Yep moaning AGAIN

[MrC]

Seems to be a thing just now lol

This weather is killing me!! Yesterday was 14degrees, lovely sunshine until about 6.30pm then suddenly it was bouncing it down with heavy torrential rain and then hail, yes hail

I just got back onto the yard and Kia in the stable before it came down, we managed a nice little 6km hack in under 45mins.

I’ve also given up grooming, he is a total hippo, everyday right at the gate. I’ve given up l, anytime I’m going anywhere I’m just getting a bucket of warm soapy water and brushing him down with it and hosing his legs and tail then rugging him up.

Today it was barely 4 due to the freezing strong wind and rain. To drop back down to 0 with the windchill over the next few day.

Sick to the back teeth of winter and it’s just not for bloody letting go

Mud monster looking pleased with himself



Many people I know are selling their horses if they have more than one, many are downsizing if they have a few youngsters and yards are reducing numbers due to the mess of the land, even though they are not overstocking, also many people like me with older horses aren’t willing to put them through winters like this one has been so many are looking to PTS once he grass stops growing.

I think it’s put a lot into perspective for people, I’m lucky in that my yard makes it’s own hay and gets straw from the YOs relative, he buys in shavings and sells them at cost. I’m being honest I may switch Kia back to straw as £7.50 a bale every 7/10days isn’t as cost effective as straw is at £20 a round bale that lasts me 7/8 weeks.

Good news though I have been made permanent at my new job so I’ll get a wage rise and I’m now More stable financially, I have been saving like crazy and going without to make sure I had a nest egg incase I went back to a Lower paying job or I had no job other than my casual one. So feeling better that I can provide for my boy and keep myself in the ok as well without having to work 7days a week between two jobs

 

[OwnedbyChanter]

I think we all feel your pain. My boys normally come in every night for a groom ginger ridden and turn back out but the last couple of weeks it’s pointless they are just wet and muddy.

I keep saying I will not put chanter through another move so if we have to move towards the end of this year.

I am broke with buying hay still and they are still on winter feeds trying to keep weight on them.

My only saving grace is I gave an indoor school

 

[MrC]

I think we all feel your pain. My boys normally come in every night for a groom ginger ridden and turn back out but the last couple of weeks it’s pointless they are just wet and muddy.

I keep saying I will not put chanter through another move so if we have to move towards the end of this year.

I am broke with buying hay still and they are still on winter feeds trying to keep weight on them.

My only saving grace is I gave an indoor school

Honestly if I had to buy hay in I think I’d have had to call it. Hay and Haylege around here is expensive to buy as farmers didn’t get much made. It’s being shipped from down south so the prices have shot up

I’m the same with feeds Kia is still on three daily and four if I ride, down from five mind you but he’s stopping eating the stuff he was getting so I’ve had to put him on summer feed mixed with what he will eat from the winter lot and it’s more expensive that the winter feeds

 

[Prjsmk]

Its so horrible, everyones so sick of it! whenwill it end?

lovely pic of mud monster by the way

 

[Star the Fell]

I’ll try to get a picture of my mud monster, he makes yours look squeaky clean. I’m sure he dives face first into every muddy puddle he finds!

 

[Flipo's Mum]

Again, I’m with you. I honestly have to keep reminding myself that’s it not winter anymore and that the clocks have changed so I should change my routine!! I usually feed, get back home, change, out for a run around the roads in the town and back for about half seven and that’s me for the night.
Once the clocks change, I usually take my running gear down to the field along with my tack or a book or something and just spend about three hours down there. I poo pick on a daily basis aswell.
But the weather keeps me thinking that it’s still winter and I’m still on winter routine in my head. We’ve ended up on haylage because the yard ran out of hay, and my horse is looking w little too good coming into spring, there is just the start of grass appearing, and I’m fed the feck up!!!!!

 

[lauren123]

I'm having a pain with it too Mr C!
sox is eating meadow hay not rye. My new supplier has ran out of meadow hay so i have been buyig it elsewhere. Though they are now running out! I am going to try my old supplier but my YO wouldn't want a round bale randomly on the yard. However what am I suppose to do?! He wont eat the YO hay or the rye hay, the other supplier is running low... It was lovely .. 2 days ago, then it dropped. Heavy heavy rain, fields are like lakes. Horses have been in for a good 2 months

 

[Jessey]

Flash flooding here this morning, after T-shirt weather yesterday, I am pretending that this long wet bit means we will get the most awesome summer I can live in hope

That's great news about your job though @MrC, that must have lifted such a weight off you

 

[Lemme]

5 mud monsters here, was drying up a little until yesterdays deluge and back to square one, we are still feeding hay and haylage to supplement, we have used to date 10 times more than we did last year, living out there is little point in trying to do anything with them, the summer paddocks are trying to green up but still too wet to put them in them as they will be as bad as the winter fields if we do, however if it keeps up we are going to have to chose one of them for sacrificial purposes as we need to move the boys and bring the girls down into where the boys are as the top of hill fence line and gate area is now a dangerous combination of grumpy ponies and fed up humans.

