What to do with the field?

Hexx

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 June 2007
Messages
1,388
Location
Lincolnshire
Visit site
My horse used to share a large field with one other horse, due to circumstances beyond my control, he now has half that field to himself. The bit he has is long and thin but flares out at the top slightly. It is poo picked everyday and the hay that falls (or gets pushed!) from the haybox is regularly picked up so it doesn't mush into the grass. There is no other field for him to go into so I am a bit stuck!

The bottom half has been poached and has hardly any grass and the top half holds a decent amount of grass and is slightly wider than the bottom. I am in a quandary - do I trash the bottom half to bits in the winter and keep the top for spring, then reseed the bottom half hoping to get some grass for late summer/autumn. Or do I put him in the top half over winter and try and reseed/flatten the bottom half for spring/summer?

I could, of course, leave the whole field open and just reseed the bottom bit with seed specifically for poached areas and hope for the best. He is fairly sensible and doesn't go charging around. He will be fed hay all through winter.

I need to decide now before the bare earth gets too wet and turns into mud.

Any ideas?
 

Leo Walker

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 July 2013
Messages
12,384
Location
Northampton
Visit site
I would section off the bit that has been poached to stop that happening again. I'd put some field mats or similar under the hay feeder and around it to try and stop any poaching there as well. Then come spring I'd roll the poached area and once its dryish I would chuck out in that bit and slowly strip graze back up the field giving it chance to recover a little bit. Unless its wide enough to split into two, then you could split it and rest one half then swap over. Once you are off the poached bit I'd reseed it and rest it most of the summer, swap onto it in early autumn while you rest the grassy bit for 6 weeks or so before winter. Then repeat!
 

Hexx

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 June 2007
Messages
1,388
Location
Lincolnshire
Visit site
I am on DIY - the YO is of the opinion we have to look after our fields if we want grass!

There was talk last year of getting someone to come and roll/re-see but it never happened. I have only been there since February and the field was split in August.
 

be positive

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 July 2011
Messages
19,396
Visit site
I am on DIY - the YO is of the opinion we have to look after our fields if we want grass!

There was talk last year of getting someone to come and roll/re-see but it never happened. I have only been there since February and the field was split in August.

I think there is taking care of the field, poo picking, pulling the odd bit of ragwort, trying to stop areas getting poached etc which is the horse owners responsibility, and taking care of the land generally, harrowing, rolling, topping etc which as a YO I would not expect a livery to do, I can see liveries coming in trashing "their" paddock and moving on rather than trying to maintain it if I did nothing.
 

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 February 2009
Messages
11,027
Location
Slopping along on a loose rein somewhere in Devon
Visit site
I think there is taking care of the field, poo picking, pulling the odd bit of ragwort, trying to stop areas getting poached etc which is the horse owners responsibility, and taking care of the land generally, harrowing, rolling, topping etc which as a YO I would not expect a livery to do, I can see liveries coming in trashing "their" paddock and moving on rather than trying to maintain it if I did nothing.

I'm a YO too and agree with this ^^^^

My livery here does her own poo-picking and leccy-fences off bits of her allocated field as she sees fit, but the responsibility for maintenance is mine! I undertake rolling & harrowing, any wooden fencing repairs/gates etc, and hedge-trimming, as well as Topping when necessary. This shouldn't fall to the livery!!

My honest gut feeling OP is that it sounds like you are going to be constantly worried that your horse might not have enough grazing - and YOU are having to be the one who sorts out all the practical stuff and maintains someone else's field!

Personally I would be looking to move as soon as you can TBH...........
 

ester

Not slacking multitasking
Joined
31 December 2008
Messages
60,198
Location
Cambridge
Visit site
I do agree with the others re. YO.

But realistically it depends very much on your land type, ours is flat and very clay and even the most poached areas come back for a sufficient hay crop with a little seeding and nothing else. But when I was on livery with much shallower soils winter fields poached less as better draining but had to be reseeded, harrowed, rolled and fertilised a couple of times to get about half the amount of hay.
 

Hexx

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 June 2007
Messages
1,388
Location
Lincolnshire
Visit site
Thanks for your replies. I do take your points and I agree that the YO should take responsibility for the actual maintenance of the fields. I am happy to poo-pick, pull ragwort, sort out the electric fencing and such, but am a bit perplexed about the fundamentals of field maintenance and why I have to do it.

At my last yard, a big commercial yard in the South East, the YO never did any field maintenance for all the time she was there and the grass in the boys field gradually retreated and never really recovered year on year - I think my worry comes from this experience. I have the same issue with hay - my old boy never had enough in my opinion - my new boy has as much as he can eat, at all times, because I am the one responsible for giving it to him! LOL!

It doesn't help that we have had an exceptionally dry summer and the grass just disappeared - it has recovered somewhat and is growing again.

I may have a chat with the YO and see whether getting all the fields, not just mine, harrowed/rolled/re-seeded is an option - even if a small contribution is required, it will be worth it. Otherwise, I will section off some bits and chuck some seed down and see what happens come spring.
 

Polos Mum

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 September 2012
Messages
5,931
Location
West Yorkshire
Visit site
How big is it? you can go on google earth type websites and plot it which will give you the acreage.

I'd guess small if so I would try and build a temporary hard standing type bit with field mats and stable mats on the top to give him as big an area as possible off the mud and keep him in that for winter with ad lib hay then you might let the top recover.
Grass seed take something like 3 years to get properly established so seeding then using within 3/4 months is really a waste of time and effort. To properly reseed you need topping / sheep and 2 years with minimal horse use - I just wouldn't bother if not my land - not least because when yours looks really good you'll find the YO needs you to move fields so him mate can have yours !
 
Top