How's your Grazing?

[Sandstone1]

How's your grazing standing up in this wet weather?
Winter field has been harrowed a week ago and horses moved to smaller summer field.
Due to the heavy rain we've been having summer field now trashed already.
We can't really move back to winter field as its only just been harrowed so we may have to find alternate grazing for a few weeks.
Yard owner really stressed about lack of grazing.
Anyone else struggling?

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Ours are doing fine, we just had them rolled last week and the one they came off 4 weeks ago is coming through with green grass and looks a nice healthy green. The one they are on is also doing fine and is a healthy green colour. We have 9 on the 5 acres while the other side is resting, fertilizing will come in the next few weeks, but really pleased how they are recovering, but then we were only 2 1/2 months without grass.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Already too much grass, have put FLF back into winter field as far too much for TF already as been rested for over 3 weeks & lots of green tips. Top fields now to be shut off as already getting away (for tubbies).

 

[Suby2]

Mud, mud, mud - with a tiny amount of grass coming through :-(

 

[JillA]

How's your grazing standing up in this wet weather?
Winter field has been harrowed a week ago and horses moved to smaller summer field.
Due to the heavy rain we've been having summer field now trashed already.
We can't really move back to winter field as its only just been harrowed so we may have to find alternate grazing for a few weeks.
Yard owner really stressed about lack of grazing.
Anyone else struggling?

I did similar, "summer" fields now completely sodden and although not completely trashed are heavily pockmarked. I am making myself regard them as exercise areas and feeding fodder at approaching winter rate - not quite because there is some grass emerging which they are eating as soon as it does. And hanging on to the thought that they WILL recover once the grass starts to grow enough to draw up the moisture and the rain, well, gets less if it doesn't stop.
TBH if your summer fields are trashed already maybe like a lot of liveries it could be overstocked?

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Op are yours field kept or stable kept??

We are stable kept as I wont do grass as this amongst others is the reason for little to no grass if you have more horses to land.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Yo has just Harrowed and rolled feilds and they are just started to look more green than brown.

Grass is sparse and horses are loosing weight nicely though having to up hay as they are hungry.

 

[Toffee44]

Now moved my mare from home. Her field is wet but on sand so drains quickly grass coming through but not much- works for us though as fat fa fat.


Grass at home is flourishing but fields wet and muddy underneath so back in for now. Had two weeks out. Grrr

 

[huskydamage]

I moved yards from a giant field infested with ragwort to a small tidy field which is now practically bald. She has lost alot of weight i am going through so much money in hay and feed, praying for the grass to grow! The irony is not lost on me that i swapped one problem for the opposite,if things don't improve though i may have to move again why does no where have good grazing? My choice seems wild ragwort jungle or overgrazed paddocks

 

[Procrastination]

Well we have 3 horses on 5 acres so certainly not overstocked and our fields are still trashed! We are on heavy clay and in northwest England so probably almost as bad as it gets!
They had dried up really nicely about a month ago but then the weather turned awful for about 10 days so we're back to square one :-(

 

[MrsNorris]

Yo has just Harrowed and rolled feilds and they are just started to look more green than brown.

Grass is sparse and horses are loosing weight nicely though having to up hay as they are hungry.

This is also where we are, which is perfect for me as mine is out of work and fat, not so good for some of the others though, but that's life on heavy clay with this wet weather I guess.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

My fields are still very wet and boggy. I am lucky that I have 3 and so have resigned myself to trashing the top one and letting the others rest. OH is an agricultural contractor and keeps saying it will be ok when it stops raining.

 

[rowan666]

ours is bloody awful, far too much rain, we still can't use our summer field as the grass this year just hadn't grown atall!? we have also noticed the adjoining farmers fields havnt grown like the rest has either so I think we need to get the soil tested but our summer field would usually be knee deep in grass by now

 

[amandaco2]

Wet but grassy. Horses been muzzled all winter.
3 horses in 9 acre field. Just had drains de clogged so the area where the machines have been is awful

 

[pansymouse]

Already growing too much; will be time for the grazing muzzle of tubby shame very soon. I was hoping for longer gap between 24 hour nudity and 24 hour muzzling. Damned global warming.

 

[DD]

growing slowly not quickly enough. too wet.

 

[Luci07]

We are on clay and while we look enviously at the green summer fields, we all know, without asking our YO that to put the horses on them now would mean our summer grazing would be trashed in under 2 weeks. Ours will be living out and the fields are always lush so having to stay put on the winter fields for now. It started to dry out and then the rain came back. The trees and hedges budding have helped but it means the mud is now sticky not just wet!

 

[tabithakat64]

I've been lucky enough to have my two out on four acres over winter, it was a bit muddy by the gate (we're on clay but it's on a hillside so drains nicely) but is already starting to recover nicely.

 

[Sandstone1]

We have 3 on about 5 acres in total, split in to 2, I think really it needs splitting in to at least 3 so ones being used and two resting but it's not my choice.
They are in at night in winter out 24/7 in summer.

 

[ShadowHunter]

Not too bad over here, horrendous by the gate but the rest seems to be holding okay. We've split the field into 2 so she's only on 2 acres at once, currently on the driest side. Grass is growing very slowly which is fine as it means that she's loosing the extra weight.

 

[nikkimariet]

Ours come in at night and half the field gets rested for 6 months, and the horses are barefoot. Which all helps. Although Fig is deffo hardest on the ground as he digs and fence walks.

We are very lucky to have good grass and soil but equally, we manage it in a way that means we will continue to have good grass and soil.

 

[dibbin]

We've got 2 on just under 4 acres (split in half), they've been in the "winter" field since the start of February, turned out for about 9 hours a day. Winter field is holding up well, there's still grass in it but they've definitely been eating more hay in the last few weeks. The gateway's getting a bit boggy so I may have to rethink my plan of using the same gateway for the summer field, and try to give it a chance to recover.

Summer field is lovely and green, perhaps a bit too green - I may see if the neighbouring farmer wants to chuck a few sheep in it! We've still to finish the electric fence for the summer field, so they won't be moving over until that's done. Once they've moved I'll get the winter field harrowed and rolled, then it can have 6 months' rest.

I'm hoping for a fairly dry summer, as we're on heavy clay and the summer half of the field could get very marshy if it's too wet.

 

[amandaco2]

Wet but grassy. Horses been muzzled all winter.
3 horses in 9 acre field. Just had drains de clogged so the area where the machines have been is awful

Also out 12 hrs daily. Once ground dry they are out 20-24hrs day

 

[Fools Motto]

My own field is good. Had the entire winter resting, while mine were grazing another farmers field. Moved them 10 days ago, mare put on weight (good!!) pony put on weight (very bad - looks 20 months in foal!!). They are out 24/7.
Meanwhile, work ponies have lost weight (good) but are now getting grumpy they are hungry. I've been giving them hay again after about 3 weeks of no hay. Hope it dries up for them and grows a bit.