PLATTSBURGH — Howard Newton spent three hours putting down salt and sand at Tamarack Stables the other day, making the footing safer for the horses and for people, too.
Icy conditions and variable weather have caused problems for the Morrisonville horse stable and for other local farms, too. Though some snow Tuesday night made for some better footing Wednesday morning, a forecast of rain and then freezing temperatures over the course of the day seemed to indicate the cycle would continue.
"It's terrible," said Sam Trombley, part owner with Carolyn Reid of Win Place & Show Farm on Hayford Road in Champlain. "I can't go out every day and exercise and train my horses like I should be."
"The biggest problem we're having is the footing for the horses, especially the older ones," said Howard's wife, Karen.
The 23 horses at Tamarack Stables are given free access to the outdoors, which Newton says lessens the chance of respiratory problems but increases the risk of injuries, since they aren't confined to one area.
When the horses go outside, some of them get ahead of themselves and may not use the proper caution that is wise in slippery conditions.
"Somebody may go a little fast and realize they need to slow down," Newton said.
SALT AND SAND
Trombley, whose spread trains standardbreds for harness racing, boards horses and offers riding lessons, said most horses realize when the ground is slick with ice. But sometimes the animals can get antsy after a few days inside and may try to run as soon as they get outside.
"You have to be very careful," he said.
To lessen the chance of accidents, he has been turning out his horses in the indoor arena at Win Place & Show Farm so they can at least stretch their legs.
So far this slippery season, neither stable has had any injuries due to ice.
In some cases, slick conditions mean it takes more time to get through the daily chores, including feeding the animals, and Mrs. Newton said, "just get around out there."
A lot of time has been spent on putting down sand and salt at Win Place & Show Farm, too.
"I had a guy in here three times last week," bringing salt and sand to his farm, Trombley said.
LESS FUEL OIL
At Hidden View Farm in Champlain, the cows mostly stay in the barn, so there isn't much risk of ice-related injuries, said owner and herd manager Dale Tetreault.
He, as do others, uses sand and salt to make conditions safer for both workers and animals.
Tetreault has spent "a little more than we've spent in the past" on sand and salt, as has Trombley.
However, because the winter has been relatively warm so far, Tetreault said, he has spent less on fuel oil.
BAFFLING WEATHER
Donald Dimock, owner of Dimock Farms in Peru, has his eye on the lack of snow so far this winter.
"We've had some concern about our alfalfa crops," he said. "If we get a deep freeze in the near future and there's no snowcover, it could destroy the roots and kill the alfalfa."
That could cost his farm hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said.
It will be a few months until he and other farmers can determine whether the alfalfa has been affected by the weather.
"We really won't know until spring, when everything greens up," Dimock said.
The sometimes baffling weather this winter has some farmers wishing for the seasons of days gone by.
"It would be nice if it would go one way or the other," Trombley said. "It's not like old-fashioned winters, where it would snow and you can plow.
"With this ice, you can't."
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