Awful Weather WWYD?

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katymay

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the south west is yet again being hit by torrential rain, the small paddock at home that I have my two ponies in has now just turned into massive puddles and mud, not much if any grass left at all.

I dont want to move them to the summer paddock as that will just get churned up, also its about a half a mile walk away and due to work cannot take them down there and back daily as it would be dark.

I have been giving them about three hours turn out a day on my garden (its about half an acre) but it wont be long until that is churned to pieces, I just dont like leaving them stabled 24/7, I know its not ideal for them to be wading around in mud all day but would it be okay for a while each day whilst I muck out and let them stretch their legs?

Luckily no sign of mud fever yet

wish I had a outdoor school I could put them in!

im just so fed up of the rain
 
I think it's easier for all concerned if you chuck them out whilst you muck out. OK it's not ideal but I'd let them into the garden just for that short period to have a mooch and leg stretch.
 
Am in the same position as you, my winter paddock is awful have no school. Am turning out for an hour a day while I do the stables, I have thought about sticking them in my garden but it's small and my summer paddock is off my back garden knowing my two they will get into it.
They don't mind going out in the bog of the winter paddock for a short period.
 
We are all stuck with no turn out at the mo as our fields are on the side of a hill and is dangerous for owners and horses.

Mine is already injured.

We just have to get up half an hour earlier in the mornings and stay half an hour later in the evenings to walk everybody around the lanes/farm to stretch legs/exercise/ride. There is no school.

You just have to do what you can in the circumstances.
 
north yorks, and nothing but rain here - the paddock is just getting worse and worse. I feel your pain.

What we are doing is turning out for a few hours while mucking out and stuff, and I've just started lungeing Shy in the school for 15 minutes to keep his legs going, plus occasional riding.

I am just so glad I have a stable.
 
In the same boat. My 3 have access to their field (not as bad away from the gate areas) during the day but they get their hay/feed in the stables so they tend to stay in there more, but they have the option of going for a leg stretch. They're in the corral or stable at night so they get a break from the mud and the field gets a break, not that it makes any difference!!
 
It is so wet here that even my all weather sand turnout is full of water and slushy sand. Thankfully I have it though and don't have to use the fields. They would be a quagmire in no time at all. I've never seen it so wet.
 
Apaulling here too they are getting three hours daily but they are sick , hunting is on foot because of the wet and my groom is just about to exercise OH's hunter and I am going to leave him in after, something I hardly ever do, my three will get their three hours as I have not time to ride until after Christmas it's just awful here.
 
Same here, two paddocks are deep mud. One pony is happy stabled and the other is spending time under the overhang with ad lib hay

I have just under two acres of good mud free grass but it has no shelter as the trees are on the wrong side for most of the bad weather that hits us so while it's wet and windy I am keeping them off it
 
Mine is in! She has mud fever. We have winter turnout but entirely my choice to have her in.

She gets the odd blast around the sand paddock and a walk but she loves her stable (thank god) !! So will fight to get back in if its raining lol
 
Ireland here. No explaining needed. Mine are in a quagmire. They have stuff to pick at plus hay but I'm bringing them in half day. What I have been doing is letting them out in pairs in the afternoon to the arena. We can top up everything and tidy the stables. But it also gives them a chance to move in stable ground and keep everything working. Nothing worse than just waddling through mud. Obviously ridden ones do controlled work under saddle but the ex broodmare and 2yo need a chance to express themselves as well. Plus they love getting the rugs off and having rolls.

I'm very lucky I have an arena.

Terri
 
Yorks again, peeing down, horses all out. Gateway and hay area is a mess but they have a concrete based field shelter with hay bar and rack, and another 11 non filthy acres to play in, ok it's sloshy but its still green. Mine only ate hay for 10 mins today before going off to eat grass so there must be something there. 3yo is unrugged but he's pig and likes propping up the bar so I imagine he'll stay there till the hay runs out :rolleyes:
 
I've been sectioning off smaller parts of fields to 'trash', the weather is actually quite mild and you can see the grass recovering in the old trash areas as I'm rotating them every few weeks - for me it works better than having the whole area trashed at once!

I haven't put them on their winter field yet (usually do it over the hols) as I'm waiting for it to dry up bit before I move the field shelter - ha ha ha at this rate they could be on it for March !!!
 
My two go out if its not raining between 7am and 2pm, if the weather is awful they stay in alternate days but are in at night regardless. Both my paddocks are like little paddy fields,not particularly muddy or churned up as both are quite sensible ponies but it is like walking in a very shallow pond!! The stream that runs through the middle of the fields is now a small river covering most of the lower lying paddocks and I have just discovered that yet another pair of wellies leak :( Where is the cold snap we were promised??
 
We have boggy clay ground. Last winter we built a hardstanding turnout out of road chippings as we had been struggling with mud rash for years. It has been an absolute lifesaver. Best few hundred quid we ever spent! We turn them out on there all day with haylage nets dotted around. Once or twice a week they go out in the regular fields for a roll and graze. Our fields are always wet, but haven't got particularly worse with the weather.

