Do you/your yard have enough acreage?

[ester]

Just reading little fleas post and just wonder if the only reason that people end up with poached fields and horses having to stay in when its wet (which lets face it is bound to happen!) is due to lack of acreage/over stocking meaning there is too much pressure on the field.

I have seen it done both ways, at RS we had 3 paddocks which were just trashed. The ponies went out every day without fail but it was just turned to mud. The horses (less of them) went out every other day. Not great for keeping shoes on and perhaps not the best of fun for the pones but it got them out and those paddocks were then the summer starvation paddocks.

I know we are lucky to keep our horses at home but we really dont get a major poaching problem. We are on the somerset levels- granted not the bit they let flood but still very low lying with minimal drainage once the ditces are full, we are lucky as we are surrounded by houses I think that our field is a little higher than the one at the back but conversely we dont have a ditchline for drainage either.

Because we can let our winter field grass grow really long it protects the ground. Its wet out there but no poaching and good grass cover over most of the acre they have been on for the last 6 weeks or so. In another couple of weeks they will move over onto the next acre for 6 weeks and then once more before moving on to the summer paddock.

only the gateway ever gets a bit poached and we can ride round the edge all year and lunge most of the time as we have no school

we have approx 4.5 acres for 2 horses.

So is it just because livery yards dont have enough turnout?

 

[humblepie]

I think lack of grazing is a common problem. Have moved from a couple of yards in the past which were okay and then got overrun as yard built more stables. Fairly lucky at present and winter fields okay/summer fields being rested. Was in danger of getting over run even at this yard last year with grass liveries during the summer but this year was not a problem.

 

[Twizzel]

I've been at a few livery yards and none of them really had vast amounts of grazing. Currently on a privately rented yard and it has 18 acres, there are 4 horses, 2 14.1hh and 2 18month olds

 

[JoBo]

I think it also has to do a lot with the type of soil you are on. We are on clay and the water just sits on top and doesn’t drain. We have 3 small horses on 4 acres, and actually even though we do have a bit of mud (mainly around the gate way), and not a massive amount of grass, have done better this year then any other. Our rested paddock is looking very lush and green.

 

[lucy1984]

I have a 16.3hh and a 16.2hh on 5 acres, bit poached in the obvious places - around the field shelter and where I feed but doing ok so far. Certainly couldn't do with any less than 5 acres, especially in the autumn/winter months.

 

[ester]

jobo when the water sits on top does it then get muddy underneath?

Ours tends to sit on top but will still be grassy underneath

 

[JoBo]

No not really, it just sits as a puddle then slowly drains. It’s not ideal but can’t complain as keeping them at the parent’s means no livery costs.

 

[Ranyhyn]

My yard has upwards of 100 acres, with maybe around 30 acres as livery fields split into separate paddocks which are rotated and looked after very well. However even my paddock (about 3 acres) with 4 horses in by day is poached, I think the constant wet weather is putting paid to even the best managed land.

 

[bushbaby28]

think our just get really poached as really don't drain well so as soon as horse stands on them they just sink

but the paddock we're in turns into schooling paddock into summer and is perfect for that as grass is short and ground is really soft and spongy.

 

[Rowreach]

I have 60 acres of grassland on clay and I live in the wettest county in the UK. We have just had 39 days of rain in a row (it didn't actually rain yesterday

). My horses go out in all weather turnout areas during the winter, apart from the foals who are currently on the hill we use for haylage, accompanied by a load of sheep who do a great job of tramping in the divots left by foaly feet

If I turned anything else out atm they would be up to their armpits in mud, doing lord knows what injuries to themselves and pulling off shoes right left and centre, and my fields would be trashed for the summer.

Given that we have had summers where we can't get the tractors onto the fields because they never dry out enough, I can't just let my fields get trashed on the basis that I'll put them right in the spring, cos it may never happen

All the cattle are yarded in the winter, and the only things that stay out are the sheep.

In the summer I have far too much grass for the horses, which is why we run cattle and sheep here, and cut vast amounts for silage and haylage.

So it all depends on the type of land you have I think, not the amount

 

[malibu211211]

We are on a DIY yard, they have 12 acres which backs onto heathland so all our fields get soggy

There are 8 horses between 14.1hh and 17hh and a 36in Shetland pony hence why some of our horses are in today. Some of the horses are in individual paddocks and in this weather they flood

We have to look after our own paddocks, if you trash them then that is it until they move into summer grazing in April (weather dependant)
There are definately too many horses for the acreage and type of land but it is 4 miles down the road and has lovely stables and a great arena and my boy quite likes being indoors

 

[MistletoeMegan]

We have the acreage, but still don't have a constant supply of sufficient grazing.

Over half the grazing, mostly large fields with one field then split into 4 paddocks, is water meadow and hence it floods from December to late Feb. normally.

