# How's your winter



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

We just got through a post Chinook storm but everything seems to have mellowed out and with any luck at all, I might be ready for Christmas on sometime in the next week or so :happy2:


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Record warm temperatures, 60+ on christmas eve day, and no snow. That is about 30 degrees above normal, and a foot low for snow in central New York.

We have a solid week of rain in the forecast, so today I'll start treating the TB mare with MTG so her scratches won't reoccur. Both mares have rain sheets on so they are good to go.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Thankfully, rain is not scheduled to happen for a while but it looks like it's going to snow on Christmas eve. I really hope that doesn't happen because it's safer for people traveling if the roads are clear.


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Warmer than normal temperatures here, too. Has been raining off and on for several days, major storm predicted to come in tonight ... even a possibility of a tornado with the thunderstorms ... high winds and heavy rain. Can't walk anywhere outside without the ground squishing.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

ABout a foot of snow on the ground and more coming. Definite white Christmas.


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

Warm & rainy.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Warm and wonderful so far!


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

We're supposed to get a fair bit of snow tomorrow and I really wish it wouldn't. There are way too many people trying to travel at this time of year and snow and bad roads make it so dangerous.


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## Declan (Jan 18, 2015)

Nasty rain today. Creek behind the house flooded out and I had a 15 foot wide river running through the yard that washed out part of one of my beds. Supposed to be close to 80 Christmas day.


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## tamarackreg (Mar 13, 2006)

Much warmer than normal!

Been working a lot but the weather seems to cooperate well with my time off so I've been able to ride on my abbreviated weekends. (w/o DST I dont get home from work in time to ride before dark). No snow on the ground means the roads aren't iced up. It is rare for them to be safely ridable this time of year. My horse is doing so well he's gonna get the buffet trimmed back a little. With riding this late into the year he should easily whip into shape in the spring.

A 5 day Christmas weekend means maybe we'll see 100 miles!


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

We had some high winds late this afternoon which took down some trees which in turn took down some fence. Thankfully there's the small pasture they can hang out in until it gets fixed so that they don't have to be shut up in the corral.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

We have snow and fog today and I'm committed to staying away from the city but there are plenty of accidents and it looks like the big guy is in for a long day.


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## tamarackreg (Mar 13, 2006)

Rode 20 miles yesterday and 34 today. 

Lovin' this el Nino!


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## tamarackreg (Mar 13, 2006)

Only got 8 miles in today. Heavy rain hit and we headed for home.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

Lots of warmth here on Long Island, NY. We've had a bit of rain this past week so not much happening. I'm hoping to get to the barn to ride on Monday (I ride a friend's two horses) but I've just started feeling a burning in my chest/throat, feel freezing and my temp is 99.5 when I'm never above 98 so I'm guessing I'm coming down with something so maybe I won't be riding this week?


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Well, winter arrived! Along with tornadoes and torrential flooding, which we coul have lived without. We are getting pounded with wind and rain all day, then probably snow overnight as the temps continue to plummet from a lovely 75 degrees yesterday to a chilly 45 right now, going to below freezing overnight. Cold temps linger for a while after this, but only at night will it be below freezing. I can handle that part...just hoping for no more wind after things settle down a bit.


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## Sumatra (Dec 5, 2013)

What winter? So far all I've seen is fall be extended for a while. Can't call it winter here in the 50's and without snow. If this goes on, it looks like we'll just have an early spring after this and nothing more.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

The bees are out buzzing around looking for food, and I was listening to crickets this morning, and it's been raining for three days straight.. 

I've got 5 pigs I need to get hung and butchered, and this freaky weather just won't allow the cold to come in.. It's costing me a fortune in pig food...

I've even passed on shooting a few deer because it's way too hot to let them hang.. If this keeps up I'm going to have to build me a walk in cooler.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

warmer than normal and not much snow, lots of rain.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

We had weather come in on the 24th and the highways resembled a giant curling rink so we spent the day at home with the dog, the big guy caught up on some sleep and it was just a generally low key kinda day.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

We have an ice storm coming in tonight and the weather PTB are already calling for power outages because of ice, wind, and the ground is completely saturated due to heavy rain.

I'll spend today filling water buckets in the house and barn, making ice, and making food that can be warmed up on the wood stove. 

I need to go to the feed store too, plus buy rock salt. 

At least when it was bitter cold all winter (for the last two years) there was no ice.


