MUD mudmudmudmudmud

[Simkie]

OMG the MUD this year.

I have a sacrifice area for my horses and it is just deep, awful, sucking mud right now. I’m trying to keep them off of it as much as a can, but they’re in their stalls (with runs) otherwise and they’re getting So. Bored. Seven dug a giant hole this weekend and they’re all just acting like idiots.

I know I just have to suffer through this, and we’ll put in some all weather footing this summer once we can a) get the tractor in there without it sinking to the axle and b) get the quarry guy’s truck in (I don’t think he could even get in the DRIVEWAY right now, it’s so wet), but OMG is it miserable right now.

I feel like such a traitor to say it, but IT WAS SO MUCH BETTER in winter, when it was just frozen :no: :no:

[cloudy18]

Welcome to spring. It sucks. My dry lot is fairly dry, but we want to put some decent footing in the main traffic area, which runs right in front of the run-in. That’s also the area to get the last amount of sun and wind, so the last to dry.

I hate it when it gets all rutted up, then freezes into ankle breaking ground that makes manure cleanup impossible. That sucks too.

[Tory]

Before I bought our farm, I used to drool over trucks and horse trailers I would see when driving. Now it is gravel trucks!!

For B-Day one year, hubby bought me gravel!

I love gravel:)

[brody]

The sucking mud is what’s killing me right now.

And agreed for the soft lovely even snow covered ground. Sigh.

[kashmere]

The mud this year is incredible, and the swings back and forth in temperature are just awful - go from deep sucking mud to frozen mud ankle breaking ruts. We had to open up one pasture early and put a few horses over there who are really sensitive to the footing (including my princess-and-the-pea mare).

I hate mud.

[bathsheba8542]

Has anyone tried ArenaClear on muddy areas? It sounds like it could be helpful but I don’t know of anyone who has used it yet.

[Abbie.S]

Complaining about mud in Vermont seems redundant, as it’s just a way of life here for half the flippin’ year.

On the one hand, my pig - er, my gelding, is in heaven. He loves nothing more than to downright wallow in the mire. The mare goes back and forth between being horrified and refusing to leave the shed, and not caring at all.

It does seem to be worse this year, however. We’ve had a very mild winter and a very unremarkable spring. Not good for those in the maple industry here, as the temps at night aren’t getting low enough. For us horse people, it means the muck doesn’t harden up over night (whereas it usually would, and would only soften up by mid-day the next day)…and that means longer stretches with no turnout in some places because the pastures are a wreck.

[MysticOakRanch]

In California, that is our entire Winter - when we get rain. Ground doesn’t freeze, it just turns to shoe sucking clay mud. I tried AB and gravel for a few years - that just sucked into the mud too - thousands of dollars of lost gravel and AB, and I finally gave up and accepted - they will be muddy. We have run in shelters that are built up, then matted so they can get out of the mud. I’m not sure there is truly a solution. If it is just paddocks, you can mat them then drop some sand on top?

[Shagyas_Rock]

We’re wallowing in it here, too (NW Iowa) It really does suck. It sucked my muck boot right off sock and all while I was throwing hay into the feeder. EEWWWEWWW - it was so gross.

[Simkie]

THANK GOD I’M NOT ALONE <clings to all of my newly found mud-covered friends> :lol: :lol:

I’m honestly so glad to hear that other people think it’s worse this year. I swear last year wasn’t anywhere near this bad, but I wasn’t sure if that’s just time and distance and all that jazz.

Of course it’s the ground right at the end of the runs that’s just SO bad. It’s not quite knee deep, but it’s close. Hopefully dried up a little bit today, but of course we’re due for a half inch of rain tomorrow.

Mystic Oak, what’s CB? This isn’t just mud. This is mire. Quicksand. Muck. Slop. Mud, frankly, I can deal with. Shrug and look for summer. This is AWFUL. And no, I can’t mat and put down sand…the mats would disappear. And I would be broke. My sacrifice area is 100’ x 100’.

The plan is to wait until we can get the quarry guy in (and it will be awhile…sob) and then get rock down on probably the front 2/3rd of the field. Would love to do the whole thing, but the back part really isn’t too bad. As it is, I’m guessing we’re looking at about 160 tons, which is 8 of the big trucks. Wow. Let’s just make it 10, cause we have other rock projects in other spots.

Has anyone talked to their county extension guys about stuff like this? I guess we have a feed lot guy, and I think it might be worth talking to him.

