Keeping horses on wet land

[ece9600]

Hello

just wondered if anyone could advise. We have a 3 acre field which is in great condition 9 months of the year but for 3 months in winter is quite wet- not waterlogged but very soft with some puddley areas.

Is this a complete non-starter for keeping horses/ponies? I’m planning ahead as do not currently own my own horse (although have done for many years before we moved here). Are there breeds that do better on wetter land? In an ideal world I’d like a big welsh cob.
Thanks!

 

[ester]

Depends if you want them out 24/7, ours wouldn't cope with that (somerset levels clay) but it can cope with them out during the daytime all winter. However because it is clay that also means it comes back pretty quickly come spring that some other soil types wouldn't

 

[TPO]

We have 3 horses (all barefoot) on 7 acres and it's a struggle. They are stabled at night during winter too.

Our land is so wet because the drains need replaced, that's happening this spring so that should make a big difference. But as it stands it's hard going managing the land and there is currently no grass.

It might be worth looking at putting drainage in so that you have the full use of all 3 acres.

It might also be worth looking at something like mudslabs to make a winter turnout area to keep them off the grass in winter (or summer if good doers)

 

[Lipglosspukka]

I keep horses out 24/7 but am very careful at how the land is maintained.

Is there an area of hard standing or some higher ground which doesn't get so bad? I hate seeing horses in poached fields unable to get out of the mud.

 

[J&S]

My land drains very well but just cant keep pace with the rain fall at the moment. Luckily I have stables and hard standing but it is hard work. I think every one is having problems with the very wet winters now. With three acres you could hopefully keep an acre un grazed for the spring and rest the other two. (or vice versaa)

 

[Gloi]

I actually have found land stays better if ponies are on 24/7 rather than a couple of hours turnout as ones out all the time don't end up galloping round churning it up due to excess energy.
An area of hardstanding for haying on is a lifesaver.

 

[JennBags]

I have about 4.5 acres which is wet, I looked after the winter field and until about 3 weeks ago I still had grass and it wasn't too bad but the rainfall has been horrific and they're now off the grass and on the hardstanding to try to rescue the damage to it. Although it looks like it recovers, the more damage that's dines the worse the subsoil erosion is.

 

[EventingMum]

It's doable but requires careful management, ideally have the horses in overnight in the winter and possibly create a trash area for turnout in the worst weather - mudcontrol mats are expensive but work brilliantly for this.

 

[Leam_Carrie]

I keep a horse and mini Shetland on three acres of clay, which gets a bit waterlogged in winter. I do it by sectioning it off, and giving access to the better 1.75 acres all winter. I have hard standing tracks and an area for hay which they get shut on at night. I also have shelters - but that they don’t use them much!

 

[L&M]

That should be fine and sounds very similar to our land. We have 3.5 acres for 2 small horses.

However they are stabled overnight from end of oct - end of feb approx, and we restrict their grazing if very wet, so may only have a morning out rather than a full day, so can be quite hard work at this time of year.

To keep out 24/7 would be a different story, and would only consider it if we had an area of hard standing and field shelters.

The largest of the fields, which is about 2.5 acres is quite wet in several places - what we have found works well is to sub divide it into lots of smaller paddocks and as soon as they start to get poached, move them onto the next.

We find our ground recovers very quickly if rested, and any rain/snow actually washes the poached areas in and nature heals - at the moment we have it divided into 10 small paddocks and only the 2 they are currently on are looking a little sorry for themselves. The others have recovered well and you would hardly know they had been grazed.

Re breeds I wouldn't worry too much - its not like you want to keep them on the side of a mountain?! Some tb's are happy out in all weathers and some natives are wimps, so just depends on the horse. Maybe the only thing to consider is not too buy a horse with a known history of mud fever (although my cob does get it but is fine if he is not out 24/7 in the depths of winter).

 

[PeterNatt]

I would get some land drainage installed in your fields and have the gateways properly hard cored that way the problem is resolved once and for all.

 

[scruffyponies]

I do the opposite of sub-dividing:
I have 10 on two lots of 12 acres of water meadow and a smaller 5 acre upland clay field. In the winter the water meadow can get very wet. I keep them on the summer meadow as long as it holds up, then leave the really good doers where they are and move the others to the fresh meadow, which at this stage will have lots of foggage (enough to go right through winter without hay sometimes). The smaller field is used if we have 2013-style flooding, or to separate anything which needs special treatment.
The damage to both fields is limited by only 4 or 5 ponies on 12 acres over the worst of the winter but some years I will have to re-seed gateways and fence lines.
Over the summer I can put them back together and allow each meadow to rest completely for a few months.

Worth noting that this only works because the grazing is coarse and unimproved. Otherwise lami would be a problem.

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

3 acres is a good amount for one cob and a smaller companion. It would need careful management/rotation obvs. An area of hardstanding for feeding hay in winter would make a huge difference-ideally it would be large enough to shut the horses onto to keep them off the grass on the absolute wettest days.

