Anyone elses' fields closed due to the wet? :(

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FionaM12

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It's been so very wet here in Lancashire, and the mud is horrendous. :(

I'm not surprised YO has asked all horses to be kept in until further notice, to save damage to the fields and for safety. I don't blame her, but I do hate it when there's no turnout. :(

Anyone else in the same boat (no pun intended)?
 
It's D day tomorrow for our fields, reckon we will end up in too :-( my girl doesn't mind too much, but I always lunge in the morning and ride at night. Some people don't do anything with theirs, they just stand in poor things
 
Misog2000 said:
It's D day tomorrow for our fields, reckon we will end up in too :-( my girl doesn't mind too much, but I always lunge in the morning and ride at night. Some people don't do anything with theirs, they just stand in poor things
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I've managed to injure my arm at work so I haven't ridden for over a week, although Moll has been ridden by someone else. I lunged her the other day and it hurt my arm, so that's probably not a good idea either.

I don't like her just standing in though. :(
 
I feel for you, my normally good field that lasts till start of Dec has started to get really quite wet, thankfully ive got mine over in the winter field now, but tbh if the weather doesnt pick up i'll be limiting my horses turnout to a few hours rather than churn my good field up
 
I really feel for you - I live in an area with predominately clay soil so it is a nightmare. I moved yards a few years back as the previous yard was on clay - their fields are closed for 3 days this week, they close lots over the winter. I am now at a yard where we have slightly less grazing but it is on sand so really well draining. In the 6 years I have been here the farmer has closed the fields for one day, no one had any intention of turning out anyway but it made him feel better! We do keep them in by our own choice for the odd day if it is really wet and windy or snowing as the fields are very exposed but as long as we don't trash our fields the farmer is happy for us to manage our grazing ourselves. I realise I am very lucky as in this area there is so much clay, I just managed to luck onto a stable in one of the few yards with sandy soil - no wonder we have a massive waiting list!
 
Nope, we have hardly any mud but once a year for about a week or two if rain is really bad we have to stay in as the water is just sitting on the top of the fields.
 
We have been sooo lucky as we have not even movrd into our winter field yet. Mind you we need another horse to help keep the grass down so there's always a problem haha!
 
Well I'm just north of you, in South Cumbria - it's awful - not helped by not even having a dry summer. The geldings field is worse than the mares - it's hock deep in mud, while the mares is just fetlock deep :( . The farmer doesn't actually close our fields, but he does expect common sense, and people are generally good and keep in when it's awful. I got mine in at dinner time today, so at least they had the morning out. Tomorrow they will have to just go out for an hour in the morning while I do my bits on the yard and then be lunged tomorrow night. I hate winter - I want to move down south. :(
 
We touch wood are not too bad here (northumberland )I am lucky to own my own place so I have a sacrifice pasture which is sometimes a sea of brown by spring,
This years it looking great two things different I only topped it once so the grass was very long and stalky and three horse BF . Fingers crossed really feel for those of you working with no turn out.
 
We're on our second week without turnout due to waterlogged fields darcy not bothered as she doesn't do weather.She is ridden/lunged in a morning and walked hand grazed at night we also have a sand paddock for them to have a hool in.
 
The rain this year has been extraordinary. Our fields have had ponds and rivers running through them at times but fortunately they are so huge that it doesn't affect the horses, other than giving them something to play with.
So fortunately, they are able to be out 24/7 if desired which makes me very glad I chose this yard when I loved house back in the spring.
 
also in Lancashire, our fields have been closed for 2 months! TBH as much as I'd prefer them out, my mare got bad mud rash at the end of August, so they're better off not standing in the mud.

At least they get turned out on the school instead, and I always loose school them both at night.
 
