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

Always Henesy said:
Hence too many horses on not enough land is the problem - always.
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This is not true. I have 2 on 5 1/2 acres. One 15hh and one very old 14hh. They are both unshod and I dont think anyone would class that as too many horses on not enough land.

My field is a muddy bog just now. It didnt stop raining long enough this year for me to be able to get a tractor in to do any maintenance. :(

No land owner can predict the crazy weather we have had the last couple of years. If livery yards were to allow for the possibility of it, chances are livery would be financially out of most peoples reach.

eta, mine are in at night all winter so not even aiming for 24/7 turnout.
 
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Always Henesy said:
Agreed ^

I can't understand why anyone would keep a horse where it couldn't be turned out. We have clay based ground and currently have 2 horses on 4 acres. It is pretty grim up by the gate, but otherwise ok. Our 2 wade through the gateway mud and spend the day grazing quite happily even though it is fairly wet under foot. My TB would wilt away if he was penned in 24/7. I just don't agree with it unless an injury or really extreme weather dictates it.
I just think that the majority of livery yards have too many stables/horses and not enough grazing to cope.
Even when the fields get wrecked over winter - they are harrowed/rolled/fertilised and re seeded (if necessary) and have 6 months rest. They soon recover.
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So if your horses were standing hock deep in mud towards the gateways, fetlock deep in the rest of the field, getting mudrash and cracked heals, and pulling shoes off regularly you would still put them out?

For those of you that are expert land managers, I have ten acres not doing much - come and put your horses on for the winter and see how you go on in a clay bog that is so saturated that the grass are getting overtaken by rushes..


Personally I have 14 acres for two horses, and still have to pull them off the fields for four or five months. When I first got the horses here I expected that they would be living out 24/7, but it just couldn't be. Luckily we have a hardstanding area that they go in all day, and get to mooch about. Once or twice a week they get to go in the proper fields for a bit of real grass and a roll. They seem to do fine. Better than standing in all day and going out for an hour.

I feel for the landowners. Even though this summer has been ridiculous, almost worse than last winter, it has started to pattern a bit. I think that more yards are going to need some sort of hardstanding area that horses can at least go out for a mooch on when the fields are too wet, or a school they can be turned out in for an hour or two..
 
Non of the livery yards in our area shut grazing at all, all allowed to turn out everyday as/when we want. I honestly think if a livery yard round us started that they would have no bussiness. I would not keep mine in and would move stright away if I had no turnout.
I also agree that yes the fields look crap at the end of winter but by the time the grass grows and field chain harrowed/rolled etc most are on resticted grazing by than so 90% of the field is rested until winter again ready to re use and it comes back fine everytime. Last year I did reseed a patch but it's mud again now :) did look nice for summer though
 
Oh forgot to add we don't know nasty clay soil and the fields are on a slight slope so although it's wet/muddy at the gate it's more or less fine up the field where they play.
 
I am on clay on outskirts of wsm - I have just under 4 acres for 2 horses - about a month ago I started to bring in at night but they are out every day and will stay out every day until fields are good enough to stay out full time. The gateway is muddy and wet but the field is really good (smaller field not yet used this winter ) although I do have gripes so these fill with water rather than the field flooding meaning they always have dry areas to graze.

Bringing in doesnt have to mean shutting in a 12x12 stable. I have a 12x18 matted field shelter with haybars in the back - this is on a large hard standing with automatic water trough - this joins the well draining arena. When they are shut in they can choose to go in the shelter - wander around the yard or charge round the arena - they also sleep on the arena. It didnt cost a fortune to do but means even when shut in the nags are "free range"
 
One of the main issues this year for us was that we missed the small window of good weather in Spring to actually get the land harrowed and rolled, and then it was saturated for the rest of the summer, so the wet sat in the poach marks from last year, creating little ponds, which make the land even wetter, and is doubled when the horses then go on and poach it more.. Its the first time in years we haven't rolled it etc.
 
Honey08 said:
So if your horses were standing hock deep in mud towards the gateways, fetlock deep in the rest of the field, getting mudrash and cracked heals, and pulling shoes off regularly you would still put them out?
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Sorry but where have I said or implied that in my posts:confused:

But as I have already said - I am still turning mine out as they are NOT knee deep in mud and although wet underfoot, it is not and has never been too bad to turn them out.
Everything I have posted has been MY opinion and MY circumstances.
So I don't understand the need for your above comment or the tone of your post.
If my fields were so bad that I couldn't turn out then I would find somewhere that I could. I will not have my horses without turnout - end of.
 
Makes me realise how good I have it.

On a livery yard with about 100 acres for 32 horses (some of the 100 acres is used solely for sheep or hay and is not grazed by the horses) with nice sandy sloping fields. Sometimes in the summer the ground gets too hard to jump or do any cantering (although we have a school we can use) but I just can't imagine not being able to tun out:eek:
 
Always Henesy said:
Sorry but where have I said or implied that in my posts:confused:

But as I have already said - I am still turning mine out as they are NOT knee deep in mud and although wet underfoot, it is not and has never been too bad to turn them out.
Everything I have posted has been MY opinion and MY circumstances.
So I don't understand the need for your above comment or the tone of your post.
If my fields were so bad that I couldn't turn out then I would find somewhere that I could. I will not have my horses without turnout - end of.
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Sorry if I upset you, I had just got back from a longhaul flight last night, perhaps I was tired, and it was how I reacted to the tone of your post.. I got the impression from several of your posts, particularly the one I quoted, (can't be bothered to trawl back through all this to show where, but off the top of my head Skippy quotes another one next to my post..) that you were looking down on those of us that do have terribly muddy fields and had to bring them in.. I got the impression that a few others felt the same. I have a really hard time with our land, we have tried allsorts over the years, and those that say all fields that get too muddy are down to bad management have no idea. They have just been lucky.