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## Sourdough (Dec 28, 2011)

It is Spring'time in ALASKA........it is in the mid-40's and some light rain.


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

Today...interesting. Very n ice.


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## Sourdough (Dec 28, 2011)

Looks to be "HOT" for the next few weeks.........http://www.adn.com/article/20151228/southcentral-high-wind-warnings-expand-gusts-reach-interior


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## flewism (Apr 2, 2007)

Right now ice


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Sourdough said:


> Looks to be "HOT" for the next few weeks.........http://www.adn.com/article/20151228/southcentral-high-wind-warnings-expand-gusts-reach-interior


I guess I never really thought about it before but I figured you'd have less wind.


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## stillhere (May 28, 2007)

It has been warm here 50 to 60.
Rain and ice last night then back up to 50.
I will take it. I have not put the water heaters in. 
Horses have been warm. I needed to clip my mare who has Cushings again.


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

All this dreary overcast sky is getting old. Sunshine on my shoulders would make me happyyyyy! LOL


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## RideBarefoot (Jun 29, 2008)

The first no rain day for probably a week. Mud, lots of mud. Lots of leg washing and MTG going on.


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

If this is global warming I love it.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Oh.. now I got Easter Lillys coming up..


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

forsythia is blooming


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

Forcast said:


> forsythia is blooming


Ours too on Long Island in NY.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

My Orchids are blooming really early in my windowsills! Usually they don't come out until Easter time! We had a little mix of weather over the weekend, thankfully the tornadoes in our area passed us by, but we got all the wind, lots of driving, pouring rain, then snow Sunday night to top it all off. Now it has been back in the 50's, with the temps expected to remain the same for a couple of weeks. I can't complain!! Better than what the northerners get in a winter!


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Nothing green, nothing sprouting and with the exception of the northern lights, there's no chance of seeing anything green for at least another 3 months.


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

Clear skies and SUN today. YAY!


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## tamarackreg (Mar 13, 2006)

Tried riding today but the roads are too icy and dangerous. Going to have to stay around home till spring.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

It is finally getting really cold here in NY and tomorrow I'm riding so I need to pull out the winter breeches!! The 6 year old OTTB mare I've been riding has been nuts so she was sent for some training boot camp with the owner's sister so it's just the 12 year old OTTB gelding left behind for me to ride. He's a good boy so we should have a good ride tomorrow.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

We had a post Chinook storm yesterday which gave us about a half foot of snow and it's cold enough today that the dog isn't overly enthusiastic about going outside.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

The ground finally froze so there's much less mud. That's always a good thing.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Annsni said:


> It is finally getting really cold here in NY and tomorrow I'm riding so I need to pull out the winter breeches!! The 6 year old OTTB mare I've been riding has been nuts so she was sent for some training boot camp with the owner's sister so it's just the 12 year old OTTB gelding left behind for me to ride. He's a good boy so we should have a good ride tomorrow.


Whatever happened to Whirl?


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

basketti said:


> Whatever happened to Whirl?


Awww - you remember my boy!!! Whirl's owner bought a farm about 2 hours away from here and moved him up there. It's a retirement farm and so Whirl is finally in a situation where he is really happy. He was named Whirl because of his spinning in the stall even when he could get outside in his little run-out. He now has a "stall" of sorts off of the side of the barn that is about 14' deep with roof over that, one solid wall and another wall that is the fence splitting the paddocks. He has about an acre to go out on and then he can go in his "stall" when he needs to and it is even set up like a regular stall with a hay net, fan, mats, shavings, hanging water bucket and food bucket. LOL He's too funny how happy he is! I go visit him every couple of months and hop on him but his arthritis is getting bad anyway so he's at the point of needing retirement anyway so this is good for him. 

When Whirl left, one of the young ladies at our barn who has two OTTBs and was finishing up college and working full time asked if I could start riding her horses and helping her out so now I'm with Harris. Like I said, her youngster went for training for the winter but Harris is a really good boy and I'm having some fun with him. He has been used as a jumper and so working on doing a little bit of retraining in dressage has been more than interesting especially when he's used to having such a tight rein on him to support him and I am suddenly letting him go having him begin to find his own balance before we start working on bringing it back a bit.  I even had someone else call me and ask me if I could work with her 6 year old OTTB and I did during September but I'm just too tight on time with homeschooling and having a family so I had to drop working with him right now. Maybe I can do a little more in the summer.


