My guys are penned in the sacrifice area - it’s off the barn and they have access to that and a run-in. It also has a gentle slope and drains pretty well. That said, it just rained for 4 hours, sun just popped out, and I’m now afraid to even look down there.
I won’t let them onto the grass until the ground is frozen rock hard, then they can have the run of the joint. We are all grass farmers here 
Sunny = cold
warm almost always means cloudy (clouds trap the heat).
Last winter was bitterly, bitterly, bitterly, bitterly, bitterly, horribly (I could go on) cold–but sunny. I’ll take 55 degrees and misting over negative 30 with a strong wind any day.
Yes, my sacrifice paddock surface is mud, lol. Or snow, or whatever. I hate the thaws, because the mud gets churned up, freezes, and then it’s hell to pick manure, it’s hell on ankles. I have three horses, and I have to ask DH how big the area is, because I’m clueless. Some day I want to dig up just the main traffic area and put down some layers of something so it gets less mucky. It’s fine if it stays dry or frozen, but that leaves a lot of time for it to be a mess.
And yes, anything goes as far as weather. And it never goes from warm/wet to dry to cold/snow. It’s wet and then it freezes, so that all the gate latches are stuck and you have to struggle with them in the morning, and so driving is a challenge, walking is a challenge, etc. I am happy the fog is gone-I was getting claustrophobic.
I’m impressed with the fortitude you guys have to summon up in order to keep your horses!
Let me tell you about winter where I live: free draining volcanic plateau, 20 acres divided into 3 paddocks - about half is old riverbed liberally interspersed with native grasses and stones.
11 Horses out 24/7/365 and rotated between paddocks. We have two growth spurts per year - one in spring, and the other in autumn. Spring = haymaking time.
So: we have just finished hay making. and the horses are grazing off the rubbish grass/weeds in the higher paddock which is the most free-draining. Then, they will go down to the riverbed, which is like a paddock paradise with trails through the bush and broom, and finally, in high summer will go into the hay paddock which will be largely ‘standing hay’ , until the autumn flush. No stables, rugged during the 3 months of chilly subalpine winter, and supplementary feeding when/if they come into work.
Hay is fed out over the winter months according to the amount of available forage in the paddocks.
Bonus is the lovely hard hooves that come from running around on hard pumice ground, and over river stones. And nicely toned bodies, and calm heads. Herd life is definitely the way to go!
Horse keeping is SO easy!
Did someone hear something? I swear there was a post #44, but maybe not, I can’t see or hear a thing. 
DH says the sacrifice area is 60 x 80. All three are older horses, relatively calm for the most part. Although the half draft has her snort and buck moments, and there’s plenty of room for that. As long as I’m on the outside, which isn’t always the case.
I’m moving to New Zealand.
I am also moving to New Zealand! At least the part that is free draining volcanic riverbed!
I have a friend in Australia, (not sure which part, I’m assuming the most populous area) and she has issues with weather too. Flooding, fires, etc. So the mud’s not all bad.
My sacrifice area is only about 60x80 too! (well, maybe? even a bit smaller) I am worrying about ‘how much time’ I’ll be having to put all 2.5 of them on that this winter. 
one mini, (the devil) one 18 yr old bottom of the totem pole gelding and one 18 month old yet to be determined in socializing (not here yet) filly. Yes, nice large 12 x 24 matted run in with heated muck tub for water and dry / plentiful spot for haying…but I never knew how much my small cross fenced grass areas would be eaten down even in winter! I just expected : Winter = haying. Are you guys saying if its a hard freeze then they don’t eat it to nubs/destroy it? Not at all sure how I’ll be handling this…
ayrabz, Mine still eat dormant grasses when the ground is frozen hard… So I am only giving them full turnout every few days in the afternoon as a treat. They will eat it to the dirt, even with hay available. I’m hoping for some good snow cover soon.
Makes me wish I had gotten more of the place fenced this summer! So much to do!!!
Simke, a few months ago I rehabbed 2 turnout paddocks with geotex and 2 different surfaces. One is stone dust, the other is a crusher run/millings that, once the dust has washed off and settled, is much like pea gravel. I have it about 3 inches deep and will add a few more inches in the summer. I’ll also be putting this over the stone dust. It is so much nicer than stone dust - softer feel, drains better, and easy to pick. Also, $400 less per dump load. Love it!
Thinking about you this morning Simkie as I walked through the 41 degree rain to the paddock. What a cesspool (my whole farm, not necessarily just the horse area). 2 days of rain again on top of all this melted snow. The only thing I am sure I did right was build the run in shelter up a few feet higher than everything else. At least they can get out of the mud and rain on dry ground.
I would vastly prefer sun, frozen ground and snow!
If I win the lotto I’m paving roads and extra wide sidewalks everywhere on this place.
I just didn’t even try today, TTP. Slept in. (Ponies had plenty of hay to see them through.) When I went out, the driveway was squishy…I am learning this is a sure sign that the fields are terrible.
Good news is I can use this thaw to smooth out some of the ruts in my sacrifice.
This times eleventy billion million.
Snow! It snowed! And it’s been cold! My horses are out on the field with enough snow cover to keep their feet off the grass and there is no mud. Yay!
(It’s also SUNNY! WOOO.)
I have never been so excited for cold and snowy weather in my entire life.
How are things at your place, TTP?
BRRRR! Frozen! My mud has frozen into deep ruts for now. Decent snow cover–just under 2" (a little sparse in some areas). I’m turning out though!
Tonight is going to be wicked cold! My husband is so cute (picture the anti-farmer) and on his own bought a tie-ring so we can rig the hay bag up in the run-in. (I was going to put some in on the ground, but I won’t tell him that). Normally I just feed out on the fence. He even filled the water trough today. Oh to be on Christmas break (lucky teacher)!
Even the chickens will get a heat lamp tonight.
Awwww…how sweet of Mr TTP to consider the ponies!
We got about 5 inches of snow Friday night, I guess it was. It’s cold enough that all of the bedding in my stalls is frozen. It would be funny if it weren’t such a royal pain in the ass…might have to consider switching to shavings.
No temps above freezing on the 10 day forecast. Low of -12 tomorrow. Definitely COLD. Definitely no mud, though! Will swap about medium weight blankets for heavies tonight. (And feel bad about pulling off nice, warm, toasty blankets and putting on cold ones, but warming the blankets in the house is probably a little overboard, right?)
-15 actual temp tonight, but the wind chill advisory is -30. UGH.
But it is sunny today. And six degrees out. 
Oh, maybe I should click on that “windchill advisory” in red at the top of the wunderground page? :lol:
Yup, -15 to -25 win chill tonight and into tomorrow. Geez. We’ve had a very nice few days with little wind…really sad that has to end.
Stay warm, TTP!!
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