Mo' weather, mo' problems
Well guys, it's officially Western Indiana Wintertime over here. Being on the extreme western edge of eastern standard time (Seriously, my barn is 3 miles from central time. THREE MILES. I ride my horse further than that on an average hack!), we have to deal with some craziness when wintertime hits. Here's my favorite list of wintertime blues:
1. Official sunset is somewhere around 5:30pm from most of November through January. By 6:30 it's usually pitch black. That means that if I'm headed up to ride later in the evening, I have to either hope my barn owner kept my horse in the barn for me or hike through 30 acres of wooded pasture listening closely for horsey noises. Buh.
2. Temperatures in Indiana can vary crazily. This week for example? Sunday it was 70 degrees and windy. Yesterday, the temps were in the mid 50's and the sun was gorgeous. This morning, it was 28 degrees and it's only going to get colder from here on out! Sometimes, we can go from 60 degree highs to lows in the teens on the same day. How do you even dress for that? How do you dress your horse? Horse people in Indiana are crazy weather watchers; we have to be!
3. Long warm ups, stiff ponies (and riders!), and long cool downs rule your riding days. Pig's movement isn't really fluid until after his first canter in the winter. Plus, he's often sluggish and not much for working. I can relate, 20 meter circles in the indoor ring get pretty old after awhile.
4. My exercise-induced asthma turns into a management nightmare. I often have to stop cantering due to shortness of breath. It turns out that my breathing problems are triggered by coming and going from warm to cold temperatures. Let's just say that I keep my emergency inhalers pretty close in the winter.
5. Cold rain. 'Nuff said. I'd much rather have a blizzard than a freezing cold rain. Brrrr!
Besides this list of awful things about winter, I have to say there are things about the season I enjoy. Riding ponies down snow-covered lanes, comes to mind. So does finding myself sleepy at 9:30, rather than fighting the sun to get to bed at a reasonable hour. Oh, and sweaters. And pumpkin pie. And the crisp way the sun shines on a cold day.
Okay, you caught me. I actually love winter. Now, if only I could find a way to get my shoulders to relax and drop when I'm chilled...
1. Official sunset is somewhere around 5:30pm from most of November through January. By 6:30 it's usually pitch black. That means that if I'm headed up to ride later in the evening, I have to either hope my barn owner kept my horse in the barn for me or hike through 30 acres of wooded pasture listening closely for horsey noises. Buh.
2. Temperatures in Indiana can vary crazily. This week for example? Sunday it was 70 degrees and windy. Yesterday, the temps were in the mid 50's and the sun was gorgeous. This morning, it was 28 degrees and it's only going to get colder from here on out! Sometimes, we can go from 60 degree highs to lows in the teens on the same day. How do you even dress for that? How do you dress your horse? Horse people in Indiana are crazy weather watchers; we have to be!
3. Long warm ups, stiff ponies (and riders!), and long cool downs rule your riding days. Pig's movement isn't really fluid until after his first canter in the winter. Plus, he's often sluggish and not much for working. I can relate, 20 meter circles in the indoor ring get pretty old after awhile.
4. My exercise-induced asthma turns into a management nightmare. I often have to stop cantering due to shortness of breath. It turns out that my breathing problems are triggered by coming and going from warm to cold temperatures. Let's just say that I keep my emergency inhalers pretty close in the winter.
5. Cold rain. 'Nuff said. I'd much rather have a blizzard than a freezing cold rain. Brrrr!
Besides this list of awful things about winter, I have to say there are things about the season I enjoy. Riding ponies down snow-covered lanes, comes to mind. So does finding myself sleepy at 9:30, rather than fighting the sun to get to bed at a reasonable hour. Oh, and sweaters. And pumpkin pie. And the crisp way the sun shines on a cold day.
Okay, you caught me. I actually love winter. Now, if only I could find a way to get my shoulders to relax and drop when I'm chilled...
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| Anyone else looking forward to this? |
I love winter too even if I get sick and am always cold and get mad at people's inability to drive in bad weather.
ReplyDeleteI always get sick at the start of the school year, so I totally understand seasonal sickness dread!
DeleteYour winter sounds more intense than my winter! I have sports induced asthma too but not that bad. Sorry you have to deal with that.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I wouldn't survive in Texas. Your heat would murder me (or make me too tempted to commit murder!).
DeleteAsthma sufferers unite!
Hate to tell ya, but it is no better in KY. I love Winter until Christmas, then I would rather be in Florida :) Love that pic of you and your boy!
ReplyDeleteKentucky gets less snow, but the volitile weather is pretty much the same, for sure. That's the worst!
DeleteWe have the same temperature rollar coaster here, and I hate it! So hard to figure out when you are going to ride, etc.
ReplyDeleteLove the picture!
And then there's California. We had our first real rain last night which meant that the arena was PERFECT tonight. I rode in a t-shirt with a light sweatshirt over the top and got a little sweaty. :0) I honestly don't know how you midwesterners and easterners do it. It poured rain for a few more minutes tonight, but I plan to ride tomorrow evening and all weekend. The footing will be perfect since it's so stinking dry here. Our low will be in the mid-40s and our highs will be in the 60s, maybe even the 70s. It's never THAT cold here.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE hearing how you all deal with winter. We actually relish the cooler weather. ;0)
That weather sounds lovely! I have family in Southern California (I'm actually an early San Francisco transplant), and that family is always calling on cold rainy days (like yesterday) to rub in my face how lovely it is out there. The thing is, I don't know how you guys deal with the heat!
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