Am I the only one?

My_Eeyore

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 January 2008
Messages
58
Location
Wiltshire
Visit site
My "summer" fields are ruined, they are in a worse state now than the winter ones were at the end of winter.

There is standing water over most of the field,virtually all of which is poached some of the holes being a good 8" deep, all gateways are wellie deep bogs. The mud is too deep to push my wheelbarrow in so the poos are piling up. There is no where dry for them to stand and their heels are getting pink and their hooves soft. I've been bringing them in for a few hours every day to dry out. After yet another day of rain I think i am going to have to keep them in. In August
shocked.gif


I'm in Wiltshire and on clay but it's never been like this. There was about 2 weeks when we could ride on the land and thats it. It is usually around Nov before its this wet. I've been waiting for my field shelters but they can't get on the land. Its even too wet for the quad
mad.gif


TBH this might be it for me. i hate having to keep them in, at least in feb when they were in nearly all month what kept me going was the thought it was only a few weeks until the better weather. I've had expert advice on drainage and there is nothing more I can do......sigh

Anyone want 5 acres of bog?
 
Our fields are beginning to look a little bit wet and muddy. Nothing like what you decribe though! TBH ours didn't even really get that bad in winter.

We're on sandy soil though and have noticed drainage seems to be brilliant. Know what you mean about keeping them in, we've only got 3 stables and 9 horses now so we're going to be a bit stuffed if the fields get that bad this winter :S
 
I am in Scotland and its even worse here. The fields all have burns running through them and they have burst their banks, its like a paddy field. I hope the weather improves soon, otherwise, its going to be a long long winter.
 
My field is well drained as it's flat at the bottom but mostly a steep hill, and is between 1 and 2 acres, with only 1 horse on it since losing our mare. The field is sectioned off so he's only on around a quarter of it and the rest of the field is able to be rested until winter. However, I really don't think, knowing what the fields get like in winter, we will cope this year without significant amounts of hay in the field. It's already saturated and boggy in places (stream at the bottom) and the gateway is almost impassable. May end up putting George on my in-law's field this winter, even though it's near the road and we can't ride out from there yet and there's no stable there yet. He can't be ridden at the moment, anyway.

I've never known a summer where I've actually not been able to put my jumpers away in storage bags! I've been wearing my fleece at the yard!
 
In Oxon and this is why we have tailored our routine as necessary - it may be summer but that doesn't mean it will be dry. Ours have had, at the most, 20 lots of 24/7 since June, we cannot poach our fields or we will be in trouble come winter.
 
Top