I have been having some issues with the state of my field since the begining of winter and now it is in almost too bad a state to even turn out the horses.
Basically, i let a woman keep her horse and shetland on our fields last summer with my two (also horse and a shetland) i only have 2 acres but have another 2 acres growing which should be ready to lightly graze later in the year. I knew that it was going to put a lot of strain on the fields this winter with 4 animals on such little land but thought that if we could just get through the winter they would recover enough for the spring /summer like they always do.
We are on clay and have terrible trouble with the mud every year but i have never known it as bad as this before, its like a slurry, the horses just stand there in the mud waiting to come in. The ponies can get on a small concrete yard to get out of it but the horses cant.
Now i have the dilema of either keeping them all out and risk the fields never recovering enough for spring/summer (normally i rotate my horses and rest the other field through the grazing period)
Or stable them 24/7 which i have never done before and dont really want to because i wont have time to ride EVERY single day and this woman certainly wont because she never rides anyway.
Im so stressed out with all this (amongst other things too) i would be grateful
for any input:wink: Thanks
Basically, i let a woman keep her horse and shetland on our fields last summer with my two (also horse and a shetland) i only have 2 acres but have another 2 acres growing which should be ready to lightly graze later in the year. I knew that it was going to put a lot of strain on the fields this winter with 4 animals on such little land but thought that if we could just get through the winter they would recover enough for the spring /summer like they always do.
We are on clay and have terrible trouble with the mud every year but i have never known it as bad as this before, its like a slurry, the horses just stand there in the mud waiting to come in. The ponies can get on a small concrete yard to get out of it but the horses cant.
Now i have the dilema of either keeping them all out and risk the fields never recovering enough for spring/summer (normally i rotate my horses and rest the other field through the grazing period)
Or stable them 24/7 which i have never done before and dont really want to because i wont have time to ride EVERY single day and this woman certainly wont because she never rides anyway.
Im so stressed out with all this (amongst other things too) i would be grateful
for any input:wink: Thanks