Snowmageddon 2018 NC

We received more snow in NC than they have had in years, at least in the Piedmont area.  Our snow measured about 10 inches on average.  Coming from Colorado I was thrilled!  I was working the day it started snowing and was able to leave early as soon as my husband texted me that we already had 7 inches.  Bernini, my little Fiat 500, did fine in the snow until I got to our unplowed road.  I basically drove and pushed the snow in front of me until it made a wall and then the little car was stuck.

Steve was home working so I could call him to get the tractor out and rescue us, otherwise I would have had to walk to our house and do it myself but I'm glad I had the option either way.  He came down with Kevin, the Kubota, and plowed the snow from around the little car.  Then I followed him home as he made a path for us and a path up our driveway.

Once home I had the pleasure of watching the ponies play in the snow.  I don't know what it is about snow but they love it!  Chance was running around while Daenerys was nuzzling me in hopes of treats.

Chance loves to put his lips on everything!  He plays with water and hoses, humans he tries to groom etc.  It wasn't a surprise that he wanted to lick the snow off the nearby pine tree, he was so cute and acted surprised when the branch eventually dropped a ton of snow on his face.

Dani like to roll in the snow but also just followed me around while I was out there.  She was very much wanting the love.  It was still pretty warm considering so later that night we had to dry the horses and blanket them for the colder temperatures that were to come that night.  Leave it to NC to have rain and then snow fall followed by very freezing temperatures to make the roads lots of fun!  Luckily I was done at work for the week so I could just stay home and enjoy the pretty snow.

The next day was gorgeous!  The sky was so blue and the barn was it's pretty red color, I love where we live!  

The barn roof had some neat patterns on the snow from the wind.  Look how pretty it is!  I'm so glad we finally painted the barn since it looks so nice!

Loki had fun helping us take care of the horses and he enjoyed bounding in the snow but also keeping to our path out to the barn.  You can see how deep it was!

The ponies were toasty in their blankets and looking for their morning feeding.  After a couple days the snow did mostly melt away and we have been enjoying the mud and muddy ponies.  What fun.  I'm glad we got the moisture, it will be good for our pastures.  I always enjoy horses in snow though!

New year and freezing rain

Happy new year!  It's been a busy year and I'm sure the next year will be too but we are better prepared and know what to expect...plus heavy equipment purchases this spring will assist greatly!

I write this as the freezing rain and sleet begin to pour outside with hope for snow to come later making my Sunday morning work commute potentially crazy as we won't have much melting until Monday.  NC is not known for their winter weather preparedness but then again, they don't get much snow.  I groomed my very muddy ponies and got them set to wear their blankets to protect them from the freezing rain.

I tend to be conservative with my blanketing now, unlike when I first got Dani.  I think nature makes them well prepared for the weather and since they always have access to shelter they tend to take care of themselves.  Generally if it's cold I'll tend to throw them a little more hay.  If it's rainy but not too cold their coats have ways of shedding the moisture quite well.

Even snow is no biggie really but freezing rain, sleet and ice.  I would rather keep them dry and warm when it's really icky like that.  I also have to restrict them to the barn yard and shire since there is an area that is deeper mud and will freeze hard, I don't need a twisted ankle in a frozen hoof hole.

Staying warm and relaxing with the hubby and critters.  Wish I could have the ponies on the sofa too!

How we Faired with Jonas

It's been year's since I've dealt with a Noreaster.  The snow is different out here, it's icy and there isn't much you can do to remove the stuff.  Powder from Colorado is easier to deal with.  I was curious to see how this storm would be.  

  The day before the storm was warm and sunny.  The horses didn't know what was coming but they were soaking up the warmth none the less

I was hoping we wouldn't be without power since we don't have a generator yet.  I filled a barrel with water and kept that in the garage as a precaution in case we were out of power and needed water.  The horse troughs were filled to the brim and the water heater working well.  If we lost power and water iced over my plan was to boil water on the grill outside and then break the ice and add the hot water to the troughs, not perfect but would work in a pinch.

