About this Blog

Meet my very 1st horse, Lazarus.
I couldn't wait for Santa anymore or ask one more time for a pony for my bday (after age 30 it got embarrassing). I took matters in my own hands and I finally decided to pick a pony that needed a new home. Laz found me as I contemplated with this idea. He was sweet yet very sassy, fresh off the track, Thoroughbred (OTTB).
Join us for our re-training, rehabbing from laminitis and testing all parts of mixed up horsemanship and partnership, and luck...

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Midwestern arctic horse

I'm sure everyone is hearing about it.
It's cold here in the Midwest. Like C.O.L.D. spelled with a F!!!!!!ing
You know, weather you see on Nat Geo Alaska shows when you are bundled up in a blanket saying "WHO IS CHOOSING TO LIVE THERE!?" 
That kind of cold.
And we are in it. 
We are almost through it thank the lord baby colt jesus!!!

Prior to the Arctic blast that was sent down from the demon ice gods, we had normal cold weather but do-able. Snow riding and training can be fun when fresh, lofty and clean.
Laz's feet always do so well in the snow and he seems to love to play in it.
We did some pasture work and hill work. There was ice under the snow in his pasture so we walked out to their summer pasture to play in.
He's been naked and doing well (as you can see below--Le Boeuf cake)
Mason's been helping out and I suspect his left knee is starting to show signs of a future replacement...sigh
I've actually kept him home during this deep freeze. Even Labs can't manage temps of -30 below.
Yes..without the wind chill we were ranging of 0 to -12 degrees. WITH the wind chill it is/was/is dangerously F'ing cold.
The night prior to the BLAST was mid 30s with a lot of snow so I left him unblanketed.
I know some of you literally may gasp. BUT.I.ASSURE.YOU. he was warm under the icicles. I promise.
He has great shelter (two open stalls and an overhang) and 24/7 hay 
Even I, gasped when I came up to him like "HOLY F ARE YOU OK"!?!?" But he was toasty and warm.
However, the next morning we were due for heavy snow (we got over 18" at the barn) so I knew I wouldn't be able to get out to the barn prior to the deep freeze....
So I brought in the wildebeest and prepped him for this crazy weather.
I just laid towels over him, and fed him his warm soaked and salted hay cubes.
Within 15 minutes he was thawed out
I put on his turnout (which is breathable so you can toss it on when they are damp) and gave them some extra hay.
Timing was great, the barn got a fresh delivery of 2nd cutting soft beautiful hay
Then the storm came.
She came in BIG TIME. 
It is and was scary. Cue lots of frantic texting, and online researching and reading FB posts of scary reactions, all feeding to my anxiety of "MY HORSE IS GOING TO FREEZE AND DIE!"
But those two fuzzed up OTTBs are hanging in just fine.
Despite two days of being snowed in (even the plows couldn't get through) they got a bale of hay 2x a day and have a working heated water tank.
Sunday I couldn't get there (way too much snow and by Monday it was 100% impassable)
Tuesday, early am I soaked a huge bucket of hay cubes and Billy and I went out.
We couldn't drive in so we had to walk the summer pasture in 2ft of snow (drift was terrible) in -8 degree (windchill was minus who even cares because it's beyond crazy cold). I was gasping for air and it made for breathing really hard. We split the warm mash between the two (warm!! WTF) boys.
Their blankets had sheets of ice but they were super warm underneath. The blankets are serving more as a windbreaker and portable shelter so they can continue moving.
It's hard to see your horse with ice balls on his eyelashes, and ice coated whiskers, but his ears/nose are warm. I checked all his hooves and they seem fine. I fell asleep last night thinking his RH was going to be black with frost bite (yes I go there....)
So far, they are good.
It's impressive how well they can survive.
I do feel they are better being able to move in/out as wanted/needed with their piles of hay vs locked inside.
The text last night was they were huddled together in a stall eating together.
Stay warm bubba! We are almost through this!
***
For any Pudgie fans out there...(I mean who wouldn't be?!)
On his way to the vet in his down puffer
The littlest got 7 teeth removed (rotten!!) and a cyst removed that grew in his neck (benign)
 Drugged Frenchie! 
(actually doesn't look that different to sober Frenchie LOL)
His incision for his cyst
This little man was a trooper! Came home, ate dinner and has been acting 100% normal despite sutures in his MOUTH and leg (skin tag) and neck (cyst)
BIONIC pupterton

Big brother Mason taking care of his stinky patient
Hoping all the furkids maintain their health!!!!
How are you all surviving?


12 comments:

  1. My guys are locked in again for the second day in a row but we are much colder here (-30) and super windy. Number one spot to check for warmth is the top of the ear and between the front legs. Lets hope we get some warmer temps soon!

    ReplyDelete
  2. We had -18 with -48 wind chills Monday, and it seemed relatively nice today with zero and -20s wind chills. Horses have been locked inside for two days and they aren't happy about it - our pastures have no shelter. Tomorrow we're hoping they can go out . . .

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hehe - down puffer Pudgie. My jack russell terrorist sported her pink and purple bones fleece jacket today, although our temps couldn't compete with yours in awfulness.

    Rise mercury - RISE!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shy and the drafts about tore the barn down when they were kept in. . .so out they went with a ton of hay and they were happy as pie. In fact, Shy refused to come back inside. F-ing cold is an understatement. Stay safe, the roads are all ice!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I swear Bobby has an internal space heater. Even with a significant clip, he's only getting turned out in his 300g heavy weight at night and he comes in feeling warmer than the inside of my house!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow that is intense weather! Is worry too! We've had horses covered in icicles too they clink when they walk.;) add long as they are dry and have lots of hay they are good and ice always heard snow is a good insulator. We got a dusting of snow last night but we are nowhere near or normal amount for this time of year. Maybe you guys are getting it all! :) great to catch up on your blog my life had changed in the past few years including having a baby I've been hiatus from blog reading but really enjoying getting caught up!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sorry for the typos commenting from my silly phone which I detest! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. BRrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRrrrRRRRRR! We have been verrrry cold too here, but I think you have it even worse! I know exactly what you mean about the icicles and worrying, but horses are SO GOOD at keeping themselves warm. Those icicles alone mean that heat is not escaping! Aren't the animals amazing? Much more adaptable than we frail humans. We have been watching all the horses. Not a single shiver. We were riding all over too until it got so cold. And then it got too warm, and now it is cold again (but not unbearable). In any case. what all of that means is what we have now is ice. Blecccch. I'll take a big snow over rain and ice any day. Glad to hear you and the creatures are thriving even in the most trying of weather patterns!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, give you guys credit for walking to the barn that day!! I didn't see Kaspin at all. I knew I wouldn't get in either. So I am not sure how he looked through all the crazy snow, and cold. I do know on those negative days. BO did use Kaspin's winter blanket. I am sure Kaspin would have been fine and he gets to come in at night too. But my BO felt better having it of course for the days he was outside:) Now he is back to naked again. Glad you guys made it though!! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  10. Holy cow, look at those icicles! I hope you guys are staying warm, looks a bit chilly ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am allllllmost envous. It's a toasty 44c here and I think I wish the horses were cold, instead of hot. Talk about two extremes!

    ReplyDelete