What A Winter - And it's Not Over Yet

 

For those of us that are horse owners who call Upstate New York home for 12 months a year, 2025/2026 winter has been full of challenges. 

Despite the best of preparations farms have been waist deep in snow or ice since mid-November. Just getting from A to B has required fortitude.

High winds, white out conditions and no real break from bitter cold down to -35 degrees F for days on end has made this winter seem eternal and we can't wait for sun and warmth. It has been decidedly not fun. And yet, the horses don't seem to mind this weather much at all.

 

 

Eventually the sun has come out, and the temperatures have warmed to almost freezing on the occasional day during February. Roll on March! Thankfully the weather pattern is supposed to go to a more 'normal' program in the next few weeks. But of course as its March, that means more snow.

Here at our farm at Willowview Hill Farm, we are fortunate to enjoy the benefit of a sturdy Morton built indoor arena. We put it up in 1999. Well, they did. But it has been so cold even riding indoors has been out of the questions for much of the past few months. 

 

We are also fortunate to have a large supply of our own homegrown hay in stock. So we have no fears of running low or running out. And talking of that, if you need to stock up come and get some. We even have a little bit of 2nd cut left. We usually sell out in Fall but thankfully this year we did not. 

The very early snowfall in November resulted in our usual cavalcade of horse owners that come up the driveway being forced instead to rely on dealer style hay supplies, as they were unable to bring their equipment here to buy due to the snow cover.

And as hay supplies continue to diminish across the area as the long winter takes its toll the hay dealers have begun to run out and we have had a steady stream of requests to take deposits and hold the hay for them. Our policy is first come first served, we don't hold supplies.

Hay dealers can't get up the driveway either, so they are patiently waiting in the wings for the snow to melt so they can snap up what supplies are left.  

 

But take heart. Although the winter is not over yet Spring will come eventually. And meantime the horses don't seem that bothered about the snow. And let's face it. Our horses do look rather pretty out there bouncing about in the fields and playing in the white stuff.