To feel so sorry for people with horses… (2023)

[clipclopinthemud]

Did one of these threads last year so thought I’d do it again now that the weather has changed and it is well and truely winter….

horsey people, why do we do this to ourselves? Every winter I say never again and that this is the last year of mud, freezing toes, more mud, torn rugs, wind scald, more mud, less turnout, oh- did I forget to mention lots of mud?! I could cry thinking about how much I miss summer already and it’s only November!!! I had everyone’s favourite tonight bringing in the horses- welly got stuck and my foot slipped out and sunk straight in the cold mud. Then later discovered DGelding and has destroyed his turnout rug (only 1 week old!). This is the same boy who has just cost me 4k in vets bills. Lol- luckily he is cute!

so fellow equestrians, (and farmers and dog walkers!) why do we put ourselves through this torture every year?!

officially starting the countdown to summer- only 5 months to go 😩

Dog owner here. Can't speak for horse owners, but from a dog perspective the weather is definitely different to how it used to be. We get the same rainfall average across a year, but the distribution is very different. This means long periods of rain that previously was spread out.

Just have to endure it I suppose. I haven't found decent walking wellies so my feet are suffering at the moment. First World problems though.

I can’t see this going well…🍿

As a horse owner, no I don’t feel sorry for myself - it’s hard going but we choose to do this!

I’ve also been for two lovely hacks this weekend in perfect winter weather - so I don’t hate winter as much as I hate endless flies and heatwaves in summer!

Then spring comes and we wish for summer as they're all nut jobs
Summer comes and it's too hot, loads of flies and we want it to be autumn..

It was just a lighthearted thread, it went down well last year so didn’t think there would be any issues so hopefully not! I don’t really expect sympathy or anything it was just light hearted. Very good point about the flies though!! They seemed to be absolutely massive this year!!

Haha exactly! I remember moaning during the summer that it was rubbish because it was too hot and everything was sweaty and sticky not to mention the massive flies 😂 there’s a very small window of perfection in between all that lol, usually about 2 weeks in April and 2 weeks in September and out with that time it’s rubbish haha

As a cat owner slave I'm feeling smug that I can stay tucked-up indoors.

I have horses and livestock and definitely am not enjoying the winters as much as I used to!

Haven't had a horse since I was 18 but I remember the muddy winters, also I had a grey so however much I brushed her (never warm enough to bath her outside) she always looked a shitty brown colour 🙄

But there were the positives too. Those really crisp days with blue skies and crunchy grass.

We did Christmas eve hacks for a few years in a row and those were lovely. Tinsel round our hat silks. Loved it

We're never happy are we?! But hopefully for most of us , the good days make up for the crappy ones.

My mare is retired so I don't even get the fun bits, just the work. I keep telling her how lucky she is.

well, I think some horse owners make life harder than necessary for themselves.

the mud can be managed better - why didn't you take measures during the summer.
rugs - are they really needed? they add injury risk an expense when many horses are fine with their natural winter coat and adequate feed & shelter.

All I can say is I don't miss having horses at all . I had horses all my life and when my last one popped of old age I thought I'd have a break . That break is now 13 yrs and I don't miss it at all , in fact it's totally liberating .

This year has been dreadful, we are on clay and our fields were sodden in September! DHorse has PPID which means he is prone to every skin infection going and winter is always a battle between restricting turnout to prevent mud fever Vs enough turnout to prevent impaction colic + for his mental wellbeing.
@greenacrylicpaint if you are on a livery yard then there's not much you can do as it is all up to the YO. We can't put field shelters and field rotation is random and sporadic. If I could afford enough land to keep mine at home I would but there simply isn't enough available land.

I like everything about having a horse, even mucking out. It gives me a reason to be outside and doing something physical everyday. And I just love being with my horse.

After housework, it is incredibly refreshing just to sweep a stable and not fuss around with cleaning products etc

I’m not in a position to have a horse right now - very bad health and we live an hour’s drive away from our field - but I used to feel very sorry for myself AND the horse when we had them (three, actually). I loved them very dearly but the impetus for having them was my mother’s.
Long hacks in flimsy jodhpur boots - agony. Having to take off the coat to do an indoor schooling session or competition when we travelled - freezing. Mucking out three when there was snow on the ground in wellies with Raynaud’s - SO painful. Voluntarily plaiting four hours before it got light, involving dipping your hands in a near-freezing bucket - ouch! The hours of grooming when a horse finds a mud patch, particularly when they’re a grey - no comment, that was normally three or four separate sponge washes. Hauling the muddy rugs about to dry… I could go on.

On the other hand, there’s nothing like sharing the excitement of a beloved pony hacking out on a frosty morning or prancing at the start of a challenging hunter trial. There’s nothing like seeing them walking up to you and having them excited to see you while they’re gently whickering complete with huge foggy cloud breaths. There’s nothing like tucking them up with a rug and loads of bedding and some hay for a midnight snack :)

I used to have horses. I worked full time with horses for 10 years. I also married an arable/cattle farmer. He worked outside 24/7 for most of his working life. He retired 5 years ago and doesn't miss the cold, dark and wet. My horses went when ds1 was born 22 years ago. I don't miss them at all. Surprising really when I was horse obsessed as a teen. I just have dogs now. However I love walking them no matter what the weather is doing, I'd prefer not to have muddy, smelly and wet dog when it rains though.

Both lay on the bed with a vomiting virus this morning. Played scissors paper rock to see who got up to dog horse and chickens. And it’s zero temp.

I was a horse owner of many years (since birth really!) and after DD gave up to go to uni I didn't get another one. Hand on heart as much as I love horses, I don't miss it. The expense, the time commitment, the winters, the injuries, the piss stinking mucking out clothes. I will be sucked back in one day I'm sure but for now I'm enjoying the freedom (and money!)

I love all the seasons and I love being with my horse…but this winter feels like hard going already.

Still, Spring is soon right? Right?

AS a cat owner, I'm feeling the effects of bored cats not wanting to go outside becau se it's cold. Elderly Mum cat started by sitting on top of the partially open living room door, so going in and out of it I had to squeeze insideways so as not to move the door and dislodge it. Then she turned chaing and "killing" the cloth on the kitchen table, while everything on it flew off on to the floor. Middle aged daughte r has now joined me and keeps l]=walking over my keyboardfg.0lky

Went this morning to find my girl with her rug round her neck, knee deep in mud, and in a different field from where I left her last night.
electric had went down for some reason.
and could I bloody catch her?
rugs ripped to shred after just being reproofed.

the small hairy Shitland just literally stood laughing at me while I tried to catch the big brute. I lost a boot in the chase but at least it wasn’t her shoe!

genuinely couldn’t feel any part of my body when I got home.

As a former horse owner, I feel your pain by proxy. Every summer I wistfully consider buying another horse, then the winter comes and I change to being so glad I don't have to faff around in the mud and the dark.

Nothing nicer than bedding our horse down in the winter then round to our local pub with a roaring fire half way up the chimney, absolute bliss

The ONLY things I don't miss are the mud and the rain!

Not a horse owner but I am the owner of rugby playing kids. The car registered -1 as we got to the rugby club this morning and I really had to question why I have encouraged this madness. Still, it only took me a couple of hours to warm back up so it could be worse 😖