Keeping horses/ponies unshod makes a huge difference to the ground. Go for the lightest horse you can get away with. And try and get something super chilled out and laid back that's not going to charge around too much! (if you've had a break from horses, and if you're going to be keeping them at home by yourself, I'd recommend going for something as calm as you can find anyway. A big Welsh cob quite possibly won't be that)

 

[laura_nash]

Mine are out 24/7 on similar land, but I have 8 acres so I can sacrifice 2 over winter, and I also have a tractor etc for recovery work in spring. Also, the 2 I trash have some higher areas with exposed bedrock that don't get too bad.

I think it's doable but not for out 24/7, you'll need to either stable in winter or have an area of hard standing / mud mats you can keep them in during the wettest weather.

 

[ece9600]

Thank you so much, everyone. I feel reassured that it can be possible. Sounds like I need to think about drainage and hard standing- it’s really useful to have a starting point. Thank you again!

 

[tallyho!]

You should have a look on the trackies facebook page - lots of them now so take your pick try searching horse track system. Sooooo many good ideas I've stolen over the years. Does depend on your situation though, if not your land you may not have the option for a track but I honestly think that it's the way to go with our changing climate. There are not many options out there and I think a dry track for winter that allows movement absolutely ticks all the welfare boxes and really solves the horrible problem of imprisoning horses for months in winter just because of the mud situation.

 

[coblets]

Are there breeds that do better on wetter land?

To my knowledge, the only breed adapted to 'wetlands' is the Konik Polski.

You would be alright though if you set up a surfaced track or paddock paradise system, or kept them in (but that's really a last resort). So it depends on how far your budget stretches.

 

[Gloi]

To my knowledge, the only breed adapted to 'wetlands' is the Konik Polski.

I'm not convinced they are really, I think it's just a con from the National Trust etc.

 

[catembi]

I had 4 (two horses, two ponies) on 3.5 acres of sloping clay. The first two years, it got totally trashed as I had never had clay before (previously sand & before that chalk) & OMFG I was taken aback. Then I got some mud control mats which helped a lot, then I had a large area of hardstanding put in - dug out, membraned, ecogridded, filled with limestone - and the horses stay on that when the fields are wet. I have 6 stables which are always open & which have a hay net in each, & an arena, and they get turned out in pairs for a roll and a play. Last winter was blissful - NO mud, feet & legs clean & dry, fields untrashed. I have just had another area of hardstanding put in. The only way to manage the clay is to keep the horses off it when it's wet. I used to think that it was really mean to keep them on the (large) yard, but I really & truly do NOT think they like slipping & sliding about or being in knee deep mud, and they can still behave like a herd & interact with each other & wander in & out of all the stables.

ETA: mine are all barefoot, which does help with saving the fields a bit.

 

[SEL]

Do you need planning permission for hardstanding? I have lakes instead of fields

 

[cowgirl16]

The ponies of the Carmargue (not sure of spelling!) in France live on marshland.

 

[pistolpete]

Mud mats are my secret weapon for the winter. No stables but can feed hat out of the mud and give ponies feet a chance to dry. Got about £1K worth which I know is a lot of money but really good.

 

[coblets]

I'm not convinced they are really, I think it's just a con from the National Trust etc.

They're used in wetland areas all across Europe (Ukraine, Netherlands, etc)...

 

[Gloi]

They're used in wetland areas all across Europe (Ukraine, Netherlands, etc)...

Other countries that don't have our native breeds

 

[coblets]

Other countries that don't have our native breeds

Other countries that do in fact have their own native breeds.

I don't understand. Why do you think that the National Trust bought them?

 

[Gloi]

Other countries that do in fact have their own native breeds.

I don't understand. Why do you think that the National Trust bought them?

Because they were using them in the Netherlands, they got them cheaply, and the exmoor pony society wanted their conservation grazing ponies to have annual health checks.https://www.rbst.org.uk/blog/rare-b...-using-native-ponies-for-conservation-grazing

 

[Nudibranch]

Mine graze a similar area in the summer months. But they move onto a drier field for winter. As soon as October comes, they start churning it up and it really doesn't take long for it to become a mess so I just don't use it in winter. I appreciate that's not an option for everyone.
Could you look at renting alternative grazing nearby for the worst of the winter? If not then I would use a track in summer to allow the majority to rest. And avoid shoes if at all possible - they'll easily triple the amount of damage done.

 

[Reacher]

I have had 2 (smallish) horses on under 2 acres (clay / wet for 6 months of year) for past 17 years and managed ok. I’d love 3 acres! ? But we do have stables and a large yard.

In winter they are brought in at night (however not locked in stable - each horse has a hardstanding area attached to its stable which they have free access to and they can interact with each other over a gate).

Echo what other have said, hardstanding turnout (or track) is essential and hardcore in gateways etc . We do feed hay most of year (though I feel this is better than being knee deep in rich grass anyway)

 

[Widgeon]

Other countries that don't have our native breeds

I do think there's something a bit odd about the NT and RSPB's attachment to Koniks - I've seen them on a few TV programs now being raved about as if they had special webbed feet or something. I'm just not sure why we're not using native breeds for all our conservation grazing, surely we have plenty of Exmoor colts? Anyway that's diving off on a serious tangent (sorry) and chances are I'll never find out the answer!