Would you buy a field near oak trees?

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Marigold4

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Looking at some land to buy and have found 3.5 acres of well-draining land with great access to hacking/outdoor school nearby. There is a wood along one side of the field with a number of oak trees. They are not near enough to drop acorns but I'm guessing we will get leaves in autumn. The prevailing wind means leaves most likely to affect a quarter of the land. Would you still buy or would this be too big a risk for you?
 
All our fields have huge oak trees in all the boundary hedges. We have lived here 29 years and never fenced off the trees and never had an issue with any of our horses. The eldest now being almost 29, she was 6 months old when we moved here. My three minis hunt out the acorns which really worried me at first but they have all been here 10 years plus and have never had a reaction to eating them. The big horses don't bother with them but will eat new leave growth if the can reach it. To be fair most of the oak trees are huge so they can't get at the leaves very easily and the leaves that blow onto the field they all leave anyway.
 
Yes I would buy. We have oak trees round all our fields. Leaves are not really an issue, but I do have to be careful with acorns in the autumn as one of mine will hoover them up and makes herself ill. It's early managed though as acorns don't spread in the same way leaves do and some years you will find the trees don't seem to carry as many acorns as others.
 
Another yes here, we have a number of oaks on our field boundaries. When it is a 'mast year' I pick up fallen acorns regularly, especially after storms, gales and heavy rain. But never had a problem with the leaves themselves.
 
I have loads of protected oaks around my fields - never bothered us. Out of all the horses/ponies we've had over the years, only 1 was an acorn pig so I fenced it off but haven't bothered since.
 
My previous property had 16 oak trees within it. We kept the horses there for about 20 years and never had any problems. We only had one horse in all those years that took any interest in the acorns and so she was kept away when they dropped but she never came to any harm despite her odd forage.
 
poiuytrewq said:
Sounds like you may have found yourself a nice bit of land op!
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Yes, I think I have. It needs a bit of work but that's fine. We are hopefully buying the house as well - again a bit of a project but I like a challenge. Our house goes on the market on Monday and I'm keeping all my fingers and toes crossed it sells quickly. It will be amazing to own our own land after renting for 20 years.
 
Marigold4 said:
Looking at some land to buy and have found 3.5 acres of well-draining land with great access to hacking/outdoor school nearby. There is a wood along one side of the field with a number of oak trees. They are not near enough to drop acorns but I'm guessing we will get leaves in autumn. The prevailing wind means leaves most likely to affect a quarter of the land. Would you still buy or would this be too big a risk for you?
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We have huge oak trees round our fields one in the middle of pony paddock and two in the middle of the back. I don't fence them off but luckily the squirrels do a fine job, and we use an acorn wheelie thing and also rake up https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07BHLCLZJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . Horses do eat some though, no issue so far.
 
You will struggle to find any land that doesn't have oak trees in the vicinity, they are the climax community species for much of England and Wales.
 
Equi said:
I dream of having a big flat field with a big oak tree and in the summer me and my horse will play and they will steal my bread etc.
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Same here! A field with a big oak tree in the middle! A nice, shady, dusty area in the summer to hang out under. Then I remember I have sweet itch ponies and would have to section it off lest they itch themselves silly on it :rolleyes:

There was, until recently, a couple of lovely, big turkish oaks on the hedge line in one of the fields, at the top of the slope. Was lovely to sit under them during the summer evenings, watching the ponies graze and looking out over the city. Then they got 'pollarded' and now look like a pair of stubby shaving brushes :(
 
Nasicus said:
Same here! A field with a big oak tree in the middle! A nice, shady, dusty area in the summer to hang out under. Then I remember I have sweet itch ponies and would have to section it off lest they itch themselves silly on it :rolleyes:

There was, until recently, a couple of lovely, big turkish oaks on the hedge line in one of the fields, at the top of the slope. Was lovely to sit under them during the summer evenings, watching the ponies graze and looking out over the city. Then they got 'pollarded' and now look like a pair of stubby shaving brushes :(
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I, until very recently, had the most marvellous summer field with a huge London Plane Tree in the middle of it. The shade it provided in summer was incredible...but the ponies were always to be found in full, blazing sunshine absolutely cooking themselves :rolleyes:
 
I have oaks all round mine. I fence off when acorns drop. Leaves are not problematic other than that they smother the grass so have some bare patches where I would otherwise get grass.

When I first bought my field I would clear the leaves but that loses its shine pretty quickly and now I don't worry.
 
I have a lovely oak that straddles the boundary between 2 fields. Its leaf drop on the field below is about 20metres from the trunk. The horses nuzzle the fallen leaves out of the way to graze grass underneath.

I sawed off the really low hanging branches as they were hitting my head, and the young horse was eating the leaves at the time. I got a bit worried back then, but now he’s older he doesn’t bother.

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Hash Rouge - we have a couple of London Plane trees and they are fantastic for shade - like natural field shelters in the summer! They don’t half make a mess when the leaves fall in autumn though! ??
 
But oak trees are tons nicer than Plane trees.

(I shouldn't say it but I think that acorn picker-upperer looks far harder to use than a rake for picking up acorns.)
 
PurBee said:
I have a lovely oak that straddles the boundary between 2 fields. Its leaf drop on the field below is about 20metres from the trunk. The horses nuzzle the fallen leaves out of the way to graze grass underneath.

I sawed off the really low hanging branches as they were hitting my head, and the young horse was eating the leaves at the time. I got a bit worried back then, but now he’s older he doesn’t bother.

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that looks like paddock heaven!! ? we have next to no trees up here. This makes me pretty envious!
 
Peglo said:
that looks like paddock heaven!! ? we have next to no trees up here. This makes me pretty envious!
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There’s a balance…sometimes i bemoan the trees as there’s too many in places and block loads of light/sun for grass growth! I’m thinning some, to increase light, but keeping others in place as protection from prevailing winds.

You could shove some willow branches in the ground in your paddock edges, and within 5yrs you’ll be surprised just how large they become. The years soon pass and before you know it there’s lots of natural cover. Silver birch grow fairly rapidly too.
If you were close to me i’d give you some mature trees, i have too many , and dont like sawing them down, would rather they went to a new home!
 
We have oak trees on 3 sides. We have internal fencing that mean 1 paddock has no oaks on its edging. This is saved/rested through summer and then used in sept/oct/nov whilst the rest is resting. Works well for us.
 
As others, wouldn't bother me if it's not dropping lots of acorns all over the field. Electric fencing around it would be enough to make me feel safer.
 
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