Polar vortex again...

Sigh, this winter has been trying.

On the 'good days' when I have a bit of mid work week time, this is what we do. It's still productive but it's HARD walking through the 2-3 ft of snow piles and ice to get to the snowy summer pasture.

Oh well, as long as this fuzzy angel face is having fun...I don't really have a thing to complain about 

ZOOOOMIES

and then La la la la la la

What a funny boy. He has such talent..I'm going to try to do something more with channeling it this spring/summer

The puppy brothers snuggling in for a warm mid day nap

Greek holy water that you take home to sprinkle on your family and home.

(and dogs and horses)

Another mid work day, time enough to check on fuzzy (that temp was about 14 and he was doing great sans blanket) and stuff both the boys with hay to get out of the wind

SPOILED...as we like it ;)

***
Saturday morning, waiting out a snow storm before our barn visit. Mason could care less that I had made lemony Dutch baby pancakes with powdered sugar and black tea with coconut milk

His eyes say "GET DREZZED IN UR STINKEE HORSIE CLOTHES AND LESSS GO!!!"

So I did.

I drove out to the barn in a white out. I didn't even care. I just wanted to SEE my horse and not be pressed for time. Snow, windy, whatever, I was going.

It was windy and cold and snowy, but temps were in the 20's so I wanted to yank his blanket and allow him to run free and naked. It was snowing SO hard I doubted myself. I took him inside the barn, yanked the blanket, groomed him and when I walked back out 10 minutes later...

Sun and no snow! I literally ran back in the barn, grabbed my bitless bridle and helmet and decide to hop on bareback. I didn't care if it was for 15 minutes, I was going.to.ride!

It felt so good. Like soul feeding good.

The snow was powdery, the wind stopped, the sun shone through...hello and thank you horse gods!

 We did a couple of trot sessions but between his BIG lofty snow trot and the slippery ice underneath, I didn't push it. I didn't want to bounce off or have him slip and hurt himself. So we just ambled around making patterns and riding softly. I probably rode for 25 minutes, but it was so good.

 Cookie face afterward. 

I stuffed him full of cookies for 

A. allow me to scramble up on his back bareback when I was needing about 18" more in height to get up

B. Listening under 'bareback'

 This boy is food motivated like a dog

 This little French munchkin is healing really nicely and I'm happy to report his bad breath (like a shrimp boat) is gone!
He is such a good little patient

My best boy for late night cuddling and my barn co-pilot

Stay warm!

Laz is currently blanketed and I can't wait to yank it off him tomorrow!

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?