Rain

[Jessey]

I’m lucky, I’m on sandy soil and it holds up really well, but the bare track gets pretty churned up when it rains a lot and the hay areas are well on their way already.

Last year I put the horses onto the grass early (pretty sure it was October time) as that doesn’t get churned up but I regretted it and had to pull them off by feb as it was effecting Jess (so warm and wet the grass never went dormant and she was footy) so the track got churned up anyway.

This rain the past week has me seeing it going that way again ? and the weather warning for bad rain sat/sun has me wanting stables, for the first time in a long time. Just so I can rest the field up a bit.

I’m seriously debating putting up a waterproof shade sail to give them a good dry area, I can’t really afford to do it just now even if it is only a hundred quid but needs must, but I’d really regret it if it didn’t hold up.

The shade sail is 5.4 x 5.4m, I could build a solid shelter/roof for similar cost but it would be half the size .....what to do?

 

[Trewsers]

I thought you had a shelter already? Sorry, I'm probably thinking back to the past? I was convinced you had a shelter for all of them? I've not seen shade sails. What sort of price are you looking at for anything? How accommodating is your landlord? Could you put up a mobile field shelter? I think if you can do something then do it, like you say to rest the grass. Things can turn nasty and churned and it's so easy to look back and think if only............

 

[Jessey]

I do, I have 2 but one is only for the little boys and I currently have the barn shut off because it’s closed in on 3 sides and Niko got pinned in there last week (he knows bucket food comes from in there and when Jess followed him in he nipped her, so all hell broke loose) and they wouldn’t all fit anyway. I wouldn’t be happy to feed hay in there for the same reason and what I’m after is to make a nicer feeding area as that’s where everyone spends most of their time. I could put footings down but I think I’d need to get landlords permission for that but a roof would be relatively easily removable if anyone complained.

This is a shade sail.

I would get a green one and have a corner pretty sheltered from the wind it could go in.

There’s no way I can afford a mobile shelter and I don’t want anything with walls.

 

[Trewsers]

Ah, so I hadn't dreamt it about you already having a shelter. Yes that all makes sense now. I like the shade sail. If you don't get high winds then why not give it a go - would you put down some field mats? Is anyone likely to complain? Are you that visible where you are?

 

[Jessey]

Ah, so I hadn't dreamt it about you already having a shelter. Yes that all makes sense now. I like the shade sail. If you don't get high winds then why not give it a go - would you put down some field mats? Is anyone likely to complain? Are you that visible where you are?

They haven’t complained about the more solid ones I’ve already done ? and I don’t think it would be massively obvious it was there if it’s green so think I’d get away with it, I’d only need to put 1 post in as the other 3 corners could attach to the trees. I don’t want to put rubber mats down as they get slippery when wet, and grass mats are too bendy on soft sand, otherwise I’d just do that to give a mud free space to stand and eat, and theres no way I can afford Mud Control mats.

 

[Jessey]

I’m still on the fence about doing this, looked at a couple of friends fields yesterday and I don’t feel half so bad for mine now, it’s not so bad with some perspective. The bottom bit is but as soon as the rain lets up a bit I’m going to close that section of track and divert them through a rested bit and hopefully that will be enough until the grass goes dormant. Might even chuck some seed on the muddy bit as it will be off bounds until April now.

 

[chunky monkey]

I think your right to get them off the churned up bit as soon as the rain stops. I shall be doing the same with my two after today. You have the advantage that your ground is more free draining sand so should dry out quickly.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

I think the shade sail is a great idea. We had something very similar for our chickens until we could build a more permanent structure. 2 suggestions: they really, really, really catch the wind so strong attachment is vital - ours was between a 3 m hedge and a building and it still blew about like mad. Also, you might want to consider digging some gravel or similar soakaway material into the line where rain drips off the sail onto the ground, it's amazing how much can catch on it and the run-off quickly erodes the ground where it lands if you don't protect it somehow.

 

[Jessey]

That’s really good advise, I hadn’t even thought about how the run off would effect the ground, I’ll have to have a good think on that