Cold Hands, Warm Heart

The cold and snow have continued, but there are some breaks in sight and in a week or two we may be out of the teens for the most part. So hopefully this will be the last time I focus on coping with subzero temperatures.

I try to take care of my hands in winter. Here are my most important accessories.

25 degrees and up:

Notice one has gone AWOL even though I was watching them very carefully. I'm hoping it will turn up when the snow melts.

Below 25 degrees:

My first shearling product. Very warm even though worn. I'm going to patch these with an old fleece insole I've been saving.

Mittens from childhood. Used when the above get wet.

My second shearling product. Mended many times. Still very warm, nearly as warm as mittens. Used when both of the above get wet.

Any temperature, any time of year, the best barn footwear ever:

These are about 5 years old. They are so great though they could probably stand to be boiled clean. Good in mud, poop, rain, flooding, and snow. Attached to them here, for icy conditions, are YakTrax (c). This way I can move freely and safely around the barnyard. Frankly, sometimes I need these to navigate the premises at home.

Winter Wear

Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue is a reputable rescue that helped me greatly a few years ago. Their Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crane-Mountain-Valley-Horse-Rescue-Inc/281343055215433 usually has news, about the owners and the residents. But their most recent post was about What They Wore:

"Chore gear: tank top, thermals (shirt & pants), wool turtleneck, hoodie, Carhart pants, Carhart and thinsulate lined jacket, wool socks, fleece neck warmer, wool cap, Carhart baseball hat (with fleece liner and ear flaps), fleece lined mittens, insulated muck boots, hand warmers, toe warmers. It's 50 extra pounds of clothes! Add to that, walking through 6 inches of snow pulling a sled with 65 pounds of hay on it, 30 pound water buckets, and about 15 pounds of grain. Now, that's a workout!
Anyone want to sign up at Crane Mountain Valley fitness farm? No gym fees and tons of fresh air.....and great rewards with happy horses."

I can relate. And illustrate. Here's my chore gear, arranged by outdoor temperature.

25 to 35 degrees:

Old fleece pants

Spouse's old running pants

Fleece zip top

Old formerly waterproof jacket

Newish Ariat socks

15 to 25 degrees:

Really old Damart thermals

Old insulated ski pants

Newish ALPACA socks

Fleece zip top

Down vest, gift from sister

Down jacket from mother and husband

5 to 15 degrees:

Fleece long johns

Old insulated ski pants

Blessed ALPACA socks

NEW fleece zip top

Down vest

Down jacket, supplemented by the down vest

Old jacket now functioning as windbreaker

 
After mucking out a couple of stalls, I do usually need to unzip a couple of layers. But all this stuff does help me get out to the car and up to the farm.

I had more fun than I expected putting this post together. Next time: Headgear, gloves, mittens, and boots.

Behavior

It has been very cold lately, and the grounds at the farm are covered with ice. We have not even been hand walking, let alone riding.

So I am surprised that Molly has been letting me pick up her feet. I've been doing this even though they are quite clean, to keep her mind ready for her next farrier visit.

One of my colleagues at work had looked up the term "muleskinner" and discovered it involves the ability to cope with mules' intelligence. She asked with some surprise if mules are really smart. I said that that was the general impression, but that opinions vary.

Molly in her former pasture at Duane's. He supplied the "Attack Mule" sign.

I should have added that equines vary, too. There's such a great range of personalities from horse to horse, but also a range of moods within one creature. I sometimes find Molly's behavior just awful, but I usually end up wondering if I've somehow contributed to it (see my earlier post called "Grass").

Her farrier and I have tried several methods of getting her to let her feet be held for longer periods. Our worst idea was to use treats, because she immediately focused on those and lurched around looking for more. So far our best idea is to wait until the farrier arrives to give her her morning hay.

Her farrier is always confident, patient, and consistent. I learn a lot just by watching her.