Unusable paddock - farmery type advice

Slightly Foxed said:
This.

Could it be rabbits causing the holes? In which case some guns might be handy before you start your harrowing.

I had some huge holes caused by rabbits on some unused land of mine.
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I've never seen rabbits on the land - and these aren't rabbit holes. They go straight down, and then stop, and the shoe found in one suggests that they are from little native pony legs. It still feels pretty dry - the rutted bits are rock solid, which I think is part of the problem. The other fields are sloppy with standing water on them, but this one only has water in the deepest holes.
 
I am on very heavy clay - AND I have too many horses living out! So the winter finishes with fields that are nothing but mud with lots of big holes. I dump the winter's muck supply on it - in piles - then go over it with mounted harrows which effectively fill the holes and knock the edges off them. Then I roll - and rest for 8-12 weeks - and they're fine!
 
JanetGeorge said:
I am on very heavy clay - AND I have too many horses living out! So the winter finishes with fields that are nothing but mud with lots of big holes. I dump the winter's muck supply on it - in piles - then go over it with mounted harrows which effectively fill the holes and knock the edges off them. Then I roll - and rest for 8-12 weeks - and they're fine!
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That's a great idea. I don't have any stabled though - so my muck heap is minimal. All the stuff off the fields goes into a pile by the neighbours fence - and his gardener snaffles it faster than I can build it!
 
If you deal with it at the right time it will recover and become level again. Not too wet and not too dry and roll and harrow. Ploughing is always a very last resort for pasture fields.
 
AdorableAlice said:
I really hope 'the turn it out regardless brigade' read this thread. So many horse owners are totally ignorant regarding land management and are very quick to berate land owners/yard managers when turnout problems arise.
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I'm pro daily turnout, but I don't think that it has to be on grass. Livery yards without enough land or with heavy clay that gets so badly poached that it's dangerous, should have all weather turnout areas IMO.

A - I hope you can sort the field out. It must be so frustrating not being able to use it.
 
I wouldn't personally plough recovery will be 2 years at least, rolling (heavy gang rolls ideally) at the right time, diferent bits of the field will be ready at different times so tricky with a contractor - they will fill in eventually with timely rolling
 
Sounds like the land needs draining to me. If you plough & reseed you will be back to square one in no time, you need to get to the route of the problem by draining the land.
 
Get as much farmyard manure on it as you can along with some sand and plough it up - heavy clay needs natural fibre to help break it up.

When you see holes that deep it will also need draining too - sounds like a job for herringbone drains - its going to be an expensive project but will be worth it in the long run.
 
I am on clay, mine is good at the moment as they are shut on arena/hard standing a lot but with clay as others have said timing is everything.... Get it right and you can get a good 4x4 to level out the ground, leave it a day too late and you won't get a tractor with heavy duty roller to make a difference, too early and you will sink ! I am another that wouldn't plough as you will bring all dormant weed seeds to surface and even if reseed will end up having to spray. Each time it looks OK, get out there and roll, it may take a few goes but you will get there !
 
We have wet clay land, and our horses make holes in it very easily up to pastern height. If you've got some really deep ones they could be collapsed land drains perhaps.

For the moment you need to wait for warmer dryer weather, when it is safe to take a tractor on. I would initially harrow and roll it a few times. I wouldn't be ploughing just yet.
 
Faracat said:
I'm pro daily turnout, but I don't think that it has to be on grass. Livery yards without enough land or with heavy clay that gets so badly poached that it's dangerous, should have all weather turnout areas IMO.

A - I hope you can sort the field out. It must be so frustrating not being able to use it.
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I have 4 other fields, totalling 8 acres, for 4, so it's not a massive issue, just a pity

Polos Mum said:
I wouldn't personally plough recovery will be 2 years at least, rolling (heavy gang rolls ideally) at the right time, diferent bits of the field will be ready at different times so tricky with a contractor - they will fill in eventually with timely rolling
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I can roll it myself - and will be giving it a go once the land improves a bit

Abby-Lou said:
Sounds like the land needs draining to me. If you plough & reseed you will be back to square one in no time, you need to get to the route of the problem by draining the land.
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Tnavas said:
Get as much farmyard manure on it as you can along with some sand and plough it up - heavy clay needs natural fibre to help break it up.

When you see holes that deep it will also need draining too - sounds like a job for herringbone drains - its going to be an expensive project but will be worth it in the long run.
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Ploughing and draining aren't an option - as per my OP, it's a rented yard, and maybe the market in 2014, so I'm not prepared to make any significant financial contribution to improving it. If I could secure it on a long term basis, I would be happy to invest in it - but not unless that happened. It would be very easy to sort out if I had it long term - it's finding a short term workable solution that's the problem
meesha said:
I am on clay, mine is good at the moment as they are shut on arena/hard standing a lot but with clay as others have said timing is everything.... Get it right and you can get a good 4x4 to level out the ground, leave it a day too late and you won't get a tractor with heavy duty roller to make a difference, too early and you will sink ! I am another that wouldn't plough as you will bring all dormant weed seeds to surface and even if reseed will end up having to spray. Each time it looks OK, get out there and roll, it may take a few goes but you will get there !
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Definitely worth a go - even if I can get the ruts flattened, I will have an easier job seeing the extent of the deep holes. Just worried about squashing a lid over the deep holes!

Holly08 said:
We have wet clay land, and our horses make holes in it very easily up to pastern height. If you've got some really deep ones they could be collapsed land drains perhaps.

For the moment you need to wait for warmer dryer weather, when it is safe to take a tractor on. I would initially harrow and roll it a few times. I wouldn't be ploughing just yet.
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I'm doing nothing just yet - just glaring at it as I walk past it!

ridefast said:
Do you know anyone with sheep?
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I do - but as SoS said - it's too wet for sheep
 
Close up of the ground. One of those water-filled holes is elbow deep, and the other is wrist deep.

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I've been thinking about this all day. I don't like to be beaten! My soil is all sand so I don't have any direct experience of heavy clays.

The first thing I would look at is the field drainage. Are the ditches working and can you find and clear the outlets to any piped drains?

I don't think even a heavy harrowing would do much good and rolling would be a waste of time. But what about a heavy disc harrowing when it dries out and then let it re-seed itself with native grasses? You'll probably get a crop of weeds too but many will be the original herbs you mention and any baddies could be deal with by hand spraying with a knapsack sprayer.

I tried a cheap re-seed here and it appeared to be a failure. Lots of "herbs" and not much grass, but with careful grazing it is now OK.
 
Dry Rot said:
I've been thinking about this all day. I don't like to be beaten! My soil is all sand so I don't have any direct experience of heavy clays.

The first thing I would look at is the field drainage. Are the ditches working and can you find and clear the outlets to any piped drains?

I don't think even a heavy harrowing would do much good and rolling would be a waste of time. But what about a heavy disc harrowing when it dries out and then let it re-seed itself with native grasses? You'll probably get a crop of weeds too but many will be the original herbs you mention and any baddies could be deal with by hand spraying with a knapsack sprayer.

I tried a cheap re-seed here and it appeared to be a failure. Lots of "herbs" and not much grass, but with careful grazing it is now OK.
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Ditches round the perimeter of every field, and they are working pretty well. As far as I can see, there is no piped drainage - the drainage system relies on run off into the ditches. The ground itself is not particularly wet - the ruts are rock hard - the only water is in the deep holes. The other fields have standing water on them in places when it rains heavily, but this field doesn't.

May well be worth disk harrowing - I hadn't even considered that.
 
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