I’m actually doing okay. No indoor, but I’ve gotten on the baby five days a week and the big guy (who lives twenty miles away) 3-4 times a week. Lots of walking, sometimes just up and down the driveway, but they are both halfway fit. I actually hauled them out to an indoor yesterday and had jumping lessons on both of them and they went great. The Training horse pretty much pulled my arms off he was so excited to jump. I’m taking them both to a CT at Thorncroft Sunday, so we’ll see how that goes (8 AM dressage, eek!) but I’m cautiously optimistic that we will be ok to compete by early April.
I am so, so, SO over winter. Was hoping to move up to Prelim in April, but right now it’s looking more like May, if ever! Our small ring is now just soggy and the neighborhood seems to take 2 weeks longer for the snow to melt, so doing any hill work or hacks is out of the question since it’s slick as hell.
I feel just a teensy bit smug hearing our recently-returned-from-Florida friends complaining about the weather. Now you know how we’ve felt for (going on 3) months! :winkgrin:
I didn’t even have grand early-spring plans but this is miserable all around. Every spring I feel a little behind (it’s the holidays, it’s cool to skip riding while it’s cold, then suddenly it’s Morven opening date . . . ) but this spring I am going to accept being way further behind than that. I don’t have an arena at my place, often trailer out, but this winter the roads haven’t been consistently trailer-safe either. Ugh!
Have ridden maybe 6 times since Jan- 3 times in last week. No indoor, frozen ring, knee deep pasture. Was really hoping to get jump schools in once weekly after a great 2weeks in Aiken way, way ,way back in Jan. riding 4 yr old is like Groundhog Day - can’t make progress when you are on once every 3 weeks or so. With all the wet, xc schooling will be limited as well. Dressage horse has forgotten all her dressage( as have I) . Can’t even hack out- mud…
Just feeding them and picking up horse sh***.
I haven’t ridden since Nov. How I miss the winter hacks. One or two above -15c days of weather, and the footing is glare ice, so even then, can’t ride. Barn doors frozen shut due to the torrential rains we had a week ago. Vet due out today, and all of my halters are in the barn, hopefully pony will be fine for vet with a dog leash used to handle her. From here on in, I will keep spare halters and shanks up at the house in case of emergency.
We already lost one oldster due to the severe cold(I’m sure he would have not gone downhill so fast had it not been so freakingly cold for so long). This winter has been the worst ever!
Big mare finally ok in her shoes. Two lovely rides. Easy, quiet canter, doesn’t run into the transition, shift of weight brings her back to a quiet trot. I think “maybe in five weeks we COULD go to a little event.” Look at the forecast for next week: 8"+ of snow and ice. Back to my regularly scheduled whining. Anybody else want a margarita and a cupcake?
Of course, I have all weekend off and the weather is decent, but Stella the dog is having some emotional issues…and I don’t know if taking her to the barn to ride would be good for her or bad.
And, I should be packing since I’m moving! I hate being a grown up.
Speaking of Morven - do you MD/VA folks think the jump footing is likely to be decent by the end of the month, or is it too soon to tell?
If we have an ok month (After Monday, that is), it should be fine. It always comes back just fine. It’s often muddy, and Morven can be a crapshoot regarding weather (I’ve there when it was 60 on the Saturday and snowing on the Sunday. There was that year very recently where there was sleet and snow for the intermediate), anyway, but most of the time it is at least doable.
Ride??? Is that why I keep taking care of those beasts ;)? I hopped on bareback once or twice in early winter, now the “footing” is a mix of varying depths of packed snow, frozen, cut up slush, and glare ice with a few patches of dirt for variety. They are getting some turnout, but riding is not happening.
Even if I wanted to ship out, I can’t get my trailer out - that would require moving a snowbank of packed and frozen snow that is 3-4’ deep and about 15’ wide.
I don’t have much in the way of eventing plans, but I am planning on a couple of big trail rides at the end of May and mid-June along with driving shows that I want my TB trained for. She is almost ready to hook, but the “footing” mentioned above even prevents working on that :(.
So, so SO OVER IT. My cutoff is single digits; anything above, and I’ll still work. It barely gets into the low double digits in the middle of the day right now, and by the time I get to the barn it’s low singles or below zero. My horse, who wears a lined blanket only for single digits and below, has not had his off for 6+ weeks.
Every time it goes up into the high teens or low 20s, it snows so much I can’t get to the barn. Even on the handful of good days where the stars have lined up…I’ve been sick, or injured myself, or working late, or out of town.
