Anyone else worried about lack of grazing/weather?

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Tonks

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As a livery yard owner I provide winter turnout during the day, as this is what my customers want. With some careful management, we have always had a pretty good sward into the spring and summer.

However, after an appauling last summer, followed by a wet winter and a spring that seems to be non existent, I have fields that are poached with very little grass. Any grass there is, is of poor quality.

Can't even seem to get to rolling, as the weather here never lets up for long enough to be dry to roll - so I'm constantly looking at unrolled, poached feilds. Unforunately my feilds are clay, on the side of a smallish hill with the occassional spring, just to complicate matters.

Never seen my land like this before. I am now imposing a 'curfew' on the land/turnout during the day (obviously everything is still in at night), and considering not providing any turnout next winter.

Last year all horses were out 24/7 around the begining of April, following a lovely (if not too hot) March but obviously this is clearly not going to be the case this year for us here. I can't see when they'll be out full time, given that the weather man says we're in for a terrible April as well.

Anyone else worried?????
 
I am quite worried.
I've got horses on 2 yards. One yard is low lying heavy clay soil, those horses have been confined to their yard 24/7 since mid Dec, we do have a sacrifice paddock for them, but even with careful management (short periods of turnout most day) this is trashed. Their normal fields that they can normally live on all the year round (coming in at night over worst of winter only) are waterlogged, I can't even imagine how long a dry spell we need for that to come right.

The second yard fares somewhat better, they're on elevated ground, quite chalky, so even though it's boggy in places it's not terrible, but the grass isn't really coming through at all yet, and now there's snow again. I've never felt quite so despondent about the weather

I wonder what will happen to hay/straw and feed prices this winter if we don't get some proper dry weather. :(
 
Yes. My winter fields are virtually just mud now,this year. No proper grass growth on the next fields that they were due to move onto yet,either. And when the foot of snow we've had fall in the last 24hrs melts,we'll have more mud. Well peed off. Makes you want to pack it all in! :(
 
I'm not overly worried as I would like to hope I have enough field space for mine, and am sure (eventually) that we will get some dry weather.

However, in the time we've owned our yard, we have kept records for weather & ground conditions.
I can honestly say, that we have never had it this waterlogged. Came close to it in 1987 but its now even wetter than then. Also no growth on anything yet, even tho green tips are just visible, there is nothing of note on any paddock rested since last Sept/Oct. I would like to think that it will take off as soon as we get some warmth to the ground.

I have taken the precaution of getting in a tractor load of good qual hay this coming week to re-fill the hay barn tho, something I have never done at this time of the year. Usually by now I have them out 24/7 with shelters & only night hay for big ones if needed for a few nights if cold/wet, leaving me with hay in the barn to last summer months for odd nights/days in & to mix in with the fresh summer cut hay.

If 'normal' weather returns in the next 4-5 weeks, I will have enough hay to last at least till end January next year.
If not, we'll be carrying on using hay till I can put them out 24/7 at grass without additional fodder to keep condition. They can jolly well carry on as they are on full winter routine & 1 trash paddock tho at present.
 
Venevidivici said:
Yes. My winter fields are virtually just mud now,this year. No proper grass growth on the next fields that they were due to move onto yet,either. And when the foot of snow we've had fall in the last 24hrs melts,we'll have more mud. Well peed off. Makes you want to pack it all in! :(
Click to expand...

I suggested to my husband we sell up and move the warmer clims.......I can't ever seem to get warm this year and I am well and truely peed off with it all, quite seriously, for the first time ever.

My ISH hates the cold as he's fully clipped and can't even seem to get him to settle in this weather.....where is the sun!
 
our two look really poor. I can't decide if its their age (both 18), or too much hunting, or the grass... the more I read the more I think it's the grass predominantly.

Our big winter field looks like its had sheep grazing with them all winter. there's nothing left worth eating, and Ron is coming in with grass glands which he usually only gets in autumn...

We're lucky cos the field drains well, so it's not really poached, but there's still been standing water on it this winter which I've not seen in 25 years there!!

