By Dan Roark
Everyone knows about extreme weather from the weather we’ve had this year. While that would pretty much apply to anywhere in the country – or the world for that matter – we’re concerned with the little universe we call New Hope.
Back in the dog days of summer, the volunteers and staff installed and ran fans in the paddock sheds to help cool the horses. They also added frozen milk jugs to the horses’ water troughs. Kim and volunteers, such as Cyndy and yours truly, rinsed or washed the horses to cool them down. Sharla would bring down watermelon to also help the horses cool down.
There is the opposite extreme, which would be cold, which came this week. As a general rule, the pipes 
are wrapped, the sprinkler system and pumps are drained, and the well house is heated. A heat lamp is added to the goat pens, and electric de-icers are put into all the water troughs.
Then there’s what you do when the best laid plans go awry. When the cold comes in quickly and the warning wasn’t sufficient to prepare. Kim (barn manager) and Emily (volunteer coordinator) used a hose hooked up to the sink in the bathroom in the barn to fill the water troughs of the horses in the paddocks that were close to the back of the barn. All the other faucets were frozen. They filled five one gallon jugs, enough times to fill the troughs in the paddocks at the top of the hill and behind the arena. Thanks to all the staff and volunteers who braved the cold to help the horses through the cold spell.
The arena and mounting ramp look cold and lonely waiting for lessons to start again.
Ride on and ride for hope.
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