How are your fields? Rain ?

[TPO]

What isn't under water (or ice the past 2 days) is a bog.

Why won't it stop raining?! ?

 

[CJoe]

for once, I can say mine are amazing....but that is only due to having both boys in on box rest......now in a few weeks they won't look as pretty!!

 

[sherry90]

Wet and cut up where he runs about when he has had enough and demands it’s time to come in ? but not too muddy. Not much grass though now so turnout is more of a leg stretch than anything else - roll on Spring!

 

[Ranyhyn]

All my lower level fields are butter. I have one field which the horses winter in which is on the top and that one apart from the gateways is dry as a bone. Everything else, total mudbath.

 

[windand rain]

Lying water over grass no mud as they live out 24/7 so rarely move faster than a slow amble unless dinner is served. Our topfields are sandy over clay the bottom of the hill is very thin sand over waterproof clay so the water sits on top

 

[SheriffTruman]

Actual footage of me getting my horses in.

Fields are unusable where my horse lives. It is clay ground, and the fields are looking more like a lake. Lots of continuous rain. In winter, horse lives out on a paddock with part hardstanding and a shelter. He seems not bothered. I would like some sunshine now and again.

 

[Shilasdair]

The top of my field is a swamp but I strip graze so can move them around a bit.
Even the grass bits are saturated though- it squelches like a sponge when you walk on it.

It seems to have been raining forever.

 

[welshpony216]

ours are 1/2 snow and 1/2 mud

...but the next couple of days are supposed to be very rainy ?

 

[COldNag]

Waterlogged.
Very waterlogged.
Roll on spring.....

 

[Hallo2012]

very wet, not muddy as lots of grass but spongey and soft.

river has burst its banks over the very lowest 10 foot strip of field.

i am juuuuuuust about managing in waterproof uggs still so better than last year (when the water would have been over the top of uggs, 2019 was deffo a welly winter!)

we stoned all the gateways last year which has made a HUGE diff so there only a tiny 1 hoof width of mud on the edge of the stone and then its spongey sodden grass.

so better than last year, but i miss my sandy soil of prev house!

 

[oldie48]

My fields are wet but as I have no horses here now they are mud free, however just offered my 7 acre field to my local farmer for his sheep so it will get nicely eaten down and levelled by little sheep toes! Where Rose is on livery it is very wet and they are restricting turnout but as she's got a walk out area attached to her stable, a huge sand turnout area and a horse walker I'm not that worried especially as she managed to get her feet stuck in the fencing rolling, has skinned the inside of her hocks and is probably better off the grass until it's healed over a bit.

 

[catembi]

We are on heavy clay and I shut the fields off in October. They have a large area of limestone hard standing and a mud control matted bit of field and constant access to 6 stables across two blocks. I put them in the school in pairs for a roll and a play if it’s nice. If I were using my fields, they would be knee deep. They look knee deep anyway, and that’s with nothing on them! I didn’t know the true meaning of the word mud when we were on sand! I so much love my hard standing...no mud at all. Beyond fantastic!

 

[Tiddlypom]

Wet, but coping, except for this gateway between the two paddocks which I’ve had to shut off as it’s got dangerously deep and boggy, especially if they canter through. There is an alternative gate, but that’s much less convenient.

Just got two bags of crusher run delivered this morning. Will barrow those up, tip it into the gateway, rake it over and roll it. It’ll be sucked up into the mud and will soon firm it up.

 

[SEL]

My allocated field has been unusable since Storm Alex flooded it at the beginning of October. I splashed down on Sunday to get the remains of my electric fencing and it was mid-calf high water pretty much everywhere, but the grass has got so long it didn't look bad until I was actually there.

The 1/2 acre at the top of the yard that my 2 huge beasts then got as their reserve field has been totally trashed. Apparently its usually really well drained, but the ground is saturated and its too small for them really. 30mm due in tonight so I think I just need to be prepared for mud for a while longer.

Fortunately my old yard which is going for housing has acres and acres of spare grass so if we suddenly get turnout taken away I'll box them all back over there and they can live out for the rest of winter.

