Show us your mud

joellie

Well-Known Member
Apr 24, 2011
3,191
3,164
113
N.Ireland
Make me feel better and show me your muddy fields. After seeing @Ale post about her set up I've been feeling a bit disheartened cause there was no mud to be seen lol so come on who has squishy muddy fields..
rps20171023_094301.jpg rps20171023_094356.jpg rps20171023_094448.jpg rps20171023_094550.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: MrA
Gateway to the mares' field....

20171022_135747-800x450.jpg

To be honest, it's a bit of a bottleneck as the field is long and relatively thin (if you zoom in you can see another mare in a blue rug waaaay down the field behind G). Even though the fields are rotated, grass never really grows around any of the field gateways. That said, although it is clay, it never gets very deep... certainly never above your ankle, even during the worst of a wet winter. At the moment it's very slippery because only the top is wet. You're not sinking yet!!
 
Um sorry, haven't got any. I am near @Ale on the greensand and it's been fairly dry. Sorry :oops:

Not fair :( :p

Gateway to the mares' field....

View attachment 89615

To be honest, it's a bit of a bottleneck as the field is long and relatively thin (if you zoom in you can see another mare in a blue rug waaaay down the field behind G). Even though the fields are rotated, grass never really grows around any of the field gateways. That said, although it is clay, it never gets very deep... certainly never above your ankle, even during the worst of a wet winter. At the moment it's very slippery because only the top is wet. You're not sinking yet!!

Yeah someone else with muddy gateways :)...Yes mine is the same slippy but not knee deep. Mine is also clay but its usually not this bad so yearly in to the autumn, I also have alot of surface water that hasn't had a chance to soak into the ground, you can't really see it in the pics :(
 
I'm sorry, I'm another with very little mud....I really don't miss clay and boot sucking mud. I was upset this weekend at having squishy stuff that was making the bottom of my boots dirty *hides from the rotten eggs* (I have been so spoiled since living here) that I dug it out and have some stone on order to pack it with as its right in front of the barn and irritating.

Is it your own fields? could you get some mole drains put in to allow all that surface water off them (might have to wait until next year now as a tractor would likely make a right mess of the top just now :( ) or perhaps a French drain might be a better long term fix.
 
@joellie ours are pretty muddy. Will take pics later!!!!
We have the really bad boot sucking variety. Just glad we don't have any horses shod - it would be a nightmare!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: joellie
I'm sorry, I'm another with very little mud....I really don't miss clay and boot sucking mud. I was upset this weekend at having squishy stuff that was making the bottom of my boots dirty *hides from the rotten eggs* (I have been so spoiled since living here) that I dug it out and have some stone on order to pack it with as its right in front of the barn and irritating.

Is it your own fields? could you get some mole drains put in to allow all that surface water off them (might have to wait until next year now as a tractor would likely make a right mess of the top just now :( ) or perhaps a French drain might be a better long term fix.

I'm getting those rotten eggs ready :p I'm sure there is a downside too to having it so dry :rolleyes:o_O
Yes they are my own fields, we did put drains in across the field before sowing it out it has helped some but not enough, don't ask me what type they were as I am not good with that sort of stuff. I did watch and they laid pipes with holes in them into drains they had dug which they lined with stones before filling back up with the soil.

@joellie ours are pretty muddy. Will take pics later!!!!
We have the really bad boot sucking variety. Just glad we don't have any horses shod - it would be a nightmare!

Yes pictures are a must :) Mine are also barefoot , thank goodness or the place would be even more of a mess, barefoot is definitely not as destructive although Marley can make some huge skid marks with turf flying up as it is without metal shoes on. :eek:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Trewsers
I'm sure there is a downside too to having it so dry :rolleyes:o_O
Yes they are my own fields, we did put drains in across the field before sowing it out it has helped some but not enough, don't ask me what type they were as I am not good with that sort of stuff. I did watch and they laid pipes with holes in them into drains they had dug which they lined with stones before filling back up with the soil.
Those are French drains :) they should make a huge difference, perhaps they needs clearing if they aren't as effective any more, they block up when sediment gets in though the little holes and settles in the pipe, you should be able to rod them.
There are lots of down sides to dry ground, grass doesn't grow as well, if it does it doesn't root very deeply so pulls out as horses graze and walk around leaving loads of bare patches, the risk of sand colic is something you simply don't get on clay or loam, fences don't set in well so you have to go much deeper down to get them solid, electric fences don't work as well due to poor earthing, the list goes on.
Hold the rotten eggs :p I do have a very wet acre down by the river, after rain it can be 6" under water in places and deeper mud than my welly boots could handle, its the wetland and primary flood pan for the river. I'll take pictures of that if I can get to it...all the reeds and weeds make it difficult.
 
  • Like
Reactions: joellie
Oh that's muddy! Ours is only just starting to get muddy, but I suspect it won't be long now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: joellie
We do have a little bit where a paddock has been opened up, so hoof traffic between the two. But other than that it's like this.
PicsArt_10-23-06.20.07.jpg
The gateway
PicsArt_10-23-06.26.38.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Trewsers
It really squalids me out:(
Those pics show the entrances to their winter paddocks. The actual paddocks are in good nick, it is just the gateways. Would you believe one of them is hard core underneath all that mud? I paid to have it scraped off not long ago but the sheer volume of rain we have had has meant consant wet and it has built up again. The other side needs hard coring but I have some other jobs to do before that one - it's a work in progress kind of place is this:D
I do however have the spring fields neatly wrapped up so regularly jolly myself along by admiring them on my way to the muck heap. Yes, I know it's only an illusion and they'll be turned to mud just the same at some point.......
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessey
Late to the party but feeling very fortunate! Sorry about the dung, wanted to get the pic before it got dark so before I poo picked! Screenshot_2017-11-25-16-51-55_1.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: joellie
newrider.com