdoor furnaces which channel heat into buildings. Just wondering how you could insure a barn with a coal-fired furnace in it. Not that I'll ever be getting one, just curious.


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> DD and I got out and rode this afternoon. Lovely -5C and sunny! I wish I had taken pictures. She and Harley are looking so awesome together.
> 
> But yes, the weather is nuts. Tomorrow, +6, Friday, +12. Rain coming our way. I'm worried sick about what our paddock will look like when it's over. I didn't clear the snow from the last snowfall (about 10 cm) because I'm hoping it will absorb some of the rain, then I can run my pasture drag through it and break it all up. But if it turns into one big slushy mess, and then freezes solid on Saturday (of course the temps are going back down to -19C on Sat. night), I don't know how we will ride.
> 
> I'm assuming when you say the barns are heated with furnaces that the furnaces aren't actually inside the barns? I've seen those outdoor furnaces which channel heat into buildings. Just wondering how you could insure a barn with a coal-fired furnace in it. Not that I'll ever be getting one, just curious.


Current barn has the actual furnace outside then the heat is piped in. Previous barn has it right in the barn. There was a few times something would get plugged, then the whole barn and arena would fill with smoke. Bleh. The place was a primarily steel structure, so maybe that made a difference with insurance. Current barn is wood.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I just came in from digging ditches in the snow so the water can (hopefully) drain out of my paddock. Environment Canada has THREE warnings up simultaneously. A heavy rainfall warning (happening now), followed by a freezing rain warning (on and off all day tomorrow, along with a warning that power outages are likely), then a flash freeze warning (tomorrow night, going down to -10C, then -19C Sunday night). 

There is so much water out there, I stepped into about two feet of snow and discovered only about two inches of the top are still in snow form. The rest is just slush and water. Streams forming everywhere. I watched my perfectly groomed snow footing all drain away in a matter of hours. The only hope I have of riding again anytime soon is if we actually get down to bare ground (highly unlikely), or have a good layer of snow on top of the freezover (yes, I'm just making up words now, but this is far more likely). 

Ugh, winter can be harsh. At least the pipes are freezing!


----------



## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Right there with you Acadian. My morning lesson today was cancelled because the foot of snow on top had melted fast, but the inch-thick ice underneath hadn’t so it was impossible to get my horse in safely from the field to the indoor. Everything is flooded right now, and we have the same exact forecast as you through tomorrow. What a miserable winter so far!


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

egrogan said:


> Right there with you Acadian. My morning lesson today was cancelled because the foot of snow on top had melted fast, but the inch-thick ice underneath hadn’t so it was impossible to get my horse in safely from the field to the indoor. Everything is flooded right now, and we have the same exact forecast as you through tomorrow. What a miserable winter so far!


I can't "like" that post, but at least I'm know I'm not alone. 

And I meant to write the pipes AREN'T freezing, but now I can't edit my post because too much time has passed.


----------



## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Rain + freezing is the worst combination. I'll take the cold over that.


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

A A. Similar situation here, very cold with snow, then Chinook like warm weather with a lot of snow melting then fast freeze again with sleet, freezing rain first then some snow so there is ice everywhere under the snow, very tricky for the horses (and us )to get around.

Did I say that I am beginning to really hate this winter?


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Update, I went out to feed the cats this am and everything is ice covered, even trying to walk on the snow is icy and slippery. Got back to the house and remembered that I had bought some ice grips to fit over boots, kind of like being sharp shod.

I wanted to go to the city for a funeral but there hasn't been a car up our road all morning so I put on my fancy grip boots and went out to the road and it is a sheet of ice and it's started snowing again so I decided it would be best just to stay home, much as I would like to get to this funeral. The main roads may be ok but even so coming home if this snow keeps up might be a challenge and with Hubby still recovering ( altho' he's doing ok ) I don't want to get storm stayed away from home right now.

Sis is managing ok with the horses but it's slippery under foot there too and the horses just don't even want to go out to the pasture, they stay pretty close to the barn.

