Need Advice with Mud & Horses. Rookie

[Trippy1313]

I won't "face that I'm not up for the task" of owning horses. I'm up for about any task. Which is why I asked for advice on different ways to accomplish this. Because I'm simply just a rookie with mud/ground control.

I used to be a rookie or a know-nothing about a lot of things in life, but have learned to do many of them very well and better than others in some regards.

I can do this.

When I say the "future" for making more paddocks, I mean near, like June. I've already expanded a larger t-post electric rope grazing area to set them out during the day so they aren't stuck.

I think it's really down to what should I do with the muddy areas, or is rotating them the best thing and not much I can do with the mud itself?

Maybe this is actually more an a question for an equestrian forum, but I figured since I'm part of a tractor forum, and I know any groundwork I do will be with a tractor, I thought I'd see if anyone here had experience with horses and mud control.

 

[jaxs]

Maybe I should have been more specific but take my word,there is no secret shortcut or silver bullet solution to this. My mention of being up to the task isn't just in reference to fortitude,it includes resources, land,structures,money and yes,experience which you are attempting to gain. You don't have enough land which can only be overcome with inclosed stalls and maintained floors. You are correct,horse people can offer far better advice than tractor people and I advised you to seek them. I could lay out plans but you are much better following local practice. What works in Texas might fail elsewhere simply because of no snow vs several feet every year,ditto for rainfall,temperature and countless other factors.

 

[Trippy1313]

Okay my bad. I misunderstood. Took it a little personally. Lol. Thank you for clarifying.

I was actually just browsing a horse sight an saw a few times that one thing people have done is to drill/auger many holes in the ground, and fill with sand or drainage rock, covered with a mesh layer so the rocks don't come back up, then fill back with the topsoil. Might be worth trying in some parts and seeing how well it works.

 

[John0829]

I sure you already figured this out but the problem is there are to many animals for the available space. IMHO you should have at least 1 acre per head, when our horse were still alive they had 2 acres per and at times that was not enough especially if we had drought conditions, the opposite of your problem.

As I am sure you have figured out already horses are like us men, we shave to same way each day, mow the lawn the same way each time, well horses walk the same path and stand in the same areas each time. The paths and standing places from ours are still plainly evident even though the fences have all been long since removed. Face it give horses a little time and they can make a hole that will hold water on a rock mountain top. Putting in drain tile and building up the area with rock is about your only hope IMHO but you will have to cover the rock with something to prevent the rock from damaging their hooves and it will be a constant maintenance project. Or add more land. Horses are expensive to keep up, they are always tearing up something, injuring themselves, need feed or hay and any of a number of other things just remember this "The way to make a small fortune with horses is to start with a large one."

They are just like a boat, a money pit but sure do miss my last one.

 

[newbury]

Horses are large animals requiring large areas. They stand on their feet all day. Long term mud and horses hooves don't mix well.
In Tennessee you would have enough acreage for one or two horses.

The actual state, county and city that you live in can also influence how much land you need. Some states have “stocking rates”. For instance, Colorado requires that you have 5 acres for 1 horse. Tennessee requires 2 acres per horse.

from link
Why not build them a nice big barn with an indoor riding ring?

 

[mikester]

I say relish the fact you live in the part of the world where your biggest worries are the condition of the pet horses play pens. First world problems.

 

[Trippy1313]

Horses are large animals requiring large areas. They stand on their feet all day. Long term mud and horses hooves don't mix well.
In Tennessee you would have enough acreage for one or two horses.

from link
Why not build them a nice big barn with an indoor riding ring?

This is the ultimate goal.. a 4 stall barn with covered arena. But... having 3 young girls (7, 5 & 3)... funds are.... not thin... but spread amongst an array... not sure if dumping all our funds into at barn now is the right move or if first we should fully fence the property.

I'm not sure what a barn would cost, or if they make good loans for something like a barn, but I know we don't have the cash for the entire project of doing that. But a barn and arena would definitely reduce almost all of our mud troubles.

 

[Trippy1313]

I say relish the fact you live in the part of the world where your biggest worries are the condition of the pet horses play pens. First world problems.

The horses aren't the biggest worry in my life. Not even top 10.

You're not wrong though, many people in the world have worse problems.

They're not play pens though... they're currently living areas, and I want to make it more comfortable if I can. They're more than pets, my wife was there for the birth of hers 20 years ago.

I might live in a first world country but they don't. They live in the mud. And I hope to do better by them.

 

[John0829]

I understand about the money priority thing and about them being more than pets, BTDT, but the only way you are going to make it better is fewer heads or more ground. There are no easy answers but the bottom line is you are going to have to put the horse to acre ratio more in line. Do you have a neighbors that you could get to lease you some extra ground? Or maybe a horse boarding business where you could rotate them if funds allowed?

 

[Trippy1313]

I think that's probably the common solution I'm seeing. Not worry about controlling the mud in the space I'm using, but expanding the space or reducing the number of horses.

Reducing horses isn't an option at the moment unless the in-laws take their horse that we're taking care of for them.

Us paying for board isn't really an option... but the neighbors property may be. She's mentioned to us once that we could let them graze... my only issues with that is it just feels awkward using someone else's property, and the other is, she is never there, but her nephew and his friend lives there, and they just seem a little..... off? I dunno, just get a weird vibe but maybe I should get over it and try.