This time of year...

[midnight star stables]

CLIP? With Christmas around the corner, I can't help but want to "open" my real Christmas presents by clipping. But then I walk outside

and I am left wishing and waiting for Spring!

Anyone else?

 

[ruffian]

I want to do evening chores in the daylight

I want to DRIVE

I want to feel my toes and fingers after chores!

 

[dreaminmini]

I want to NOT feel like an ice cube after playing with my horses and spend my Sunday evening de-thawing after being at the farm. LOL (No offense Lori

) Though I do kinda miss my sleek horses but I have to admit they are very cute fuzzy!! IMO

Fleur is missing summer and her busy schedule. She isn't too fond of the more laid off feel of the off season. LOL

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I definitely cant wait to clip too!!! I love clipping and seeing the gorgeous animal hidden in all that fluff. Probably my second favorite part of spring, my favorite is all the foals being born

.

 

[chandab]

I'd like to clip some too. I do think they are cute fuzzy, but I like them looking like horses, too.

I'd also like: daylight past 5PM, no lugging water buckets, no snowsuits, no scotch caps, no ice/snow to slip on, feel my fingers and toes after chores (like someone else mentioned), not have to change clothes 3-6 times a day (depending on temps) and so much more.

 

[Matt73]

LOL. Nope. Just want us all to get through winter safe and sound. Get to Mexico in January. Have Spring come. Have a healthy foal. In that order

 

[Eagle]

On Sunday I even went as far as to have a couple of shots of Bailey's before I went down to the yard. It warmed me up a treat!!

I hate the not knowing if they are pregnant, fat or just very furry. Roll on the foal season.

Happy Christmas all.

 

[LindaL]

Part of me wishes I could clip, but only because the weather here in Florida can (even this time of year) be in the 70's and when the horses run and play they get all sweaty from all their hair! But, then again, we also have weather down into the 20's at night and I am glad for their winter hair!

I will however start clipping in February (which seems so early...lol) but our 1st shows are then!

 

[CCC]

I'mmmm soooo jealous of you there in Florida!! I would be happy to even just get to visit there someday!

it's FREEZing here in NB already and a long winter ahead. I Wish for Spring already

I hate frozen cold water and hauling the water hose in and out all winter

but I don't have a set of clippers that would be good enough for full body mini clipping yet, so I can wait for clipping lol

 

[MiLo Minis]

I am going to go against the grain here

and say, although I wish it could be slightly warmer, I LOVE going driving in the winter!!! The horses are all slightly frisky and rarin' to go! The breath comes out their nostrils in a misty cloud, their hooves sound even more melodic on the frozen ground, the air around you seems even more quiet and close as just the two of you go trotting down the roads and trails. I like when we return to the barn and the steam is rising off them as I unhitch bringing their scent to my nose and then my toes get a chance to come back to life as we walk to cool out

I do love the spring but there are aspects to winter that make it worthwhile having it. I forget all about the frozen buckets and lugging of hoses when I sit in my barn and listen to the horses munching quietly on their hay at the end of the day.

 

[Taylor Richelle]

I also can't wait to clip my homozygous pinto stud colt! He's going to be 2 so he will be out of the lanky yearling stage and I will finally be able to see how he might turn out!! So excited! Also can't wait to see everyone's minis getting out of their winter fuzzies

 

[Reble]

I can wait to clip it is just so much work, nice to let them just be horses.

Wish they where like the bigger guys and did not have that to do that job.

But hate this darn cold weather, wish I was in Florida with my friend Kelly...

 

[Sandee]

I don't feel any necessity to clip. It's lots of work even though they do look nicer.

Milo you paint a pretty picture but that's just not for me. I totally agree with Ruffian. Give me warm, sunshine, and needing only ONE layer of clothes in which to do the chores.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I'd agree with MiLo if I lived somewhere where there were actual, you know, TRAILS to drive down. Around here all winter means is perpetual darkness in which to try and work, lots of rain, and an endless stream of headlights coming at you out of the dark.

I wish I could zip Turbo out of his fur suit long enough to see him and then somehow zip it back up again.

He's coming three now and looking (as far as I can tell) really good!

But it is indeed nice to have a break from constantly blanketing and unblanketing and feeling guilty as the horses shiver because it's show season but it refuses to warm out of winter temperatures. I'm not going to cheat them out of their down time! Besides, I think they're pretty darn cute in their fuzz. It's so nice to bury my fingers in!

I could live without the perpetual winter coat fungus though. The only way I've found to really get rid of it is clipping.

Leia

 

[MiLo Minis]

I'd agree with MiLo if I lived somewhere where there were actual, you know, TRAILS to drive down. Around here all winter means is perpetual darkness in which to try and work, lots of rain, and an endless stream of headlights coming at you out of the dark.

I wish I could zip Turbo out of his fur suit long enough to see him and then somehow zip it back up again.

He's coming three now and looking (as far as I can tell) really good!

But it is indeed nice to have a break from constantly blanketing and unblanketing and feeling guilty as the horses shiver because it's show season but it refuses to warm out of winter temperatures. I'm not going to cheat them out of their down time! Besides, I think they're pretty darn cute in their fuzz. It's so nice to bury my fingers in!

I could live without the perpetual winter coat fungus though. The only way I've found to really get rid of it is clipping.

Leia

I have tractor trails that are always beaten down so no or little snow because the farmers are combining in the winter

and I have the luxury of being home all day to work here.

Leia, you might want to up their vitamin A intake. Lots of carrots or vitamin additives if your horses are getting fungus. At this time of year the vitamin A in the hay is getting neglible and that will affect their skin condition. Good thorough grooming helps as well particularly after a snowfall. And make sure they get out in the fresh air and sunshine as much as possible.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Thanks MiLo! I groomed like a maniac for months two years ago, using the blower on his coat every couple of days with thorough currying and such and it didn't help.

I've also tried a prebiotic/yeasty thing that's supposed to help boost the immune system against fungal infections and such; no dice. I'll have to try the Vitamin A.

Spyder had this terribly as an older horse all year around and I think it's in the soil now. Turbo didn't get it the first year except between his forelegs but now he's getting it on his neck just like Kody. Argh! I've tried bleaching all the scratching surfaces on the barn too (especially after Spyder died) but it hasn't helped. Fresh air and sunshine, well, they're turned out 24/7 but I can't force the clouds to part!

Interestingly enough despite being wet most of the time they don't get it on their backs, only on their necks and in Kody's case at least, mostly under his mane. Go figure.

Seems to be something that's killed by exposure to oxygen since as soon as they're clipped in spring it vanishes.

Leia

P.S.- Sorry to run off with the thread, Des! Now back to your regularly scheduled topic....

 

[whitney]

I'll second the "I WANT TO DRIVE!!!!!" We may brave the cold this weekend and go trail driving, just to get some video for Ginia to entice her to visit in the spring.

 

[Bess Kelly]

It's fun to watch them run & buck on a cool morning -- they love the cooler weather!

HOWEVER -- I hate the cold.

I hate being cold, working in the cold -- get the picture? What I propose is that we just skip Winter and go directly from Fall to Spring

 

[SampleMM]

I too wish we could just skip winter and go straight to spring. We have received over 70" of snow just this week. Have I ever told you that I live in the snow-belt?

Yesterday, I actually had a mare stuck in the snow......can you imagine?

Okay, now that I've gotten the weather thing off my chest, I want to clip! I had a foal born in October and I'm dying to see what she looks like under all that hair.