How muddy are your paddocks?

[Craggyhollow]

Because the one the ponies are in at the moment is so muddy that the ponies won't even come to the gate when they see us with the buckets.

We have another one but it is next to a stream and it flooded a couple a weeks ago so too nervous to move them into it

Not overly muddy, they are big fields and the ponies are unshod. However, there is a lot of standing water. Its very squishy!
After last years miserable dampness too, the grass is in danger of soon being overtaken by that horrible bogweedy stuff.

actually much better than usual, around the gate and haylage rack at least, where we now have some sort of hardstanding but there is a river at the bottom of the field, running across the actual field where there is usually just grass

have finally trained* mine to come to the gate when called and stand nicely while headcollars are attached, and to weave round the gate on their way in and out so I don't have to stand in much squelch

*this only seems to work in the winter

stable is actually muddier than the field at the moment, but horse is happier paddling in there overnight than outside for some reason

We're on clay soil. Not so much paddock as swamp now. Can't believe how much hay we're getting through.

Mine are TROUGHING hay

I know craggy it's endless isn't it. How much are we all paying just out of interest? Appreciate it varies from county to county. Warwickshire here and £5 per bale.

Ours are horrible. We are on top of a steep hill but still have fetlock deep mud. Even though we have big fields, we have only mud now. We are also getting through bales of haylage at an alarming rate. Mine are so hungry by tea time they are no problem to catch as they come in at a gallop

Hay £7.50. Haylage £8 (although it is lovely and the bales are huge)

Our usual Winter field (on Suffolk Clay) was just starting to mud up at the gate. Luckily we'd spotted it and electric taped it off since Christmas. Also whilst the field wasn't too bad it was getting some standing water. Luckily it's old turf so it will be fine but we've taken them off it and put them onto a new field for a month. Not great grass - too long and bit rough with lots of decaying leaves on it - but at least it means they won't knacker their proper field and it's very much shorter walk from the stables.

Bad at the gate, but fine everywhere else - just v squishy underfoot.

Dpony absolutely stinks though as he has his head in the wet haylage bale in the field most of the time. Hence why, in spite of the fact that he's only had a no fill rug on for a couple of weeks in order to reduce his mud burden and gets no other food, he's still rotund.

We are on clay and the fields are horrid. We are getting through so much bedding and hay as they are going out for mornings only.

An absolute swamp round the field shelter and extending outwards... I keep them in a winter sacrifice paddock, so they will have plenty of grazing when they move to the big field in the spring & I think I will get the winter paddock harrowed & reseeded this spring.

I pay £30 for a round bale - plus £15 delivery, but I get 3 delivered at a time & get through one every 10-14 days. Roll on spring...

Knee deep by gates, fine at top of hill. It's shit. We have one stable for dh and my horses so its one in for the day and one in at nigjt (they usually live out bit the fields need a rest. Pay monthly for haylage, £30 month for 3 of them (farm grow all the hay/haylage so quite cheap I think)

Very deep at the bottom by the shelter, the sort of mud that pulls your boots off and lots of water lying there. Dshetland will need a rubber ring before much longer. Further up it's ok except if trying to push a barrow uphill as the top surface is slippery. Being on chalk helps but it's pretty much saturated now.

£4.50 for hay, but it's gorgeous stuff, the farmer won a trophy .

I'm very lucky in that we have a big field which although wet and on a slope has so many different places for the horses to shelter that it isn't too muddy in any one place, the gateway to the yard is a bit muddy but has hardstanding beneath it so is not bottomless. Having said that dhorse has cultivated two fetlock deep wallows to roll in and his rug is absolutely caked in mud, added to that he's just ripped it along the bottom and I'm so pissed off as it's such a good rug. I can't work out how to make a temporary repair and am going to try putting it under his other rug instead of over except that it's a) going to make the other rug filthy and b) bigger so it may be a bit of a squash and not work.

I'm not feeding any hay amazingly, I have a net in the stable for them but apart from picking at it when they're in for a couple of hours they don't touch it. I'm washing dhorse's legs off every day or so where the mud is claggy (usually just up to his fetlocks), towel drying and then leaving to dry to try and fend off mud fever.

Fed up now - longing for some spring sunshine and green shoots (although that does mean the end of hunting so a bit torn!).

Fields are ok clay, a bit deep round the gate. But the garden lawn is a wash.

Absolute shite. Dmare now stabled with effing mud rash

We've got more mud than grass, fields horribly poached - I've actually taken to walking down the river (rock at the bottom) as I stay drier than walking (sinking) in the mud.

We're paying £50 for 2 large round bales of haylage (delivered) - one lasts 8-10 days between 3 horses on ad-lib. I am spending a large fortune on mud fever treatments though .

Well we have the dreaded mud fever - only scabs and one tiny raw patch but on all four legs in exactly the same place - around the inside of the fetlock joints - I'm so frustrated as I've tried so hard and was hoping to go a bit longer without the damn thing. I'm bringing them in for the day and keeping them on the yard and putting them out at night. I really don't want to stable him as it does his head in and isn't good for his back.....

Treatment atm is wash and dry, brush thoroughly, pick scabby bits that want to come off but not force it, rub in Flamazine (left over from last year's session) and then rub Keratex Mud Powder on all legs before turning out.

More bloody rain last night - surely we must be due a dry spell soon?!

Wow 50balesofhay you have a stable for your DH

I'd love one for mine

frosty

we had a weird thing last summer that looked exactly like mud fever but it wasn't muddy (crusty scabs)

we treated it with hypocare and it cleared really fast. Brilliant stuff.
Hypocare

Sounds like what my old boss used to call "gribbly heels". Its common on pink noses too. Some ting yo do with being damp and drying out. A bit like chapping I suppose. Try Sudocreme. It always works for us. In this case the washing and picking isn't the best idea.
Just rub off the worst crust and apply the cream.

It's a minefield this mud fever - everyone says different things.... I've tried leaving the mud on to dry and then brush off but it's too thick and takes forever so I've been cold washing (vet's advice) and rubbing gently to dislodge the bits that want to come off and putting the powder on before he goes out. I'm wary of slathering sudocreme on as I'm not keen on the idea of cold clammy greasy stuff on what is supposed to be dry - but maybe I should try again.

Pipsy no, I leave him in the field.

Ooh that looks good - I can buy some and add it to my collection mud rash treatments. I am sure one of them would work if only my mare would let me pick the scabs. Had to sedate her yesterday but even then I couldn't get away with a proper pick.