How are your fields looking?

[Bellaboo18]

This is our first full winter with the horses at home (they moved in February this year). I love having them at home and it's mainly positives *but* my field is a bog

Please tell me this is a bad year?

We've had two pallets of mud control mats and will add to them...those of you who have turnout pens, how big are they? Can you share your setups please?

I think you have to experience clay land to really believe it!

 

[vmac66]

My fields are clay soil and a boggy mess. Were starting to dry out but it's raining again now.

 

[SEL]

Boggy mess too. I need to move them into their winter field but it's saturated so they can just destroy the other one for a bit

 

[Bellaboo18]

My fields are clay soil and a boggy mess. Were starting to dry out but it's raining again now.

Thank you! It's at least nice to not be alone. I was so pleased today its been a sunny and windy day, perfect but back to raining now

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Mine are looking ok, just one v wet paddock, over little A's fetlocks in the deepest part on the far side. It's a great paddock for high summer as plenty of shade, and great in a frozen winter as sheltered.
They did go in to lightly mow it last week, but currently are up in a top paddock as v well draining, plenty of grass and...... I don't have any mud
<tiptoes off whistling>

 

[gallopingby]

Mine have broken through the solar electric fence, possibly cos it’s not been sunny to keep charging it, into the bottom field with too much grass and are looking a bit too well. It’s taken me a few years to sort out the field management but in theory l’ve now sorted it and once they’re back behind the fence should have enough grass to last for a while longer. There is a little mud in one of the gateways but looking much better than usual. I’ve also a couple of little fields l use in summer and one of them which is very flat has now been locked up for the winter. It’s surprising how things recover when they look pretty desperate.

 

[shortstuff99]

Mine are on really well draining fen soil and even mine look a bit sh*t this year

 

[Bellaboo18]

Mine have broken through the solar electric fence, possibly cos it’s not been sunny to keep charging it, into the bottom field with too much grass and are looking a bit too well. It’s taken me a few years to sort out the field management but in theory l’ve now sorted it and once they’re back behind the fence should have enough grass to last for a while longer. There is a little mud in one of the gateways but looking much better than usual. I’ve also a couple of little fields l use in summer and one of them which is very flat has now been locked up for the winter. It’s surprising how things recover when they look pretty desperate.

I'm already thinking of how I'll manage it better next year so if spring could just arrive...but you're right, it always bounces back

 

[Surbie]

We don't rotate. And it's a lovely big field, but it is getting nasty & boot-sucky around the gateway.

 

[Bellaboo18]

Mine are looking ok, just one v wet paddock, over little A's fetlocks in the deepest part on the far side. It's a great paddock for high summer as plenty of shade, and great in a frozen winter as sheltered.
They did go in to lightly mow it last week, but currently are up in a top paddock as v well draining, plenty of grass and...... I don't have any mud
<tiptoes off whistling>

I don't like you

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I don't like you

Ta xx
To be fair, I have 1 x 14hh and a 32" shettie on 4.5 acres (which is in paddocks). If I had more, then I'd be muddy, a bit, perhaps....

 

[Bellaboo18]

Ta xx
To be fair, I have 1 x 14hh and a 32" shettie on 4.5 acres (which is in paddocks). If I had more, then I'd be muddy, a bit, perhaps....

Joking of course
I do keep looking at my 16h gelding wondering if my mare would notice if I did a quick switch for another shetland

 

[Bellaboo18]

Mine are on really well draining fen soil and even mine look a bit sh*t this year

Winning post. Thank you. Thread closed.

 

[Irish Sally]

Mine are dreadful. Almost drowned this morning checking on my mares.

 

[Bobthecob15]

Horrendous! It’s been an incredibly wet autumn so far and the fields are a disaster! I think we’ve had 2 days of no rain which is the longest spell we’ve had for months!

Our yard also has multiple cases of mud fever, injuries due to slippy fields and today’s new incident was an abscess. The farrier said he’s never had as many abscesses as he’s getting at the moment, due to the wet fields. Feet are also very soft due to wet conditions

 

[Wishfilly]

At the yard, the fields are really wet. The horses have moved onto their winter fields- the one my pony is in is on a hill, which is good because it's well draining at the top, but the gateway is at the bottom and already ankle deep in a few weeks. It's not horrendous because the horses have grass and they've got plenty of dry land to stand on, and there is another gate we can use, but it's certainly not ideal either. It's my first winter at this yard, so not sure how long we will be on winter fields for, but I am guessing at least until the clocks change.