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

Woke up this morning to white stuff on the ground.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Teej said:


> Woke up this morning to white stuff on the ground.


I can send you more if you'd like. We got another 4" last night and it was about -25 when I got up this morning. 

I can live with the cold and the snow but the ice fog is starting to old fast.


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

We stayed around +16 - 18 all day. I added long underwear and insulated gloves instead of just work gloves to my usual winter wear of sweats and insulated jacket when I went to do my chores. The horses thought the weather was perfect and enjoyed many impromptu races against each other today with one of the 20 year olds being the instigator more often than not.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

It's around 18 degrees but there's a 25 mph wind with gusts to 40. 

The wind even made the older mare froggy this morning. It just made me shiver and wish I had added a layer.


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## Sourdough (Dec 28, 2011)

41 degrees above and mostly sunny, a few clouds.


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

-12 before wind chill early am. I am so grateful I don't have to snow blow today!


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## CIW (Oct 2, 2007)

We've been pretty cold and wet this year. The mares weren't doing as well as they usually do down on the river bottom. I went and got some bulk alfalfa cubes. I soak up 2-5 gallon buckets with water and feed that, each night. They sound like a bunch of hogs at the trough but its bringing them back around.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

Things, they be a changing here in NY!! We had a little snow on Sunday and the temps dropped so it's cold (low teens with zero or below wind chills) and Friday should bring our first snowstorm of the season. So yesterday found me chipping ice from outside water buckets and hand walking on the absolute cement that is our frozen riding arena. Seriously - it sounded like he was walking on asphalt!! A new woman at our barn was asking if the hay trucks have problems getting in during the winter and I told her to stock up this week if she can. Honestly, I like going into winter with at least enough hay to make it through March!


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

After a few months of rain and warmer than normal temps, it is now colder than normal for this time of the year, less snow, but colder. Very little ice on the Great Lakes.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

haypoint said:


> After a few months of rain and warmer than normal temps, it is now colder than normal for this time of the year, less snow, but colder. Very little ice on the Great Lakes.


Lack of snow makes cold weather seem even colder.


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## mulemom (Feb 17, 2013)

Irish Pixie: Don't want to date either of us but it's been a very long time since I heard anyone call a horse froggy! I hate the cold a little more each year but after the last two winters I'm forcing myself to not complain. We had late summer drought going into fall so mud wasn't bad. So far not much snow which meant the few nights around 0 let the ground freeze, temps have stayed for the most part below freezing but bearable. Horses have nice solid place to eat, cows pretty much the same. Solid ground means a lot less hay gets wasted. Supposed to get above 40 next weekend then get colder and snow. I just keep waiting for 'the other shoe to drop', cold, windy and a foot of snow, it is after all ne ohio winter. A customer asked me last fall what my 'farmer gut' was telling me winter would be like. He was only slightly amused when I said I'd tell him in April. Stay warm, dry and safe.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

mulemom said:


> Irish Pixie: Don't want to date either of us but it's been a very long time since I heard anyone call a horse froggy! I hate the cold a little more each year but after the last two winters I'm forcing myself to not complain. We had late summer drought going into fall so mud wasn't bad. So far not much snow which meant the few nights around 0 let the ground freeze, temps have stayed for the most part below freezing but bearable. Horses have nice solid place to eat, cows pretty much the same. Solid ground means a lot less hay gets wasted. Supposed to get above 40 next weekend then get colder and snow. I just keep waiting for 'the other shoe to drop', cold, windy and a foot of snow, it is after all ne ohio winter. A customer asked me last fall what my 'farmer gut' was telling me winter would be like. He was only slightly amused when I said I'd tell him in April. Stay warm, dry and safe.


Froggy must be a regional thing cuz it's really common here.


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## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

I've never heard the term froggy but what's funny is that I TOTALLY knew what you meant!!


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

We're going through another Decaprio weather event AKA good old fashioned Alberta Chinook and currently experiencing mud and giant puddles over lakes of ice but like all good things, it will come to and end soon enough.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

I almost hate to even say it, but it was 79 degrees here yesterday. Beautiful day, but the wind was horrible, blowing so hard I couldn't ride, and cleaning the barn was done with my eyes almost shut to keep the dirt out of them. Today it should be near 80 again, but it will get cold Wednesday for the day, but I don't complain about 50 degrees when I know yu guys are in real winter.


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