At least I only had to use the grill for making filet mignons.  A little snow won't prevent a girl from Colorado from grilling.

 It will be nice to get a generator at some point to not have to worry about what to do out here in the country.

The ponies had their blankets, Chance's was a little too small (didn't cover his bum) and didn't have any insulation so I used the 100 weight liner of Dani's with his top sheet.  We'll have to get him a new blanket with some insulation but at least this worked well enough for this storm. 

 I was mostly worried about keeping them dry since we were to receive some freezing rain before the snow.

When the snow did come the horses seemed to have a good time in it and loved racing around the pasture.  The frozen mud that is located in the wormhole area was gated off.  I didn't like that there were deep pock-holes in the mud and that they were a potential leg breaking hazard.  I hope to get a temporary solution going this week to make that area more safe.  More to come on that.

The humans also had a bit of fun in the snow a couple days later!

Trimmings

A few months after you trim the tree it's time to trim the pony!  I went out on Saturday, after we'd had some  warm days and some snow melting, to address her feet and overall coat.  After nearly two weeks blanketed I'm sure she was itchy like crazy!

Dani's fetlocks grow very fuzzy over the winter and due to all the mud and snow of early spring I want to keep her feet tidy to be able to treat any issues with scratches or mud fever.

I have a 4F blade which does a decent job but I think I need one just a little shorter to get her fetlocks looking ever more tidy. I'll have to go again in a couple weeks once I find the blade I need.  

Since this is a once of year thing I always make sure to desensitize her to the noise and vibration.  I start while standing near her and turn the blade on. We rest and she gets love and scratches. I then move it around and wiggle the extension cord too so she doesn't get freaked from that.  We rest and she gets love and scratches.

Then I start around the shoulder and work back to her rump and then back near the base of her chin to get her used to the sound closer.  We rest and she gets love and scratches. I also rub the clipper on her so she can feel the vibration.  We rest and she gets love and scratches.  Next I run down her legs and move the clipper all around her legs under her belly and also run my hands there too.  We rest and she gets love and scratches.

She's very calm about it, the only hint that she is paying attention is that her ears turn towards the noise.  Sometimes she even turns her head to look at me but with a calm look in her eyes.  I had trouble with her jaw line because of the halter.  I think I really need to just invest in a simple grooming halter or have a helper to retain her with a rope or something like that.  I missed some hairs but will go back when I do some shorter fetlock cuts.

I didn't do her ear this time since it was a long grooming session already.  She only has a tiny tuft sticking out at the bottom that I'll just trim with the scissors.  She does have some issues with the clippers up near her ear so I can work on her with that but I really find the scissors easiest for the tiny area of the ear.  Just FYI I NEVER trim inside the ear since that hair is there to protect from dirt and bugs!  My mare is starting to sleek up with her coat.  Within a month I'm sure she'll be silky as satin and shiny like crazy.  Love those summer coats!

Braving the Cold to see Daenerys

The roads are much better today so Steve and I headed out to the barn to see Dani.  I figure'd she'd enjoy a roll in the snow with out her blanket and a good grooming.

Though there are feet of snow on the ground, the horses are looking their natural winter coats rapidly!

Steve enticed Dani with treats but we couldn't get her to trot about and I wasn't about to get the stick and string to make her move.  Still too many large drifts I didn't want an overly excited mare.

It was in the teens and Steve and I were bundled up in snow pants, gloves, hats and warm coats.  Dani was fine with and without her turn out blanket.  Her coat is always so pretty in the sun even if she needed a good grooming.

The next warm day that comes along I'll be trimming her fetlocks since this is the time of year she could more easily get scratches again.  I'll trim her and give her legs a good cleaning and apply some preventative on her problem areas.  So far so good, she only has a small spot on her front white leg.

The snow blows a lot out east so some areas were bare and others were halfway up her cannons.  Other areas were drifts I'm sure would come up above her knees even!

I didn't ride but it was good to play with her and groom her.  I still love that we arrived at the barn, got out of the car and a few moments later the littler red mare had recognized us and nickered softly.  I love my girl so much!  I think we are both ready for warmer weather!

