Conference noted::equitation

    
    Add 4 burros and 6 geese to that and it gets even more fun!
    
    Still thinking about Christmas dinner Dick?......
    
    Marianne

    Actually, I had a blast in the new snow! I hopped on my mare bareback
    (much warmer than a saddle!), and we went wandering off into the
    woods. She loved it, and so did I! The snow soft and fluffy, and
    it was so pretty out there on the trails we usually only see in
    the summer. Of course, I did NOT enjoy the shoveling part much....
    

    
    I guess I've given "in" to the temperatures...  and here in Maine we
    are looking at the coldest December (since they've kept records - said
    to be some 50+/- years).  My horses think that 15-25 above 0 is just
    fine (so do I!!)
    
    I did enjoy watching the troops this weekend.  After the storm passed
    on Saturday I turned everyone out together.  My recently gelded 2+
    year old has been out w/his mother (who is bred) for a couple of weeks
    learning social etiquette (she was no where NEAR as hard on him as
    she is the other mare).  Anyway - he and his mother and my new mare
    all romped in the new snow together, up and down the hills, into the
    woods and out, digging and digging into the snow banks and under the
    trees......
    
    The best part was when they all laid down and rolled in the snow at
    the same time... it was kind of funny watching the colt wanting to get
    up quick enough to go 'jump' on one of the mares but enjoying the roll
    too much.  
    
    They're all giving me peace and harmony in the pasture as a present
    this year... and I'm gladly accepting.  Happy to have them happy
    together.
    
    jingle bells - holly
    

I spent one evening trying to overcome bitterly icy winds doing emergency
    barn cleaning so our horses could take advantage of our brand new
    barn that wasn't quite ready to use.  My daughter and I nearly froze
    clearing out anything that could cause injury, building temporary
    stalls, putting up gates and fence rails so they couldn't get out
    in a paddock strewn with all kinds of construction materials.
    
    Two of the three horses went in the barn, heard the icy wind whistling,
    and went back out in the storm.  The third one didn't even pretend
    interest in our shelter despite an ample supply of hay available
    to all of them.  They just went to a low spot in the field, got
    behind a bush and let it snow and blow.
    
    My only reward for all this work was the next day when I saw them
    approach the barn just in time for all the snow to slide off the
    roof onto them... they may never go near the barn again...
    
    Horses, aren't they something?
    
    

    I am much farther south here in PA but we still have had some -12
    days here. I could really enjoy unfrozen water buckets, I was ready
    to get out the sledge hammer to clear my rubber buckets last week!
    Riding......whats that??? The wind chill has been awful my kids
    haven't left the barn in over a week, they say it may get warmer
    tomorrow, over 25 degrees!!!
    Sandy
    

    
    
    You might want to try Thermo-buckets for the frozen water problem.  The
    barn that I board at has them in all of the stalls and the water never
    has frozen this winter.  Even in the week of -10 degree weather that we 
    had.  The buckets have three parts.  The outer holder is made of metal
    with a foam insulation layer.  The inside is a 5-gallon removable
    plastic bucket that makes cleaning very easy.  The third part is a
    styrofoam insert that floats on top of the water inside the plastic
    bucket.  The horses push the styrofoam down in the bucket to get to
    the water.  
    
    The buckets mount on the wall with a bracket that is included with the 
    metal outer bucket.  The bracket has two holes in each side that lets
    you mount it to the stall wall with bolts.  The bucket weighs about 
    75 pounds when full of water.
    
    The buckets are available through:
    
    Rockford Vet Wholesale          Catalog hours Central Time:
    P.O. Box 2256                   Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
    Rockford, Illinois  61131       Sat. 8 a.m. to noon  
    
    Toll free numbers: 
    
    U.S   1-800-435-6940            
    Ill.  1-800-892-6996
    
    The buckets are $35.95 each and includes shipping.  
    
    I don't have the catalog number with me , but will bring it in.
    
    Pat

    See note 1074 for more info on insulated buckets.

    Below zero this morning but still no ice with the insulated water
    buckets! They're really worth the money. Our barn is COLD (the stalls
    open to paddocks 24 hours).

    how much were they ???
    
    
    wendy o'
    
    

    They're about $40. It's a lot, but I find it worth it. I know my guys
    always have water, no matter how cold it gets. And with an open barn
    buckets can freeze pretty easily.
    
    I've found that you do have to start out with warm or at least ground
    temperature (55-degree) water. If you just top off a 3/4-full bucket on
    a really cold evening, the float will freeze up my morning. What we
    sometimes do is top if off with boiling water (convenient, since the
    barn is 20 feet form the kitchen) and that does the trick. These are
    for those nights when it gets down to zero. When it's in the upper
    teens we can just top off the buckets.