 

[Lissie]

Congrats on the permanent job offer! I know exactly how you feel, looking back to photos last year and I was xc schooling and it looked so much greener and drier. The mud is awful and although my field is pretty good getting to it is horrible, I worry about the horses legs wading through it too. I have an old boy seriously thinking I don't want him going through another winter like this and it's likely a decision will be made in summer. I really hope this isn't how winters are going to be from now on!!

 

[Trewsers]

We have been buying hay shipped up, so I feel everyones pain with the feed bills! I was buyg bagged hayledge for ours at £11 a small bag - but now I have some nice hay which is £6.50 a small bale. I was lucky to be able to source some straw which has been shipped up too - it's £6.50 a bale but worth every penny as Bedmax at £10.80 was killing me, considering I was getting through four or five bales per week!
Roll on summer anyway, our fields are just awful - apart from the summer paddocks which we are saving. Even the yard is muddy!!!

 

[Cortrasna]

Congratulations on the job MrC that must be a huge relief for you. Still depths of winter here too. I was looking back at some pics of Dolly and the donkeys this time last year - apart from how different and relatively dry the land looked - I see my donks had their rain sheets off and Dolly was enjoying a rare day out without any rug at all. today I have sprayed one of her sweet itch rugs all over with waterproof spray - I have to get one on her as the midges are starting again and I can't put a rain sheet over the top as she just drips sweat. Grumble, grumble, grumble - tis a winter thing isn't it if you have horses?

Longest winter I can ever remember to be honest

 

[Trewsers]

It has seemed a long haul hasn't it? It's very very windy here today, nothing new but, it's truly cold too - looking out the kitchen window it looks a lovely day but I've just been out there to feed them and it's still hat, coat, gloves, bodywarmer weather

 

[MrC]

I know I was looking at memories in Facebook from 4yrs ago and it’s sunny and warm and Kia’s looking great, summer coat coming in the lot!!

Went down to sort his stable out and get him in, they were all just standing at the fence line across the road waiting, as soon as he saw me I got a head flip and a grumpy demanding headhsake and grumble to get my butt over there and get him in.

Dragged me to his stable and put his head straight into his lunch feed and promptly ignored me, I just went back to work and I’m currently watching the trees blowing in the stiff chilly wind

Going to go for a hack tonight but I think I’ll be wrapped up in several layers rather than just a hoodie and my hiviz

 

[newforest]

We have been buying hay shipped up, so I feel everyones pain with the feed bills! I was buyg bagged hayledge for ours at £11 a small bag - but now I have some nice hay which is £6.50 a small bale.

Eeeeeeeek £6.50 a bale!!!!
Omg we use two a day here. Never ever had to buy in small but all the supplies around here are empty.
We can't move to Spring grazing the cob is a slim 364kg.

 

[newforest]

It has seemed a long haul hasn't it? It's very very windy here today, nothing new but, it's truly cold too - looking out the kitchen window it looks a lovely day but I've just been out there to feed them and it's still hat, coat, gloves, bodywarmer weather

I' ve been in a t shirt since the start of this month. However I am weird. Saying that I do still have a summer waterproof if I want it. But generally I am warm, then cold, then it's too warm again.
My arm is just getting the sniff of a tan.

 

[Trewsers]

I' ve been in a t shirt since the start of this month. However I am weird. Saying that I do still have a summer waterproof if I want it. But generally I am warm, then cold, then it's too warm again.
My arm is just getting the sniff of a tan.

I am normally hot in a morning and peel off my layers whilst mucking out, but this year, oh my it has just been so cold here

 

[Trewsers]

Eeeeeeeek £6.50 a bale!!!!
Omg we use two a day here. Never ever had to buy in small but all the supplies around here are empty.
We can't move to Spring grazing the cob is a slim 364kg.

We go through three a day atm, because madam is box resting and Chloe won't leave her side, so she has nets hung up about the yard. Prince Zi finds nibbles and comes and goes but he does have a large haynet at night, he's a big boy at 17hh and takes some filling up! When summer comes I'll be much better off financially.

 

[Trewsers]

Eeeeeeeek £6.50 a bale!!!!
Omg we use two a day here. Never ever had to buy in small but all the supplies around here are empty.
We can't move to Spring grazing the cob is a slim 364kg.

We go through three a day atm, because madam is box resting and Chloe won't leave her side, so she has nets hung up about the yard. Prince Zi finds nibbles and comes and goes but he does have a large haynet at night, he's a big boy at 17hh and takes some filling up! When summer comes I'll be much better off financially.

 

[newforest]

A before and after four buckets of water. Rarely do I rinse her because it's literally taking your life in your hands and I really really should wear my hat! Annoyed that I am thinking this now, not then.
The norm is to brush what's dry after work.