Why I haven't been riding...

[Tuddy]

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This is all in Celsius, so converted to Fahrenheit, the temps ranged from -15°F to -53°F.

And while today is a balmy -27°F, we also have winds that are 25mph gusting to 44mph.

Winter has been a slice, I tell ya. Someday, I will be warm. Someday....

[Hayburner]

OMG, I'd never survive.......I'm miserable when it's in the 20F...when we are in the negatives I become a reclusive except for the barn.

[Chisamba]

Oh Canada.

I'm impressed with your survival skills.

[KathyK]

Good grief I'd never go outside.

[StraightForward]

That is brutal

[Kirby's Keeper]

@Tuddy Ah, but it's a dry cold Says the person in Ontario who woke up to -19C windchill of -25C and damp cold. There is a rumour that spring is coming.

[Tuddy]

It is -17°C right now (2°F)... a heat wave I tell ya... oh, wait, the wind chill is -28°C (-18°F).... but it isn't a dry cold though... it is humid as heck out there, I have long hair and it is always frosted over and I get frosty eyelashes too. My hair turn into a sopping wet mess after I get in the house and all the frost melts though.

Next week we are supposed to be on the plus side of things.... if I can stick out 10 more days!!!!

[Josette]

I agree - that is brutal weather. Is this the normal winter temperatures or do you feel it is worse this year?

[musical comedy]

I find those temperatures mind boggling. It makes me ashamed that right now I am bitching about the weather going to be 25F tomorrow. I don't mind so much the temps as I do this frozen snow that I'm dealing with right now. I can't get to the manure pile and I worry about turnout for the horses. Sounds like such minor stuff compared to the misery so many people are going through.

I so worry about my old guy not drinking much water and getting colic.

[Tarlo Farm]

It's been a very weird and very cold winter. It's now March 5th, ten degrees, windy and snowy. Twenty degrees below normal. I like winter and even I'm over it.

[Josette]

MC - I have the same concern for colic. For what it's worth, I purchase timothy hay cubes and soak them in LOTS of warm water. My guys love it and they are fill of water. Also, warm water in buckets helps too.

[Tuddy]

Water is a huge issue for me too. I have to haul it to my guys, twice a day, and they know to come drink when I show up. I have never had any issue with dehydration or colic, luckily. My guys are on free choice, tough grass hay, and they seem to thrive. Plus grain and mineral. I think they are over winter too.

[musical comedy]

You have it a little rough Tuddy. I have heated buckets. When they are outside (which is all day), I freshed up the water with warm.

My old guy is a 'dunker' and he has taught the mare to dunk. So, they get fluid that way. I also wet down the old guy's senior feed and occasionally get him some soaked beet pulp. He doesn't like soaked hay cubes. It's weird, he dunks his hay but if you give him wet hay, he won't eat it. Sort of like people that dunk their donut in coffee, but if you gave them a coffee soaked donut, they wouldn't want it.

It's just that old horses have old digestive systems. He had a mild colic several months ago and it took a couple days to resolve. It was a mild impaction. It only takes a couple hard fecal balls to jam up their track.

[Abby Kogler]

I did that for 8 years and I could never do it again. You have all my sympathy. March used to be my worst month...we would get these huge dumps of snow and have highs of 2...and I was so ready to be done by then. I so feel your pain. Frozen buckets, constant digging paths, snow to the roof....man.

As much as Mother Nature can punish California with fires and mudslides I am so happy I am back where I honestly could ride pretty much every day.

[Canyon]

OMG, you poor thing!

Large flocks of sandhill cranes have been flying over the valley, heading north. I'll have to figure out how to tell them to slow down their migration!

[DJR]

Yep, another from Ontario, Canada here, and we're all quite sick of the cold. This morning it was -19C (without windchill).

The forecast shows above-zero temps this weekend with a low of 0C. I'll believe it when I see it, but looking ahead I think spring is coming as the bad cold seems to be ending later this week.

It'll sure be nice to ride more again!

[Flight]

I can't even contemplate that. Put a + sign in front and that's been my Feb. I don't even understand minus's !!!

[PaulaO]

Last night a barn mate looked at me and “I’ve lost the will to ride.” We all agreed with her. The never ending cold and ice has beaten us all down.

[Tuddy]

-30°C with the windchill this morning. But it will be melting by noon. Spring is here, finally!

[Ryeissa]

are you still alive?

[Tuddy]

The past couple days the water has been running off the roof of both the barn and house. I did chores last night in just a bunny hug and just a pair of jeans and muck boots - I think I can retire the insulated coveralls for the year.... I think... calling for snow tomorrow...

As I am typing this - it now 17°F, the windchill makes it 5°F ... weather in Saskatchewan!

[kande50]

It's been so cold for so long that I way overdressed to go to the barn today, and then had to keep stopping to peel more layers when I was riding. It was 32F.

[DJR]

We were very cold until 2-3 days ago, then Saturday was GORGEOUS. Yesterday we were treated with a “don’t forget you live in Canada and it’s not spring YET” storm consisting of high winds, snow, then freezing rain, then rain which made the roads very slick & slushy. Today it’s just blah but warmer (+1C). I feel spring in the air, but haven’t seen evidence of it yet!

[Tuddy]

The weather has broken. I can feel the warmth in the air. February was the longest year of my life and I am glad it is over! LOL!

[PaulaO]

I rode last night for the first time in 10 days. Miss A. wanted to zoom around the arena, but we stayed at the walk and trot and piggy backed onto the park district lesson kids.