To feel sorry for people with horses?

[ahstop]

Including me!!!

there should be a specific form of seasonal affected disorder for equestrians in the winter! Or some kind of therapy for helping us deal with the trauma of the winter months!

I posted something about winter 2 months ago but I can’t find it now and I’ve namechanged since then 🤣 just a follow up to that thread!

Why does the winter have to be so cold, wet and awful?! It was quite mild here (Scotland) and all of a sudden about 2 weeks ago it’s suddenly freezing. Everything is wet and muddy, my entire wage is being spent on feeds, shavings and rugs and it’s just generally crap. My hands are like ice cubes, my toes are frozen solid, my arse is freezing in the saddle EVERYTHING is wet and muddy. The other day I slipped on my arse in the field and landed in a big pile of cold, wet, squishy mud. I actually burst into tears- winter has ruined me!

but apart from that it’s great! 🤣 I have a thoroughbred so I’ll take any extra thoughts of prayers please! Luckily he’s cute and a nice jumper so he makes up for it 😉

not long until spring- we can do this!!!

Stickytreacle that was hilarious!

8 years horse free now after 30 years of owning here is my Memories

• always being skint as when owning a horse you literally pour pound coins down it's mouth
• constantly stressed as they always picked up injuries
• so cold in winter when you dismount it literally feels like your feet shattered
• my file at A&E was as thick as a novel

Nope definitely don't miss them

They are beautiful creatures and did bring me so much joy but also a lot of stress when I look back now I'm horse free.

That said my username might indicate I still think about horses

Thank you for starting this thread. I really enjoyed reading about how everyone's winter is going. Have just got back from dragging my wet muddy lot in for their dinners. Have a new winter tip. Waterproof freezer gloves! Fantastic. I can do all my yard jobs with warm dry hands. Made my morning.

YANBU.

I don’t mind the cold so much. 36 hoodies, 10 pairs of socks plus a coat that smells so bad you can smell me coming from a mile away and I’m good.

The rain though. We’re down south and it’s rained so much recently.

The field isn’t too bad, but the gate way is a mess - and despite taking them out to the middle of the field when I turn them out, they always head back to the mud to roll.

We’ve got 2. 1 DD rides so is clipped and wears a rug. I’ve also got an OAP that’s retired and we’ve left her unclipped. It’s far too hot for any kind of rug at the moment, so I’m spending half my life scraping copious amounts of mud off her. She is also very much loving life and behaving like an absolute knob at the moment despite being old enough to know better.

Pics of the OAP for sympathy tax attached.

Sorry, didn't add my sympathy tax earlier!

And drying rugs 🤯

It’s so damp, they’re taking days to dry.

Out of desperation, I took some home last night to see if I could get them to dry over night. My whole house now stinks of damp horse. Lovely.

Winter doesn't even bother me, it's WET, I hate WET!
Wet muddy gateways, wet bedding, wet hay, wet me, wet everything argh!

I miss my horse desperately, I had to have him pts almost a year ago, but omg, I do not miss the mud, the shit, the slipping around on the frozen trickles on the way to the field, the filth of the rug on a muddy day, the amount of mud coming out of feet, the freezing bloody rain and then the sodding horseflies in summer! I also quite like the money still being in my bank and not going to vets/dentists/livery/extortionate hay prices.

elastamum whatmake are the gloves please? All the ones I've tried are too thick and I can't even tie up haynets with them on.
Yes I totally get what people are saying about having disposable income once they've given up horses but I honestly can't imagine life without them. I have bad episodes of depression and being with them helps so much

I've just walked the dog who didn't seem to notice it was hurling down with rain, which is odd considering I have to shove her out for a wee in the rain, lead out and suddenly it's all good!

I'm having a cup of tea before I go and put on my second set of waterproofs on (2 sets from the years I had to go twice a day and got sick of putting wet stuff back on - absolute Godsend!)

