We have been hearing it for a week now, below zero temps with even worse windchills. It's -1 at 10:00PM but with the wind its really -18. BRRRRR!!!
Today it was battening down the hatches for the farm. Chores got done and then the barn cleaned. Only one pony didn't make it out to stretch his legs, but the snow was coming down too fast and accumulating too much on the ponies backs, so I pulled them in around 2 pm. By the time I would have normally pulled them in, they would have gotten wet down to their skins. Have you ever tried warming up a wet, cold pony in below zero, windy weather? Trust me its not easy.
Everyone seemed to be ready for it, I have been talking about it for days. So they all came in nicely for me. Only one gave me crap about getting the snow scrapped of her back. Can you guess who? Lady. LOL! Silly little girl.
I borrowed a pickup and got a few extra bales of hay. When it is this cold - they need more energy in bulk to keep their furnaces burning. You see it churns in their hind gut, which gives off heat, thus heating their body. They tend to go through 2 times the hay or more on these cold days.
I also helped on the parents farm, they had some broken windows on their barn. Which really would leave a very cold impression on the animals inside. It might be a bit better than the actual outside, but still very cold! So I helped fix windows. BRRR! is all I have to say.
When I got done there, I came home and had the bales to put away, I pulled all the outside watering holes down and drained them, unplugged them. The ponies won't be out much for the next few days, so don't need them running. Will set everything back up when this cold snap breaks. I won't be able to make manure dumps, so will dump in a pile and then clean it up later as well.
I will make the rounds a couple times tonight, although I sealed in the north and west side of the barn pretty well - so there isn't a lot of leaking seams. But it is still way cold in the barn, some of the ponies have frost on their backs.
So as far as training goes - I don't think anything is going to get done for the next few days, I will start researching things I need to do for the summer showing season.
Stay Warm!
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6 comments:
I am NOT looking forward to his cold spell. Not that I ever do, but annually I am becoming an even larger wus. Every year I ask myself 'WHY WHY WHY do I live here???' I never can answer myself. The only thing that pops up is 'the extreme cold keeps out the riff raff.' And its true. But I think I am becoming the riff raff!!!
You stay because of family, everyone you have is close to you right now. I couldn't imagine you moving to some other state until the kids are grown!
But I am with you - Riff Raff - hey cool name!
Yeah. Somedays, ones like these, family begins to become overrated!!! I am kidding. I do know how lucky we are. So lets relocate EVERYONE!!!
Oh yeah, my uncle called today...from Padre Island, TX. This call was only to rub in the fact that it is 71 there. Oh, and it was a little warmer on the beach to boot.
I told him "SUCK IT!!!" (It was the only thing I could think of that was OK to say in front of the kids.)
Oh my Padre Island huh! Well what can we say, if I could I would move to someplace warmer and just take the ponies with me, they would adjust. I am sure of it!
I don't think any living being would have a difficult time adjusting to warmer weather than THIS crapola.
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