How To Handle Rainy Weather

June 4, 2019
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Jolyn Young

Posted in: Featured, Horse Training, Ranch Life

It hasn’t rained this much since…well, since the last time it rained this much. Climate change believers blame automobile emissions and factory farming (whatever that is) for the unusual weather patterns, but we who make a living outdoors know the truth: It’s just springtime.

This extended cold/wet weather pattern last occurred in northern Nevada in 2011, which was the first full year I spent in this area. We wore down jackets and wild rags through the month of June, when more daylight merely afforded more hours to be cold. Everyone hailed that as a good water year, which is what agriculturalists depend on and appear to be experiencing yet again.

But, how does a horseperson handle all the rain, which tends to shut down riding activities? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Clean and oil your tack. Even though you just did during the snowbound winter months, as per this earlier list. Because you totally read and followed every word in every one of my blogs, right? Hello? Is anyone there?

2. Shop for scuba gear, then head to the barn. If you can snorkel, you can ride.

Ah-ha, finally an outfit suitable for cowboying this spring!

rainy weather

Cowboy fashion tip: Flippers are the new taps. Bronc riding tip: You may want to catch something gentle.

3. Cry. Just don’t let your tears hit the ground, because then they will only make more mud. And we already have enough of that.

4. Surrender to the rain, sit on the couch, and read Ed Ashurst’s latest book, Charlie Gould: Memories of a Cowboy.

“Charlie Gould holds no prejudices or preconceived notions about where a person hails from, whether he is called cowpuncher, buckaroo or cowboy. Makes no difference to him whether his outfit is a center-fire or double rig saddle, whether his rope is tied hard and fast or he dallies with a sixty foot reata. You’ll find that Charlie holds in high regard anyone who “makes a hand” regardless of what he’s called, what kind of outfit he has, or what culture he’s a product of,” reads the introduction by Mike McFarland.

Ed is known for writing authentic cowboy stories, and this book upholds that reputation.

5. Throw your saddle on a portable saddle stand (or bed roll) and watch a movie. Because that’s normal behavior, right?

Right. In our house, it’s totally normal for my kids to lug their saddles into the living room and watch Jumanji. For a more educational experience, try watching something from Ride TV.

rainy weather

What are your tactics for surviving all this rain with your sanity intact? Do you have any, or do you plan to plead insanity and ride anyway, come hell or (more likely) high water? Leave us a note in the comments!