We are clay and very wet, but although the walkway down to the fields is very deep, most of the paddocks it is mostly surface apart from the gateways. Depending on weather they are still getting out most days even if only for a few hours. I would not have time to exercise them all every day. On the days they have to stay in, most dont mind apart from the welsh cob who doesnt do stables but gets horrendous mud fever in 3 white legs, so I console myself its for his own good
 
Ive got my own yard and my fields are so bad that for the first time ever ALL 11 of my horses are coming in for the winter :eek: :(

On really nice days I will put them out for a couple of hours but even so they rarely move away from the hard standing and haylage bales, seems they dont like trooping through the mud either! :rolleyes: A few of mine have really bad mud fever aswell and the only way to get rid of that is too keep them in and away from the mud. They do get turned out in pairs in the school while I am mucking out though and normally after a quick roll and run around they are standing waiting to come back in. I can safely say my lot are more than happy to be in this winter! :)
 
I am happy to sacrifice my winter field as mine are at home, I am more concerned about horses having mud up to their knees. Luckily they tend to stand on the hardcore next to stables and only venture into the field for a few hours easy day. hose their legs each night and shut them out the field so their legs are rested off the mud.

Was going to let them in the five acre field but don't see the point. They are happy eating haylage on the hardcore area.

Fields are a mess though, and it's only November!
 
We still turn out, albeit the fields are very muddy with little grass. We are limited to turning out in 2 or 3 of the paddocks at the moment to save every field from getting trashed. There isn't much grass but the horses seem happy enough and the hardstand at the gate at least gives them somewhere to stand to escape the mud.

Hopefully we'll get a spell of try weather and they'll go out on the other sections but until then I, as much as I don't like my horse standing in mud, I understand why we have to do it and it's better than the alternative of keeping them in all day.
 
Lancashire lass here too. Ours have been in 6 weeks, the fields have been truly disgusting this year. It never dried up in summer, consequently, they just can't take anymore water :(
Mine goes out with 2 mates for approx 2 hrs on sand paddocks, goes on walker 2 days and is ridden most days.
She does alright on that regime :)
 
At my last yard the fields were closed from end of October till March, except when frozen. There was also no off road riding/lungeing facilities. Horses got to go out in a small area just while being mucked out only.

Many horses on that yard seemed to cope fine, but Mollie and I didn't. :( We are much better off where we are. Last winter the fields were closed for maybe a week or two in total, and we have a floodlit manege with all-weather surface so at least she can be exercised. :)
 
i wont keep mine in still out 24/7 and will be all winter-i look after my fields in summer by restricting grazing and feeding hay so i have enough grass and turnout for the winter
 
I feel your pain. My yard now seems to have only 1 winter field which is small and muddy with no grass. They're still going out atm but yard owner is encouraging for them to stop in. My horse is retired so I can't even exercise him properly if he doesn't go out. Vet has said he can be lunged but it's not ideal as he is mildy arthritic. It's really getting me down... :-(
 
Are horses were kept in on Friday as field wet due to rain overnight , they got out next day as yard owner has Extreamly good drainage so it's only the odd day here and there after really heavy rain they get kept in

Part is due to field damage part due to potential horse damage from slipping and sliding about.
 
Poster who said they need to move south to avoid the mud - you dont! I live on an exposed Cairngorm hill which is sand on granite - and virtually no mud despite it having rained all spring summer and autumn....! The only times I have to seriously limit turnout is when the snow is so deep it takes me 2 days to dig a path to the field :-D

So its not the latitude its the draining ability (gentle sloping field, south facing) and soil type (sandy) which makes the difference.
 
I am in despair too, I really don't know what to do.
I am in North Cumbria... normally I laugh in the face of wet fields... my fields are on a sand bank and drain really well.
Not this year, we have sitting water on our fields!!! There is no point moving the horses, as we have some of driest fields in the area (normally) and any livery yard is 10x worse.

I am not bothered about them ruining the fields, but the mud is beyond a joke, you can barely walk. I am worried about them standing around in this. They are normally out all day everyday but I was thinking about changing the routine and keeping them in, they can all be ridden and hacked out etc, and turn out for an hour in the muddy field, or if really bad the outdoor school until the field recovers a bit.

What would you do? We have owned these fields for 15 years and they have NEVER been like this before! :(
 
I really feel for all of you with no access to turnout at present.
Am so glad that tho mine are pretty soggy, the paddocks are still ok for daily 12 hr turnout & have grass so wont be haying for prob another 3-4 weeks out there.
The only mud is that near the gate in the night paddock & thats a patch of around half inch deep & around 6 x 10ft :o

If I'd still had a full yard the story would be very different tho.....
 
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