Ok, we had an icy/snowy winter. Awfully wet Spring and Mid-Summer. Now the heat and humidity (high dewpoints) has settled in. The horses are sweating just standing still in the pasture.
SO I really haven't gotten to ride much this year. Basically once a week for my Dressage lesson and a few one day weekend rides. I am yearning for a nice wooded ride without some sort of whacky weather. I usaully get to ride every weekend and a few days out of the week. But it has been muddy since January and some of the trails here have even closed due to erosion.
If fall doesn't pan out I may need therapy to get me through the winter!
Has anyone else had icky weather? I just drool over other posters mountain views and desert pics.
Posted 2008-08-01 9:36 PM (#88805 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
It hit 99 here today and is supposed to be 100 tomorrow and Sunday. Humidity is down to 10-15% . It was a wet spring and has been a hot summer.
So it's hot out in the sun. We just ride in the evening or in the shade this time of year. My daughter and I took the two mares out for an hour last night around 7:00pm. It was tolerable.
Luckily I can go from 4400 foot elevation to 7000 in 30 minutes and easily be at several trail heads at 8000+ in 1 to 2 hours drive. If I have all day to go for a trail ride. The difference in elevation is easily worth 20* difference. So 100* becomes 80*
And most of those elevations still have snow. Last weekend July 25th
Posted 2008-08-01 9:44 PM (#88806 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Elite Veteran
Posts: 690 Location: missouri
It is hot as hell here in SW Mo... but we have been riding some in the VERY early AM...It has been ok if you don't mind taking frozen (not for long) water and wearing those coolie things around your neck or head... I can't wait for fall and good riding weather since we've missed out on so much this spring & summer.
Don't trade the LQ on a pool now, you only have a month or so to use it!
Posted 2008-08-01 10:51 PM (#88812 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Veteran
Posts: 270 Location: Roanoke IL
Central illinois weather sucks....but that's nothing new. The humidity is so bad nothing dries. The trails are soggy and full of mosquitoes. I just said to heck with it and I've been riding....and sweating or drowning, or baking, or getting chewed up by bugs. But yes, I will agree that the weather has been very rotten this year. It was 95% humidity here....then it started spitting rain, then the sun came out. Talk about a sauna!
Posted 2008-08-02 8:41 AM (#88820 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 303 Location: Grapeland, Texas
It is hot and dry here. Suppose to be 103 the next couple of days. Already been 100 several days and the past couple of nights when I looked it was still 90 at 11PM. Grass is brown, ponds drying up and trees dieing. I'd rather be complaining about the mud!
Posted 2008-08-02 9:17 AM (#88822 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Veteran
Posts: 192 Location: Hutto, TX
I second that about hot and rdy. The cracks in the ground are so big that I might lose a small horse or dog. Hurricane Dolly brought a little rain to some areas south of us, but I just got to watch it from the hill. I'm not riding, I'm just keeping my trees alive. My yard is gone and maybe the pasture too. And August is usually bad. I think I'll go stand in the shower!!
Posted 2008-08-02 10:37 AM (#88832 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Elite Veteran
Posts: 781 Location: La Cygne, KS
Painted Horse, do you take borders?? Hee Hee. I'm ready to leave Kansas behind for a few months; I just need to win the Lottery first!
Sounds nice to have low humidity and such gorgeous mountains. We have almost 80 percent dewpoints here this morning which make the humidity rediculous.
The bugs are eating everything up - leafhoppers for the garden and mosquitos, all types of bloodsucking flies and ticks on the livestock and me. I keep telling myself only a few more weeks until September when the weather usaully turns nice.
My farrier told me a cute story last week. He said the horses buck and leap in the fall because they are celebrating the riddance of flies and ticks. It made me smile.
Posted 2008-08-02 10:39 AM (#88833 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 317 Location: Barnesville, Ga.
I have never liked summer riding but this year has been really bad. We camped like weekend and after fighting with the yellowjackets I think me and my horse have had enough for awhile. I can't wait for fall!!!
Posted 2008-08-02 2:19 PM (#88844 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Expert
Posts: 2614
Currently here,it's 96.4,the humidity is 54% and the heat index is 112.In short,it's hotter than the hammered down hinges of Hell here.Too hot to even take care of your horses other than water,and I've got an injured filly that needs care twice a day,naturally!
Posted 2008-08-02 5:26 PM (#88849 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 309 Location: MO
Rain and more rain in NE MO. We had almost 15" of rain during July, usually a very dry month. Now August blew in with 90 degrees and humidity. There was so much rain early that hay most crops were put in late and hay had to be cut very late - couldn't get a few dry days in a row to let it cure. This means most crops are quite short.
The garden crop guys are in deep trouble. My garden is a disaster. Only got about 1/3 of the corn expected. And tomatoes are just beginning to ripen.
Fortunately we have more than enough hay in the barn for this winter and don't have to feed any since the pastures are so lush.
Now, let's have a beautiful fall with lots of great riding weather.
Posted 2008-08-02 7:32 PM (#88854 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Veteran
Posts: 294 Location: Fort Worth, Tx
It is 7:30 at night and my temperature guage reads 97.7. That's in the shade! We got some rain the other day and we did the "dance of joy" for it, since it was the first in several weeks.
