How to save your paddock?!

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midnight mayhem

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Like everyone else I'm sure, my feild is trashed. I don't have stables anymore and have lost use of my neighbours paddock which up until 3months ago I was renting as extra to rest my own now and then. I have split my very small paddock (approx 2 acres maybe less) into 3 to try and rotate but the mud is winning and the rain never ending. I do have a school I can use if need be. Also-I've never needed to fertilise/re-seed before, would this be a good idea? If so when/ which products to use? Any advise welcome. :-)
 
yeh id rather just have one totally trashed bit rather than all 3 bits trashed! otherwise none of it will recovery for the winter!

I'm stuggling though and we have about 10 acres have 2 totally trashed fields, one on its way to being trashed and the 4th i've just put my 2 out in, but its only any good for a few months as it gets a lot of ragworth, so it can only be used in the winter, so im hoping the other trashed fields will recover in time for the summer, not convinced though!
 
I agree - if you trash all three you'll have nothing with it does eventually dry up!. can't really do anything with the trashed one until end March (ish depending on rain and temp) when you move them onto a rested one.
Then rest can sometimes do wonders - reseed with whatever grass seed mix suits your horses/ soil conditions (I've done this by hand in small areas )
then ideally roll and rest for a good few months in peak growing season.
 
Have only two paddocks now as they're only a postage stamp really. When is the best time to seed? And what is the best product to use? I've never had to do this
 
There are various types of specialist grass seed mixes for horse grazing - Google "horse pasture grass seed". You're best to overseed in spring and let it settle for as long as you can. The ideal would be to leave it for a year (cut it for hay) before you put horses back on it but that's obviously not possible in your situation.

Not to worry, it shouldn't be a problem, paddocks do manage to mend themselves remarkably well!
 
Is it yours or rented?
If yours I'd be inclined to do something more permanent than reseeding yearly and tearing straight up again. Perhaps a track system around the outside but with ground appropriate for all weather?
 
Sound extreme but maybe put your horses on grass livery for a month or two to let land recover.

What about using your arena for more hours, say for the night. Give them plenty of hay then maybe just use one paddock to trash and save the other two for summer.
 
Personally, I would take them off the paddocks and put them in the arena full time - if the arena will stand up to that. :)
 
Thank you people :-) yes they are at home, the other paddocks I rented a few months ago I have now lost as farmer wants to put sheep in there. I do use the school for a few hours and toyed with the idea of leaving them in there but paranoid that one may get bored and jump out plus eating hay off of sand? (sand colic) even though I do hang haynets in there-some still dribbles out into the sand. I've never seen a track system, I'm guessing that means a track all the way around the edges? I doubt it would be big enough even for that plus the centre would not have any natural shelter from wind rain sun etc.
 
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