The joys of strip grazing on soggy ground

Mine are awful. I've got a freelancer in for a few days this week and I'm embarrassed by the state of their current field - but it's still got grass and the winter field is as wet so no point in them trashing that too. I'm listening to the rain right now though and thinking once I'm back next weekend I'm going to need a new plan.

My mud mats by the shelter have disappeared under mud and the underground spring is flowing over the top by the well. Usually Jan / Feb before the spring bubbles up but the water level is so high.

My farmer won't remove my muck heap because he can't get his tractor across the field at his end to drop it off.
 
cauda equina said:
It's fairly horrible here too, I don't remember this much mud this early in the winter
I'm hoping this year is just a blip and all these storms (we're onto Debi today) aren't going to be normal for UK weather now
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I was talking to someone with an interest in climate science who told me it is more likely to become the norm with global warming.

I smiled sweetly then disappeared to sob quietly whilst budgeting for unlimited mud control mats
 
My fields have pools of water, opened up the winter grazing as at least they will have more space, can extend this slowly if I need to Mare has ems so watching her very carefully.
 
SEL said:
I was talking to someone with an interest in climate science who told me it is more likely to become the norm with global warming.

I smiled sweetly then disappeared to sob quietly whilst budgeting for unlimited mud control mats
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Oh yeah, 100%. Forgot cold, dry, frosty winters. Unless the Gulf stream fails sooner than expected (entirely possible) then we might have Scandinavian winters for a bit.

This is why the Equestrian industry's lack of talk and action on CC drives me bonkers.
 
paddy555 said:
can you explain please? thanks
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A second fence put up behind the horses and moved every couple of days, so that the horses cannot trample on the already grazed area.
Tiddlypom said:
It’s really bad, isn’t it.

I can’t think that the maize will be anything but mush when harvested in these conditions ☹️. The state of the fields where they’ve been in harvesting 😳.
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When growing maize for the grain, not silage, the cobs have to have ripened. Here the grain is harvested and put over a drying floor, the same as other grains when the moisture content is too high for storage. Mr R and crew are harvesting on dry days. They have made huge ruts but so far have managed not to get stuck.
 
SEL said:
budgeting for unlimited mud control mats
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I wonder if I can buy shares in Mud Control....seems like a sound investment.

Our fields were starting to dry up nicely after 48 hours of dry weather and sunshine....it's back to peeing down today though so they'll be mud soup again by lunchtime. It's very depressing.
 
I'm lucky in that my field drains well given a chance, field drains and also thin clay on a gravel bank, but it's struggling now. I don't get deep mud but with the amount of rain we've had, pretty constant since June, and strip grazing means it's looking more like February than November. It's not helped by the grass is still bright green so I'm not opening up as much as I would want and the grazed bits are getting eaten right down. For comparison last year I was still riding on my grass arena in early February and doing canter work if I picked my days.

Neighbouring farmers brought his cows in early and the roads are flooding when it rains as the fields are saturated so when it rains it running off onto the roads. Journey last night of 20 miles and there were five floods to go through and so many places where half the road was flooded. And it's still raining!
 
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