The remaining grazing has, as a consequence, been over-grazed largely due to the need for TO in the winter and also because a large portion is small paddocks where the 'precious ponies' go

On the positive side however, the grazing that isn't near the stream is on v. sandy soil and hence we don't get issues with poaching, just a lack of rested ground. There will always be the issues with muddy gateways, but there's only been one day in the past two and bit years that we haven't been able to TO, and that was due to the freak winds that made leading too dangerous.

With planning (and £££), our yard would have excellent grazing.

 

[soulfull]

I think most places are poached right now. Our yard is very short on acreage but we manage because we want the facilities

 

[christi]

I have my horse at home , 16 acres , dont realy have a problem with poaching. i could have my horse out 24/7 but the weather here can be hellish and my horse chooses to stay in her stables when its bad.and i keep her in every night all year round to stop her stuffing her face.
been snowing here since 9am and surprise surprise my horse has choose to stay in today , hehe

 

[Aoibhin]

2 11 hand ponys on 3 acres divided into 1 2 acre summer paddock & a smaller 1 acre paddock for winter.
still looking fantastic but a little wet on top (we are on thick clay soil) mind you im lucky as neither of the boys linger at the gates or fencelines (unless a girlie goes past)
they have a nice woodchip area they are in nights with small stable open for shelter, once the big 12x12 stable is empty of stuff they will go in nights.

 

[Bosworth]

We have plenty of acreage with fantastic grazing about 4 acres per horse split into summer and winter paddocks and rotated regularly , I have lovely long grass in my winter paddocks - but we have kept in because there is just so much water is is standing on the fields and going no where. We are not under water and I have a couple of new rivers going through fields where they shouldn't be. but if i turn out onto these paddocks the horses will charge around and cut up the grass which is currently holding the ground together well. they will then puddle the ground and the water into liquid mud and destroy all the grass that will easily see them through winter as well as causing so much damage. We try and turn out 365 days a year and normally keep in only when necessary but this weather is unprecedented rain for 34 days so far - we actually collected about 6 inches in the wheel barrows last night alone.

 

[ester]

ah see thats where i think we have cracked it................

ours don't charge round

well the anglo does very occasionally but the welsh tends to stand in the middle watching till she gives up.

I do think they would be worse if they had stayed in for any period of time and they do get a v strict routine (anglo likes routine!)

 

[TallyHo123]

Our yard has 1000 acres, obviously not all of it is used for the horses but we have big fields and there is plenty of room for them all.

 

[Irishcobs]

I have 6 acres for 2 horses. I have split the field in to 3 smaller fields so I can rest parts of it.
I don't have any shelter (yet) so my horses are out 24/7. What we weren't told when we took on the field was it floods very badly so my poor ponies are standing in mud and water.
We're having a drain dug at the moment to try to drain the water off. Even though the field is flooded the horses haven't churned it up and on a good day (ie. when it hasn't been raining) I can stil ride and lunge in there.

 

[Tiarella]

We have 152 acres and 30 horses, so yes, there is plenty of grazing, none of our fields are poached or trashed

 

[tabithakat64]

Only our gateway ever gets a poached and we can catch in in short boots all year.
We have about 35 acres of rough pasture on a flood plain split into two smaller fields (one and a half of which flood) and one large (20 acres +) field which the big group of 12 are in for nine months a year. We have 15 at the yard and can turn out 24/7 all year if we wish.
As the fields are not particularly well managed we end up with too much grass for most of the year hence why nine are now muzzled for part of the year.

 

[Dolcé]

our acreage is ok but because we have 13 in together they poach areas where they tend to hang around. Everywhere is water logged at the moment but in relation to the amount of land they have only a small portion is badly poached.

 

[little_flea]

Our yard doesn't have anywhere near enough land, it is in a valley and the soil is clay based... very tricky. At least we do have some winter turnout (as well as a horsewalker and fab facilities which at least allow the horses to get worked properly) and the yard owner really does do her best - some yards in the area just shut all fields over winter.

It is really hard when you are relying on the weather - this rain has made it very difficult, no matter how good intentions are.

 

[shadowboy]

Partly horse to acre ration but more to do with soil/region. I have 3 acres and only 2 unshod ponies but our field is very wet and in 2 weeks they will have to go onto a rented acre of land for 2 months while our field rests. We have clay and live at the foot of the hills so get a lot of rain. 10 miles east I teach on a yard with 23 horses on 20 acres and they have good fields- the fields have a gentle slope and are on a sandstone so drain very well. Their horses are out from 6am to 6pm oct to May then 24/7 for the remainder and they seem to have enough grass to still be able to cut 60 bales of hay each year.

 

[Dubsie]

All depends on the type of soil and the amount of rain.
Even our back garden is looking very poached in places as it's hammered down for the best part of a week (I collected over 6 inches in a bucket), so despite being on gravel and very free draining with a liberal layer of grass it has been positively squelchy out there and there are tracks where the car/horsebox/tractors/wheelbarrow have been out and we (2 adults 1 kid 1 dog) have ben backwards and forwards to the feed shed and chickens and the gates.