Did I say that I am beginning to really hate this winter??


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Hey @Woodhaven, are you beginning to really hate this winter??? 

It's still raining hard here. It's been raining for over 24 hours. It's like a different planet. I just spent three hours cleaning manure that had appeared from under the melted snow, digging out my bottom electrobraid line from the slush/underwater streams (note: electricity does not conduct well under water), and digging more trenches in the snow so the water can drain somewhat from my paddock. Temps are beginning to hover near zero, and will plunge to -12C tonight. In some places, there is 4 inches of water running down through the paddock. I'm grateful for my nice, dry and warm Muck boots right now because I was a foot deep in water and slush for the last couple of hours. 

Problem is, the ditch that runs along the far side of my paddock has overflowed. There is just nowhere for all this water to go since the ground is still frozen underneath. No ice though, just water making paths under the snow so you think it's snow, but it's water. If this all freezes solid, it will be a huge mess. Hubby is still out there trying to dig out a path for the water to follow in the ditch rather than go in the paddock, but I think it's a hopeless case. I'm in making lunch for the kids and head back out soon, to see if there's anywhere else I can punch through the snow to divert the water away. What a mess. 

It would just be easier if we stayed more or less at the same temperature, this yo-yo is killing me.


----------



## Phantomrose (Jul 25, 2016)

I don’t like that the temps keep changing. Yesterday it was almost 60F out, with rain, then earlier in the morning today it was a mixture of snow with freezing temps, and tomorrow is suppose to be partly sunny. The snow melted fast yesterday as well, and now it is back. Then it’s suppose to snow again on Wednesday. I’m done with snow lol. It’s making everything into a slushy muddy mess.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

When I went out to the chicken coop first thing this morning, it was 47*F and there was a huge pond in front of my garage from all the melting and the 24-hours worth of heavy rain (NOT supposed to be a pond there :wink, which had spilled over into the chicken run. 

I spent about an hour lugging out soaking wet straw and put down a bag of peat moss, about the only dirt-like substance I had in my garage that wasn't frozen (tried moving two frozen bags of sand around, might as well have been concrete!). The peat moss did a good job of absorbing the standing water in the run. By the time I got done with that, the sleet/freezing rain started and the temp dropped 20*F in an hour! 

BUT, we got really lucky, it only sleeted for about 20 minutes, leaving just an icy skim coat, and now the sun is out and it's pretty windy. The sun is melting the ice layer and the wind is actually drying things out. Since it's gotten so cold, it's not going to put a dent in the new pond in front of my garage, but the roads are actually ok. Looks like I will at least be able to ride in the indoor this afternoon.

Stay safe out there everyone!!
@*Woodhaven* , are you as sick of this winter as I am??? :wink:


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Well we must always try to look on the positive side. Just think of all the exercise and how fit we are getting with all this extra work AND the money we save by not joining fitness classes or clubs. This is what I tell Hubby anyway.

The trip to the manure pile is just that a real trip. My wheelbarrow is on half load limit which doubles the trips.

Sis has this new mare on trial and of course how can you ride in this weather. I hope the seller is understanding about the time limit.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Indeed @*Woodhaven* . No need to pay for a gym membership, though right now, I sure wish I had a jacuzzi to soak in, or a massage therapist to work on my back. It is absolutely killing me from digging trenches in the ice and snow. Good news: we have successfully diverted the water away from the paddock. Bad news: it froze anyway. Sorta good news: because of our herculean efforts, there's only an inch or two of ice instead of 4-6 inches of it. Horses are shut in, there is no way I'm letting them walk around in there - I could barely stand up. Tomorrow, I will have to try to spread sand. I'm hoping we get a good snowfall soon so I can have good footing again because this is very, very bad. 

Roads have now completely iced over. Some highways are closed. Bridges and roads have been washed away, and now, everything is freezing solid. Someone about an hour from me had their entire barn flooded and had to evacuate all their cows. I have never seen this fast a melt in January. All the streams and rivers have jumped their banks. We are actually pretty lucky in that our house is on high ground, and the barn is high and dry too. Strong possibility of losing power tonight (freezing rain + frozen power lines + high wind). 