 

[PurBee]

Its prone to bogginess here all year round so i save my grazing fields in winter, they have a very large hardstanding area, a long hardstanding track, and a ‘trash’ acre i can spare for trashing.
i’ve settled on this arrangement as it means im not re-seeding annually, and the best grazing areas are able to be used when first spring growth appears.

with temps 5 degrees and less and a lot of cold wet rain, the grass here doesnt grow and just stands dormant, theyd trash the lot over winter If given full access.
The slightly sloped areas of wet land is just too dangerous to have them on as theyve slipped in the past and pulled tendons. They dont seem to assess the conditions and still lark about with wet slippy footing!

over the years in spring ive hired a digger and lay down 150 tonnes of hardcore hardstanding. Costs around 1500-2k and having done this for a few years ive ended up with a large dry turnout area, which saves the land. Even in the summer with constant 24/7 rains i use it. Its been a godsend and overall saved money on re-seeding, land management, mud issues with horses and injury risks etc etc. It’s definitely worth doing in the northern hemisphere with heavy animals.
corrals seem to be more popular in the US than europe.

 

[milliepops]

never mind the fields, the roads are all flooded today. i was just feeling smug about having an indoor arena to ride in later and then realised I'd have to swim there going to be some creative route planning going on in a minute.

 

[GoldenWillow]

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?

Yep, me too ? we have had one dry day in about 12 and our field, which is clay but on a gravel bank, which will cope given a chance is about the worst I've seen it. The only good thing is that it never gets deep mud but it is impressive to flood the side of a hill.

 

[Berpisc]

Not as bad as last year, when water stood in the dips and at the bottom of the field where the railway embankment is. Hadn't seen it do that before sograteful this year that it didn't as the railway company came to do the fences last month. Very soggy though, glad that we had lots of land stone tipped in the gateways a couple of years ago so while things are soggy and miserable, they could be worse. I do regularly thank my lucky stars that we are not on clay land though.

 

[Wishfilly]

Very soggy today. Brought the pony in at 1, as there's a met office warning for rain. I'm tempted to fence it in half, let him trash the top half and open it back up when it dries out.

 

[cremedemonthe]

In west Wales. I don't have horses but have sheep and having to keep my pheasants, ducks and chickens in covered pens due to bird flu restrictions. Everytime I go in to the field to their pens to feed them I am in danger of falling down a hole in the mud and coming out another one, very slippery!

 

[conniegirl]

We have given up on ours.
we have turned the horses out in the turkey barns now the turkeys are ready for Christmas

 

[julesjoy]

Wetter than usual. They've been in for a month already.

 

[scats]

The part of my field the girls are grazing and then the lake in the first bit that walk through to get to the dry bit!

It’s poured down all day, again...

 

[Flowerofthefen]

The field I'm using is terrible. Unfortunately my ridden horse hates being out at the best of times in winter. He definitely wont go out for the next few days if the field is that wet.

 

[milliepops]

never mind the fields, the roads are all flooded today. i was just feeling smug about having an indoor arena to ride in later and then realised I'd have to swim there going to be some creative route planning going on in a minute.

well... i nearly did have to swim there. had to abandon my attempt to get there and phone OH for a lift in the Big Truck. there was a river flowing down the lane, i actually doubt I'd have been able to walk through it! so doubtful the horses over there will get back in the field for a good few days.

The ones that live out are just growing gills and webbed feet. I had to put rugs on for the first time

 

[wiglet]

My yard is on Sandy soil so although it’s a bit muddy at the gates, the fields are all fine. We all whinge when the horses come in with mud on their hooves - I guess we don’t appreciate how lucky we are!! Gotta love Sandy soil ?

 

[COldNag]

I am dreading what the field will be looking like in the morning. Seriously bad road flooding too - just about got through to get to the pony and wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to get back. Hoping desperately that the rain eases off tonight or I may not be able to get through at all in the morning.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Mine are just slop and although I have hard standing one of mine just doesn't want to walk in the field not that I blame him! just feeding hay on the hardstanding as the grass is underwater anyway So at least they are out, have given up on riding school is flooded so is all the hacking so just pointless need an indoor school.

 

[Jayzee]

Mud!

Although better than last year. I need to sort out gateways but there is still grass

 

[Ali27]

I have two ponies out 24/7 on a 5 acre field which is clay. Still grass left and not feeding hay but getting muddy! Moving at end of month and they will be in at night! No way could I keep horses out on clay 24/7 all Winter!