How is your mud?

J

JillA

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Never seen it anywhere near this bad in 16 years of owning my yard, and there is more to come. I only have 5 horses on 13 acres and it is pretty much completely trashed, even the areas which aren't really badly poached are waterlogged. I don't know if it will recover in time to get a hay crop this year unless we have no more rain from mid February on. All 5 horses will be stabled from today onwards, which means 5 stables to do and there is no end in sight.
I know it could be worse - I've seen farms in Somerset where it is clear even the cattle sheds aren't dry, but I am not enjoying my horses at all this year. It has been a struggle even pushing a barrow across the school, which is flooded because the area it drains to is underwater.
How are the rest of you getting on?
 
I have just under 4 acres for two horses and its under water in places, luckily one is on box rest and the other does not want to be out for long on his own so given up putting him out everyday, so it is getting a bit of a rest which it really does need, most of our hacking is around crop fields and I have not been that way in over a month, its really bad I couldnt walk on it let alone a horse, I admit I have not enjoyed the last few months either, I think I prefered last years weather I know it was freezing but it was dry but at least you could get out and do stuff without getting covered in mud.
 
aWFUL, the mud is up to knees in some points - completely trashed. My mare is stabled now for the next month and had to move the welshie to the top field, he is on about 3/4 acre and needs moving soon as that will be trashed! looking for grazing :(
 
littleshetland said:
Glastonbury Festival proportions...............I think I've got trench foot.
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Us as well. Both mine are in for the foreseeable. One is in work so not too bad and the other old chap doesn't seem to mind as long as he's got lots of hay. I've never seen it this bad.
 
Very boggy and standing water. Horses are getting out for a few hours most days but they really aren't enjoying it. I just keep telling myself there are people worse off than us.
 
You have my sympathies. I think it is as bad over here (Ireland), I have all three of mine in since the middle of December - November was actually very dry, remember that? But that is situation normal here, they get turned out in the arena + exercise + work two every day. I gave up on winter turnout a few years ago, it's more work but worth it for the health of the fields and the horses. Humans are knackered though!
 
more or less non existant, but our soil is sandy.

the corner that CS and fig stand in (either side of the fence) annoying each other whilst waiting to come in, is a bit iffy, but you could just about still walk over it in uggs and have clean uggs, its not proper mud just churned up soily sand!

the worst area is at the very start of the walkway between the summer and winter padocks which the blinking moles have dug up, and then the rain has flattened the molehills in to little muddy circles grrrrr. however you can walk round them and theres still a good grass covering and no mud on the rest of the path.

put it this way, you could poo pick in uggs or trainers and come back with dry clean feet and shoes.
 
Cortez said:
You have my sympathies. I think it is as bad over here (Ireland), I have all three of mine in since the middle of December - November was actually very dry, remember that? But that is situation normal here, they get turned out in the arena + exercise + work two every day. I gave up on winter turnout a few years ago, it's more work but worth it for the health of the fields and the horses. Humans are knackered though!
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When the girls move, they will be going out at 6:30am and coming in at around 5:30 to take it in turns doing some work and then being put to bed. I know they are happier out, but the new places has much larger paddocks, they had 1/8th acre paddocks at the old yard so never really got to enjoy their turn out. At the new place, they can go out together and have plenty of room for a good gallop and hoon and the ground is much better too being on top of a little hill. Also good as no standing water anywhere and quite open to the elements so good for Mollys SI.

It does make November seem like an awful long time ago doesn't it!
 
I have been on my yard 15 years and never seen it this bad :(

My fields are bad around the gateways and were starting to get worse so i have given up putting them on the fields and have been turning them out on my driveway which is hardstanding but even that is looking churned at the edges on the verges :(

I put my lad on the field for 10 mins on monday and you could see exactly where he had walked, its just so wet!

