# Least Favorite Chore when it's cold.



## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

I was wondering what everyone's least favorite barn chore is when it's cold and there's snow on the ground. I'll start off.

My least favorite is scraping the snow off of the wheels of the wheel barrow. We don't have a tractor or a manure spreader, so it gets put in a big pile in the woods on the BO's property. If I don't scrape the snow off, I end up having a wobbly crap carrier which catches so many shavings it's not even funny.


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## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

Anything involving water basically. We bought an extra set of water buckets for the girls so we can just bring them back and fourth to clean them instead of having to do it at the barn. Just tonight I spilled water down the front of me and I thought my hair was going to freeze LOL


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

Chipping frozen horse manure out of the corrals. It's gets bad enough sometimes that I have to get my husband to go chip it off the ground so I can shovel it up. Then, because it's frozen solid, it's so heavy I can only move a half-wheelbarrow of it, so cleaning the corrals takes forever because I have to make twice as many trips. We don't make a pile, we spread it out in the back pasture to decompose but frozen poo doesn't spread so when it warms up, I have to go spread mounds and mounds of it then.


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

I'm a neat freak about my barn so anything that involves MUD.


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## Tink (Feb 15, 2009)

X2 on the water... we don't have a faucet at the barn, so that means carrying water from the faucet at the house. Even putting in the bucket of the tractor to take it out there isn't much fun.


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## Jake and Dai (Aug 15, 2008)

I'm fortunate enough to have a heated water trough in my barn (it's one big run in where the ponies can come and go as they like). But that leads me to the most hated winter chore, stripping that big space when there's more than a couple of inches of snow on the ground. I had a manure cart for our 4wheeler but bent the axle right before Christmas so now I have to use a wheel barrow. Good exercise but not easy!


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## Annaland13 (Oct 28, 2009)

Anything that involves water. I have bad circulation in general so my hand are pretty much numb in the winter. When I have to do water it's even worse.


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## Plains Drifter (Aug 4, 2009)

Carrying water from the heated drinker to the barn. It's not the carrying that I mind, it's the trudging through the snow drifts that are usually knee-thigh high.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Trimming hooves.


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## Luv 2 Trail (Jun 11, 2009)

I'd have to go with the chore of cleaning the water tub - GAH that water is COLD!!!!


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## Indyhorse (Dec 3, 2009)

Tink said:


> X2 on the water... we don't have a faucet at the barn, so that means carrying water from the faucet at the house. Even putting in the bucket of the tractor to take it out there isn't much fun.


Same here, there is only one outside spigot on my entire property, midway between the garage and barn, and it's froze up this winter, and my brilliant fiance broke the handle off figuring that one out :-x So now hauling buckets out of the shower every night to the barn is my most hated chore, along with hooking the hose to the hot water outlet for the washer in the laundry room to fill the big tank every other day. Bleh. This spring, getting a water line run into my barn no matter what!


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## whitetrashwarmblood (Aug 24, 2008)

Ditto with the water. 
I hate draggin the hose out to fill the troughs, and then having to drain the water out of the hose after wards.


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

charlicata said:


> I was wondering what everyone's least favorite barn chore is when it's cold and there's snow on the ground. I'll start off.
> 
> .


 
Cleaning out my horse's weewee.


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## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

LOL...you mean you can actually find it when it's cold???


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

charlicata said:


> LOL...you mean you can actually find it when it's cold???


 
If I put a mare in front of him it pops right out....LOL

Sex is not daunted by cold.


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## lacyloo (Jul 1, 2008)

Pitchforking hay and filling up waterers.


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## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

getting out of bed.


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## Skutterbotch (Dec 1, 2009)

lonestar22 said:


> getting out of bed.


agreed!


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Trimming hooves.


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## speedy da fish (May 7, 2009)

Filling up water buckets is the worst!
1st they are frozen over so I have to crack it and get it all out.
2nd the outdoor water tap is also frozen so I have to go into the house and get the buckets into the sink... lol what a scene! bring on spring!


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

I'm with everyone else, Water is the biggest concern. My main well pump blew a line and flooded my back yard a few days ago. Its out of commission till spring or I can get the money together to fix it. I just thank the good lord we had a submersible elect. pump put in my other well last spring and unhooked the windmill. I'd be waiting for wind or hand pumping otherwise. 
I also hate dealing with hay. They are on grass pasture all summer.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Wow, right now I'm really loving my frost-free pump. I mean I have problems with it sometimes and occaisionally my heaters get screwy and the tank freezes, but I only end up carrying buckets like 2-3 times a winter and that's usually for a day MAYBE 2. It did suck when I was at a friend's place and we had to haul water for 5 horses.

Still trimming hooves in the bitter cold feels worse in my experience. What I wouldn't do for a heated barn/arena really anything that didn't involve me standing outside for an hour.


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## NikkiFunston (Feb 15, 2010)

charlicata said:


> I was wondering what everyone's least favorite barn chore is when it's cold and there's snow on the ground. I'll start off.
> 
> My least favorite is scraping the snow off of the wheels of the wheel barrow. We don't have a tractor or a manure spreader, so it gets put in a big pile in the woods on the BO's property. If I don't scrape the snow off, I end up having a wobbly crap carrier which catches so many shavings it's not even funny.


 
I hate mucking the barn, they pee and it freezes, and so does the manure.


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## Walkamile (Dec 29, 2008)

I'm with the rest of you that haul water in the winter. Yuck! Especially trudging through freshly fallen knee deep snow. I get more water on me than in the tank! Also, having to clean out the water tank and refill it entirely.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

Delfina said:


> Chipping frozen horse manure out of the corrals. It's gets bad enough sometimes that I have to get my husband to go chip it off the ground so I can shovel it up. Then, because it's frozen solid, it's so heavy I can only move a half-wheelbarrow of it, so cleaning the corrals takes forever because I have to make twice as many trips. We don't make a pile, we spread it out in the back pasture to decompose but frozen poo doesn't spread so when it warms up, I have to go spread mounds and mounds of it then.


One year I tried blowing the poop and snow with the snowblower on my tractor. It worked for a little bit and I thought I was on to something until I broke the shear pin.


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## charlicata (Jan 12, 2010)

churumbeque said:


> One year I tried blowing the poop and snow with the snowblower on my tractor. It worked for a little bit and I thought I was on to something until I broke the shear pin.


 
Oh DANG...that stinks...literally...hehehe.:lol: The shear pin broke in our snowblower this last snow. Luckily the hubby had picked up some for just in case situations.

I know what you guys mean by the poo freezing. I'm kind of glad it does though. Makes it easier to pick up out of the shavings. Rosie likes to walk hers into the shavings...everywhere. I've been pretty lucky as far as the pee freezing though. Since I started cleaning the stalls in the morning before I go to work and in the evening, it's not so hard to get all of it.


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## reveriesgirly (Aug 17, 2009)

mine would probably be watering the barn. 24 horses in the barn and only 3 spikits in the barn ! and another would be breaking the ice in the feilds.


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## Maverick101 (Nov 8, 2009)

Well i hear everyone with regards to working w water in -40! Been there done that! That is why I when I built my barn I made sure it was heated....and had a watering system that allowed us not to worry about hauling or f*** w water in winter!

So I cant complain about that now....YAY!!! However, my least favorite winter chore now, is dumping the manure spreader in -40! Sitting there in the middle of the back 40 w the wind howling on your face not fun. And gotta love when the wind is swirling around, and blowing manure and pee soaked shavings into your face!


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