What are your fields/pasture like? and sacrifice area ideas

H

Horsekaren

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 March 2017
Messages
1,300
Visit site
So i have snapped up the land! its really different to what i am used to, he has always been kept in big square fields, either with no shelter or where he is now he has a row of over hanging trees.
The new place is a giant 'L' shape the long part is about 208 by 35 large steps but it is lined with trees either side and some of the area is eaten up with a chicken coop, muck heap and trees. The bottom of the L is about 156 by 35 big steps. Its about 3 acres but with all the trees its more like 2 ish. He will be living there (he is 15.3) with his buddy who is about 13.3 so one horse one pony.
Has anyone got their horses in a field that isnt a bog standard square? pics would be lovely!
i presume i will be able to manage the grass a bit better as i can split it into 3 paddocks and its been rested all winter so there is a lot there already. Does anyone else keep there horses on this size land? I am aware i will likely need to hay which i do anyway so thats fine.
There is a bit of hard standing where stables used to be which is great but i imagine i need to surface it with something or they will bruise their feet.
Im thinking ahead, if next winter is as wet as this winter i imagine the 'L' shape will mean the fields will be churned up more. Should i be looking at a sacrifice area for when the weather is really bad? Any ideas of what i could do, without killing the grass. If i was to set up two carelle type things how big would they need to be? what footing would i need?
As this is all new i want to keep it all on a cheap as possible budget in case we arnt there long.

Any ideas would be great!
I will add the horses both need to be out 24/7 so wacking up stables wouldn't work, unless i had two field shelter carelle type things but unsure how big these would need to be.
 
Congratulations! If it's unglazed and 3 acres then you'll probably want to section it off as spring approaches otherwise they'll be huge. Plastic posts and electric fencing isn't expensive and you can take it with you if you move.
No need to put stuff on top of the hard standing unless it's really big sharp edged hardcore, in which case a bag of roadplanings or crushed limestone will tamp down well over the top.
I probably go against the grain here as I don't have a sacrifice field for winter but instead open it all up to them on basis the larger the area for their hooves, the less poaching.
Have you got mains water or is it tank off stable roof gutter? If the latter, you may run out of water sometimes so you'll need some huge buckets/old bath or trough near where you park your car so that you don't have far to carry 25 litre carriers of water from home.
Have you got electricity? If not, keep head torch or woolly hat-with-light-on-front in your car. You're coming into summer now so no need for stable lights. If there next winter, then get some cheap solar-powered LED lights, screw solar panel to stable roof and light inside the stable that you can switch on and off if u need to.
Grass mats in gateways help prevent churning. So do roadplanings, crushed limestone or paving slabs - but as you're renting, you'll need to check with owner what they're happy with.
Enjoy!
 
Not my own land but my field is an L shape, an old hedge all down the long side and where the foot of the L is 1 enormous tree plus a few overhanging from the next paddock. Like Suechoccy I open the whole lot in winter with the exception that I fence a little L shape near the only Gateway so that come spring I can shut off the seriously trashed gateway and use a different route to the entrance. My boy always hangs around near the gateway and that is the only bit thats badly poached despite the hideous weather and our clay soil. By letting him have the whole lot in winter it takes longer to grow back so I dont need to start strip grazing until a bit later in the year, then by winter hes eaten it all!
 
Bobbies has finally given up the ghost! We are on shale with a thin layer of clay on top and it normally drains well and quickly, but its so saturated now its not draining any more. Luckily Williams is fairing better!

86936094_10157257112568667_7903386681074515968_n.jpg



If I had 3 acres in an L shape with trees etc I'd also give them the run of it all winter and run a track in the spring/summer/autumn. I'd lave the hard standing alone, but add 2 wooden fence posts so you've got a tie up area. If you decide to stay I'd be putting up a field shelter near the hard standing. It means if anything does need to be in you have a way to do it. You can fence off round the edge of the hard standing and they can have access to that and the shelter.
 
Last edited:
Errin Paddywack said:
LW, that looks like my land. Horrid isn't it. Most of mine looks green but you try and walk over it, quagmire. Roll on Spring.
Click to expand...

We are very lucky that we have the stone underneath the soil, so it never gets really deep, but it cant cope anymore. The whole field is standing water. I'm hoping that we get at least a couple of dry days and it might get chance to drain. I am so over this weather!
 
Ah ok, leaving it all open for winter makes total sense, more ground to spread over so hopefully less churning up.
I am hoping to get some sort of field shelter but that might not be until next year as money isnt endless :( I was thinking if i had that near the hard standing and tied haynets and ground feeders around that and on the hard standing they will spend a fair be of time there munching on dry ground.
A track would be my dream! but for now i think it would be too expensive to create, plus i would then be looking at haying most of the year :(

to rub salt in the wound Leo ... im not sure what my ground is at the moment but it was all under water on sunday, today it was almost dry ... im a bit stunned!
 
Agree with others that it is worth opening up for winter.

With an L you can probably easily just take one third and slowly move that third up the field and so strip graze it and effectively rotate it over the summer period.

Do you have shelter? If so you will need to figure out how to configure it to take maximum advantage of it.
 
My sacrifice field is horrible now .
I used a spring paddock for a few days but had to stop when the storms came as it was going to get destroyed.
it’s always hard at this time of year you have just had enough of mud but it’s at its worst .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top