The Winter that wasn't

Looks like Titan is wondering what's missing from this picture taken today. Of course, it's snow! This is what my back pasture has looked like almost every day this winter. On the one hand, this has been my dream winter - temps in the 30s and even 40s, no snow to slog through, no blizzards to keep me stuck at home.
But the downside of this bizarrely warm weather is the environmental impact. Because there is no snow, the mold count never went down from the fall. In fact, according to my doctor, the mold count in this area is the highest it's been in 70 years. The result for me is an asthma condition, something I've never dealt with before. I'm on 2 different inhalers trying to get my breath back. I can't run or over-exert myself because I just about collapse. It's very discouraging.
The other downside is the tick scourge. We're already taking ticks off the dog and cats, and we're already putting Frontline on them. Usually that doesn't start until April. I shudder to think of how bad the tick infestation is going to be this year.
In another strange development, the sap has been running for more than a week or so, and JD has already made our first maple syrup of the year. It's much darker than usual, which I guess we can attribute to this weird weather.
You'll also notice Titan isn't wearing a blanket, which is usually mandatory in February in upstate NY. He's enjoying being naked on a day in the low 40s.
How's everyone else doing with the non-winter of 2012?

Ice Ice Baby

Well, it was only a matter of time before our fantasy winter with temps in the 30s and 40s came to an end. We had one warm day - Tuesday - when it rained all day. Then of course, on Wednesday the temperature plummeted, and our world froze. Everything at the farm is coated with a sheet of ice.
Since my horses have not yet learned to ice skate, this presented a problem. They spent yesterday morning stuck in the barn, while I waited fruitlessly to see if the sun might melt the ice sheet that blanketed the back paddock and pasture. By noon, that clearly wasn't going to happen.
So I got a long rope and a large barrel, and made a makeshift fence to keep them in a small area of the paddock just beyond the run-in shed. I sanded and salted thoroughly, and even even tossed around some old hay and manure for added traction.
They were able to go outside in this little area, which I hope helped their sanity at least a little bit. When JD got home from work, he improved my arrangement by making it a little bigger and sanding a bigger area.
But it was only 5 degrees this morning, and it's not supposed to get much higher than the 20s today. So my poor horses are going to be stuck for a while longer with a space not big enough to run around in. But the way I look at it, it's much better than going outside to find a tragedy.
Wish they could understand that, but there's not much else I can do.

A tumultuous year

Top: Noble
Bottom: Titan & Linda

As 2011 winds to a close, I need to reflect on the major changes in my life.
First, I said good-bye to my 13-year partner - my first horse - Noble, who passed away on May 5. This was a heart-wrenching decision, but she was in extreme pain and her heart was failing. Being able to orchestrate her passing helped. Her entire family and even some close neighbors were with her, and I was able to spend time with her after she was gone. We led Sailor to Noble's body so she could examine it, and it was touching to watch her check her friend so gently and thoroughly. Because Sailor was allowed to draw her own conclusions, she did not panic or get distressed at the loss of her friend. All in all, it went as well as something like this can, and I am comforted in the knowledge that Noble had a good death. She is buried on our property, the land that is her namesake, where I know she runs free for eternity.
I spent the next 2 months training Sailor and riding her about 4 times a week, and she was coming along beautifully. Just as I realized that her training was where I wanted it to be , she was injured in a very routine round pen exercise. She was laid up until September. That was the end of my summer riding.
With Sailor on stall rest, I couldn't bring in another horse and risk getting her all riled up. After she seemed mostly recovered in mid-September, I began my search.
It was a discouraging and often frustrating experience. Most of the horses in my price range were basically untrained, or needed extensive work. I found one I liked, then the owners reneged on selling her. I made an offer on a very nice gelding (whose price was listed as negotiable) only to be told that the asking price was firm.
Just as I was about to give up, I got a phone call from someone who knew I was looking for a nice, settled trail horse. She told me about a man who just returned to the area from down south, and who was selling all his horses because he was getting on in years. He had one left - a Paint gelding who was his wife's trail horse for the past 13 years.
The first time I rode Titan, I could tell he was a very 'zen' horse. Even the noise of trucks and heavy equipment nearby didn't fluster him. He just exuded confidence and serenity. I called the owner that night to say I would buy him.
So Titan has been living here since Oct. 29. We had a long stretch of warm late fall weather, so I've had a chance to ride him many times. He's the easiest horse I've ever had - I just go out to the pasture, and he comes to me to be tacked up. It's been a wonderful experience with him so far. There's a part of me that thinks Noble found him for me. And if I hadn't waited, I wouldn't have purchased him, because until 2 weeks prior to trying him out, he was in South Carolina. The strangest thing is, he looks much like Noble - a sorrel horse with a white blaze. Only Titan, at 16 hands, is much taller.
So life goes on, as does my horse adventure. I'm looking forward what 2012 has to show me!

Is it spring yet?

It's only Feb. 9, and I don't know how much more of the cold weather I can stand. If I didn't have two hungry mares waiting for me in the barn, I sure wouldn't have been outside at 7 am this morning. With a little warmup over the weekend, then cold temps again, we have a lovely skating rink that leads from my back door to the barn. It's impossible to get there without cleats on my boots. The worst thing is, I know we have a LONG way to go before winter is over. Up here in northern NY, March is just another winter month. Things will get a little better in April, but that's still a long ways away. I need to go someplace warm! I'm seriously thinking about going to visit my friend Cheryl, who packed up her horses and moved to North Carolina for the winter. She's a smart friend!

Noble enjoys her grain while the snow swirls around her. I'll be bringing them in the barn in a little while so they can sleep on a nice dry bed of shavings, out of the weather.

Frozen solid

It was way too cold today. I didn't realize it was below zero when I went out to feed the horses this morning. I couldn't understand why my hands got cold so fast in my gloves, to the point of physical pain. So I fed them, cleaned up their stalls a bit, and ran back to the house. The farrier was supposed to come at 9 am, but he called about 8:45 to say that his truck wouldn't start because of the extreme cold. It runs on diesel fuel, which gels up in these temperatures. He finally got here about 12:30, and I just about froze to death just hanging out in the barn visiting with him while he trimmed the horses' feet. At one point, I excused myself and went back to the house so I could feel my toes again. After getting warm, I went back out while he finished the second horse, Sailor. The stalls were trashed from them spending so much time there today, so I cleaned until the pain in my hands and feet got to be too much, and then ran back inside. I have very warm boots and gloves, but I've come to the conclusion that they just don't make them insulated enough to keep me warm. How many months until spring?

Welcome to Noble Ridge Farm!

This is my attempt to create a literate blog about life on a small horse farm in upstate New York. You'll hear about the trials and tribulations and joys of taking on such a venture in midlife, along with possibly a little editorializing about anything that happens to get my dander up. Right now we are in a deep freeze, with temperatures going as long as -26F at night. But it does go up to about 10 degrees during the day, thankfully. Horsekeeping in this weather is not for sissies. In fact, I'm off right now to bring the beasties in for the night, to give them a chance to warm up on a bed of fresh shavings and chow down on some sweet second-cut hay.