[SquishTheBunny]

I have a small sacrafice area that’s pretty muddy. I have gravel in the run in and gravel at the gate and outdoor feeling area. Other than that, they are also bored and just standing around in mud. Luckily it’s for 2 months max…they can deal because in a few weeks time they will be out in 20 acres of grass

My mud isn’ super deep.though, covers about half the hoof…but after a rain it’s pretty sloppy. May try to put gravel everywhere but not sure yet…

[DoodlesMom]

The main gate to our field boarders field has… I’m not exaggerating… 2 feet of mud under it. Its so bad that half the horses won’t walk through it to come eat. My BM says it’s never been this bad in all the many, many years he’s been at this farm. I got two pairs of boots stuck in there, and I wasn’t the only one! I generally don’t mind mud, but this is atrocious. We’re getting a couple loads of gravel once it dries out, so at least that’s something to look forward to!

[Simkie]

I’m probably not far off of that, Doodles! When I called the horses in last night, they all stood at the edge of the worst mud and looked at me like “really???” Pigs finally got brave and came across and the others followed eventually.

And it’s just pissing rain today :no:

[MysticOakRanch]

[QUOTE=Simkie;8597523]
Mystic Oak, what’s CB? [/QUOTE]

AB - Aggregate Base - also called road base. Mixture of pebbles and sand that can be packed down (when damp) to make a base for roads.

Our mud here is clay - it is like peanut butter in consistency - just disgusting. It literally sucks off shoes. Cars and tractors get stuck in it. I just hate it! Then to add to it - a few places just got slick - I’ve FALLEN in the damn mud twice this year, yuck, yuck, yuck!

We got more this year because - it RAINED! So trying not to complain since we’ve been in a drought for 5 years now, but I really forgot how much I hate MUD:mad:

[Cat_Tap]

Count me in with the Mud group. Of course it is worst at the gate. They can get to high ground which is soft but not boot sucking wet. I have to turn out five of them which means I navigate the area ten times a day. One of mine keeps trying to tell me he is not going through that mud.

Today it is pouring again. We are expecting high winds. I can’t handle three: rain, mud and wind so they are staying in. They have their nets, I feed and muck four times a day but at least I don’t have to worry about bringing in the crazies who want to be in first.

Yesterday I actually lost a boot, mine. Not nice.

[Simkie]

1.5 inches of rain here in the last two days and it’s just miserable Horses were in yesterday and today and they’re all insane. I know we need the wet and I’ll be loving this spring in August when I still have lush fields…but can’t we just go straight to that? SIGH.

Mystic, did you do geotextile under your road base? How long did it take for the mud to come back?

[Kodidog763]

Same boat here. Ridiculous mud in the sacrifice area. DH buried the skidsteer trying to bring a round bale out to the feeder a couple of weeks ago. That was a fun couple of hours. :no:

Trying to figure out the footing for the sacrifice area is first on the list this spring. Once road restrictions are done, I’ll be asking DH every day when we are going to do something!

[Simkie]

Kodi, have you called your county extension people? Ours has a feedlot specialist who does stuff like this–turning mud into not mud–and I think that will be our first step. Haven’t reached out to those guys yet, but really curious what they can do. Advice, discounts on material, some other magic? I am hopeful.

[Kodidog763]

Kodi, have you called your county extension people?

Two guys from the extension office did a seminar on eliminating mud at a barn not too far from me last fall. I planned on going, but ended up going to Omaha for work. :mad: Are you on the TCCT list? If so, you may remember her posting about it. I should send her a message to see what the suggestions were.

[MysticOakRanch]

[QUOTE=Simkie;8600949]
1.5 inches of rain here in the last two days and it’s just miserable Horses were in yesterday and today and they’re all insane. I know we need the wet and I’ll be loving this spring in August when I still have lush fields…but can’t we just go straight to that? SIGH.

Mystic, did you do geotextile under your road base? How long did it take for the mud to come back?[/QUOTE]

No geotextile - straight to road base - we brought in about 8 inches, compacted it down, and within a few good storms, it was just ground back to mud. When NOT in a drought, we get rain all Winter long - no freezing ground, this is California. When it freezes at night, it thaws during the day. A few weekends ago, I had 4.5 inches over 2.5 days. There is just no way to counter that kind of wet.

To add to it, our soil is clay - it doesn’t drain, it sucks, and then sucks more. My only saving grace is rolling hills, so the high areas dry faster. And then all our shelters are matted, so they don’t turn to mud.

Soil type makes a huge difference - down in the valley, some are still in clay (and even worse because it is flat land), but some have sandy loam - which drains beautifully.

The only thing we haven’t tried is MuckBuster - at this point, I’m done dropping money into mud, but I hear it does help. However, I haven’t talked to anyone who has done a large area - usually just paddocks off shelters.

I do know someone who put down some kind of textile - but it just started tearing from the horse’s hooves once the road base “failed” (aka turned into mud).