Anyone else struggling with the lack of rain?

[frankieduck]

I hate to complain now we’re finally on the other side of winter but must it be one extreme to the other?!

Our school gets deep during dry spells so I won’t currently ride in there, not normally an issue as we have a grass schooling paddock and during summer I’ll normally box up and head to a farm ride anyway, focussing on schooling more over winter when we don’t get out as much.

Except the ground everywhere is currently horrendously hard

I’ve basically become a happy hacker apart from a weekly trip to my trainers yard for a lesson. Everywhere is too hard to canter or jump, I’ve been trying to get out XC schooling for weeks but the ground is just terrible everywhere. I’m putting off entering anything too other than SJ on a surface as don’t want to lose my entry fees if I decide not to run.

Anyone else? Please make me feel better!

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

All of our hacking is also pretty hard, we have some dairy type fields with proper grass cover that I'll have a leisurely canter in but I am itching for a blast.
Our school is deeper than usual but thankfully before it gets bad the YO will sprinkler it, my old yard would be entirely unuseable for 6 months of the year and it's one of the reasons I moved

Ours switched to overnight turnout as of tonight though so I am a happy bunny

 

[lynz88]

We have has some bouts of sometimes extremely heavy rain the last few days. Friday evening we had an absolute downpour for about an hour that flooded the train station parking lot. We also had rain on and off today. But otherwise the ground is extremely hard....

 

[frankieduck]

We have has some bouts of sometimes extremely heavy rain the last few days. Friday evening we had an absolute downpour for about an hour that flooded the train station parking lot. We also had rain on and off today. But otherwise the ground is extremely hard....

Gosh really. We’ve had nothing more than about an hour of light drizzle for weeks now…..

 

[AdorableAlice]

No rain forecast for the foreseeable either. I am a great believer of nature always righting herself, but I'm doubting it now. Decent rain is needed to get the silage started. Then we will be stressing over hay shortage. Farmers will be stressing over crops drying out.

This time last year we were still up to our knees in mud and it was 11th May before the machines could start with harrowing and rolling.

 

[Vodkagirly]

Last year it was still a swamp, this year the fields have been solid for 2 months. We have only had 2 showers since then so while the grass is growing, it's not as fast as I would of expected for the temperatures. The silage fields around me are growing well, they are very much an example why you shouldn't graze too low. Hopefully haylage fields are doing the same...
Last year we fitted an IBC in the summer field to collect water from the field shelter. It's already ran out , I thought we might need to do a few top up runs in August but certainly not April.

 

[spotty_pony2]

Grounds getting a bit hard to do much faster work. My spotty boy hates the hard ground so we don’t do much. I’m still schooling my mare in the field but limiting canter/pole work although she doesn’t seem to mind the ground. We could do with some rain!

 

[Jeni the dragon]

Same here. We've had hardly anything for months. A couple of hours of drizzle a few weeks ago after we had a fire on the hill behind the yard but it's a real worry.
Grass is not really growing either.

 

[SpotsandBays]

No rain here really either. I don’t have a school and the fields went from wet and slippy to concrete so quickly.
My lawn is growing well but the horse field isn’t so much

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

we haven’t had rain for 2 months now. Too hard for xc schooling or jumping on grass and I’ve just stopped schooling at home on the grass too.
The winter padddocks haven’t started to recover yet due to lack of rain.
Hacking is rock hard too but I’d much rather it be dry than wet although it is very unusual. We had one shower in April and that was it. I’ve withdrawn from ODE’s as I won’t run on hard ground usually it’s too wet this time of year

 

[frankieduck]

Oh I totally agree that there are much worse implications regarding crops and grass growth if we don’t get some decent rain soon, I’m just trying not to be TOO doom and gloom for now and only complain about my first world problems

But yes on the positives, we’re on overnight turnout already and the lack of growth on my own fields is actually a welcome relief for my good doers who came out of winter rather portly!

 

[Red-1]

I have 2 fatties so I'm quite pleased that the fields are looking sparce. Never had them both out so early before.

I'm trying not to think about the hay situation for winter.

 

[meleeka]

I put grass seed down a few weeks ago, just before it was forecast to rain. We had a light shower then and nothing since. I think I may have wasted my money as my field is still pretty bare, apart from the odd weed I'm still feeding hay where I'd usually be strip grazing.

 

[pistolpete]

I’m overjoyed as my fatty has finally lost some weight but the hacking is concrete here in south Hampshire we’re having to do pub rides instead! First world problem!!

 

[Squeak]

It does feel a bit like we go from one extreme to another over the last couple of years!

 

[Surbie]

We have has some bouts of sometimes extremely heavy rain the last few days. Friday evening we had an absolute downpour for about an hour that flooded the train station parking lot. We also had rain on and off today. But otherwise the ground is extremely hard....

I narrowly missed being out in that one! Thankfully I got distracted by another livery, but still had to wait it out in the hay barn before getting in. (no coat at yard - a mistake that is now sorted!)

 

[lynz88]

I narrowly missed being out in that one! Thankfully I got distracted by another livery, but still had to wait it out in the hay barn before getting in. (no coat at yard - a mistake that is now sorted!)

