Land problem

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Boohoo85

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Ive recently viewed a lovely property with about 4 acres of land. My issue is the land isn't flat in places and wondered if anyone has flattened out land before and if so how easy was it, what's involved etc - thanks!
 
Does it need to be flat? What do you want to do with the land?

Depending on how steep/sloping you are talking it is possible, you will most likely need a large digger and somewhere to either take the spoil offsite or somewhere to put it onsite. Be aware that different ground types give different challenges, also you may dig through different soil types, this could lead to different rates of growth for crop or different drainage, it isn't quite as straightforward as dig a bit from here and pat it down in the hollow over there. If it is just uneven rather than sloping then ploughing and reseeding could work.

If you are using it for grazing animals and it needs reseeding then you will have to factor in time for the grass to grow before putting grazing animals on. We don't graze our new seeds for 12 months, otherwise they just churn it back up.

We are in Wales so none of our ground is flat, for grazing/hay and even schooling/riding on it is fine, if you wanted to open a crown bowling green however it wouldn't be suitable at all!
 
Depending on how much soil you are moving around, it could be classed as "development" for which you might need planning permission. We moved soil to a sloping gateway to make access easier and had to apply for retrospective consent with the Council.
 
Land has different layers, so the "top soil" is what grows the grass, and how deep the layer is depends on the quality of the land. You don't want to get rid of this top soil, so if you wanted to "flatten" an area you would have to scrape off and keep to one side the top soil. Even so, you are going to disrupt things. Some top soil is very thin and you are soon down to rocks, or clay.

You can plough and reseed fields to give a flatter surface.

I'm not sure what you mean by "flatten it." You could probably get a large enough earth mover to make a flat area for a building or an arena, after all, think what builders and construction projects do to the landscape, but after that I'm not sure if it would be practical. All the removed soil has to go somewhere. This would possibly be classed as engineering work too, which would need permission.
 
Hi and thanks for your replies. The land would be for grazing and ideally I wanted to have a manage built. The paddock, as I can describe it is domed shaped. They have dug a track around the edge of one of the paddocks and looks like they've put it all onto the centre of this paddock.

Thanks for the info on needing permission as I wasn't aware of this. I am aware that it is going to cost and know drainage will need to be put in place.

Thanks
 
You may need permission if you are "landscaping" as others have said, there are definitely pros for having fields that are sloping.

I have seen several arenas that have been cut into a slope iykwim, obviously you would need planning for this :)
 
One of my concerns is how safe etc it is for my daughters ponies to be grazing on a sloping paddock and there are three and one not being as bad as the other two.

If the land was "flat" there is no doubt in my mind this property would have sold by now and for a hell of a lot more than what it's up for.

We are currently on a livery yard so have been spoilt with the facilities. Lots of my friends have their ponies at home with no school and cope fine but if I can I would prefer the option of having one.
 
Maybe I need to check with the relevant people that I will actually get permission to do what I would like done before committing myself. That said it still is a usable space 😁
 
I'm also in Wales and keep my horses on a Welsh hillside. This photo shows how steep the field is. I do have a school available and TBH I hate the damn thing. So much upkeep and maintenance, plus you have every horse rider in the area who wouldn't give you the time of day normally, twisting your arm to let them use it. I like to hack and schooling on grass is fine, so I could happily do without it.

Horsesonthehilltwo.jpg
 
Thanks for the picture, the land in question my end slopes up and then down the other end. You can't see one end to the other if that makes it clearer.

I haven't furthered my investigation as to hacking facilities from the property as yet because we don't really do that at the minute but that's because our livery yard is on a very busy road and my girls are only 10 so I'm mega anxious about it. I guess it's a case of what you have been used too.
 
I think slopes are fine in large fields but not tiny paddocks. By the sounds of it you will need to get quite a bit done. On the plus side all that walking/running up and down does really improve topline :) just make you have water connected!
 
Orangehorse said:
Land has different layers, so the "top soil" is what grows the grass, and how deep the layer is depends on the quality of the land. You don't want to get rid of this top soil, so if you wanted to "flatten" an area you would have to scrape off and keep to one side the top soil. Even so, you are going to disrupt things. Some top soil is very thin and you are soon down to rocks, or clay.

You can plough and reseed fields to give a flatter surface.

I'm not sure what you mean by "flatten it." You could probably get a large enough earth mover to make a flat area for a building or an arena, after all, think what builders and construction projects do to the landscape, but after that I'm not sure if it would be practical. All the removed soil has to go somewhere. This would possibly be classed as engineering work too, which would need permission.
Click to expand...

By flatten it I mean level it out 😄
 
LJR said:
You may need permission if you are "landscaping" as others have said, there are definitely pros for having fields that are sloping.

I have seen several arenas that have been cut into a slope iykwim, obviously you would need planning for this :)
Click to expand...

Just had to google what iykwim means lol 😳
 
For grazing I really wouldn't bother. My field is both steep and uneven and mine gallop around it and have a great time. It teaches them balance and they are both great at riding over rough terrain. I also jump and 'school' on very uneven ground and it is not a problem. If you wanted a schooling area you would normally need permission to create one but do check with your local council as the rules do vary by area.
 
i use to live in the Mendip Hills, one of the best fields i had access to was basically the side of the hill which jutted out into the levels. in places steeper than the welsh field further up the thread. horses had no problem, improved balance and co-ordination etc.
 
Sloping paddocks normally mean better drainage. Apart from building a manege, I'm really not sure why you'd want to flatten your paddocks. Of course the pony will be safe - ponies graze on far, far worse than a gentle dome on every hilly/mountainous area in the UK. Hills are good for them.

Also, if they've purposefully built a ditch around the edge and piled it up in the middle, it sounds like the field had very poor drainage. Believe me, that's not something you'd want to return to as it makes turning them out in winter impossible.
 
Apercrumbie said:
Sloping paddocks normally mean better drainage. Apart from building a manege, I'm really not sure why you'd want to flatten your paddocks. Of course the pony will be safe - ponies graze on far, far worse than a gentle dome on every hilly/mountainous area in the UK. Hills are good for them.

Also, if they've purposefully built a ditch around the edge and piled it up in the middle, it sounds like the field had very poor drainage. Believe me, that's not something you'd want to return to as it makes turning them out in winter impossible.
Click to expand...

I agree, ponies that have been born and bred grazing on that type of land yes but my concern was my ponies that are not used to this and are getting on a bit in age. You always hear people say bad things about ponies grazing needing to be level etc. it's good to hear that it shouldn't be a problem for them! :-)

They dug a track out around the edge of the field because they do trekking (think that's it?!?) and train their horses on the field. It was basically a training track for their business.
 
It would only bother me if subsoil has been dug up and piled in the centre of the field. The drainage should be good on a slope so long as the track is properly drained and doesn't flood.
 
Digger66 said:
It would only bother me if subsoil has been dug up and piled in the centre of the field. The drainage should be good on a slope so long as the track is properly drained and doesn't flood.
Click to expand...

How would I know this?

Track seems to be a bit grown out at the minute when I viewed the property. Pictures on rightmove look good but they were taken in April!
 
Could anyone tell me the type of person I would need to contact to take with me to see if part of the land could be levelled out enough for a manage?

Thanks
 
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