please help with my field management and mud

[madeleine1]

my horse is in just under 2 acres by herself. she is a 16hh sport horse.

she has it seperated into
around one acre
a 40x40
and a half an acre

untill this morning she was in the acre but she has been pacing up and down the top fence(i know why this is so dont worry) this has now become mud which is just past the fetlock joint. she can get out of it and apart from 2 meters from the fence and all along it the field is still full of grass so i dont want to take her out of it.

ive moved her into the 40x40 as i dont no if the mud will do her any harm. but i dont want her to just churn up that as well. i dont have anywhere else to put her untill i make the decision that she is going to her winter yard but i will go from a free home which shes in to a 50 pound a week home. also there is alot of grass left and shes warm enough so it seems stupid to move her yet.
she seems happy in the mud and she hasnt injured herself but i dont want her to get mud fever or break a leg.

would i be ok to put her in the field with mud in?
please reply as i know i may seem stupid but im really worried ill make the wrong decision

 

[Honey08]

The obvious answer is to remove the reason for her pacing up and down the fence, thus causing the mud. You really don't want her moping in fetlock deep mud, as the skin will get wet and soft, therefore allowing germs to penetrate, and cause mudrash (not a very technical explanation, but hopefully you know what I mean..) If you have lots of grass in the other paddock I would move her to one that is not muddy, and hopefully distract her, and then, once thats eaten off, move her again to the other remaining bit. If you flatten the churned up bit down with a shovel, you may be able to persuade grass to grow back again before the end of the growing season, and get her back in the bigger bit again. I understand you want to keep her at your "free field" for as long as poss, but you don't want to ruin the fields too much if you can help it, as its hard ato et them back... Good luck.x

 

[madeleine1]

yer i do no what u mean. i have got rid of the reason as far as i can. tnx the situation is better for now.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

well she is pacing cos she is stressed in some way. could you not get her a friend?

 

[madeleine1]

that is some of the issue. we have got her a friend now

 

[learningcurve]

I always let my lot have the whole field over winter, the more space the less it gets trashed I find,

 

[devonlass]

I always let my lot have the whole field over winter, the more space the less it gets trashed I find,

Totally agree with this.I tried fencing off smaller areas last winter working on the principle of damage limitation,but really didn't work and I would have been better off opening it up and letting them have the lot.

If that's not an option can you just fence off the area that is really churned up to prevent any further damage??

I really wouldn't worry too much,is unlikely she will get mud fever from pacing for a few hours in a couple of inches of mud,unless she is already sore/very prone??

 

[Honey08]

Totally agree with this.I tried fencing off smaller areas last winter working on the principle of damage limitation,but really didn't work and I would have been better off opening it up and letting them have the lot.

If that's not an option can you just fence off the area that is really churned up to prevent any further damage??

I really wouldn't worry too much,is unlikely she will get mud fever from pacing for a few hours in a couple of inches of mud,unless she is already sore/very prone??

I agree re the field too. If its possible to take down the fences, graze it all, although they could be useful in summer again!

Sorry, but disagree re not getting mud rash from pacing up and down in the mud. The OP said its already at fetlock level, so high enough to get cracked heals. Ours first got mud rash from moping around at the fence when the herd leader had gone out riding... Better to fence off the muddy bit with elec fencing tape if you can. We struggle so much with mudrash that I'd do everything I could to avoid getting it in the first place..

 

[madeleine1]

see its difficult as i cant take fances down. and if i fence of the muddy bit with some temp fencing the next bit will get muddy.

at the moment she is in the 40x40 which as i havnt used since the begining of summer has some really nice grass in.

the rain has stopped and the fence line in this bit is holding up, only grass worn out but no mud. also asked if the rs next door can rotate to the field next to her and they have so solved some of her stress.

now shes out of mud. ive looked up mud fever and cleaned her legs and dryed thurally so should be ok