I have friends in England, Scotland, Ireland, where it rains a LOT-they just ride in it and through it. I went to a horse trial in Scotland where it rained the whole weekend. Not a single person cancelled because of weather-they are just used to it!
Posted 2008-08-03 1:01 PM (#88896 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385 Location: high desert, CA.
Just a weather report from the high desert north of Los Angeles.....
10:50 in the morning, altitude approx 3000 ft, 94.0 degrees and 12 percent humidity. Taking my mare out to do some trail work, and was soaked in sweat by the time I got her saddled and bridled. BUT... the sweat dried, we mounted up, and all was good! ( I would like to see some green trees once in a while though! We are riding the Angeles forest next week up to Bandido Campground, and I hope I can haul enough water!)
Posted 2008-08-03 5:50 PM (#88919 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 479 Location: central sierra nevada foothills
Pained Horse and I have the same luxury of towing to the mountains in a short distance from home. Your in Utah, I have the sierra nevada mountains with afternoon showers at 7000ft-9000ft elev. Just as long as they dont' spark anymore lighting strike fires, YIKES! It's crazy with fires here this summer....
Posted 2008-08-04 5:39 AM (#88956 - in reply to #88919) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Elite Veteran
Posts: 610 Location: Northern CA
riding weather has been good here- then the fires ruined it! the smoke has been soo bad that you don't dare go out and exercise yourself or your horse. Finally has cleared up here though. Then these last couple of days have been too hot to ride.
Posted 2008-08-04 4:42 PM (#88993 - in reply to #88805) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Elite Veteran
Posts: 681 Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
painted horse.. your pic looks like my goal of where I want to live before I die..
Right now I'm working for my retirement in some place like that.. I just hope I'm not too old to enjoy it when/if I get there!.... Any one got land for sale in a mountainous state?
Posted 2008-08-04 9:45 PM (#89019 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Veteran
Posts: 207 Location: Illinois
Ya, good ol summertime! I keep telling my son to cherish these days, they'll get us through winter
We've had our share of storms, but until this past week, the heat hasn't been much. I can take 90, just keep that humidity down! We've ridden alot, but only camped a couple times. This past weekend, we went to our favorite park (within weekend driving) and there were only 2 rigs there! That place is usually packed, but the heat forecast scared them away (I guess). It was super nice out, had a great 4 hour ride. (Jubilee/Jim Spurgeon/Peoria IL)
Hmm, now the forecast says lower than normal temps/fall like! YEAH, we leave for LaCrosse WI this weekend. Hope the weather guy is right!
Posted 2008-08-05 7:39 AM (#89038 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Member
Posts: 45 Location: Southern Illinois
Yeah, I think we've had a mild summer in Southern Illinois. I can definitely handle riding when it's high 80s or low 90s. Plus, it's about 10 degrees cooler on the trails where we ride because it's so shady - probably 90% of the trail is in the shade.. We rode one day last summer and didn't think it was too bad, but when we got in the truck to go home the temperature gauge indicated 103 - we couldn't believe it because it didn't seem that hot on the trail..
Our friends in TX aren't having the same luck tho - you can't even avoid the heat & humidity by going out early - and if you do venture out, watch out for the cracks in the ground as they might swallow your horse (as someone previously posted). Whew, glad I don't live there anymore...
Posted 2008-08-05 9:39 AM (#89046 - in reply to #89038) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 303 Location: Grapeland, Texas
Originally written by FarmGirl on 2008-08-05 7:39 AM
Our friends in TX aren't having the same luck tho - you can't even avoid the heat & humidity by going out early - and if you do venture out, watch out for the cracks in the ground as they might swallow your horse (as someone previously posted). Whew, glad I don't live there anymore...
You are not kidding about that. I had to go to Dallas yesterday and when I headed back home at 4:30 it was 106. Now with Edourad the humidity will really go out of site. It has been 90 several nights at 11PM, not rider friendly temps.
Posted 2008-08-05 2:50 PM (#89072 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Veteran
Posts: 192 Location: Hutto, TX
I just got off my mare. Didn't ride hard, but there were enough scattered raindrops and a bit of a breeze to modify the humidity a bit. She was still very tired and sweaty, even after a short ride. But, it's better than usual. Now to wait for the rain! whoooohoooo.
Posted 2008-08-05 6:55 PM (#89080 - in reply to #88799) Subject: RE: Weather Venting
Regular
Posts: 58 Location: Foley, MO
We just got our 3 horse LQ trailer, so we're trying to make the best of it. We went camping in the worst of it so far...102 heat index by the time we got back from the ride and finished breaking camp.
Been conditioning the horses to handle it. The gaited pair (TWH and MFT) don't seem to mind too much. The older mares are good for one ride, but then we have to go swap them out for something younger and fresh.
The A/C in the Exiss has been a lifesaver in the late afternoon heat. I'll normally get up and ride early in the morning on a solo ride, then the two of us will do our ride together by around 9, get back by noon...give horses a cool bath, scraping and backbrush, then go in the LQ and soak up AC...watch a movie, take a nap.
Around 7, I we'd go for a sundown ride on the bluff...not too long, but by 9 PM, we're both pretty used up, and the horses are ready to stand around and eat hay.
We manage. In heat like today, we stay put. Might ride something at sunrise, but not for too long. Humidity is just stifling.
We live in East Central MO and are about 5 miles from Cuivre River State Park, our home trail.