Didnt help the winds damaged my roof so now my stables have sprung a leak! one stable has a puddle in the doorway! its driving me mad! hopefully dad is going to fix it when we have a dry weekend! haha whats a dry weekend???!!

I am so sick of being constantly wet and covered in mud! roll on summer!
 
How is my mud?

Immeasurably deep and sticky.

BUT ... my yard is under water entirely, therefore horses are out in the MUD while humans desperately trying to swim around to prevent the yard from floating away or collapsing. Given the freak weather (massive hailstorm yesterday) and risk of damaged trees and even more water on the yard, all the horses are out to fend for themselves. Oddly, they seem rather chuffed by this, like they have somehow won the Human Vs. Horse battle and are cheerfully churned up both their winter and summer fields (storms brought down 2km of fencline - not an easy fix with the continuing deluge). I am resigned to this year being a write-off in terms of land management. If the horses are HAPPY and HEALTHY, then so am I. At worst, I will keep them in their winter paddock all summer and hay them ... to allow the other side a decent recovery time lol.
 
Cortez said:
You poo pick in Uggs!!? Respect!
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has been known! normally do have wellies on as muck out first and horse wee kills uggs, but the fields are still dry enough you could do it in uggs if you wanted to :)

i worship our land, it makes life so much easier and everything so much quicker when its not covered in either 6 inches of gloop, or a caked on crush of dried gloop! i do also think having them barefoot helps as they dont cut it up half as much.

livery pony is lammi risk and has been on approx 20ft x 20ft lammi paddock since end oct. its still firm, not churned except a tiny bit in the gateway,and still has grass on it! we have miracle soil lol!
 
My winter field is really bad & I have acquired a large pond! Horses are fed up but having seen all the floods on the tv, I am thankful that all I have to worry about is a muddy field.
 
Awful , took the desision this morning to stop turn out they are sick within half an hour bored and Tatts has started damaging the rugs again .
So it's turn out in pairs in the school and extra work and restricted food for a while .
It means lots more school maintainence but less muddy horses .
It's years since I stopped turnout but I have had enough .
Keep looking at the unused paddocks but if I use them they will trashed in days so I am not going to give in .
 
Our yard stopped turnout 4 weeks ago for the first time ever. Fields are a couple of inches in water more in places.
Having said that we are not as bad as some though
 
My mud is very deep and slippery thank you for asking! Although I am quite proud of the fact that I haven't fallen over in it yet .........
 
Meems said:
My mud is very deep and slippery thank you for asking! Although I am quite proud of the fact that I haven't fallen over in it yet .........
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In not wanting to temp fate...I didn't say that myself despite thinking it.

I shall be away the thread later telling us it happened ;)
 
Our gateways are wellie eating! Our two are out 24/7 in a 7 acre field with some sheep, we are lucky that we can move them in the spring to another field. I hate this weather, Friday looking bad, baton down the hatches:(
 
Im admitting defeat and moving the horses into the old outdoor school today. I figure they'll be happier in there, although its only little (20x40) than standing around in the winter field. It looks like the Somme, and they've only been back on it a week. I'd prefer not to stable them, as one of them hates coming in and will create merry hell, but I have beds down ready for them just in case!
 
Mud at the gate is awful with puddles and sludgey bits, then further in to the field the grass is cut up badly but the back end of the field is ok, its dry and still has grass. Theyre only out 4-5 hours a day because of the state of it
My summer field is wet, but still in good nick, i wont move them over until april/may then let the winter field recover through the summer ...... If we get one !
 
its been an exceptionally good year mud output. If there was money to be made in growing mud, id have made a fortune. Made so much more than last year.

Horses hate it, i hate it, dog loves it.

On the unused fields, there is standing water, so no doubt could make more within a day if i needed too.

Had enough, bring on the sunny season.
 
My school has a puddle at the far corner that's where the main outlet to the drains in the field is I suspect the field drains are so full that it's only draining out slowly .
Its not raining ATM hopefully it will drain out later .
 
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