There is a no travel advisory across a pretty good chunk of the province right now. That's ok, I'm not going anywhere. I can't believe how much snow melted in so little time. And in the middle of January to boot. If this were March or April, it wouldn't be so bad, because it would keep melting and dry up. But this time of year, it's all just going to freeze solid. Here's a picture of that flooded cow barn. They evacuated the calves, but some of the cows are still in there. Low tonight is -12C. This is all going to freeze solid. I don't know how they could even survive. I guess we're lucky, all things considered.


----------



## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Oh god, that picture. Hope the ones left end up ok.

Things for us turned out ok. The sun stayed out, we did get freezing on secondary roads and our driveway was such a sheet of ice my husband almost took out the fence around our yard when his truck slid out from under him coming home. But all in all, for now things are ok. The rain stopping early in the morning was our saving grace. Hope you get some relief soon Acadian!


----------



## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

And I thought we had it bad, we have been watching the new, weather for the east coast and feel for all the folks suffering with this weather change.
I hope the cattle left in the barn will be ok, Mother Nature is not always kind
I'm glad your barn is on high ground and with all the work you did the flooding and freezing isn't as bad as it would have been, I have taken the manure from cleaning the stalls and spread it around on the ice for better footing for the horses. The wet stuff sticks to the ice.

.


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

The cattle barn picture is cringeworthy. I hope the cows were able to be removed and taken to safety.

We are running way below average temps for our area. Many days not getting above freezing and I think some areas up on the plateau experiencing below zero weather. Most places south of I-40 have had little to no snow in TN but I think Portions of westerly Alabama have seen more snow than we have.

Lots of black ice conditions that stupid people STILL have not learned to slow down, wrecking and often taking other vehicles along with them.

Again, my little area has had completely dry roads and no snow accumulation. We have had 25 mph wind gusts and sleeting rain that did not stick because the ground was too warm.

Friday and Saturday, my horses went out in blankets for the first time in four years --- I didn't realize how mild our winters have been until I had to go digging for the blankets. Both are in their early 20's and both were happy to have some extra covering. Today will be almost void of wind, the sun will be partially out and we are supposed to hit a high of 34(F), so no blankets.

This was yesterday -- a bad weather day for us but a fantastic weather day for all of you further north --- stay warm and safe/)


----------



## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> There is a no travel advisory across a pretty good chunk of the province right now. That's ok, I'm not going anywhere. I can't believe how much snow melted in so little time. And in the middle of January to boot. If this were March or April, it wouldn't be so bad, because it would keep melting and dry up. But this time of year, it's all just going to freeze solid. Here's a picture of that flooded cow barn. They evacuated the calves, but some of the cows are still in there. Low tonight is -12C. This is all going to freeze solid. I don't know how they could even survive. I guess we're lucky, all things considered.


Dear me, AA; that looks like Harvey in Texas earlier this year, only . . . Colder 
That has real potential for being apocalyptic; if (when) it gets cold again, and all of that standing water solidifies . . . Grim to say the least :-(

Sending "warm" wishes your way. Steve


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

george the mule said:


> Dear me, AA; that looks like Harvey in Texas earlier this year, only . . . Colder
> That has real potential for being apocalyptic; if (when) it gets cold again, and all of that standing water solidifies . . . Grim to say the least :-(
> 
> Sending "warm" wishes your way. Steve


It's a lovely day here today despite the ice. I have not seen updated pictures of that cow barn, but I did read that all the cows were removed and are safe, though very cold. There was a call out to volunteers with blankets and towels, and people helped out in great numbers. Unfortunately, the farmer lost all of his feed, hay and bedding. And I imagine there is now an ice rink all around, and inside, his barn and house. Not good. There is a GoFundme set up, and people are being very generous, but I don't know how he will recover. 