Cold and Snow

Last weekend I spent most of my time indoors until I had to shovel snow.  I'd seen pony on Friday and she was prepped and ready for the snow.  There are benefits to boarding full care!

Our front porch mini spruce, Piney Pete, was loving the snow.  What a happy conifer!

Aside form a brief interlude on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, the week has been very snowy and cold.  February and March tend to be the snowy cold months in Colorado.  We'd had many days and weekends where temperatures ranged from the 50-70s with sunshine and fun.  We were spoiled.

Soon enough though the time change will occur and I'll have more opportunities to go out to the barn and actually do things with Dani.  Once the snowy weather passes we'll have a chance to get ready for some trail riding....aka trailer training.  I'm feeling antsy about my winter ending and the warmer weather coming.  Still....snow sure is pretty to watch falling outside my office window.

Snowpacalypse???

This weekend in Colorado there is supposed to be a large amount of snow.  The Emergency Operations Centers are on alert. Sadly I probably won't be able to see my pony this weekend.  I ran out after work on Friday to give her a hug and kiss.  I'm really missing her since last weekend with a pulled neck and snowy weather again reduced my pony time.

When I got out to the barn the skies were clearing from a flurry that had occurred that evening.  The sun was out and setting so it was actually pretty beautiful though cold.  Dani was looking good and cute in her blanket.  The barn owner was blanketing everyone in order to avoid having to chase horses around in the middle of blustery winds.

Beyjo is the arabian gelding that is now hanging out with Dani.  They like each other but the Arab tends to be bossy and mean about food.  Not sure if he is the boss horse but Dani steers clear of his heels at feeding time.  He's a cute little bay but very skittish.  His owners don't work with him that much.  I felt bad one day since he had a huge tornado knot in his silky black mane.  I got some of my Manely Long Hair product and worked it out for about 30 minutes.  Today I saw it's nice and silky.  This product is great!

Dani and Beyjo get fed last since the older mare, silky a cute palomino is 30 and needs enough time to get her food in her belly.  She is fed in the pen at the front of the pasture while Dani and Beyjo look sad and half starved.  She's just wasting away isn't she?

I gave her a few treats and just hung out with her while she watched N bring alfalfa to the chickens and no hay to her.  Eventually when Silky was pretty full Dani and Beyjo got their food.  

As the sun set and the wind picked up a little it was getting time to head home.  We should be getting the bulk of the storm between Saturday and Sunday.  Drat.  At least the time change is coming and I may be able to start getting riding in during the week after work.

As I left Dani was munching away at her hay and Silky was off by her hay tub near the run-in shed.  All ponies seemed content.  I'm glad Dani is here.  When I can't ride she still has lots of room to run and ponies to play with.  Still I await the day when she can be in my back yard. 

Here's hoping next weekend is more riding friendly! 

Muddy Muck and Slush

Last Sunday was a grand day with sunny skies, and barely a cloud.  The ground though, was an entirely different matter.  The ground was wet and muddy, very sloppy.  There was no place I felt safe riding her.  She slid a bit just with me leading her.  My thoughts were that extra weight could aggravate the slop conditions and make her more prone to pull something.

Instead we walked around the property.  I was in my winter boots, nice and warm and WATERPROOF.  I slid a bit but it was still a nice time to walk the path with her by my side.  Always good to work on ground manners.  She rarely goes back to her old ways of crowding or pulling ahead.  Still to remind her who the boss mare is I asked for simple hindquarter movements away and for some backing.

I also did a good grooming that included more mane treatment.  Her torn out spot is slowly growing in but not fast enough!  Again, I'm glad it's in a barely noticeable location.  We groomed on the southern side of the trailer, which made things more difficult.  My normal side of use, on the northern side is where the tack room door is located.  Today because of the melt off there was a 3 inch deep puddle by the door.  Even though I didn't ride I still feel that things were accomplished with the mare and of course, any day at the barn is better than any day away!!