On the plus side, the flooded bit on the roads I drive on to work has finally gone down a bit!

 

[tda]

Like the Somme, I do have some mud control mats but even they have mud on top of them, but the area is still useable

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

This is our first full winter with the horses at home (they moved in February this year). I love having them at home and it's mainly positives *but* my field is a bog

Please tell me this is a bad year?

We've had two pallets of mud control mats and will add to them...those of you who have turnout pens, how big are they? Can you share your setups please?

I think you have to experience clay land to really believe it!

fiels not too bad, as done the gateways with mot and the fields are short grass but due to change over 1st

 

[FestiveFuzz]

We’re on what is usually well draining sandy soil, but it’s been so wet that for the first time in nearly 4yrs of being here one of ours has mud fever

 

[meleeka]

I can’t ever remember my fields being this wet in November before Even when I had two big horses on it there was less mud than there is now.

 

[rabatsa]

Clay here. Even the sheep are poaching their fields. The equine loafing area, approx 52m x 30m has mud control slabs down one long side and as a path across a short one. They seem to stay on the slabs rather than plough through the mud, which has been knee/hock deep in previous wet winters. I have an extra yard open from this loafing area, as well as the barn where the ring feeder lives.

 

[scats]

My winter paddock is very soft. Doesn’t look muddy but I worry about them running around in there.

The big field is holding up well, it’s wet at the front but I fence that off and graze them further down.
One night of rainfall though and I end up with a lake in there.

 

[limestonelil]

It is a very bad year indeed Bb. We are not on clay (!) and it's bad. Gateways managed with quarry bottoms. Surely the rain has to stop sometime soon.

 

[Peglo]

My usually boggy wet field is actually holding up really well this year. Especially up at my gate. The part where Darci had been all summer is pretty muddy and chopped up but the rest of the field is good so far. Dare say I won’t be saying that in a month or 2 though

 

[setterlover]

Fields aren't too bad as 3 horses on 13 acres divided into 3 fields .5 acres shut off for the summer and the rest divided into two 4 acre fields .All gateways have been hard cored many times over the years and pole barn with direct access from the fields .
However I am sick and tired of battling wet horizontal rain blowing straight at you.
I have hung up my riding boots and just do stuff in hand now but we are SERIOUSLY thinking of selling up the smallholding and giving up horses altogether hubby and I are both in our 70's and it just feels like we are battling the elements constantly. We would obviously still look after the 3 we have got they are 24 .22 and 17 so likely to be a dwindling number.
This winter has really depressed me it seems to have started so early and we didn't really get much of a summer after the good weather in May/June.

 

[Reacher]

Our fields are clay and in a wet part of the country - we have 2 stables and a yard which can be divided into 2 patios where they come in at night - this is a life saver .

 

[dorsetladette]

We’re on what is usually well draining sandy soil, but it’s been so wet that for the first time in nearly 4yrs of being here one of ours has mud fever

Yep even my lovely sandy soil that people are usually envious of is soggy and horrible in the high traffic areas. I've got my first abscess of the year too

 

[Fluffypiglet]

Our overgrazed livery yard fields are pretty much bare. they look like they usually look towards end Jan/Feb. Wish we had more land, YM can only do so much with what we’ve got. It’s clay as well so lots of standing water. Hopefully this cold spell will dry things up. Heard from a friend that many yards around us have shut their fields for the winter.

 

[pinkfluffy]

We're on clay so everything's wet. Even my hardiest pony isn't impressed with pools of water.

 

[millitiger]

My winter field is churned up, mainly as I have 3 x large, energetic geldings who play a lot and do galloping races.

I have some Jelka mats now which have been a lifesaver for the hay stations and have definitely helped a lot.

My tact is to just not really look at the field until March.
I accept this field will be trashed and it is harrowed and rested for the full summer every year