SNOW SNOW SNOW MY POOR HORSES

[Riverdance]

a snow storm as bad as this. Just getting to the horses is impossible. I put out bails of hay this AM when I could get out there, but I am sure that many of the bails are under snow now. The horses can not get to the wateres.

It took me an hour to get to the side yard to feed the stallions (which is very close to the side of the house) then out to the barn to feed the horses just out the door of the barn. The snow is piled so high, the horses can not get out of the overhang, at least 5 to 6 feet.

I fell 3x in the deep snow, then could not get up. What a struggle just to get up. This is the time that living here alone could be deadly. so far we have about 15 to 20 inches.

And...it is still snowing hard.

I do not have any idea how I am going to dig everything out and where to put all of the snow. I called the farmer who brings me hay and he will be over tomorrow afternoon to help plow out, but that is not going to help me dig out the dog runs, the sidewalk or the paddock areas to let the horses get to the automatic waterers.

I am getting too old for this. Time to look into moving to Texas near my daughter.

 

[ruffian]

Please please please take care of yourself. While we love our horses, YOU are the most important on the farm. Always take your cell phone with you. I always make sure I have it when I go to the barn no matter what the weather. Set up a call system with a close neighbor - such as giving them a call that you are going to the barn and if you don't call within a certain period of time, ask them to either check on you or have law enforcement do so.

Remember - we love you and want you to stay safe!!

 

[supaspot]

yes stay safe

 

[Genie]

It's been very rough here as well. Like you, I assume it will be the lake effect?

Stay safe and good luck. I could not handle what's going on here without help.

I hope this is not what we are faced with till April.

Around here it's six months of winter and six months of poor snowmobiling.

 

[midnight star stables]

Is it icey there? Twenty inches doesn't sound like too much, we had over thirty-six inches in some areas here last week. Please do stay safe. And warm! Moving to Texas isn't a bad idea though... There are some nice horses there!

 

[ohmt]

Yes, please be safe! We haven't gotten as much snow as you here in SE North Dakota, but we're only a couple hours from the really bad stuff.

It's very icy! Just a couple days ago we had temps in the 30's which melted everything and now with the 20-30 below temps and LOTS of snow, it's dangerous. My family lives in Minnesota and my mother actually just called me to tell me about her horrible driving experience. Lots of cars in the ditch-she drove 30 on the interstate.

When you move south, will you take me with you?

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

When you move south, will you take me with you?

I have to spare bedrooms, c'mon down! It was 60* here today.

 

[Charlotte]

Exactly the reason I don't live up there any more. I could count on it....Frank went out of town and sometimes out of the COUNTRY and we got blizzards and me alone to care for the horses. It was a nightmare!

You be careful. The horses can survive for a little while without water if they aren't eating.

Move to Oklahoma. Lots of nice mini people here.

Charlotte

 

[Riverdance]

Please please please take care of yourself. While we love our horses, YOU are the most important on the farm. Always take your cell phone with you. I always make sure I have it when I go to the barn no matter what the weather. Set up a call system with a close neighbor - such as giving them a call that you are going to the barn and if you don't call within a certain period of time, ask them to either check on you or have law enforcement do so.

Remember - we love you and want you to stay safe!!

Thank you all. I am in for the night, so no worries till tomorrow.

We have about 20" so far and it is still snowing. It is not so much the 20", but the wind is blowing so hard that there are drifts that are 4 to 6". The drifts are high in the dog kennels. Don't know where I will put that snow, as there is a privacy fence around them. No way I can throw the snow over a 6' fence. Besides the fact that it will have to be hand shoveled.

Fortunately, I left two gates open down the barn driveway, but the gate is closed on the house driveway and the snow is piled about 4' there. Will be fun to dig that out. Fortunately I have a payloader on the tractor. Not a big tractor, but it helps.

I should have brought my cell phone with me, I will tomorrow.

No neighbors near by that I know well. More like acquaintances. The closest neighbor is 1/4 mile away and they are in their 80s. The others are about 1/2 mile away. I guess I will have to call my daughter in Texas and let her know that I am going out to feed and plow. If I do not call her every hour, then she can try and call me, if she can not get me, then she can call the police. My closest friends are 20 minutes and 1 1/2 hours away.

