field/mud rant.....upset

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cobface

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Please can someone else tell me that they have ponies up to thier fetlocks in mud??
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unfortunitly like probably 80% of people who have thier horses out 24/7 with natural shelter probably has the same problem. The mud seems exceptionally worse this winter and our field has suffered. 60% is slodgy thick mud and the rest is slightly better with a few new shoots of the green stuff. There is a bit of green stuff about, enough for a native and a cobby youngster to be getting on with along with half a bale of hay per day
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they are both well covered, not fat but you cant feel any ribs etc under there huge fur coats.
So why has someone made me feel like a really bad owner because they are standing in the worst part of the mud alot?? there is nowhere else i can put them, and TBH they seem well in there selves and when there hay has gone they pick at the grass. I have left out a bale between them but they leave half of it and it just gets wasted
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they said coblet was little and should be chunkier, shes meant to make 15.1hh on her passport - she will be in 2 in may but stands around 13.3/14.hh, black smith came to do her feet last week and said what a cracker she was, really starting to fill out and looks in proportion etc and says 14.2hh will be her max height?
this person said she was bony
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feel really upset by their comments TBH
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person also said shes probably got loads of mud rash too
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TBH i haven't touched coblets legs as i believe that once you start messing with them and washing down etc it can cause mud rash so its better to leave well alone........shes well feathered. Will take her down the yard one day next week and have a good check but surely the blacksmith would have noticed if she did particularly as he washed her legs down prior to her trim???
Its really bothered me what person said now - can someone please tell me that they are in the same or similar situation re mud and 24/7 TO?
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We're in the same position. One of mine has to live out (never been stabled) and so the other keeps him company. They can go on the grass but seem happier standing around in the mud.
I do bring them in once in a while and check their legs, I also like to let them dry off completely, but they haven't lots of feather so are different to yours. I wouldn't beat yourself up, winter is nearly over.
 
some people are just bitchy because they can't help themselves.Ignore them. If your youngster is rising 2 then you would expect them to be at what is termed the ugly stage and if your farrier says she is looking great then I would assume your farrier knows what he is talking about. As for the mud everyone is in the same situation.Our horses had to move onto the summer grazing due to flooding in their usual paddocks.The fact your horses have access to some grass suggests it really can't be that awful.
 
our fields are sloped and have really good drainage.
However when i went up yesterday i found the field has become really sloshy!! Im determined they can stay on it till i come back off holiday, they dont seem bothered by it.
 
The fields due to be sectioned off mid/late march and once its dried its going to be harrowed, rolled and rested...........next year should be better as having stables and a yard erected in the summer.
Its just this person who keeps interfering all the time, keep my TB at their stable see, i don't know whether she realises shes doing it but it always seems as interfering
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and seems to get the hump when i don't follow their advice?? ie regarding rugging/feeding etc.......i did used to follow their advice but it didnt help - infact made my mare worse! ie shes cold - use another rug.....mare was stressy and v sweaty next day, feed her this....made her blow her top etc etc.....why you feeding that? you should be doing this.....etc etc
 
unfortunately mine are in the same state.
as long as they have a bit of dry stuff to stand on and plenty of food yours should be fine. perhaps wash off the legs and dry them with a towel just to check they are alright, and apply pig oil to stop the mud sticking so much (i do this once a week).
with the rain my field's turned into a bog so i've resorted to letting them on the yard (hardcore) for a few hours a day and in at night. my TB likes it but the other 2 natives not so much haha, but i'd rather they were warm and dry
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This track is how I avoid allsorts of problems... one being that it enables me to keep the majority of my paddock in good order.
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My lot always stand in the mud and I never touch their legs either. Never had a mud fever problem in 12 yrs.
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Nosey parkers really bug me
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Tell em to mind their own.
 
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Its just this person who keeps interfering all the time, keep my TB at their stable see, i don't know whether she realises shes doing it but it always seems as interfering and seems to get the hump when i don't follow their advice??