We’re holding together a work schedule by the skin of my teeth but our progress is incremental at the very best. I am suffering from some serious jealousy at seeing photos of friends riding without a million layers, or outside…or even riding at all…
[QUOTE=weixiao;7456276]
Big mare finally ok in her shoes. Two lovely rides. Easy, quiet canter, doesn’t run into the transition, shift of weight brings her back to a quiet trot. I think “maybe in five weeks we COULD go to a little event.” Look at the forecast for next week: 8"+ of snow and ice. Back to my regularly scheduled whining. Anybody else want a margarita and a cupcake?[/QUOTE]
Margarita and cupcake? Yes please :yes:
I am sick of it. I kept a decent humor about until about 2 weeks ago and then I hit my limit. We have had mostly single digits with some teens (highs) for so long now and I’m just done. I want to ride, I have a bunch of horses I need to get into serious programs, two of which I want to sell this spring, so I’d really like to get them going. But taking care of 15 horses worth of chores plus teaching some lessons for the hardcore students and then I am just D.O.N.E. being outside in the frigid weather. Today it is passable. I’m hoping it will at least be regularly in the 30s soon.
Luckily for me, I moved my horse to a barn with an indoor in November. Its the first time I’ve ever had an indoor and I am incredibly grateful for it. There have still been plenty of days where I have just decided its too cold and taking my horse’s blankets off and trying to ride with twenty layers on just isn’t worth it, but at least I have the option to ride if I feel motivated enough.
The first event is supposed to be early May but we’ll see how long it takes for all the snow to melt and the grass track, fields, and hills to be rideable. My guy has a fairly decent fitness base, but we’ll have to see what he looks like when the competitions get closer.
I managed to get lucky with the weather and had an opportunity to take him to a little jumper show a couple weeks ago after spending an hour digging the trailer out of the snow bank it was in. It was low key and we only did the 2’6" classes but it was nice for both of us to get out and do something different.
I am beyond ready for some warmer weather. I would take 40 degrees and some sun at this point.
Ive probably ridden 10 times in the last 3 months. I really want to work hard on the new horse to event myself, and train her to be the kid’s next pony club horse. Now we’re in for another foot of snow and a week of cold weather 
[QUOTE=KayBee;7455051]
My internal thermostat has reset itself and when it hits the high 20s I think it’s warm out. Most of the time.
I’m fortunate enough to have access to an indoor. Last night, I rode. It was not only cold, but windy.
Had a good ride, put the horse away, and got in my car. Yay, heated seats, I thought.
Turned on heat, convinced myself that I was warm.
Got home, had a little to eat, made a cup of tea. Got under the covers (flannel sheets, cotton blanket, and down comforter) and… proceeded to shiver violently for 10 minutes.
Weird.
I’m coping well, mostly, but the news that another storm is heading this way is making me so. Very. Tired.[/QUOTE]
Your core temperature had fallen too low, watch out for that, it can sneak up on you. You may have been a little dehydrated too, that does not help.
I am so over this weather, especially now that we have a foot of ICA and snow forecasted for tonight and tomorrow. I’ve kept everyone in work, but just barely. Our three babies are coming along but they don’t need more than a 1/2 hour 4-5 days per week. It’s the 3 that should be competing that are not getting their due. My initial plan was to run the UL horse at prelim at SP1 and intermediate at Morven. That was revised to a later start with Morven at prelim and Carolina at intermediate. Well, with this weather, Morven has been x-ed out and I’m thinking either Carolina or Loudoun for our first run and plans for another 2* before June are canceled. The other two are just chilling, and plans to run them later are just sketchy at best.
Hate revising plans over and over. I’ve got horses to sell but I can’t even get a decent video of them, leave alone get them out in public to be seen. I have another sales horse who we were planning to bring in 2 months ago and we keep rescheduling due to the forecast. Regardless, they still eat the same and still require shoes and shots. Business “plan” revised accordingly. Aargh.
And given this weather, we now have our “survival mode” in practice. Grooming is minimal, exercise boots are stored away, and manes are taggy and long. Bridle paths? Nope. We just slap the dusty tack on and hunker down in the saddle.
Just saw Windurra was having a CT on April 26th. Now I am really frustrated. Well, maybe we will be ready for a WT dressage test. Sigh.
My riding partner for the last 9 years died in the fall, and a friend loaned me her horse to ride and keep my remaining horse company. I think I’ve gotten on about 5 times since then. No indoor and lots of snow on the ground. He’s a really safe and sane guy, but between winter brain, not being ridden regularly, and being in a new locale, riding is mostly just trying to keep all our marbles safely in our marble box. The last barn he was at never took him anywhere, and let him get away with spooking at stuff, so coming to my house was a shocker for him.
I’m just happy I’m not competing anymore. This way I don’t feel guilty about not riding / training.
I am in Maine, and it’s COLD, and we still have a foot of snow on the ground. I do have an indoor but Mare has been NQR, probably stiff from not being able to move much in her paddock - the snow is frozen, I can walk on top of it, and she hates to break through it - so I’ve decided to give her time off for a week or so, waiting for the weather to break. It’s MARCH, darn it, it will get warmer eventually, right?!!!
When it’s warmer, when the snow is softer and/or has melted, and I can ride her outside, I’ll get back on. I get cabin fever riding in the crowded indoor.
