{"id":2202119,"date":"2026-02-06T12:32:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:32:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/?p=2202119"},"modified":"2026-02-06T12:57:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:57:12","slug":"getting-through-winter-with-horses-sludge-rain-and-long-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/getting-through-winter-with-horses-sludge-rain-and-long-days\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Through Winter with Horses | Sludge, Rain and Long Days"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

February can be one of the hardest months when you keep horses. <\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

February always feels like the month that really tests you when you keep horses. Winter\u2019s gone on long enough, the ground is permanently wet, and it feels like you\u2019re constantly battling mud, puddles and never-ending jobs. Nothing dries properly, everything takes longer than it should, and some days it can feel like hard work just getting through the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The horses, of course, don\u2019t notice the calendar. They still need feeding, mucking out, turning out and bringing in, no matter how bleak it feels outside. I\u2019ve found this time of year is all about small wins and little bits of organisation that make life easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filling hay nets<\/a> whenever I get a spare moment has been a big help. It takes the pressure off in the evenings when it\u2019s cold, dark and you\u2019re already tired. Keeping the yard and paths swept and raked as best as possible makes a difference too \u2014 not just for keeping things tidy, but for making the daily routine that bit safer and less draining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeds get made up in advance whenever I can. There\u2019s something oddly comforting about knowing they\u2019re ready to go when you\u2019re rushing out before work or finishing late. And if you\u2019ve got a good friend on the yard, job sharing can be a real lifesaver. One feeding in the morning, the other bringing in at night \u2014 it lightens the load and lifts the spirits more than you realise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter grooming is another battle altogether. Mud seems to find places you didn\u2019t know existed, and some days you just want the horse clean enough without spending hours scrubbing. A decent shampoo and stain remover<\/a> has definitely helped cut grooming time for me, especially when you\u2019re trying to juggle everything else the season throws at you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest challenge in February, though, is keeping your mindset steady. It\u2019s easy to feel worn down when progress feels slow and every field looks the same shade of brown. But if you stop and look, things are changing.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Mud, mud, glorious mud!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The evenings are noticeably lighter now. The mornings, very gradually, are following suit. Snowdrops are out along the hedgerows and in the corners of fields \u2014 quiet little reminders that spring is edging closer, even if it doesn\u2019t feel like it yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is light at the end of the tunnel, even through all the mud and puddles. Horses have a way of teaching you patience, resilience and perspective, especially at this time of year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the saying goes:
\u201cLife isn\u2019t about waiting for the storm to pass. It is about learning to dance in the rain.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

February might be tough, but we\u2019re coming out the other side now \u2014 one lighter evening at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

February can be one of the hardest months when you keep horses. February always feels like the month that really tests you when you keep horses. Winter\u2019s gone on long enough, the ground is permanently wet, and it feels like you\u2019re constantly battling mud, puddles and never-ending jobs. Nothing dries properly, everything takes longer than<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":2202124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,3],"tags":[106,13,141,167,464,407],"class_list":{"0":"post-2202119","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-equestrian","8":"category-news","9":"tag-equestrian","10":"tag-forelock-and-load","11":"tag-horse-riders","12":"tag-horses","13":"tag-mud","14":"tag-winter"},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/02\/ChatGPT-Image-Feb-6-2026-12_30_27-PM.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Kirstie","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/author\/kirstie\/"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/61\/2026\/02\/ChatGPT-Image-Feb-6-2026-12_30_27-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2202119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2202119"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2202119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2202127,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2202119\/revisions\/2202127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2202124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2202119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2202119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.citrus-lime.com\/flld\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2202119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}