Anyone else feel like since owning horses; you become OBSESSED with weather?
Will it rain? What are the wind speeds? How much will it dip tonight?
Will it rain? What are the wind speeds? How much will it dip tonight?
I think when you have your horse out 24/7 and try to leave them be as natural as possible, having correct weather information is super important.
I have two weather apps on my phone that I check several times daily in the town that I board Laz in. I love to know what he's experiencing and I try to cater things to that.
Throw more hay today? Offer a rain sheet? Allowing extra grooming time.
That sort of thinking....any of you do the same?
This winter has been especially odd.
Warmer than normal but it's starting to change over...
I've allowed Laz's coat to grow in with NO clipping it.
It's been so great for those days 20 degrees-40.
Above 40 and he's been hot, poor guy. On Monday, he was actually wet on spots on his neck and armpits. It was around 43 and after our 25 minute hand walk, he worked up a little sweat. I cooled him down and towel dried him. Now I KNOW why so many of you clip when you are able to RIDE RIDE RIDE your horses. I couldn't ride Laz in an hour of real work, with this teddy bear coat. He'd be sweaty like crazy.
Luckily for us our timing is OK, allowing him to regenerate his hoof with minimal work means I can keep his natural fur coat in tact. It also means, I haven't had to throw on a sheet more than a couple of times.
Luckily for us our timing is OK, allowing him to regenerate his hoof with minimal work means I can keep his natural fur coat in tact. It also means, I haven't had to throw on a sheet more than a couple of times.
Except a couple times this week
Winds were supposed to be around 23 mph and with the wet snow, I figured he'd be ok with his waterproof uninsulated sheet on.
He was WET when I got there, so it took a good 20 minutes to towel dry him off.
But, he was WARM
But, he was WARM
"Rubz me"
I still second guessed myself...I really think I could have left him without a sheet on and he'd be fine, but I figured since I'd be in the area, to yank it off the following morning; that I'd put it on.
It's a delicate balance of making them TOO warm vs leaving them vulnerable.
I think below shows me what he thinks of me sheeting him
And for us "Hoof Nerds" some new shots of his right hind.
You can see the bar (dirt line) showing where it WANTS to fold over onto sole.
That is what my trimmer wants to prevent and we'll assess at our next appointment.
There is better concavity showing at the white line seems to S.L.O.W.L.Y look better, as does bruising
Any hoof thoughts, suggestions, advice or questions?
Lastly, I had a great ride (walk mostly with some trotting) this past week.
What stuck out the most, was Laz was distracted and slightly giraffe like over to the corner of the riding pasture over by the woods. Then I felt his heart BOOM BOOM BOOM and we turned to face what he was so intently wanting to look at. Over in the woods, were about seven deer about 50 ft away.
Can you see the two Does?
Such beautiful animals
Lastly, I had a great ride (walk mostly with some trotting) this past week.
What stuck out the most, was Laz was distracted and slightly giraffe like over to the corner of the riding pasture over by the woods. Then I felt his heart BOOM BOOM BOOM and we turned to face what he was so intently wanting to look at. Over in the woods, were about seven deer about 50 ft away.
As we stopped, five of them flagged their white tails and took off running
I thought this would send Laz into a spook or bolt, but he stood still, watched while his heart pounded away. Brave boy! I patted him and he instantly took a sigh of breath. It's in his instinct to run, as he saw the other flight animals do, but he chose to think it through and listened to me instead. I've found with Laz, if I allow him to look, it makes for a better result. If I push him to ignore ignore, he gets frustrated and won't listen. One look, one pause and he accepts it and goes back to work.
I was VERY proud of him for keeping his wits.
Tonight I also threw his sheet on.
High winds of around 30 mph and temps in the low 30's that feel like 20's.
Tomorrow evening, it's supposed to drop into the low teens with even higher winds and I may opt to put on his winter insulated blanket for the night.
Day by day the blanket dance continues, Ha!
Happy New Year! Look at all that snow! I am not that fat away and we don't have any. . .just more rain. Laz is so lucky to be outside, our pastures are STILL flooded. I do tend to keep an eye on the weather, too. . .
ReplyDeleteI am also the weather girl. I left the boys out in PA with no blankets except for their own fuzzy ones. Then, I prayed like crazy. We have had warm weather there which makes me happy, but probably makes them mad. They like it cold no matter what we think. They are going to get the cold this week which will make me crazy with worry, but I am learning to trust nature.
ReplyDeleteWhen they said tons of snow over the great lakes I thought of you...but I guess that isn't going to be near you so yay for that. I am so glad you and Laz are happy at your new barn. Oh, and Buck Branneman is a big fan of letting the horses look at what they are worried about so look at you being all natural horsemanship!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Laz is doing well being naked most of the time. Scarface likes to be naked and I like not having to get all his blankets repaired every couple weeks!
ReplyDeleteGood for Laz for being so brave with the deer!
Yes, I am completely obsessed with the weather, as well. Don't laugh, but we're having a cool snap here at the moment--40s tonight, 30s/possibly 20s tomorrow night/40s Wednesday night. Salem has a teeny tiny little bit of a coat, but it's not much, just slightly longer than his summer coat and only on his chest/belly/sides. So, he's wearing a turnout sheet tonight. Tomorrow, I'll also put a fleece blanket liner under it, and then do the sheet again on Wednesday. Our horses here aren't used to the cold, especially since it's in the 70s during the day, so they need to be babied a bit more than their Northern friends.
ReplyDeleteThe hoof is looking better--bruising seems much improved. But what's going on at the lateral wall? It looks like there's a channel or separation there? Or maybe it's just something with the lihgting??
Ohhhh the constant weather checking...weather.com is by faaar my most used app on my phone! Your pastures look wonderful considering all the rain we've had. Brave, lovely Laz facing those pretty yet terrifying does:-) Such a good boy!
ReplyDeleteConstantly checking the weather here! Especially with the roller coaster temps this winter and all the rain/snow mix, results in lots of blanket bingo! Turnout sheet one day, medium weight the next. 35 degrees and pouring non stop rain....double turnout sheets because that top one is going to soak through before I get home from work. Yup, constantly checking the weather. Headed that way now to see what tomorrow brings, so I know what to do with the furkids blankets come morning! lol!
ReplyDeleteIs he normally an easy keeper? He looks like he's a very good weight even without a blanket...
ReplyDeleteAn Easy Keeper, no I wouldn't say that yet he isn't a hard keeper either. He can loose weight quickly but he can also gain it back quickly. I try to maintain a good coverage on his ribs t/o winter and up his grain, BP, hay, etc to do that. In Summer, I pare down to almost nothing and he's fine but will get a bit ribby at the end of it.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I blanketed my horses for the first time this winter. It was supposed to get down to 3F overnight so they got coats- I pulled them in the morning since the temps were supposed to climb back in the 20s. Did they need them at all? Maybe not. But I felt better.
ReplyDeleteI don't have to blanket any of my current horses. They do fine in all weather, but I'm also in the South so our winters are milder. They usually just hang in the barn and eat hay when it's raining. When I did have one that needed blanketing I just did it when it was raining because being wet is what prevents the insulating effects of their coat.
ReplyDelete