At least if there is a big emergency, the farmer only lives 5 miles away and he always has the cell phone with him.

 

[K Sera]

OMG! I'm originally from Michigan and lived there until I was 17 so I know what snow is like .... my best friend down here is from Minnesota and she tells me about the weather there! Holy cow! Please be careful .... I am so thankful I live in the south. Make sure your relatives have your local folks numbers and local law enforcement numbers too!

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

Please be careful! Dana gave some great advice. If something happens to you there is nobody to look after the animals, so your safety has to come first.

Sending you warm thoughts!

 

[Ashley]

We are somewhere int eh 20+ area as well. We paid somebody to come plow out the driveway today, and will come again tommorow. Dont think my little plow on the lawnmower will do. I put up a round bale this morning, checked water and called it good for the day. I can see the horses out my patio door so I can check them that way. The poor dogs are getting stuck in the snow banks.

 

[Royal Crescent]

I agree with the longing for some place warmer and without the snow. We got about the same as you, maybe a tad less. We had to blow out the driveway so that I could drive over to the farm, which was very slow. Then I had to haul some hay down to the barn through really deep drifts and the snow down there was half way up the door so I had to dig to get into the barn. I brought everyone in last night but Perfecto still was coated with snow, which came in any crack it could by the doors. I let them all move around in the barn while I refilled water buckets and got their feed ready. After they were all tucked in, I started back up to the house and Howie came out to help me back. He had been out earlier and had not realized that it was so bad. On top of it all, My daughter was home sick so I had to go it alone. I sure hope tommorrow is easier! At least I did not have to go out again as Howie was going to throw them hay again this evening. Where should we go Sue?!!

 

[Becky]

Oh, be careful! I can not imagine what it is like living in that kind of winter weather and having to care for livestock. Move south!

 

[Frankie]

And to think some people asked me why did I really want to move to TN.

Well, lets see. 20 inches less is awesome!!

Be safe and do keep your phone with you. I hope you see light tomorrow.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I have to spare bedrooms, c'mon down! It was 60* here today.

You can go off people, you know

Our snow has gone, for the moment, but I know how difficult even the few inches we had can be.

Just tell yourself firmly that, whilst horses can actually survive for a bit, quite adequately, without food, they could nor survive for the length of time it would take you to recover form a broken hip pr leg, so ....please...use your common sense and stay SAFE!!!

 

[Taylor Richelle]

Yes please stay safe....having that much snow can be very un-safe.... You can come up here to Maine we have like an inch of snow!!

 

[Anne]

We are also dealing with this awful weather. The bottom has not dropped out of the temps yet but the wind is

just awful. Our roads are drifted closed and we are going no where no matter what happens, have not seen anything that resembles a

plow since yesterday afternoon.

They called all the plows off the roads.

The horses are in the stalls with heated buckets

and hay so they are fine, I can't get to the chickens but I filled them extra good yesterday and they have heated water too.

The drifts are 6 feet high, and it's quite a challenge.

At least we were well stocked up and prepared.

There are reports of LOTS of power outages.

We are holding our own.

Who are those silly people who are out driving and getting stuck and in the ditch??

I am thinking we need to find a job a bit further south,

I have hated winter for quite sometime but these days make it hard

Anne

 

[Riverdance]

Well, the metro dome roof fell in this AM. I have been out for 2 hours and have not got much accomplished yet . Tried to plow a path to the horses, no go there. Drifts that are 4 to 5 to 6 feet. I was able to dig out two doggie doors for some of the dogs to at least get out. The last doggie door is so snowed in, who knows how long it will take me to get them out.

Went through the barn and was able to check on the horses, though I can not get to them. They are all looking fine.

They say this is one of the top 10 worst snow storms we have had in the history of recording Minnesota weather. first they said it was 8th, now they are saying the 5th worst storm.

I will have to get some pictures for you all, but now I have to go back out and plow again.

 

[Marty]

I could never endure what you are going through especially with my animals involved. Move to Tennessee! That's just crazy and you need to be safe. There's plenty of foreclosures with really NICE big barns all over the place! And hey, you get me and Carolyn for neighbors too.