It really is simply survival this year, isn't it!
 
Never seen our fields like this, & even the farmer, who's well into his 60's says they've never been so bad. And over the last 18mnths there's been less than half the amount of horses on them than its previously coped well with. Luckily its hilly, however at the moment about 1/3 is under water, 1/3 is very wet & only 1/3 is useable & reasonably dry. Farmer has banned 24/7 turnout, we're just very lucky that with so few horses there's still enough dry bits for all day turnout. Our lami paddock is down a slope, used to be the gateway at milking time for the cows so grass growth handily low. Usually in late autumn when its not been in use for a few weeks my mare goes in it for 10/15 mins a day for a week or so to get rid of any growth before any laminitics use it on frosty mornings. However this year its so covered there are ducks living in there, it does actually look like a man made pond.
 
One field is an absolute quagmire/paddy field but luckily there's a shelter and the ponies are all in there and they ain't coming out for love nor money (they're not stupid). The other field is huge so isn't boggy, but it has developed a lake and it's also next to a river so we're glued to the flood warnings. It's got to stop raining at some point hasn't it?
 
my fields are a mud swamp and i have finally called it a day on the farm:eek: never thought the day would come where i would rather have mine in a stable but i can't see them stood fetlock deep in mud any longer. On the 1st of jan i'm moving to a yard with stables and grazing, will cost me nearly double but to have them stood on concrete will be worth every penny! I've managed 7 years with no mains water or electric and only 1 stable and a small piece of hardstanding for wet turnout but I can't do it anymore, this morning i put the ponies out in the summer field, if ponies can smile i think mine did at the relief of getting out of the mud, they'll have trashed that field by the time we leave i'm sure but never mind. I have never seen the farm so wet, i put drains in a few years back but they can't take the water away fast enough, i have small lakes in every paddock and the mini colt has been confined to barracks as i'm worried he'll get washed away!!!:eek:
Not looking forward to moving 2 horses who haven't travelled for 6 years and 4 ponies plus all the 'stuff' that i've collected over the years on the farm lol but I've got 10 days to prepare:eek: didn't want a quiet christmas break anyway:rolleyes::o
 
You aren't the only one ibblebibble. There's a huge grass livery place near us, this year the horses are all crammed onto one field up a hill, & all the local yards are getting frequent visits from owners wanting to move off. Even the crap yard everyone avoids is full. Luckily farmer likes peace & quiet so doesn't want more people on ours or our fields would be bogs too. My friend has ended up putting partitions up in some of her stables, turned her tackroom into a stable, & sectioned off random bits of the walkway of her indoor barn in order to bring all in overnight.
 
Cumbria=rain.

It's not stopped here - the fields are like bogs, the school is flooded, it's just awful. Our turnout has been limited all week. I put mine out in one of the small starve patches while I mucked out, so they got about 30 mins out for a leg stretch, but they're in and munching on haynets now. I hate it when they're in, but they're coping well and surely this rain can't last forever.......can it????
 
Im lucky, ive put my guys out onto the big field today, 3 on about 6 acres that are still in decent nick even though its wet, but my wee field at the front has a couple of biggish puddles on it
Coming back up on the train from London yesterday, the flooding in some fields was bad, that said its not as bad as the south west, that looks truly awful :(
 
Mine are going out when possible. I had promised myself that this year they would be turned out 24/7. No chance of that.
So some days they stay in, some days out at lunch until 6pm, some lucky days out 8-6.
My fields arent completely churned up, they just have surface water , that just keeps being topped up.

Went to turn them out this morning, and my daughters TB just looked at me in disgust. I took her stable rug off, and while i was putting her turnout on, she kept pawing the stable rug, and putting her head in her haybar. Every time i went near her with the turnout rug, she just walked away.
My this years foal wasnt impressed either, just kept nudging me and giving me 'the cute look'. Please mummy dont make me go out.....

Off to get even more shavings so i can bring them all back in.
 
One of my fields is now a lake, we have had ducks and geese landing there over the last few days. At least something is enjoying my wet fields. I am completely fed up of the wet but at least the top fields are relatively dry so the big horses stay up there. My little paddock where the minis are is wet in places but they are out for about 8 hours and then in over night. I couldn't bare to keep them in 24/7 they just wouldn't be happy. Can't wait for the spring and hopefully some drier weather.
 
When I went to muck out this morning I left the barn gate open and my two brought themselves in, went in their stables and stood at the front as if the doors were closed. I think they made their opinions pretty clear ! so I gave them some hay and left them to it.

Here in Lincs it's been torrential all day and showing no sign of stopping!
 
My tb who usually will not go out for love nor money has now decided he prefers it out, went up to the yard to bring him in half hour ago, he trotted to the top of the field and was having none of coming in. Its pouring down, but he was stood grazing when I left! Will try again to persuade him in later. He does have his stable and a shelter in his field, so have left feed/hay in there in the hope he gives in!
 
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