How are your fields? Rain ?

[exracehorse]

24 hours of heavy rain due in Suffolk on clay soil that’s already thick mud. I’ve been bringing all five in at night for past month But by Thursday it will be a lake. How are your fields holding up ?

 

[exracehorse]

 

[Leam_Carrie]

We’re also on clay. My fields are definitely squelchy and have a fair few puddles! Muddy in places at the moment.

My two are on hard standing / a track at night with ad lib hay and out during the day. They are happy out and hurry to the field when I let them through.

 

[dogatemysalad]

We're on clay too. It's dire. My horses field is nearly 12 acres of swamp. He's currently getting 3 hours in the field and being exercised twice, along with gentle in hand strolls after his meals.
Winter can be grim here.

 

[doodle]

They are actually drier this year and not as cut up.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Wetter than I'd like, especially at my gateways and a section of steep bank, but not awful. Field has a stream head/catchment type area/marsh in it so is very boggy in the dips but the high areas are doing ok. Far North on an almost but not quite clay soil (can't remember the technical term). The bedrock isn't that far down here so we don't have deep clay.

They've spent a lot of time on the hardstanding though. It's definitely wetter this year than last now but also we've been digging the vegetation from where the stream/burn drains and I suspect the wetter ground this year is possibly related to that needing to have been done two months ago!

 

[milliepops]

Marshland ??

 

[racebuddy]

Holding up well thankfully ?? but we do need some frost to dry everywere out

 

[poiuytrewq]

Pretty wet, all over not just the gateway. It’s hard underneath though so luckily I don’t get deep welly pulling mud.
I do have another field option, far far drier but its new grazing and I let them eat it down too far in summer/autumn, I don’t want to destroy immature grass.
I think I’m just going to move them soon though and just accept they need ad-lib hay to try and save the roots of the grass but at least they won’t be stood in mulch

 

[vmac66]

I'm thinking of getting the horses a, raft for Christmas. Fields are clay and have been bad for weeks.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

My ponies are one two week circuit (mud) breaker lockdown ? Very heavy clay here but have a lovely mudcontrol turnout pen right by field gate with little shelter so they all get out for a merry mooch Sadly the muck heap is the other side of field so poor DSW still has to wade through gloop to empty wheelbarrow

 

[Wishfilly]

Mine is awful in the gateway, and not great elsewhere. He's in at night and I'm bringing him in during the worst of the rain this week as well.

I might have to fence a section off for him to trash, in the hope that there will be some dry ground left by the end of winter.

The tracks to and from the field are awful, too!

 

[saddlesore]

Loads of mud at the gate and squelchy elsewhere ? west coast of Scotland where rain is our go to weather. Huge fields though so still some grazing and horse living out, don’t know how you guys cope on clay. Looks like a nightmare ?

 

[Keira 8888]

We have no good grass! Prince calling to come in at 2.30pm each day!!!!

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I'm in Shropshire and the fields are bluddy horrid..!! We've just had 18 tonnes of road planings put through one of the worst gate ways and next to where our original "hardstanding " is which has helped a little. In a few places the mud is literally 8-10 inches deep ??? We do still have some grass coming through bit not for much longer judging by the weather forecast and the churning up its getting.

 

[rara007]

Similar to yours/even worse

 

[Squeak]

The whole field squelches and I have gained some ponds. Desperately need some days that it can dry out otherwise they're going to have to have restricted turnout. At the moment I'm giving them pretty much adlib haylage in the field as there's not much grass.

 

[be positive]

Feeling pleased I found somewhere with limited grazing but loads of hardstanding and barns, the ponies are on an area about 40m x40m with access to 2 barns 24/7 and getting out on the paddock most days if it is not too wet, on bad days they have a 20 x40 additional hardstanding that has some grass to pick at, they seem happy enough and I am loving not needing to go through mud at all apart from the odd day when I move the fence in the paddock, wellies have only been worn on those days and the ponies have relatively clean legs, they do find mud to roll in though.

 

[Archangel]

Actual footage of me getting my horses in.

 

[scats]

We are so lucky really. I’ve got a lake in the front and down the side but beyond is mostly dry and no mud.

 

[meleeka]

Thank goodness I had a hard standing put in at the end of last winter. My fields aren’t too bad but that’s only because my lot rarely venture out. They aren’t shut in but are more than happy to be huddled around their hay all day. The other day there was a bit of sun so Let them out into the drive just so I could check nobody was lame and get them moving a bit.

 

[bubsqueaks]

Yep youre not alone - we're in Essex on a gravel hill but still disgustingly yuk! Combined with the short days - double yuk!

 

[vam]

Mine isnt doing to bad but I think I'm pushing my luck and will have to think about what I do for the rest of winter. I'm on livery and have a paddock just under an acre to myself (for the moment) and put a mini track round the edge so the middle rested from about April, she went on that in October and its held up really well but is very wet and has surface water. The out side has grown but I'm not sure how it will hold up with her on it but I think I'm going to have to take my fencing down and let her have the whole paddock until spring again.
I dont think its as wet as last year, the gateway and back track I have to use was ankle deep this time last year but its not nearly so bad so far.
I'm very jealous of those with hard standing or barns to use, that would be dream if I had my own place.

 

[gemisastar]

We have 2 living out in about 3.5 acres of sloping clay - very very muddy around the gateways but the middle of the field is currently holding up ok, they get adlib hay. A big hardstanding area to feed hay off would literally be the dream, sadly we don't own the land so not really an option currently.

 

[SpotsandBays]

Wet! But I’m using some of next doors grazing this year so I’m finding that ours are less poached as there’s less horses on it. However I am bringing mine in this avo until tomorrow due to the rain we’re forecast. (Usually out 24/7)

 

[Reacher]

Cumbria + clay = wet and muddy. I put down hard core in the worst gateway a few years ago. They can get out of the mud but still very wet higher up.

They have been going out in it less than previous years as the rain is never ending and it’s miserable , however their stables open onto yard area that they have free access to mooch in day and night.
WFH has its advantages too as I can wait and put them out when rain passes over or bring them back in if it turns nasty whereas before they either went out (or didn’t) before I went to work then were out until 5pm.

I have been googling old “what to do with muddy legs” threads. Are thermatex wraps worth the money? What about other/cheaper brands?

 

[Xmasha]

Our fields are wet and muddy in places, but they are out in the 10 acre field so coping ok. Which is just as well, as Finn kindly flooded the stables yesterday,by sitting on his automatic drinker. . All but one of the stables was saturated, poor Fern who is in the next stable had puddles, but wasnt bothered one bit . The two supposed eventers where cowering at the back of their stables as the water got closer.
Automatic drinkers now being removed from the stables.

 

[jnb]

If you have no mud fever do NOT hose, wrap muddy legs, leave them to dry and brush off (NOT with a dandy brush! it will scratch the skin and allow bacteria in)
If you have mud fever there are endless tips on how to deal with it. A big straw bed and let the legs dry off and clean themselves in that at night. IMO washing etc are a last resort as the skin is compromised the more you wash it.

 

[Nicnac]

On clay but 3 acre winter field still has lots of grass. TB seems to float on top and shettie is light - only Irish Bog Monster sinks. I have a good area of hard standing where I feed hay when the grass is gone but they're not standing there yet and bleating, they're all munching away quite happily for 10 hours+ a day (shettie is muzzled).

I think because winter field is rested from March until clocks change back, it dries out really well over the summer and for once I managed to get it rolled right on time this year - probably one of the few positives of 2020!

 

[southerncomfort]

Absolute muddy bog. Gateways are horrific.

Worst ive ever seen it here but then literally every season has been wet this year.