We were spared, thankfully. The paddock is icy, but also has bare ground patches. The sand I brought in a few weeks ago has helped to keep some problem areas from becoming pools of water/ice. I'm waiting for the sun to warm it a bit, then will go out and spread more sand on top of the icy areas (I set aside two giant bins of the stuff just for this purpose!). It should stick nicely once the top layer is warmed a bit. It's -12C right now though, and we will not see temps go above freezing this week so any frozen areas are going to remain frozen, sadly. Many roads are still closed, and a few bridges were taken out. There are ice jams everywhere, now frozen solid. It is not a nice sight this time of year. We are used to spring floods, but a flood in January is very bad. 

Hoping for snow now, so we can have decent footing in the paddock again. I'm sure we won't have to wait long...


----------



## PunchnMe (Jan 1, 2018)

Another woe I have... 
My horses water heater broke. And we have more snow on the way.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

This is what my paddock looks like. I've spread out as much sand as I can, but the horses still refuse to leave their stalls. I'm just giving them hay in their stalls because I don't want to encourage them to try to walk around. This corner is the worse - and yes, that is my daughter skating in the paddock. When life hands you lemons... 

We can only hope to get a decent snowfall soon. Luckily, my horses don't act silly and just refuse to go out when it's icy. They don't even like hard, frozen ground. I think it's because their doors are always open, so they don't get excited for turnout like horses that are cooped up. 

I'm still thankful it wasn't worse here, and that we were able to divert the water away from our house. My back is paying the price for it today, but better than 4" of ice in the paddock. At least most of the paddock was able to drain and dry out somewhat.

Update on the flooded cow barn: there was no loss of life, all animals are ok. Damages are pretty massive, however, and are still being assessed.


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Oh my --- that is leg-breaking material. At least your daughter is making good use of it

We had an ice storm one year, when I had all four horses, and we got so much non-melting ice, I kept the horses out of the main pasture for five days. I was able to let them in the one acre beside the barn as it sloped on one edge and kept that area to where the horses could break thru what ice there was. 

The four of them were getting on each other's nerves by the sixth day when I opened the gate to the main pasture, lollol. The areas between the pasture gate and the paddock gate held a lot of ice so I kept those heavily sanded. For me it was easy and cheap enough to buy several 50# bags of sand at Lowe's; between gates was not near the big area you have to deal with.

We are supposed to warm into the 40's (F) tomorrow (Monday), then go back to below or near freezing the rest of the week. I like Middle Tennessee's idea of winter but I am no fan of these weather events we have all been experiencing


----------



## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

Our temperatures here in MN have been bouncing up and down this month too. Coldest Christmas in a generation, then got above freezing for a couple of days, and then back to our baseline of 22 below zero every night. (That's -30C for you folks who are using the system I had to learn 50 years ago but we still haven't adopted.) 

Right now it's 7 above with a 7 mph west wind. The horses are fine, you can go out there and take your glove off and warm your hand up by wrapping it around one of their ears. But the chickens are suffering. We've never seen this much frostbite before, and this is the first year we've had any since the new super coop.

Any time the temperature gets to double digits above zero I have to run out and hook up the hoses and fill the tanks while I have the chance. Then make very sure they are drained and blown out before they freeze solid. The cattle tank requires two extension cords to reach an outlet, so I only have a 250 watt heater in it. Of course that is inadequate for sub zero, so I end up hauling five gallon buckets of hot water from the laundry room to help keep it open. Today is the 16th? At least January is half over.


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Joel Reiter said:


> Our temperatures here in MN have been bouncing up and down this month too. Coldest Christmas in a generation, then got above freezing for a couple of days, and then back to our baseline of 22 below zero every night. (That's -30C for you folks who are using the system I had to learn 50 years ago but we still haven't adopted.)
> 
> Right now it's 7 above with a 7 mph west wind. The horses are fine, you can go out there and take your glove off and warm your hand up by wrapping it around one of their ears. But the chickens are suffering. We've never seen this much frostbite before, and this is the first year we've had any since the new super coop.
> 
> Any time the temperature gets to double digits above zero I have to run out and hook up the hoses and fill the tanks while I have the chance. Then make very sure they are drained and blown out before they freeze solid. The cattle tank requires two extension cords to reach an outlet, so I only have a 250 watt heater in it. Of course that is inadequate for sub zero, so I end up hauling five gallon buckets of hot water from the laundry room to help keep it open. Today is the 16th? At least January is half over.


