Field Management Help!! Very long and complicated!!!!!!!

[bumblelion]

Basically, my situation is that I have 3 paddocks, two 1.5 acre ones and one 0.5 acre one. My two are currently in one of the 1.5 acre ones but it is completely trashed, there's not much grass in it either! Both gateways are knee deep in sticky mud! All across the field where they've poached it it is full of water in their hoof prints!

I have two paddocks next to this one, the grass is long and yellowy (only moved here in Dec). You have to walk in through the 0.5 acre paddock to the bottom for the gate to the other 1.5 acre paddock. Now, the 0.5 acre is full of ragwort so not really able to move them in here until sprayed although the bottom one is clear. I hoped to give them both paddocks and open the gate up as neither of them are great to lead especially through a field plus othey will be out of sight of one another! Although from the small paddock they can see the stable block.

These paddocks are on a slope so the small one is a bit boggy so won't take long to get poached too!
My aim when I moved in was to keep them in the paddock they are in until spring and then move them to the other two once sprayed so the one they're in can be rested and repaired!

Should I still do this or move them now out of the mud and risk all three being muddy? I really don't know what to do! The pair of them are like a couple of colts, lots of bombing about although they are more likely to graze in the new fields as the grass is long and old but more than what they've got!
Also one of my horses has arthritis and the other one has a previous tendon injury so walking through this mud can't be doing them any good surely?!
I'm unsure how long it takes for the fields to repair, does anyone know? I know we've had an exceptionally wet winter so sure plenty of people are in the same situation, what do you do?

Sorry it's so long and probably seems a pathetic post, just always had them on livery so never had to worry about this sort of thing before!!!

 

[Mrs_Wishkabibble]

Well my paddocks are also very wet so I have had them on a manege for the best part since December.
I had a lovely long grass paddock that I was saving for this winter that hadnt been grazed since last winter.
I put them on it (3 of them) and within 4 days they have poached it up and areas of it look like plough!!
They havent really been running about too much either it is just so wet and our soil is clay.
I would leave yours where they are as the new field would get trashed within days like mine.
BTW mine off the paddock again!

 

[debsflo]

ive got exactly the same situation.also worried about the mud and was going to move them onto a fresh bit but as its been so wet thought like you it would also be trashed.hoping in the next few weeks mid to end of march to take them off so it can dry then be rollrd and reseede where necessary.its hard as i only have 2 acres but in previous years my trash paddock has always recovered with some tlc.will see what others think as im interested too.

 

[debsflo]

ps this is the first year i have seriously thought of returning to livery.hang on in for the spring then it will all be worth it.

 

[Orangehorse]

I read an article on paddock management once which said divide the grazing into 5 paddocks, then if one gets trashed in the winter it can be rested and re-seeded for a season.

Wherever they go the field will be trashed in this winter.

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

We have our five acres devided into three (we also rent another one acre which we can only use when the ground is very dry). One is only used in summer, the other two are used all winter, they are still green (I only have two at the moment, a cob and a weanling) but very soggy and poached gateways. When we get them off these fields in spring, we let it grow on a bit and try to keep them off for two to three months, and harrow and top regularly, let them back on for a week or two when the ground is dry, harrow and top again, and generally use is sparingly through the summer. They go back onto it in about September/October. We are lucky that our land is on a slope, probably hadn't had horses on it for about ten years when we bought it (had been fallow) and is well draining soil.

In your situation I wouldn't give them another paddock - they'll only plough it up! Just sit it out until spring, you'll be amazed how quickly it comes back, then you'll have too much grass!

 

[JJtheJetPlane]

Well i am also in this situation i have four acres, split into three, i have had my horses out all winter and this last month my field has turned into a mud bath . I have been getting depressed about it and very tempted to turn them onto the big paddock im saving for spring...When thats going to come i dont know.
Im going to wait untill it drys up and turn them ono the smaller of the two paddocks that have been saved, spray the big one and fertilize and then hopefully with any luck thatll last with the small one through the summer and the mud bath will have recovered with some tlc grass seed and rest..
Its a nightmare and i have also felt like throing in the towel but it wont be long till i am happy as larry having my own little spot where i can do whatever i like and im sure you will to. Can you keep your horses in a bit ?? I have been only turning out for a couple of hours a day so they can have a play and a run about ? Next yr im going to restrict my turn out during jan and feb i think .

 

[Tormenta]

I don't know where you are situated but I think we can all agree that this has been a horrendous Winter, too wet with rain and snow, I now have another foot to 2ft of snow again which is going to melt and cause even more mud. The grass I saved in the large part of the field is no use because of the amount of snow we have had, so horrendous and very expensive! Personally on the acreage you have, I would hang fire for a bit and see what comes so that you have one spare (If you and your horses are coping on what you have at the moment) That way you will have one paddock for when Spring may finally arrive, then you can rest the one you are using and deal with the ragwort in the other) Just my opinion though.

I was on rented land last Winter, the next hill over from where I am now (same situation, land etc) and we had nowhere near this amount of mess, only the gateways. Roll on Spring and please can we have a decent Summer!