I think taking a lesson in wind chills of 8 degrees qualifies as getting over my cold issues......kind of....holy cow it's COLD! The horses seem to be taking it all in stride so far, but will for sure be happy to see a steaming mash for dinner tonight. We put fresh water in the outside tubs each morning when it's this cold, but on a day like today it's impossible to keep it from freezing up. So we'll get some water in them tonight. One of my favorite things is listening to the horses sucking up a sloppy mash (we call it "sopa" in our barn) and seeing it all over their faces.
This weather is a challenge not only to stay warm myself, but to properly warm up my horse and keep him at a temperature that keeps his muscles relaxed, but not overheated to the point he'll catch a chill when I try to cool off. Toga was clipped late fall just before Waredaca, and his coat is a little long but not full winter length. I think I'll keep him this way the rest of the winter as long as he doesn't suddenly get really furry. He doesn't seem to overheat much even after a hard lesson (he's still pretty fit yay, even though I don't ride as often as I've intended), but he's not naked. It's the wind that is the issue - they surprise me with how warm they can stay in the sun even when it's cold.
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