Ugh... poor chickens. And poor you for having to haul water from your laundry room! 

Temps are staying seasonal here, which means cold, but not outrageously so. Still too cold for any ice to melt though, so all I can hope for is a good snowfall that will stick to the ice and that I can pack down. The horses still refuse to leave their stalls (well, the go from one stall to the other where there is a bit of bedding that always spills out in front of their stalls, creating good footing) even though I sanded the side of the paddock that is closest to the barn. They just know the footing is bad and won't have any part of it. Probably a good thing they have such good sense. But they need to exercise, and I need to ride! 

Tomorrow night we are supposed to get 10 cm. I'm hoping for more.


----------



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Wow, that is crazy! Warmed up here, to just around 0, but no rain or ice...yet.


----------



## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Well, everything is melting here today. It was around plus 6C.
I took Charlie for a ride across the field next door, which has about 2 to 3 feet of snow. Even so, it felt slick at ground,, dirt field level.
Think I will do my first haul this winter to an indoor on Thurs.
Can't wait for all the ice, once temps drop again-NOT!


----------



## Phantomrose (Jul 25, 2016)

Temps have been going up and down throughout the week. It is snowing at the moment, and suppose to be going until sometime tomorrow. 

When I went to the barn on Sunday everything was melted, save for some ice. The ground in the paddocks wasn’t slushy or muddy, and my guy seemed content with his herd group. I managed to slip a bit when I went to turn him back out after he ate his dinner. He just stood there and looked at me like I was silly. He also liked knocking my hat off of my head to watch me bend down to pick it up. He has a silly personality at times.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

Minnesota is experiencing a record breaking April snowstorm. The Twin Cities have been under a blizzard warning most of the day and snow totals are expected to exceed 15". Up here on the estate, the wind is howling, the snow is falling, and it's supposed to continue until 7 tomorrow night.

I'm sitting here on pins and needles hoping for an announcement that church is canceled tomorrow, because I really don't want to put in a Herculean effort to get out the driveway tomorrow when I could just stay home and wait for it to melt. I mean, it is April!


----------



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

^^^I get Weather Nation and also The Weather Channel. I saw on both channels that Minnesota is getting pummeled

I would not risk trying to get to church, if they don't cancel it. 

This blizzard is bad news for your wild life and livestock that are giving birth

I imagine your spring planting should have started already?

Stay safe and warm


----------



## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

walkinthewalk said:


> ^^^I get Weather Nation and also The Weather Channel. I saw on both channels that Minnesota is getting pummeled
> I would not risk trying to get to church, if they don't cancel it.
> This blizzard is bad news for your wild life and livestock that are giving birth
> I imagine your spring planting should have started already?
> Stay safe and warm


Our winter storm warning has been extended to 10 PM. The windshield on the pickup is coated with ice. I imagine the driveway has a similar surface under the snow.

Ha. Today is the day I was supposed to get the horses and all the hay and manure piles off the winter pasture so it could be reseeded. I expect that will be a panic effort once this snow melts.


----------



## Cowboygeh (Apr 6, 2018)

Not quit as minastoa (think I spelled that right) but with is getting dumped on (at least were I am) everything is icey and we are suppose to get around two feet


----------



## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Wow, that sounds pretty miserable. We are getting it in the form of rain/sleet/freezing rain tomorrow night. 

I just went out to dump the compost, and when I stand on the snow surrounding the compost bin, my feet are above the top of the bin. This bin is about 3 feet tall. And that snow is dense, hard-packed ice that will take forever to melt. 

The paddock is less snowy because we've been plowing it, but it's a big muddy mess.


----------

