Anyone else on Clay - as just feeling like they have so much mud?

Although my field is looking absolutely disgusting I am really worried by the lack of rain we have had in the Somerset area. Half of my field should be underwater by now but it's just squidgy. Normally it looks like a swamp at this time of year but its looking far too good. Apparently the resevoirs are the lowest they've been in years. I'm now praying for a wet spring and a good hay crop or we are in serious trouble.
 
We used to live less than a mile away from where we are now - and we had awful pink horrid clay there. When I had a little dapple grey, he used to look more like a strawberry roan than a grey pony! But so did everyone elses as we've got quite a lot of that sort of clay here in Devon.

Where we live now isn't quite so bad, BUT we do live on an old watercourse, so some of the fields here are a bit squidgy. We had the paddocks professionally drained a few years ago and it was the best money we ever spent, plus putting hardcore in the gateways which means you don't leave your welly out in the gateway every time you bring the horses in!
 
The yard where I keep Merlin and the project horses is clay, despite sloping fields drainage ditches etc we have fetlock deep mud in places. At least the grass in coming through on the rested fields, the others are like a sea of mud :(
 
my friends who are unlucky enought to be in parts of east/west sussex where there is clay just keep their horses in all winter and use the horsewalker for exercising whilst mucking out. Thankfully I have dry fields and seem to live in a wind tunnel ( not so good when its freezing like today) so mine stay out all year
 
I cant believe those horses are all quite happy taking a dip in their outdoor pool! my horse hates mud and wet and wont roll outside until its dryer.....thankfully!
 
Your horses have a great sense of humour Lolli! I'm now completely understanding the comment in your avatar, you really weren't kidding were you!!!
 
We are on clay and to add to that misery some of our 7 acres is sloping , the only upside for us is that it drains ok and in - fact I can hardly believe it but over the last 5 days it's dried out so well that I've moved my two onto a resting paddock and have chain harrowed and rolled the winter patch , you'd hardly know the horses had wintered out on it! In the summer the horses move to the bottom of the valley , which gets too wet in winter but is great as the ground dries so hard but stays a bit damp and soft at the bottom.
 
Booboos said:
We have drainage, and big ditches on the side of each field and it's still a mess. You really need to live with seriously clay soil to understand...
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Agree with this! You can't beat it totally, whatever you do, unless you completely cover the land with hardcore, then soil, then re seed! Then the planners would have you for it anyway! Our labs jumping over a wall into the field has resulted in a 1' deep muddy puddle.

There are four reservoirs within two miles from my house - they didn't build them there because it was a dry area... And they don't make pots out of clay without a reason either. Even uncooked it still holds water fantastically.

We have spent thousands on the land - its never ending!

Yesterday I put the horses out in a summer field for a break. I wanted to turn them out without rugs for a roll and a scratch without them coming in like they'd had a dead sea mud spa. After two days in this field, the gateway is already muddy!

Roll on summer. Then it bakes and goes rock hard!
 
Am feeling slightly better to know there's others in the same situation. We moved to a clay field about 6 months ago and we've never known mud like it, it's just a paddy field :(

Gave in 2 days ago and moved them to a rested section, too early as the ground is still wet, but to see how happy my mare was to be out of the mud, bucking and charging with her tail in the air, it was worth the risk.

I'm just praying for it dry out, no more rain yet please!!!!
 
Yep clay here. Have 2 fields and they're both trashed, even though I've been resting one for months. Turned the boy out for half an hour in the snow on the closer one that has been rested, a few rolls and canters and I'm back to square one with it!
 
I hate clay mud. Once we start warming up everything is going to turn into a sticky mud soup mess. Last year I fell over and almost lost one of my boots!!
 
I feel your pain! I finally had enough of clay land and after 7 years moved about a month ago. I can't believe the differance - my boots don't get muddy, the horses have grass to eat and I can even ride in the fields without any squelching!! I wish I'd done it years ago! :o
 
A clay nightmare here in North Bucks too. The fields themselves are pretty good but the gateways are like a bottomless, wellie-sucking, swill-like swamps. My mare has just got mud fever from standing in the gateway and my 7 year old nephew went over his wellies and flat on his back in one gateway and went half under the mud :-0 He had to go home in a bath towel (tehe)!
 
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