Everytime my dad mentions rolling the field, it flipping well snows and we're back to square one. :rolleyes:
 
It was this very day last year that we allowed our liveries to start turning out 24/7 - today... we were white over....
In the 12 years we have had the yard, we have never been in the position when we dont know when they can start to stay out 24/7.
I have had some live out all winter but their fields are a mess.... thanfully this winter we used an extra 10 acre field for them.
For the daytime grazing, we used our spring field (the land drains failed in the winter field)... the land drains have been cleared this last fortnight so we can move onto what was the winter field soon which has been left ungrazed since Nov time but.... we dont want to move over until its growing more or we are going to be left with trashed field after trashed field!

I also share the pain re rolling! Fed up with farmers turning up when its too dry etc, we have just purchased our own little roller - yes its going to take me hours to roll 45 acres with a 5ft roller and 4x4 but at least it will be done when conditions are perfect for it.
 
Mine is poached and waterlogged and I am standing two in for 4-5 hours a day when 1 should be out 24/7 with copd, but I have no option as they'd b swimming and freeing if I left them out - remember grass won't grow at anything less than 5-6 degs. C. It's a nightmare, especially as I lso use my field for schooling!
 
I wasnt worried but am now as he keeps escaping due to lsck of grass so has gone from 247 t/o to 3hrs a day. I just hope he hasnt formed a habit otherwise I might have to move......really really hope not.
 
Yes . . . although our fields are free draining, the grass just isn't growing. In addition, our fields our very exposed so even with rugs on that bitter wind is taking its toll on the horses. I am having to give Kal three feeds a day just to stop him charging about because he is bored and hungry and I have reintroduced Speedibeet and haylage to boost his calorie intake/stop him losing condition. Horses usually start living out 24/7 when the clocks change but I can't see that happening for a good while yet.
 
Yes I'm worried too. I rent a a private little yard with land and my YO has owned it for over 30 years and says that in all that time he's never know any of his land be so bad. I just can't see it recovering, even when I move them into my summer field (which doesn't show any signs of growing yet anyway). Like you say, the sward is churned up and this takes such a long time to re-establish and mesh together underneath the surface, before you can let horses' hooves on it.

I also worry for the farmers who grow the hay and feed that I will wanting to be feeding next winter. If their land doesn't dry out and become workable, we're all a bit stuffed really :(
 
Ours are awful. It's just a big field with 11 horses in!! he gates are more than ankle deep in mud and wet, to the point I hold Dex's neck when I bring him in in case of falling! However, I'm not that concerned. We had a day of warmth and a week of wind previously and the mud had dried and was starting to level out. I would think that after this week it will get better and what with all the water under neath and the horses feet keeping the ground moving, a few days of warmth and we'll be away! Or at least, I hope so...
 
dexnem, i take it you haven't seen the forecast then?!?
Jerry stream stuck too far south again and they think this weather could be with us to middle of April!
Now working in the dairy farming industry & having horses that worries me greatly :-(
 
Our fields are drying up fine, being sandy and on a steep him the water doesnt stay long as soon as its dry for a few days. We have three paddocks totally 3 acres, the two which have been rested since about Jan har dry and hopefully will come back fine given the chance and some warmer weather to get the grass growing.

The back field is trashed but being honest having a good doer she will go out with the others muzzled on the summer paddocks and into the back field at night without the muzzle so she isnt wearing it 24/7.

We have made the decision to just bring the other two in at night so as the grass doesnt get too strained, one is 22 and the other a pampered TB who doesnt like being out for more than half the day and stands around to come in despite hay etc :rolleyes: so not really all that worried, will be feeding hay anyway.
 
I have my own forecast... the optimism forecast! I think we'll get through it. We're all struggling - we have no surface to ride on so the 5 year old thinks schooling's a thing of the past! erm! Hopefully, in a few weeks, it'll come warmer - it has to some time. We have a fertilizer to put on the fields and it's surprising how quickly things get back to normal. We can live in hope - there's nothing we can do about it anyway!
 
No I am not worried.

My fields have suffered but come the warm weather and A harrowing fertilizing and weedkilling they bounce back.
 
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