I wasn't saying your horses are out in hock deep mud, just saying that some horses would be - hence why they have to come off the fields. When you've your own land and stables its expensive - as you no doubt know. Its not so simple to say I'd simply find somewhere else, I personally couldn't afford it. We can't move - my elderly dad lives next door, the land is his, we are gradually paying off what will be a fortune of inheritance tax etc.

I think I reacted the way I did to your posts because of the way they are worded - your "end of" or "simple" type comments at the end of the posts come across as a bit insulting, whether you meant them that way or not..

Anyway, I apologise for upsetting you. You upset me too. I think its a touchy subject for me.
 
Honey08 said:
Sorry if I upset you, I had just got back from a longhaul flight last night, perhaps I was tired, and it was how I reacted to the tone of your post.. I got the impression from several of your posts, particularly the one I quoted, (can't be bothered to trawl back through all this to show where, but off the top of my head Skippy quotes another one next to my post..) that you were looking down on those of us that do have terribly muddy fields and had to bring them in.. I got the impression that a few others felt the same.

No I have not looked down on anyone and I fail to see where I give that impression. I am merely stating my opinion which is what this forum is all about. :confused:

I have a really hard time with our land, we have tried allsorts over the years, and those that say all fields that get too muddy are down to bad management have no idea. They have just been lucky.

I certainly have not said anything about bad management:confused: I am a farmers daughter so know what is involved with maintaining land.

I wasn't saying your horses are out in hock deep mud, just saying that some horses would be - hence why they have to come off the fields.

Hence my opinion that too many horses on to little land is quite often to blame and that any yard that couldn't offer winter turn out would get a massive no from me.

When you've your own land and stables its expensive - as you no doubt know. Its not so simple to say I'd simply find somewhere else, I personally couldn't afford it. We can't move - my elderly dad lives next door, the land is his, we are gradually paying off what will be a fortune of inheritance tax etc.

I actually used to have my horses at home 6 months of the year on 4 acres, and then pay my local farmer for grazing at his farm over the winter. Purely because my 4 acres couldn't cope with all year turnout. Expensive? Not really tbh.....an extra £15 a week from November through to April. The well being of my horses were worth it.

I think I reacted the way I did to your posts because of the way they are worded - your "end of" or "simple" type comments at the end of the posts come across as a bit insulting, whether you meant them that way or not..

Can't see where I have put "simple" anywhere:confused: The "end of" was after your imflammatory response to my last post. You give me attitude then you get it back.....politely of course :)

Anyway, I apologise for upsetting you. You upset me too. I think its a touchy subject for me.
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Thanks for the apology but I don't know you - therefore anything I post is not personally aimed at you or anyone :confused: It is just my opinion which is the purpose of a forum. I can't see that I have typed anything that would personally upset anyone here.:confused: You may not agree with my way of thinking which of course is absolutely your right.
 
I will always apologise if i upset someone, whether I agree or not, or understand why, and whether I know them or not. Its how I am..

The implications about bad management I was refering to was when you said that all fields that became over poached were down to too many horses (which is bad management). Its simply not true, geography comes into it too. We don't have much topsoil before the clay, and we are also in a very wet valley with two resservoirs and previously seven millponds in it - so a place that is naturally very wet. When you add that to the clay its a nightmare.. We tried and tried different ways to keep the horses out, but after countless years of vets bills for chronic mudrash etc, pulling them off the fields for most of the winter and putting them on a hardstanding turnout area is the only way that works. The horses are outside and in the fresh air, and seem very happy. Its all we can do in very bad circumstances. For that price, we have a nice house in a lovely area, with fab neighbours, great views, and endless off road hacking..
 
Hence too many horses on not enough land is the problem - always.
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Hence my opinion that too many horses on to little land is quite often to blame and that any yard that couldn't offer winter turn out would get a massive no from me.
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I can't see that I have typed anything that would personally upset anyone here.
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There is a big difference between always and quite often.

My field was unable to be maintained this summer as it never dried out enough to get a tractor into it. In the 19 years I have lived here this has never happened before. My horses are still being turned out on it all day, every day, but realistically, there is nothing else I can do. I cant afford to sell up and move elsewhere - and I wouldnt want to, I love where I live and I love having my horses at home. If livery yards had to allow for weather like we have been having then the cost of livery would be exorbitant and tbh, most yards would start to only offer restricted turnout.
 
Skippys Mum said:
There is a big difference between always and quite often.
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I think it is too many horses and not enough land.... but this depends on the land type, so if it wet/clay whatever you probably need to think of a number and times it by 5 for example (and generally not practical!)

We have 2 on 4.5 acres, so similar to you and are on the somerset levels but due to the amount of building having gone on round our field think we have a helpful layer of rubble which keeps it draining quite well.

We have run a track system round the 3 acres in the summer which stood up surprisingly well to the wet.
In the winter they are always on paddocks that have not been touched since the hay cut (end July this year) so have a very thick sward of grass with plenty of long stuff that they don't really want to eat which protects the ground underneath (we will have 4 of these 1 acre paddocks in total this year).
 
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