Clay soil people ... How much turnout are you currently giving?

Mine are having a maximum of about 3 hours at the moment, the fields were just starting to dry a little but it rained hard here last night so all soggy again. They are not particularly chopped up except where I bring in through the electric fence but the horses don't want to be out any longer than that as there isn't any grass really coming though yet so they start messing around.
 
Thank god some years ago I put areas of hardstanding in each of my winter paddocks, each about 25 x 10 and there's two horses per paddock. They go out from about 7.30 to 6 every day and can choose to stand on the hardstanding where they get their haylage or hoon around in the mud.

It hasn't stopped raining today. it was just starting to dry up and I was beginning to think about resurrecting the harrow!
 
Out 24/7. They've had to come in for some nights over the last few months, but that was mainly due to the wind and horizontal rain. Having hardcore round the hayfeeder has really helped. I plan to put hardcore by the water trough and the windbreak next as they are muddy, as are the gateways, but most of the field is good. It's a hill and well draining, my flattish paddock (not being used) has standing water at the moment and is so soft you sink in.
 
In at night, if its forecast heavy rain she stays in during the day with 3 hours turnout at night. Apart from that the field is coping rather well this year, just standing water in a few places
 
About four to six hours daily depending on what we are doing.
The winter field is six and half acres of mud .
I am holding off moving them the unused field are drying out but I holding off using them .
Horses are working so need to be in a fair bit anyway.
If I wait to mid April to move them it's so much better .
 
Slightly Foxed said:
Thank god some years ago I put areas of hardstanding in each of my winter paddocks, each about 25 x 10 and there's two horses per paddock. They go out from about 7.30 to 6 every day and can choose to stand on the hardstanding where they get their haylage or hoon around in the mud.

It hasn't stopped raining today. it was just starting to dry up and I was beginning to think about resurrecting the harrow!
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I was thinking of doing this this summer for next winter - how did you actually do it?
 
Sod all at the moment, our fields are also very steep so too much risk for injury. They're all getting turned out in the school though (we've only 8 on the yard) for a couple of hours a day.
 
We are in at night and out during the day. If it is raining, or rained heavily over night or the day before two are turned out in the arena and two in a corall area in front of the stables , then they are switched mid day. Being strict about wet weather turn out has meant that our fields are holding up quite well and when we do get a dry day or two they are getting a pick of grass.

I just wish the rain would go away now, I am soooo looking forwards to getting them out 24/7 again and having a rest from mucking out stables and poo picking the arena by hand.
 
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Blythe Spirit said:
I was thinking of doing this this summer for next winter - how did you actually do it?
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Bit the bullet and dug out topsoil, put in a layer of limestone, then a membrane on top of that. The surface is woodchip which, after seven years, has now turned to mulch pretty much. I was agonising last year about topping it up or replacing it but I think the limestone is now so compacted I'm happy for it to do its own thing in terms of grass and so on growing over it.

It's been a godsend, it may be mulch now, but I only sink three inches rather than up to my oxters as I would in the natural field!
 
Out 24/7. I'm afraid I have been face/arse first in it more than just a few times but its only lower part. Top part is fine.

Very grateful. Thank you lord for generous farmer!
 
Out overnight.
in between 7.30am/9 and back out between 3/8 depending on my work schedule.
On a small turnout with either mud thats really bad or hardcore which has adlib hay on it in a feeder.
They go out loose in arena a
1 to 2x week to blow off steam as they wont even trot in the turnout pen, its such bad mud
 
I had to move both my horses at the end of Jan, one had to be stabled anyway - the field was just too wet and boggy - think knee deep!!
Hopefully when it dries out i will be harrowing rolling and re-seeding - hurry up and dry field, neds are costing a fortune!
 
cob&onion said:
I had to move both my horses at the end of Jan, one had to be stabled anyway - the field was just too wet and boggy - think knee deep!!
Hopefully when it dries out i will be harrowing rolling and re-seeding - hurry up and dry field, neds are costing a fortune!
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Hmmmm.... This can make for worse fields next season as sward does t have chance to knit.
 
The boys at home haven't been on the fields since November.

Mine at Uni, could go out daily 8am-3pm if I didn't think he would damage himself and trash the field. The fields are wet and I'd rather look after them and have decent grazing into Summer. At present I'm turning out when his friends go out, if the ground is suitable. Otherwise he's in and in work.
 
Mine are out 24/7. Field looks horrendous and only hard standing is in stable/field shelter which is occasionally chooses to stand in. No idea what the hell it will look like for the summer :/ should I be doing something in particular? Married to a mean farmer who won't let me use any other fields as he will cut them up too!!
 
Back end of last year, my four chose to stay in the barn due to the knee deep sludge they had to get through, to and from the field, my neighbor (god bless her) gave me an acre of her land to graze, I saved it for the winter and it was a life saver, the horses got out in a mud free field with grass, I opened the barn gate and met the four of them at the field gate, the problem was getting them back in. We moved just before xmas and they now live out, but again the field is mud free (ish) and they are loving it
 
I am lucky that my boy's field is at the top of a steep hill and finishes half way down it so it is fairly dry! The fields at the bottom of the hill are very waterlogged though. They have been going out on days when the weather is nice at the moment for about 5-6 hours. There is plenty of grass up there so I wouldn't want them out for too much longer at the moment as they aren't used to being out much anyway after spending most of the last two months in 24/7. We have separate fields for summer and winter turnout too.
 
Out first thing and in at around half four, fiveish. We've not had any days in over winter and there are fields that haven't been grazed at all. We are under stocked though, which makes a big difference.
 
All three of mine are now out 24/7 the track trough the field is pretty ruined and the mud needs to be scraped back for new hard core in the summer, hoping national park don't jump on me for scarring the land!!! Some of the field will be rolled only a small section though and I'll be throwing seed down soon to thicken the grass up a bit. Thats all it needs though luckily. Its on a hill, parts are soaking but most of its ok, the boys will come off it for a month when the weather clears up and grass gets growing and that should do it.

They are much happier out in the field so I just decided to make them happy and sort the damage out when I can.
 
The big man is still out 24/7 so happy he is can be cause he does not do stable, bless. my mare goes out at night and very happy the YM lets her as most horses at the yard now only go out every other night or 3-4 hours doing the day.
 
mine go out everyday due to an azoturia scare....kits tied up really bad. if its rained the night before i just open their stable doors and give them the run of the yard.
 
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