Need some advice

[fly1020]

Hi everyone, I need a little advice.

I have had enough of livery yards around my area and all the problems that go with the ones I have been to. I have spoken to a friend and he has a big field with stabling that I can move to, The big thing is I would have to exercise horsey in the field!
I can tape of a fairly flat, quite level bit of the field to ride in but am worried about what to do if it gets too wet, hard, icy etc. Just wondering if any of you only have a field to exercise in, how do you find it and any tips on putting down some kind of surface that doesn't cost much. If you have any advice i would really appriciate it.

 

[K9Wendy]

We used to only have a field to exercise in, however due to weather conditions and risk of slipping & leg strain we stopped end of October. We started using field beginning of May! So quite a long time with no riding area, we had to hire a local school and hack on roads mainly. We moved yards and now have schools to use and find that easier.

If you can do with less riding in the bad months then it is not too bad. I have no experience of using a surface but we did put some fine stones done at gate entrance and within 2 days you couldn't even see them, just churned in!

 

[SillyMare]

We have no school - dressage is not my strong point, but I did manage to event India up to Novice until she got injured and Lexi is now eventing at PN.

We have access to a fairly well drained hay field. It does occasionally get water-logged in the winter and certainly gets too hard to school in the summer when it is very dry, but fine for quite a lot of the year.

When the field is un-rideable we just do lots of hacking - I think it keeps the horses fresher and their attitudes better anyway.

In the winter I take a box-load of horses to a nearby school once a week and compete at dressage / SJ most weekends so that normally keeps things ticking over.

Not ideal, but our yard is perfect in every other regard so it is worth the extra effort.

 

[riotgirl]

I just have a field. In the winter we don't do much in the way of schooling as it gets water logged. However, I have become quite adept at schooling when hacking. I've never ever used a 'proper' surface though, so I probably don't know what i'm missing!

 

[matthew]

The yard were i kept mine only hd a field to excercise-although it was marked out and well maintained as owner was a farmer! dont remember having any problems-and we had a livery yard in the same village that we could use (£5 an hour) to school-didnt find it that bad-however, if im honest i had s/jing lesson once a week, private dressage lesson once a week and usually a rally, competing x2 a week etc so most i really did when i didnt have this was just hacking! suppose it depends on what you do with your horse?