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Aaaah, in that case ignore her! Most yards have someone like that. A busy body. Someone who can't mind their own business and thinks it's their way, or no way. Remember, there are many ways to skin a cat (so they say! LOL)

These people can be very thick skinned and a real pain in the neck, but next time she tries to start saying something just say, "Thanks, but I'm really happy with how they are doing, so I'll carry on as I am thanks." Or something to that effect. Then get on with whatever you were doing and don't give her the impression that you're going to stand around listening to her spout advice any more. Politely, of course. It may take a couple of goes, but she'll eventually get the message.

Have faith in yourself!!
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XXX
 
Yep, ignore her.
I spent some time today saying to my three "Don't stand up here in the mud and wind shivering. Come down to the sheltered bit and eat up your round bales. Yes, the round bales that have cost me a small fortune. Eat them." But horses will be horses, and will they listen?
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You know your horses, they will be fine. It's a bit crap for all of us at the moment, but spring will be here soon.
 
OMG horses have survived for thousands of years in mud. I would ignore her. She is obviously out to upset rather than advise. Sounds like you are doing well so ignore er and enjoy your horses
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omg ,what a horrible busybody that person was !

sadly the great british weather likes to annoy us horse owners ,ive got six horses who are ridden in am then turned out for abt 4hours a day and all my paddocks are the same ,muddy,boggy and just plain SHITTY ..and i hate the mud .......
ive found a very good product made by NETTEX called 7 day mud a way ....brilliant
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just clean legs off then apply and when mud starts to stick ,just flick over with dandy brush,saves hours of hosing and brushing

ROLL ON SUMMER !
 
Ignore her. I personally don't like to see a youngster carrying too much weight as I think it is just going to create problems when they are older.

As for mud fever, some horses get it and some don't. I tended to use the 'benign neglect' method of dealing with it, except for one of my horses who used to get it very badly and had to be treated aggresively. I also thought that too much washing and fiddling with their legs only caused more problems.

Mud is something we are all having to live with at the moment. Two of our horses seem to spend most of the day standing in/on the much heap!
 
This is the worst year I have experienced in 9 years since I have had my horse, regarding excessive mud. I spray their legs with baby oil and rub it into the heels. It helps the mud come off easier. As long as the food arrives regularly, they don't really care. Spring is not far away!
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Thanks everyone, i feel better now
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went up tonight to check them and the half bale i left them there is about half slice left and they were off down the field! they cant be that hungry if they're leaving it!

roll on spring!
 
Yes, ignore her! I have trouble keeping the weight off mine, and it's a constant worry when the spring grass comes through.

I went to the yard in the dark tonight and was appalled to see all the puddles shining in the street lights - I don't notice them so much in daylight! Our herd seem to love the mud, and seem to prefer it to the (sparse) dry areas. I don't believe in leg washing either, unless they need to look tidy in a hurry, as you're just fighting a losing battle, so unless they actually have mudfever leave well alone.

And remember, clocks go forward four weeks yesterday, and things won't seem nearly as bad when you leave work in daylight and it's still light when you leave the yard!
 
Oh tell them to bog off - I often have my sec c's breeder breathing down my nect that my pony is thin, etc etc etc, just because she's out in a muddy field, she has hay and a bit of feed, but I refuse to feed her up to look like the laminitic bullocks that her breeder shows.....
 
My lot have a 6 acre field which is electric fenced off. They currently have 1/3 of the field as their 'winter paddock' and have been there since around October. The snow stopped the grass completely, but it seems to be fighting back with the warmer weather. However a lot of said paddock is a bog. Its sloping and we're at the top of the hill. I don't know whether I'm doing something differently, or its all this rain, but it's thick mud :-( I could move the fence and give them another area, but all the time it's raining, that new paddock with get eaten and turned into a bog with a week. Saf even showed signs of sore feet today when out riding which I think is related.

Don't worry, you're not alone. There's not a lot we can do until the weather improves.
 
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