I had to wait it out as well!! No coat and a white shirt....

 

[Cocorules]

Desperately need rain as grass is very poor.

 

[Widgeon]

I can't remember the last time I cantered - our ground went from winter wet to concrete hard in a matter of weeks and my poor horse's feet are not keeping up very well. I took his front shoes off last autumn (he's been barefoot behind for a few years) and am starting to wonder whether I did a stupid thing. He's in boots and pads but even so he's being very, very careful and slow with his front feet. They look nice but he's obviously feeling the ground. You can't win can you.

The field is in good shape though - the little rain we have had has greened it up without any mad flushes. Ridden cob and baby native are both looking slim and shiny and we have enough grass that I've had to cut their 3.5 acre field in half already.

Not to derail the thread, but if anyone has anyone suggestions for how to help a relatively newly barefoot horse cope with this rock hard ground, please do share in case you have something I haven't thought of.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Yes, We have had one rainy night in about two months. My fields are like concrete. They are very dry and hard at the best of times so to be like this this early is a worry as I have no grass.
Mr P was saying the wheats are only half the height it should be (so less straw I suppose) I often walk the dogs through the crops and the fields are cracked and dusty like mid summer out there.

 

[frankieduck]

I can't remember the last time I cantered - our ground went from winter wet to concrete hard in a matter of weeks and my poor horse's feet are not keeping up very well. I took his front shoes off last autumn (he's been barefoot behind for a few years) and am starting to wonder whether I did a stupid thing. He's in boots and pads but even so he's being very, very careful and slow with his front feet. They look nice but he's obviously feeling the ground. You can't win can you.

The field is in good shape though - the little rain we have had has greened it up without any mad flushes. Ridden cob and baby native are both looking slim and shiny and we have enough grass that I've had to cut their 3.5 acre field in half already.

Not to derail the thread, but if anyone has anyone suggestions for how to help a relatively newly barefoot horse cope with this rock hard ground, please do share in case you have something I haven't thought of.

I have the same issue, my old boy who has been happily barefoot for over 10 years has broken a massive chunk off his hoof and has cracks everywhere I think it's the ground going from sodden to suddenly dry and rock hard that hasn't helped.

 

[canteron]

I can't remember the last time I cantered - our ground went from winter wet to concrete hard in a matter of weeks and my poor horse's feet are not keeping up very well. I took his front shoes off last autumn (he's been barefoot behind for a few years) and am starting to wonder whether I did a stupid thing. He's in boots and pads but even so he's being very, very careful and slow with his front feet. They look nice but he's obviously feeling the ground. You can't win can you.

The field is in good shape though - the little rain we have had has greened it up without any mad flushes. Ridden cob and baby native are both looking slim and shiny and we have enough grass that I've had to cut their 3.5 acre field in half already.

Not to derail the thread, but if anyone has anyone suggestions for how to help a relatively newly barefoot horse cope with this rock hard ground, please do share in case you have something I haven't thought of.

Assuming they are out 24/7 you encourage a ‘wet area’ around the water tank …. It’s a place they go to regularly so you don’t have to make a large area wet for it to help?
Alternatively/as well there are products (hoof moist I think it’s called) you can put in the hooves to help.

 

[Widgeon]

Assuming they are out 24/7 you encourage a ‘wet area’ around the water tank …. It’s a place they go to regularly so you don’t have to make a large area wet for it to help?
Alternatively/as well there are products (hoof moist I think it’s called) you can put in the hooves to help.

I have the same issue, my old boy who has been happily barefoot for over 10 years has broken a massive chunk off his hoof and has cracks everywhere I think it's the ground going from sodden to suddenly dry and rock hard that hasn't helped.

Thanks! Yes I will probably go back to my tub of hoof moisturizer, although as others have said I'm not 100% convinced it helps! He won't stand in a tub (I've tried) and I have to carry water in buckets to their trough, but maybe if I slap on enough hoof goo it will help a bit.

At least I'm not the only one. I feel a bit silly, creeping carefully along behind the shod horses and the ones that seem to just stomp across rocks. I completely agree I think it's the sudden change that's caused the problem.

 

[tda]

Our local weather guy is saying another 2 weeks of dry

 

[frankieduck]

Thanks! Yes I will probably go back to my tub of hoof moisturizer, although as others have said I'm not 100% convinced it helps! He won't stand in a tub (I've tried) and I have to carry water in buckets to their trough, but maybe if I slap on enough hoof goo it will help a bit.

At least I'm not the only one. I feel a bit silly, creeping carefully along behind the shod horses and the ones that seem to just stomp across rocks. I completely agree I think it's the sudden change that's caused the problem.

I’m on a few barefoot groups on Facebook and a lot of people swear by aqueous cream for dry spells.

Also if you can persuade him to stand in one place for a while each day, standing on a wet strip of carpet can help.

 

[Jango]

I'm in Manchester (the home of rain!) And it's been the driest early season I've ever known, with nothing forecast the next 14 days either. I really wanted to get out to some more events this month, but don't want to damage my mares legs galloping on concrete like ground the grass also isn't growing.