When I walked Dani back to her pasture I passed Scotty and his miniature friend Prince.  I had to say hello on my way back and also go in the barn to see the baby kitties. So many critters to love on!

This coming weekend is calling for snow on Friday and Saturday.  Sunday should be warmer with no snow but I don't know how the footing will be.  I'm awaiting spring with great expectations!

Snow Ride

Last Saturday was a nice day, it was overcast but around 40 degrees and snow covered the ground still.  Dani was laying in the snow....bed the patch she found was like a soft blanket.  Lying ponies are always so sweet looking.  For the ride I kept Dani in the arena and at a walk.

We worked on turns, serpentines, stops....all sorts of simple maneuvers.  I tried to teach her turn on the forehand but I think we are having communication issues.  She either does a small circle, backs or keeps walking forward.  I think we'll utilize the fence some but perhaps I need to read up and work on it from the ground first.

She's so cute and fuzzy right now but I know that slick summer coat is growing in right now.  It hasn't started making the winter coat shed but February seems to be the time of year that she starts to shed.  I've been regularly putting the powder No Thrush on her back fetlocks.  One of the many infections this powder treats or prevents is scratches.  I'm also keeping an eye on her frogs too.  With this wet snow, melt, then mud sequence happening nearly every week I want to prevent any issues that could cause her irritation.  

It's always nice to get out on the weekends to see her.  I can't wait until the time change and when the days are significantly longer.  I miss her so much!

Lost Post: The Luckiest

This is a post I never published!! It's from the winter time obviously. Figured I'd get this out there even though it's summer now!

At the end of a long day I traveled to the barn to feed Dani. The chilly wind was blowing; it was cold but not cold enough to freeze the ground. Her pen was full of sloppy wet mud mixed with manure. I did my best to sift the “apples” from the muck, then grabbed some hay and fluffed it apart and into her feeders. I prepared her supplements; Dani gets so excited when she hears the sound of me opening that package each day. After all my barn chores were done I watched her eat while I stroked her neck. I nestled my face into her neck and breathed deeply. What a warm scent horses have. Dani wrapped her neck around towards me, gave a sweet nuzzle, sighed and continued back to munching her hay. I love these moments, sometimes more than riding. I love the moments when I just hang out and can truly BE with Dani. The barn is quiet, aside from the sounds of munching hay and the occasional leisure snorts. It is peaceful here even with the frigid gale outside.

There are days when I come to the barn and I'm dragging. It may have been a long day at work and driving half an hour to the pony before I can get home can sometimes seem like too much. The cold, the muck, and the lack of free time…to an outsider it probably seems odd that I keep on with this "horse stuff". 

But I consider myself lucky. I get to drag myself out every day, through mud and snow, heat and insects to care for this wonderful animal, this cherished friend. I get to bury my face in her long thick mane and pet the soft velvet of her red muzzle. I have the pleasure of removing the twigs in her tail, wiping her eyes and tending to her beautiful hooves. I get to watch her run, tail up high and nostrils blowing as she shows off for another horse.

I've stomped through mucky mud lately, been unable to ride due to darkness or ice or sheer wind force I cherish every moment I have with Dani. I am the luckiest. I have a sweet mare to greet me every day after work, nuzzling my hands for treats, trying to groom me while I brush her, and tolerating me hanging on her neck as she tries to eat in peace. I love to take in her warmth, to cuddle her and savor that fact that I have a pony. She is a lifelong dream come true and even though this means sacrifices in other areas of my life I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Spring

Here I thought we were finally going to get some nice spring weather.  The grass has begun to green up and my pony is nearly shed out for summer.  Well Mother Nature felt it necessary to remind us that winter is ALWAYS coming.  We had a cold Sunday that followed a gorgeous Saturday.  Then the first couple days of this week have been blustery and cold.

For a bit Dani went out into the field to graze on the grasses but after only being out for ten minutes she rushed back into her pen to get her hay under the shed row.  She was sprinkled with snow.  I dried her with some towels and loved on her in the comparative warmth.  This weekend will have better weather, here's hoping.  I have plans to attack the roofing of the trailer if my materials arrive in time.