The wind is like a knife. I got deep-down chilled this evening when I was out with the horses, and only now am warm enough to sit by the computer downstairs, having had a hot bath. It's 62F downstairs, which is as warm as I can make it, but not warm enough!
The ground in the barn pasture is frozen, and I walked over to see what the wind felt like in the lee of the barn and inside the shelter. It felt much better. So - as is my wont - I picked this evening, as night was falling, to decide to move the horses back over there.
They were all, like, "What! What's happening! Where are you taking me? Help! I'm being left behind!" Or, in Chloe's case: "I'm fine here out on the lawn, thanks. Please leave me alone."
However, I finally got everyone reunited inside their new accommodations. I put hay in the shelter and up against the barn. I said, "Come, horsies, see how cozy it is. You'll be all warm and snug here."
They said: "Pshaw. We're going out into the howling gale to see if there's anything tasty growing out there."
I lugged a couple of buckets of water in, but the little creek is running enough in places to be unfrozen. Rose ate her herbs. Bridget thought we maybe could play a little. But I said, "No! I am going inside and having a whisky. Goodnight."
As I sit, I can hear the wind howling on the other side of the wall. It's supposed to get down to 15F tonight (-10C), and what with the wind adding to the chill, I'm glad they have a shelter. Even if George stands in the entrance and won't let them in, at least they'll have the barn as a windbreak.
I am officially a wimp and am now going to bed with a hot water bottle.
p.s. Rose's leg's looking a lot better.
It's almost as cold as we have! Well actually it's -15c now and by night it is something between -20c and -25c... Luckily it isn't windy.
ReplyDeleteOlga is also choosing to sleep outside, she only goes in her shelter to eat hay. And there is plenty of it, since it is this cold!
Minnie and Cassie will absolutely NOT go inside when it's windy, they just hate all the rattling, creaking noices and they will even ignore the hay inside. They do go in when it's raining heavily or when it's very cold without wind.
ReplyDeleteIt never fails to amaze me just how comfortable horses are standing out in coldest, most bitter of days.
ReplyDeleteSometimes when I get home from the barn at night, I have to wrap myself in 3 blankets and crank up my heat to ward of the chill…..then I think of Griffin and how he is just fine out in such freezing weather.
...it’s mind boggling to me, the human….
The place where I board is set up so that the horses go out in their pastures during the day and come into the barn at night. Our barn owner will sometimes keep the horses in when the weather is particularly nasty…..but she can’t very often with my boy…. He will throw a fit if he doesn’t get to go outside. I always ask her to just let him go out if he wants to – then he’s happy and her barn stays intact. …and then I tell her he’s making up for lost time from all the years he had to live in a stall at the racetrack (Ugh)…
I'm glad to hear that Rose is looking better (big smiles)!