And do the haynet mud slide with my horse haranguing me for them and the carrot's he'll know I have, before I get to the shelter and I know exactly what I'll find - my unrugged hippo will be smothered in mud and standing just outside the shelter watching the yard for me coming, march down and just generally hold everything up trying to get the nets and the sensible rugged mare will be keeping dry inside waiting patiently for her net and carrots!

I won't have another once he's gone, he's never particularly been my 'type' of horse for, well, anything, but we ended up together and he's been by my side through so much, a one constant and I'll do right by him until his last day because he deserves it. He's been bloody hard work though 🤣

I bought my gloves from Amazon. I have orange ones and some blue ones. They are pretty chunky, but I can do most jobs wearing them. I have arthritis in my fingers so need to keep my hands warm.

Ours have been out all summer, now in at dusk and out first thing. I don't mind getting up and turning out, or mucking out, but for some reason hate the bringing in. It only takes fifteen minutes (they are at home so don't have to drive anywhere) but I find that bit annoying.

YANBU

I have 4 and already feel like selling them all!
Two live out and two in (only have two stables) so I'm also wracked with guilt over the two living out. They have a field shelter they don't use and seem perfectly happy bit I still feel awful!

Christ there are some miseries on AIBU!

I'm also glad that this was posted on here as I would never look at the horse board, like I said my dd rides and we have enjoyed having a read through the posts (me trying to show her how hard it is!!) and looking at the photos.

Mine feeling very sorry for himself a few months ago

I have two horses and I live in Canada! We already had a couple of minus 20 days last week - just a taste of what's to come. January and February are absolutely freezing here. At least we have no mud or rain! Just snow. And cold. So much cold....

countrygirl99 what happened?

I think we need a Le Mieux support group. Currently buying everything in the new "fig" colour (as the green didn't look great on my guy.) Baby mud goblin photo for tax.

Woke up to an email about livery going up by another £50 due to the costs of hay & feed...which I totally understand but last week it was nursery costs going up £100 too so it's all a bit rubbish at the moment.

@countrygirl99 Aww bless him! Hope he’s fully recovered!

Loving the sympathy tax, none of you ABU at all.

I have 3 living out with field shelters on my own grazing. Hate the winter but definitely hate it less without the tyranny of livery yards where you HAVE to bring them in overnight in winter meaning you are tied to endless mucking out and worrying yourself sick that you're stuck at work, it's a blizzard outside, and all the others will have been brought in and yours will be killing themselves being left outside last!

Yes it gets horrendously poached in front of my shelters. But none of them get mud fever, none are rugged (no sodden rugs to contend with!), none of them are bothered what time I get there, no-one complains about the hay making a mess in the fields, there is never the fear that the livery owner will decided they have to stay in 24/7 because the ground is getting trashed and I have learned to embrace the dark, the wet, the cold and the mud, invest in decent waterproofs and muck boots and be thankful that in spite of everything they are as happy as pigs in muck!

Aw @countrygirl99 his little face. Hope he’s ok now

I don't think anyone is forgetting their is a cost of living crisis going on , I also think with some horse owners , taking away vet bills then maybe they are having it a lot cheaper than you'd expect.
My livery was £80 a week each I couldn't afford £160 a week , single parent , working but yes I struggle .. I was fortunate to find a paddock set up to rent that is less than that a month for both !
Insurance is what I'm scared to not have so I have that but mine don't cost the earth touch wood
The things I fear most are vet bills but I fear them for my dogs also and my daughters hamster was £65 to put to sleep when it was poorly so animals in general are always a luxury item I guess

Buy just as other parents will have a little jokey moan about being say "football
Mums/ dads" throughout the freezing winter , horse owners here are doing the same
Winter is the low point but saying that the heatwaves this summer and flies each summer bring their own chaos too 😅

Not a very stealthy "I have a horse" boast.
You know some people are struggling to pay rent and buy food, right?
Maybe put your privilege and rich people problems on a lower volume at least for the winter